The Spirit and the Wilderness
Luke 4:1-2, Luke 4:14

As we fast and pray, it is important to recognize that the enemy will do everything in his power to stop the moving of God, especially as we are believing for greater things and asking for a great awakening to sweep across our land.

We see an example of this demonstrated in Luke chapter 4. At this point in the Gospel, Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan River, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry.” (Luke 4:1-2)

The Holy Spirit then leads Jesus into the wilderness, which was a barren and unfamiliar place. As we fast and pray through these weeks, some of us might be entering or are already in a season that may seem or feel uncertain and unfamiliar. But when you are being led by the Holy Spirit, you will never be led to a place without a purpose, regardless of how it may look or feel. It’s also in those times that the enemy takes every opportunity he can get to distract, disrupt, or discourage your heart and mind.

In this passage, we read that the devil interrupts the 40 days of Jesus’s fast to tempt Him, but Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit, full of power, and purpose. After Jesus successfully resists the temptations of the devil and survives 40 days in the wilderness without food, He returns with the power of the Spirit, and His ministry spreads quickly. “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about Him went out through all the surrounding country.” (Luke 4:14)

Some of us may be in a wilderness season as we fast and pray, but if we are led by the Spirit, we know that it is for a specific purpose. There is power waiting for us on the other side as we persevere. As we face temptation and trials during our time of fasting and prayer, we can remain faithful, knowing that God has something great planned for us.

If you haven’t already, let today be the day when you settle it in your heart that God has greater things in store for you. He wants to do greater things in you through this fast so that He can do greater things through you after this fast. Don’t get discouraged or distracted by the wilderness because the Spirit of God is leading you, and just on the other side of this is a season of significant breakthrough and impact for the Kingdom. God has greater things for you!

Jesus is Building His Church
Matthew 16:13-19

In Matthew 16:13-19, we find an exciting and powerful story. As Jesus and His disciples approached the region of Caesarea Philippi, with Mt. Hermon looming in the distance, Jesus turned and asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” They gave various answers they had heard in their travels with Jesus; some said He was John the Baptist come back to life, and others said Elijah or Jeremiah. But then Jesus quickly turned the conversation personal, “Who do you say I am?”

Seemingly without hesitation, Peter blurted out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Out of that one statement, Jesus made a profound declaration that has since shaped the course of history, “…On this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

The “rock” on which Jesus declared he would build His Church was Peter’s realization of exactly who Jesus is. Once they knew and understood who He was, Jesus could begin using them to build His kingdom. Since then, Jesus has been building His Church, and nothing has been able to stop it.

Interestingly, the unstoppable force required to build the Church was not a unique church growth strategy or highly trained and influential people. The unstoppable power of the Church lies in ordinary people realizing who Jesus is and joining Him in His mission.

This is a profound realization because when we understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us, the only logical conclusion is to serve Him wholeheartedly. The true power of that understanding is not our dedication to a cause, but the empowerment Jesus promised would accompany anyone who chose to confess Him as Lord. He said He would give us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, that we might bind the powers of darkness and set people free from the chains that bound them!

We have been given the keys to the Kingdom; our prayers are powerful and effective. As we fast and pray, we lock up the enemy and set people free. Jesus is building His Church and using us to do it! Nothing in all of Heaven or earth will be able to stop it!

Preparing for a Miracle
Isaiah 54:1-6 

There are times in life we make special preparations for something new. When a family is expecting a new baby, there is preparation. Walls are painted, furniture is purchased, and a room is prepared for the new life coming. When you purchase a new home there are lots of preparations – from packing boxes to finally giving away items in storage that haven’t been used in years, preparation precedes something new.

Isaiah 54 records a prophecy about Israel’s future and the preparation for a new, miraculous day coming. The prophet writes in Isaiah 54:2-3, “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities.”

Not only were the Israelites living in exile under the oppression of the Babylonians, but were experiencing the shame, disgrace, and humiliation of losing their country.  But that would soon change, and Isaiah calls them to prepare.

When we receive a word from the Lord, we have a responsibility to steward the word by believing, praying, and preparing.

First, we must believe the word by holding onto it in faith and trusting that the God who spoke will make it happen in His perfect timing!

Second, pray over the word. One of the best things you can do with a promise is keep it somewhere you can read and pray over it regularly.

Finally, prepare for the word to come to fruition. Perhaps you have been praying for a family member that doesn’t follow Jesus. Begin preparing for your miracle – buy them a Bible with their name engraved on it believing that the Lord is answering your prayers for their salvation. We are not trying to force God’s plan, but we are preparing by faith for the promise that is sure to come.

Number 23:19 states, “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” The answer is, No! God is faithful.

Joshua 21:45 reminds us of the reliability of God’s promises: “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”

God will complete every word He has spoken, and our preparation makes way for the miracles He desires to fulfill in our lives!

Signs, Wonders, and the Church
Acts 2:42-47

We are in an incredible season of seeing the miraculous power of God work in an increased way in His Church. People are being saved, baptized, and supernaturally healed all over the world. God is building His Church!

This is exactly what the first New Testament churches were experiencing. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit falls on the church which leads Peter to preach to the people resulting in 3,000 salvations in just one day!

Then Luke writes in Acts 2:42-43, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

As the church gathered for fellowship, meals, teaching, and prayer, they experienced God’s power through many signs and wonders. Miracles have been an essential part of the church since the very beginning!

And notice what Luke adds at the end of Acts 2 in verse 47, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” As the church gathered and prayed, as signs and wonders were among them, the lost were saved!

As a church, we are praying for a Great Awakening to sweep our area and our nation. Let’s take time today to pray for an increase in signs and wonders, for the lost to be saved, and for an awakening in our area and country unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the history of our nation!

Amazed and Afraid
Mark 10:32a

As we continue in our fast, we believe that God will move in miraculous ways in our families, our church, and our community. In all that, one of the greatest blessings we hope that each of us gains from this fast is a deeper understanding of the presence of God.

In Mark’s gospel, there is an interesting passage that gives us a glimpse of what it was like to be in the presence of Jesus during His earthly ministry. “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32a).

It’s like Mark is recording these seemingly random details of what it was like to be with Christ. This verse paints the image of Jesus and the disciples as they walked up the dusty road with Jerusalem looming in the distance. As the disciples looked ahead and saw Jesus, they were amazed. In the Greek, the verb literally means to be astounded, to be struck with amazement. The incredible thing about this statement is in that moment Jesus was not walking on water, or healing the sick, or answering prayers – He was simply walking ahead of them. Just to see the divine clothed in flesh was astounding. Just to be with Him on the journey held a striking sense of amazement.

Mark also records that those who were with them were afraid. The language here can be understood as a deep sense of reverence and awe. Up to this point in Mark, Jesus has cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the storm, and many more incredible miracles. While those things are certainly gripping, it’s like the gospel writer is telling us that just walking with Him was just as powerful as seeing Him raise the dead.

Through this fast, we will see God do many miracles, and while those things will certainly be gripping, our prayer is that the most amazing and awe-inspiring thing from these 21 days is to simply be in His presence.