Casey Baldwin was introduced to Christianity at a young age, but he was left with a lot of questions and not many answers.
For years, he lived content with the answers atheism provided.
But when Casey and his wife decided to start a family, they opened up to going back to church.
Over the next couple of weeks the women of CCCC will gather together at their campuses to worship, enjoy fellowship, and remember and celebrate the steadfast love of God.
On this episode, Rachel Chester, Tiffany Ravedutti, Jenna Kraft, and Mandy Turner discuss the plan for women’s ministry in 2023, their roles, and walk through the context of Exodus 34.
Having a Top 5 is a simple way to identify, pray for, and be intentional with the people in our lives we hope come to know the grace of Jesus.
Thankfully, we aren’t the ones who save. Jesus is. The pressure isn’t on us to transform hearts or to have all the answers. Yet we have a responsibility to take seriously the mission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:19-20:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Here are two simple mistakes to avoid when reaching your Top 5.
TREATING PEOPLE LIKE A PROJECT
We must be careful not to think of the people on our Top 5 as projects.
They aren’t just names on a list.
They are friends, family members, coworkers, and neighbors.
These are people we love – because they are worth loving, regardless of what they believe.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
You have been entrusted with a message, not assigned a project.
When our loved ones celebrate, we celebrate! When they grieve, we grieve. When they need support, we serve. We do this because we love the people in our lives and because that’s the kind of people we are.
We love because he first loved us. And we pray that through our relationships, God will speak grace into hearts.
Another mistake to avoid is…
NOT BEING READY TO SHARE YOUR STORY
The passage above from 2 Corinthians says that we’ve been entrusted with a message of reconciliation. At some point you will have an opportunity to talk about Jesus with someone.
What will you say?
You don’t have to know everything about the Bible or have a comprehensive understanding of systematic theology to share the message of Jesus. Although you should be growing in your knowledge of the Bible and understanding of God, you don’t have to have it all worked out before you share the hope that you have in Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 says, “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”
For starters, all you need to know is why you have hope in Christ.
What has he done in your life?
How have you experienced healing and freedom?
Why have you put your trust in Jesus?
Peter says we should always be prepared to share the hope in us. A little preparation goes a long way. Take a few minutes to write out your story. It could be as simple as looking back at the story from your baptism, or jotting down something God has done in your life recently. Knowing in advance what you want to say will serve you well when the opportunity presents itself.
When it comes to reaching our Top 5, we love the people in our lives like Jesus would, and we rest knowing that he is the one who will transform their heart.
“Lord, awaken me.” This has been our prayer as we’ve been in the Awakening series.
On this episode, campus pastors Ryan Lehtinen, Chris Alston, Karl Garcia, and Lance Lawson discuss the times that God has awakened them personally.
They also share how God has been working in their lives lately and how they hope God shapes Clear Creek this year.
Reading a great book can be transformative, whether its fictional, theological, devotional, or anything else! Reading a great book can also just be a great way to find quiet away from the hustle and chaos of modern, screen-centered life.
We asked a few members of our church staff, “What was the best book you read in 2022, and why?” Here is what they told us!
So, choose one (or more) of these books to read in 2023. Consider inviting a friend to join you and pray that God would transform your hearts and your minds through reading and contemplating the wisdom you find.
“Sometimes it’s easier to obey God than it is to trust him. Even when we don’t want to obey them, we generally see God’s laws as reasonable and wise … but sometimes our circumstances defy explanation, leaving us confused, frustrated, and struggling with the very honest question ‘can I trust God?’”
Trusting God is a robust study on the topic of Gods sovereignty; you’ll find yourself trusting him more completely — even when life hurts.
— Denise Ward (IT Director, Group Guide)
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland
The best book I read this year was Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland. I just appreciated the emphasis on God’s love for sinful, struggling people. It helps a sinner want to draw near to Jesus instead of hiding or feeling unworthy. I needed it and the guys in my small group needed it, too.
— Greg Poore (Associate Pastor)
The Son of David by Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie is a gifted Bible teacher. In this book, she puts you in the place of the original New Testament reader, showing you specifically how the Old Testament leads to Jesus. She shows you how all the “great characters” of the Old Testament ultimately point to Jesus. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated the Old Testament like this. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it along the way.
