Download January 27, 2014

Daily Prayer Covering
(Devotions start on page 3)
Step Two: Pray
1.
2.
3.
4.
Confess your sins and believe that you are forgiven
Praise Him for who He is
Thank Him for all the things He has done for you.
Daily alignment prayer (recommended for starting your day)
I put on the mind of Christ.
Your thoughts are my thoughts
Your emotions are my emotions
Your words are my words
Your actions are my actions
I will be obedient to Your will.
Your plan
Your desires
Your hope for me
I put on the full armor of God
I buckle the belt of truth around my waist
(Lord, help me to always walk in truth)
I place the breastplate of right living upon my chest.
(Lord, help me to make right choices by Your Word)
I place the Good News of peace upon my feet to help me stand strong
(Lord, help my mind to stay on You—because You are perfect peace)
I will use the shield of faith to combat the plans of the enemy
(Lord, I will stand firm and trust in You)
I wear God’s salvation as my helmet
(Lord, I have assurance that you have redeemed me from my old life of sin)
I will take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,
with me throughout the day.
(Lord, teach me to apply Your Word to my everyday life)
5. Daily strategic financial prayer
"As I give, I expect good things from God from whom all blessings flow.
I am believing for:
A job or promotion in my job
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales & commissions
Settlements
Return on creative/witty ideas
Estates & inheritances
Interest & income
Rebates & returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Debts demolished
Royalties received.
Hallelujah!"
Step Three: Praying in the Spirit
If you have been filled with the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, please take
some time to pray in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit (speaking/praying in tongues) is important for many reasons, certainly
more than to prove you’ve received the Holy Spirit. It should be a part of everyday life. It is
a way to communicate directly from your heart to the Father, bypassing your brain with its
doubts and fears. It builds your faith and literally gives you the mind of Christ.
Step Four: Journal
You don't have to be a great writer, perfect speller, or creative thinker to keep a personal
journal. Journal writing means that you regularly write down your thoughts and
experiences. Ask yourself these questions:
1. How did the Scripture verse relate to me personally?
2. Was there a portion of scripture or a specific word that jumped off the page?
Write down the specifics
3. How will I put the Scripture reading into action for my life?
4. What did God say to me regarding my prayer time?
Write down the specifics
January 27, 2014
STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR FFI FAMILY:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your
own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for
your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best
part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine. –Proverbs 3:10 NLT
God, we commit to You that we will trust in You, depend on You and seek You in ALL that
we do. We DO NOT rely on what we know or have; we LEAN ON YOU!!!! The fear of The
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We fear You, and we turn away from any evil and commit
to HONOR You with our RESOURCES, TALENTS, and TIME. We thank you that as we OBEY
Your Word, You will bring HEALING, STRENGTH, and PROVISION to our lives. IN JESUS’
NAME!!!
DEVOTION
Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all
your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love
your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on
these two commandments.” –Matthew 22:37-40
Keep going. Don’t stop. Persevere. Love the Lord first, love others second. It sounds simple,
but whew! Putting it into practice every second of our lives, that’s a whole other story!
Seek the Lord and His strength, seek his face continually. –1 Chronicles 16:11
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do
justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:8
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you,
you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are
my disciples.” –John 13:34-35
Let us continually love the Lord and love others. Circumstances come, and wounds hurt; but
as the Lord heals and delivers, are we not called to love and keep on loving? Persevere in
your love for Him and others.
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than
yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of
others. –Philippians 2:3-4
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. –Proverbs 10:12
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment,
and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. –1 John 4:18
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
–2 Timothy 1:7
Lord, may You help us to persevere in our love for You and others. May your power and love
grow inside of us to truly love You back and to truly love others. Give us the resolve to
persevere and keep a disciplined life to give You our everything – hearts, souls and minds –
and to love those You put in our paths. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for being our guide and
helping us each and every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow
weary. –Galatians 6:9
January 28, 204
STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR FFI FAMILY:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your
own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for
your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best
part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine. –Proverbs 3:10 NLT
God, we commit to You that we will trust in You, depend on You and seek You in ALL that
we do. We DO NOT rely on what we know or have; we LEAN ON YOU!!!! The fear of The
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We fear You, and we turn away from any evil and commit
to HONOR You with our RESOURCES, TALENTS, and TIME. We thank you that as we OBEY
Your Word, You will bring HEALING, STRENGTH, and PROVISION to our lives. IN JESUS’
NAME!!!
