Read: Matthew 6:7-18, John 17
Pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done… in me and my life.”
Watch: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/browse/search?query=prayer+prayer
“Prayer is a power-sharing device,” said Dallas Willard. “God wants to empower you to do what you want.” He also said, the problem is with our ‘wanter.’ We often want the wrong things. Thus, Jesus’ example of “Your Kingdom come; your will be done…”
As we come into union with our Father through Jesus our mediator, we surrender our selfish desires, our own will. We enter His presence (Psalm 100) and by “setting our mind on Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), we partake in His glory. We encounter His love.
Our desires are conformed to His desires. Simply said, though passionate, persistent, prayer, we are transformed into the Image of Christ. We are being sanctified. All this is done through prayer.
Prayer must be the primary activity of the Church! Prayer is simply agreeing with what God wants for His Church, and our individual life.
Fasting: Did you know that fasting was a command in Leviticus (23:27-28). Worshipers of Yahweh were to enter a complete fast every year on the day of atonement. They were to make offerings of purification which made them right with God.
We no longer make purification offerings (sacrificial lambs), because of the perfect Lamb of God, who sacrificed Himself for us, for all time. Jesus did, however, tell His students, “When you fast…” Jesus assumed His followers would fast.
Fasting simply stated, is voluntarily denying yourself of something. The best place to start is to talk to Jesus and ask Him what He wants you to fast (from). As you listen, He may reveal to you something you have or do that may be more important than your relationship with Him.
When we fast, we are making the object or action an offering. We are committing the thing to our Father, asking Him to be the focus of our heart and mind. If you have ever fasted from food, you begin to realize how much we depend on substance. When we don’t eat, but pray instead, we may become weak, but we learn that is when He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Questions:
1. How does prayer act as a tool for reorienting our desires, and what does this transformation look like in practice? Are there areas in your life where your desires are still out of alignment with God’s?
2. Prayer and the Image of Christ – What specific aspects of Christ’s character are you currently being transformed in through prayer?
3. Fasting as an offering – The idea that fasting is a form of “voluntary denial” and “offering” something to God challenges our normal relationship with comfort and dependency. How do we approach fasting in a way that focuses more on God’s presence than on the absence of the fasted thing?
4. The role of the church in prayer and fasting – “Prayer must be the primary activity of the Church.” What does it mean for us to be truly dependent on prayer and fasting as a community? How do these practices challenge the way we often operate as a church—focusing on programs, activities, or success instead of simply aligning with God’s will?
Links: Daily prayer: https://wildatheart.org/site-search?s=daily+prayer
Pause App: https://wildatheart.org/apps/one-minute-pause/
Lectio 365: https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/
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Dr Mark John Bennett