— Rachel Fisher (Small Groups Associate)
Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton
This book has changed my prayer life, and I think it will change yours as well. It is both insightful and practical. Not only are there helpful revelations in each chapter, but each concludes with a practice that makes it easy to immediately apply what the Spirit reveals to you. You have to read this invitation to the wonder and mystery of prayer!
— Tanner Smith (Director of Prayer Ministry, Worship Leader)
Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
Wright’s book answers questions about the biblical perspective on last things: Where do we go when we die? Where is Heaven? How does the resurrection impact our resurrection? What is the new heavens and earth about? How do these truths impact the church’s mission?
Wright, a world-class New Testament scholar, clears up misunderstandings that pervade today’s church on end times issues with incredible discernment and clarity. There won’t be many better books on the subject than the one N.T. Wright has penned. This book’s teaching on the future will make a difference in your present.
— Yancey Arrington (Teaching Pastor)
How can our generosity make a real impact in our communities?
How do we step into the mess, right where we are, with the light of the gospel?
In this episode, Rachel Chester sits down with Ryan Thomas, CCCC Go Director, and Shari McCormack, CCCC Go Associate, to discuss how to serve our local community as the hands and feet of Jesus.
At some point in my college career someone told me, “Use your time wisely because you’ll never have this much free time again.”
I laughed and said “okay,” but was really thinking of how busy I was as a full-time student who was highly involved on campus, working part-time, and volunteering with my local church.
Looking back, I understand the comment they made.
It’s not that I’m necessarily busier today, I just have different responsibilities. I have a marriage that takes work and effort. I have a job that requires more hours. And believe it or not, I must go to the grocery store and cook because there’s not a campus cafeteria to eat at every meal. Every day I have to partake in all the fun things that make up adult life.
I have less free time to use however I want, but I still give my free time to the same things because I think they’re really important for God’s kingdom and my soul.
BE INVOLVED
When I first started college, I wasn’t committed to attending church on Sunday or the college small group on Wednesday nights. I didn’t think I had the time, or to be more honest, I chose to give it to other things.
After a couple months, I realized the reality of my priorities and made a change. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday night quickly became blocked off on my calendar. Over time, my Tuesday afternoons were designated to serving with a youth organization and I became one of the college small group leaders.
I committed to community and serving.
It would have been easy to sleep in on Sunday, plan something with friends on Wednesday, or pick up an extra shift on Tuesday, but I actually looked forward to these things throughout my week. And I still do, just in a different city with small group and Student Ministry on different nights.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. – Philippians 2:14-16
I was able to live differently than those around me on my college campus and hopefully give them a glimpse of God’s love and grace. I was able to share the goodness of God with junior high students that I would have normally never crossed paths with. And I did it all with a Gospel-centered support system around me.
We have countless opportunities to be involved in God’s mission, we just have to step into them.
BE AVAILABLE
Don’t book up your free time so much that you don’t have time to love and serve your family and friends.
In college, I made sure I had good quality time with my friends. Time away from studying or walking to class to really check in on them. Sometimes conversations were light, like how classes or relationships were going, others were heavy as we talked about mental health struggles and sin. I wanted my friends to know I was there for them always, regardless of the topic or time.
While I still carve out one-on-one time for my friends, I can also love them with my spouse beside me. Over the last couple years, my husband and I have had several friends who have had babies, so we support them by bringing them a meal, offering to pick up groceries, or watching their little peanut so they can get out of the house baby free.
I serve my people in these ways because that’s how God has gifted me, some of my spiritual gifts being exhortation and hospitality.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. – 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Maybe being a shoulder to cry on or cooking aren’t your things. But God has gifted you in your own unique ways that can be used for his kingdom and in the lives of those around you.
BE GENEROUS
Though the main focus of this article is on time, I think it would be a big miss not to address another really important resource: money.
Growing up, my parents taught my brother and I to tithe. I had a childlike understanding of it at the time, but I guess it always felt like a rule, not an act of obedience, and definitely not with proper heart posture.