DEVOTION
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28
I suppose one of the hardest questions to answer is: "Why do I have to deal with so much
adversity?!"
Quite honestly, one of the best answers I've ever come across was written by C.S. Lewis in
his book, Mere Christianity. Lewis likened God's use of adversity to walking a dog. If the dog
gets its leash wrapped around a pole and tries to continue running forward, he will only
tighten the leash more. Both the dog and the owner are after the same end: forward
motion. But the owner must resist the dog by pulling him opposite of the direction that he
wants to go. The master, sharing the same intention but understanding better than the dog
where he really wants to go, takes an action precisely opposite to that of the dog's will. It is
in this way that God uses adversity!
We really don't like being pulled and corrected by the Lord, but when we understand there's
a greater purpose involved, we can pass through adversity with hope, expectation and
steadfastness knowing these events are for our greater good!
Let's learn from the tests we go through because God has a purpose in them. We may not
enjoy it, but when all's said and done, enduring trials faithfully will produce perseverance,
character, and hope. And hope will not disappoint us for the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:4-5). We truly can trust in the God who loves us
with an everlasting love because He knows the direction we need to go, AND He knows
exactly how to get us there!
January 29, 2014
STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR FFI FAMILY:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your
own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for
your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best
part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine. –Proverbs 3:10 NLT
God, we commit to You that we will trust in You, depend on You and seek You in ALL that
we do. We DO NOT rely on what we know or have; we LEAN ON YOU!!!! The fear of The
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We fear You, and we turn away from any evil and commit
to HONOR You with our RESOURCES, TALENTS, and TIME. We thank you that as we OBEY
Your Word, You will bring HEALING, STRENGTH, and PROVISION to our lives. IN JESUS’
NAME!!!
DEVOTION
Have you ever felt stuck?
With the beginning of the New Year, I resolved to begin keeping a prayer journal again. As
I looked back at past entries, I was surprised at the raw and honest emotions I had written
one day in June of 2013. Words like “angry, afraid, worried, and stuck” flooded 2 of the 5
pages of that journal entry. As I read, I was embarrassed at how much complaining filled
the page. My journal that day was full of fear, full of self-pity, and my focus on the NEVER,
UNABLE, and What IF’s of a person ready to throw up their hands or throw in the towel.
However, as I read page 3, there was a shift. I began sensing a softening of heart as I read
the following words, “Help me Lord take my eyes off myself. Forgive me for being fearful
and worried, refusing to allow myself to hope…afraid of disappointment once again.” The
journal entry went on to say, “You are the God of the universe. With Your breath, You
simply spoke the world into existence. You sent Your son, Jesus for my life because of Your
great love.” The rest of the journal entry that day was filled with who HE was, what HE
could do, what HE had already done in my life. There was hope, strength, and courage to
keep going when I realized that Jesus was for me, not against me.
Webster’s Online Dictionary defines perseverance as “the quality that allows someone to
continue trying to do something even though it is difficult.” I can assure you that my
difficult situation hadn’t changed from the beginning of writing that entry to the end, but my
heart had changed. I could continue walking through a difficult time in my life because of
Jesus. Romans 8:31-32 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? Since he did
not even spare his own son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us
everything else?” No matter what difficult situation you find yourself in, you will find
perseverance in Jesus. He is for you, dear friend. Shift your focus; align your heart to His.
Remind yourself that God gave the greatest gift in Jesus. Be encouraged that He knows
what difficulties you are facing. God is for you. Praise Him for taking care of you. Thank Him
for the help to persevere.
Psalm 95:6-7
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for He is our
God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen
to his voice today.
January 30, 2014
STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR FFI FAMILY:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your
own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for
your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best
part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine. –Proverbs 3:10 NLT
God, we commit to You that we will trust in You, depend on You and seek You in ALL that
we do. We DO NOT rely on what we know or have; we LEAN ON YOU!!!! The fear of The
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We fear You, and we turn away from any evil and commit
to HONOR You with our RESOURCES, TALENTS, and TIME. We thank you that as we OBEY
Your Word, You will bring HEALING, STRENGTH, and PROVISION to our lives. IN JESUS’
NAME!!!