Fast-forward to when my tithe became more than a couple dollars and suddenly it became more difficult to let those dollars go.
I worked hard for my money and still didn’t feel like I had that much of it. How was I supposed to just give some to the church?
The number in my bank account acted as a security blanket. But I was clinging to the wrong thing.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24
Money can only give me a false sense of security, but it will always fall short. God is my ultimate security and provider.
At times, it seemed to take a crowbar to pry open my fist. I had to teach my heart and mind to relax and recognize that anything I was holding was put in my hands by God first. I also had to keep the gift of salvation that was freely given to me in its rightful, centered place. Now, I joyfully give to my Savior who gave his life for mine.
—
Each stage of life requires a rebalance of how we use our free time and resources, but it’s not an excuse to stop being involved, available, or generous. You might just have to do some extra planning and pray for God to open your eyes and heart to the opportunities around you.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. — Ephesians 2:10
As we end 2022, what are you celebrating?
How have you seen God move in your life, your family, and as a church?
On this special “Year In Review” episode, Aaron Lutz sat down with Ryan Lehtinen and Kyle Mikulan to look back on the year that was and look forward to a new year personally and as a church family.
40 Days of Prayer and Fasting is over, and yet for many of us, we’ve seen a noticeable change in our lives after devoting intentional time each day to prayer and saying “no,” to something we love for a season.
It’s been so exciting to be praying the same things at the same time with the people of God in community.
But now what?
How do we continue fostering a life of prayer and devotion to personal renewal for the long haul?
Here are three ways to navigate the end of 40 Days of Prayer Fasting and keep seeking Jesus as you step into the holiday season.
1. Create a Daily Prayer Rhythm
Historically, the people of God have devoted themselves to daily rhythms of prayer. It’s a great way to practice the presence of God and push pause on the busyness of a frantic life. Here are a few resources that can help with that.
2. Engage with Daily Devotionals
Having a book or app that takes you through a daily devotional, including a prayer time, is a great way to walk with Jesus consistently through your week. Reading Scripture and praying are two ways we communicate with God and stay in close fellowship with him.
3. Participate in 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting
I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t we just finish 40 Days of Prayer? Yes we did! But, we just wanted let you know that we’ve made all of this content available so now you can participate in 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting anytime. Maybe you jumped into the 40 days late or are just interested in doing it again sometime down the road. Maybe you want to invite your small group to participate together. Find all of the daily content here.
Whichever route you choose, remember that prayer is foundational to spiritual formation, and full devotion to Christ takes place through intimacy with him.
We also want to hear what this 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting experience has been like for you. So, share your story here and let us know how God is moving in your life!
40 Days of Prayer and Fasting is a united effort to draw near to God together as we ask him to bring about a spiritual renewal in our lives, our family, our church, our community, and our world.
Week 1: Dependent Prayer
Day 1: Fasting
He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ Luke 4:2-4
Pray that you can learn to completely trust and depend upon your Father in heaven. Ask God to help you have the same faith Jesus displayed in the wilderness, and that he would reveal himself to you as you depend upon him for all things.
Day 2: Pride
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
Pray that God would reveal the pride and selfishness in your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you see others in your life through his eyes, and to consider them above yourself. Who can you serve today?
Day 3: Humility
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Thank God that he has given us the example of Christ and pray that he would help you to live in humble obedience and submission to his good, perfect, and loving will.
Day 4: Rest
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Take some time to be still and know that he is God. Ask God to help you trust in Jesus for true and lasting rest. Thank him for the gift of Jesus who willingly carries your burdens and offers rest this world can never offer.
Day 5: Busyness
But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and it will not be taken from her. Luke 10: 41-42
If you haven’t yet chosen something to fast from, ask God to reveal what you should fast from so that you have more time with him daily. God loves you and loves spending time with you, more than you will ever know.
Day 6: Truth
Trust in the LORD with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Ask God in which ways you depend upon yourself, or this world, for truth instead of trusting in him. As you seek God in Scripture, pray that he would help you to trust fully in his presence, revealed truth, and love for you.
Day 7: Renewal
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
Ask God to bring renewal and transformation to your life and the community around you. Ask that he would help you to orient your entire life to him, seek him with all that you are, and conform you to the image of his Son, Jesus, as you seek to live on mission.
Week 2: Indwelling Holy Spirit
Day 8: Filled by the Spirit
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11
Thank God today for the gift of his Spirit who dwells within you because you belong to Jesus. Pray that you would be filled with his Spirit to live completely dependent upon him as you move throughout your day.
Day 9: Guided by the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25
Pray to your Father that you learn to walk by the Spirit. Ask that he help you to let go of the selfish desires of your heart and instead to love and serve others displaying the fruit of the Spirit to all those around you.
Day 10: Convicting of Sin
As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Pray that you would be convicted by God to repent wherever your heart and life is contrary to him. Trust in the work of Jesus and know that there is no condemnation in Christ; ask that God would help you to truly know and believe how fully forgiven and loved you are in Christ, even as you seek godly conviction that leads to repentance and renewal.
Day 11: Empowering of the Spirit
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Surrender to God’s Spirit, the same Spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead, who dwells in you, and empowers you to love, serve, and live on mission in ways that you never thought were possible.
Day 12: Gifting of the Spirit
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Pray that God would reveal your spiritual gifts, which are promised and bestowed upon all believers in Jesus. Ask him to empower you to fully use your gifts in his mission to reach, redeem, and renew the world in the name of Jesus.
Day 13: Reminding Us of All Truth
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13
As you fast, ask for clarity of mind. Thank the Holy Spirit for the way he reminds and reveals the truth of God’s word to you. Pray that his presence in your community would lead to deeper understanding and dependence on his truth.
Day 14: Communing with the Spirit
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27
As you pray, know that God’s Spirit intercedes on your behalf, even when you feel completely weak or lost. Pray that the Holy Spirit would search the deepest needs and desires of your heart and trust that God knows you fully and welcomes you completely because of Jesus.
Week 3: Healing
Day 15: Physical Healing
In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. Luke 7: 21-22
Confess to God that he is the Great Healer. Name your brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling physically and ask our Father to heal them. If you are suffering, ask for healing in your own life according to his will. Thank God for the future promise of all things being made new in his Kingdom. Ask God to give us stories to tell of his power and mercy, that his good news would be proclaimed, and his name honored.
Day 16: Emotional Healing
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
Ask the Lord for healing from the emotional scars you bear. Tell God you trust his power to heal, and that his grace is sufficient for you. Ask him to give you an open heart to his healing power and for an increasing awareness of his steadfast love for you.
Day 17: Spiritual Healing
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
Speak your thankfulness to God for his forgiveness and grace. Ask God to teach you to remember that he alone has forgiven your sin and healed you from unrighteousness. Pray that God will make your life a witness to the power of his rich mercy.
Day 18: Relational Healing
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24
Pray that God will make your relationships as important to you as they are to him. Ask God to give you the faith required to go and be reconciled to anyone with whom you have a fractured relationship.
Day 19: Wounds
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Ask God to give you peace of heart while he works to bind your wounds. Pray for a soft heart toward other people who are hurt and downcast. Ask the Spirit of God to reveal ways you can pray for the people he brings to mind.
Day 20: Trauma
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24
Pray these verses. Ask God to help you trust him in the depths of your struggle. Ask the Lord to send people to you who will speak grace and truth to you and strengthen your faith.
Day 21: Grief
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Speak the name of someone who is grieving. Ask God to give them comfort and rest in their season of pain. Thank God for the genuine hope we have in Jesus. Ask God for peace in knowing there is life beyond this life.
Week 4: Freedom
Day 22: Freedom from Idolatry
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5
Pray that your Father would reveal anything your heart desires more than God himself. Ask for the strength to ruthlessly remove every unholy attraction from your life. Pray that he would quiet you in his presence so that you can see clearly and worship him alone.
Day 23: Freedom from Unhealthy Habits
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
Pray to your Father to help you to live purposefully. Ask him to give you the will to submit all your ways to him and discipline your heart and body. Pray that you can become intolerant even of trivial sin, remembering that everything you do either glorifies or dishonors Jesus.