DEVOTION
Many years ago, I loved to run long distances. Often on an open weekend, I would beg our
coach to take us to a nearby lake to run its 13 mile trail (much to my teammates’
resentment). Frequently, he would give in to my pleading and schedule a “field trip.” As I
ran over those hills overlooking the lake, passing through open meadows filled with flowers
and cacti between the patches of overgrown cedar, my body would scream to stop the
madness and walk. Besides, it would reason, hadn’t I already logged enough miles that
week, and these miles were only considered as extra? Surely, giving in and resting wouldn’t
hurt? As my legs burned and grew heavy, thoughts like these would find their way into my
thinking. However, I knew somewhere my competitor was training, and he may not be
stopping. If I chose to quit, I would lose the benefits of the additional endurance training
this run provided. If I stopped, there could be a chance that I would not win the upcoming
race.
In scripture, our Christian life is illustrated as an endurance race. Paul writes in I
Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
The writer of Hebrews adds:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and
perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1-2)
There’s how we run – with perseverance. Normally, no one likes this word. It gives the
impression of a grin-and-bear-it attitude – a passive resignation that I can take this on the
chin, no matter what comes my way.
This interpretation is not necessarily true of the biblical definition of perseverance.
According to Strong’s Concordance, perseverance in the Greek is the word “hypomone.”
Literally translated, it means “abiding under” or “to abide”. It has the connotation of
remaining under an authority or staying in a situation in which others may rebel or quit. It
is the picture of active endurance and steadfastness. In other words, it is a choice.
I thought it was very interesting that perseverance has to do with abiding. Jesus said we
are to abide in Him. As difficult trials and tribulations arise in our lives, we must “fix our
eyes on Jesus.” Not only is He the greatest example of perseverance because He flawlessly
finished the job his Father assigned Him to do by redeeming mankind, but also He is the
very one in which we are called to abide. Just as the branches gain their sustenance from
the vine, so we can gain strength and fortitude through Jesus.
You may feel alone and want to give up. Don’t! You have the Lord of all, Jesus, who was
willing to suffer death on a cross, cheering you on. He has an amazing plan for you and
desires the best for you. Just like those runs strengthened me as I pushed through the
times I wanted to quit, God will use these times to strengthen you for the next area of your
life!
January 31, 2014
STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR FFI FAMILY:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His
will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your
own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for
your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best
part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine. –Proverbs 3:10 NLT
God, we commit to You that we will trust in You, depend on You and seek You in ALL that
we do. We DO NOT rely on what we know or have; we LEAN ON YOU!!!! The fear of The
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We fear You, and we turn away from any evil and commit
to HONOR You with our RESOURCES, TALENTS, and TIME. We thank you that as we OBEY
Your Word, You will bring HEALING, STRENGTH, and PROVISION to our lives. IN JESUS’
NAME!!!
DEVOTION
Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. —James 1:3
I've found myself stuck on this verse. It stands out as a challenge, an answer, and a
revelation. For me this short phrase has been hidden behind the verses before and after it.
Recently, however, the bigger verses are hidden by this short verse. All of it is equally
important, yes, but right now these eleven words seem much longer and more powerful
than I've seen them as before. God had dissected this verse for me and made it personal.
"Because you know," makes the times I've asked "Why God?" seem ignorant. I've
preferred and at times still prefer to skip the test. Each time I claimed I didn't know why
what happened had to happen, but in all reality, I did and do know. Luckily for us He loves
us, and even though we know, He continues to remind us. Everything He does is for a
purpose. It is all take us from glory to glory. I'm challenged to thank Him for the test
instead of asking God why. Thank Him for His word that is yes and amen. Thank Him that I
don't have to understand exactly, but I know it is all for a purpose.
The second part, "that the testing of your faith," is revelation. Whether it is temptations
or trials, all of that is a test of your faith. In each test God is not saying, "It is a test, so I
won't help." Instead he is saying, "This is a test. I'm growing your faith. Will you have me
help you, and do you trust me to get you through it?" There are many other lessons that
are learned in trials and tests, but you can sum it up in the word faith because afterwards
your doubts shrink. When you come out victorious you have trust and faith to believe that
after He has pulled you through one test He will be able to pull you through ones like it and
later bigger test.
The reason is this: "produces perseverance." Your hardships, trials, temptations, and tests
produce perseverance. You get hit, and when it's through, you're much stronger. Then later
you are prepared and ready to persevere in the next trial. Tests have a whole new meaning
when you realize this. Each word is vitally important and comes together to show the love
and support God has for His children. He never leaves us and has a reason for the things
that happen in our life.