Day 24: Freedom from False Beliefs
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; Psalm 19:7-8
As you seek your Father in prayer, pray that he would enable you to hold tightly to the truth of his word and reject false beliefs. As you fast, ask that he give you a hunger for his word, so that you might know the truth and live your life submitted to him. Ask that he help you to put into practice his unassailable truth.
Day 25: Freedom from Depression and Anxiety
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Voice your concerns and fears to God. Cast your cares upon him and remind yourself of his deep care for you. Ask for his peace to guard your heart and mind and give you freedom from the crippling effects of depression and anxiety. Thank him for his presence and love.
Day 26: Freedom from Materialism
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33
As you pray, trust that God knows what you need and will always do what is best for you. Pray that God would free your heart from being consumed by material things and a desire for worldly comfort. Spend some time thanking God for every good gift in your life.
Day 27: Freedom from Religiosity
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14: 17-18
Pray that your Father would free you from mere rule keeping and self-dependence. Nothing can save except the blood of Jesus. Ask God to fill your heart with the peace and joy that comes from trusting that his grace and mercy are enough for you.
Day 28: Freedom from Envy
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:25-26
Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide you in all of your relationships. Ask that God would teach you to be humble, so that you can serve and celebrate people the same way as Jesus. Ask that God would give you freedom from comparison and set your heart to become more like Jesus.
Week 5: Holiness
Day 29: Repentance
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
Confess your sins to God. Thank your Father for adopting you and ask for the faith and courage to rid your life of all desires and actions that are opposed to his holiness. Ask him to purify your heart as he is pure and to help you bear fruits worthy of repentance.
Day 30: Death to Sin
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:5-10
As you fast and consider the way of Jesus, ask him to reveal the parts of your life you must put to death. Ask God to make every sinful desire and action distasteful so that you will stop doing anything that does not lead you to honor and obey him.
Day 31: Distinctiveness
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
Ask God to grow your desire to be set apart for him. Ask him to grow you in courage and conviction to model your life after him, so that you may reflect the goodness and grace of Jesus to others.
Day 32: Integrity
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
Pray and ask your Father to strengthen you to live in complete integrity. That God would enable you to love and trust him so much that you do not need to hide your ways or manage your image.
Day 33: Honesty
But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24
Ask God for the simple courage to always tell the truth. As you fast and pray, pray for God to show you any part of your heart that is willingly deceitful or tolerant of falsehood. Ask God for help to put away your old thinking and walk in truth.
Day 34: Transparency
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:6-9
Pray and express your desire to hide nothing from God. He knows everything about you and loves you completely. Ask him to search you for secret motives and desires; confess those things to him and seek opportunities to be transparent with a brother or sister in Christ.
Day 35: Submission to God’s Word
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules. Psalm 119:104-106
As you’ve refrained from distractions through fasting, take some time to listen to God. Ask him to grow your understanding of the goodness and truth of his word. To help you conform your life to his precepts and in every moment choose his kingdom to come and his will to be done.
Week 6: Mission
Day 36: Compassion
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
Pray that God would give you deep compassion for the lost. Ask that he would open your eyes to see those who are far from him in your neighborhood, family, or work. Ask him how he might use you to help meet their needs and share the gospel.
Day 37: Local and Global Mission
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8
Pray that God would reveal to you where he can use you for the gospel today. Ask him to show you where he has planned for you to participate in his mission. Even when you feel inadequate, trust in his Spirit to be with you and speak for you.
Day 38: Friend of Sinners
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Matthew 11:19
Pray that God would show you those in your life and community who feel as if they are not loved by God. Pray that you would be a gospel presence of love, forgiveness, and compassion to those who the world has cast aside in the name of Jesus.
Day 39: Salt and Light
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13 -16
Ask your Father in heaven to help you to be a light to the world. Trust that he is renewing you day by day to look more like Jesus. Ask him that your good works would be seen not for your own pride or success, but for his glory and mission.
Day 40: The Great Commission
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20
Pray for 5 people in your life today that do not know Jesus. Pray that their hearts would be softened and that God would move in their lives so they would become fully devoted of Christ. Ask God how he can use you in their lives and then take some time to listen.