As you participate in the January 2019 fast with others from Living Waters, please feel free to use this guide as a companion. It was developed by Josh McConnon and will be a useful tool for you to use for the 21 days that you cut something out of your life with the intention of growing closer to Jesus. Please also consider coming together once a week on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 during the fast to worship God with others that will be participating.
Day 1
Proverbs 16:3, Ephesians 3:14-21, 1 Corinthians 13
Commit to the Lord your intention and desire for more of Him. Tell Him how much you need Him and desire a more intimate relationship with Him to grow deeper in understanding and love.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 2
Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:16
Ask God how much he loves you. Ask him to remind you of a time that you felt His love. If you can’t recall a time, ask Him to reveal anything that would keep you from receiving His love. Take time and listen. Don’t assume there’s something wrong with you if you don’t get the answer you’re looking for. We have 21 days and God will show you some things, I’m confident. Just be open and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 3
Romans 5:5, Ephesians 2:4-5
Ask God how much He loves and cares for you. Ask Him to remind you of a time that you experienced His abundant care for you. If nothing comes to mind, ask Him if there is something that would hinder you from knowing how much He cares for you. Again, we have 21 days. Don’t worry if you don’t experience something. God will speak to you as you seek after him.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 4
John 1:14, Ephesians 2:6, Ephesians 2:19-22
Ask God to show you how much he loves to be with you—to be right there with you always. Ask Him to remind you of a time when you knew that he loved and adored being with you. If nothing comes to mind, ask Him if there is anything that hinders you from receiving this love and adoration from Him.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 5
John 17:11-12, Hebrews 13:6
Ask God to show you how much he loves and protects you. Ask him to remind you of a time when He kept you safe or you felt Him intervene on your behalf. If you can’t recall a time, ask Him to show you if there is anything that would block you from receiving His love and protection. Is there something you believe about him that is not true?
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 6
Galatians 4:6-7, James 5:13-16
Review the last five days. These days were designed to get you to understand how much God loves you. If you have a hard time believing that God loves you, you’ll have a harder time with the next couple weeks. Did God confirm in you how much He loves you or did He show you some times that make it hard or impossible to receive and accept His love for you? The truth is that He does love you. If you can’t accept or receive this truth, I’d encourage you to get with a friend that you trust and ask him or her to pray with you and work through the things that hinder you. This is SO important to work through so that you can know and receive love from God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your understanding of our Father God.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 7
Proverbs 3:11-12, Romans 8:37-39
After knowing God’s love for us, we love Him in return. Take some time and ask God to search your heart and show you if there is anything He needs to correct or change. God loves you and wants what is best for you. Allow Him to see every part of you. Don’t hide anything from Him (as if you could). If He brings something up to you, humble yourself and allow Him to correct you. A loving father shows you error and helps you with correction. The more willing you are to let Him have His way in your life, the more peace and joy you’ll experience in your life.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 8
Psalm 139:23-24
Repeat Day 7 with a spotlight.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 9
Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 18:21-35
Forgiveness
Are there people you are holding something against? Are you keeping them on the hook and expecting them to pay what they owe? If you are, you are not following Jesus’s teachings. He says to forgive as we have been forgiven. He goes as far to say that we won’t be forgiven unless we forgive others. Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind anyone you haven’t forgiven. If He brings someone to mind, forgive them. This doesn’t mean you have to be their best friend or hang out with them. It simply means you release them from the debt they owe just as you were released from God’s wrath in Christ Jesus. As you release them, you’ll find that you are released to live the way God intended. He didn’t intend for you to carry around a record of the wrongs done to you by others. Forgive and allow God to heal you from the hurt you experienced.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 10
Ephesians 4:32, Luke 11:2-4, Colossians 3:12-14
Forgiveness (Day 2)
Take some time and allow yourself to be forgiven. Some of us have a hard time accepting forgiveness for the things we’ve done. Do you believe you are forgiven by God in Christ? If you do, that’s awesome! Sit back and just thank God for this incredible gift we have through Jesus Christ our Lord. Meditate on what He did for you and express in your own way your gratitude for His love. If you struggle with being forgiven, ask God to show you why you might have trouble accepting His love and forgiveness. Sometimes it’s pride, or the thought that we haven’t earned it. You will never earn God’s grace or favor. You have it in Christ. Stop and think about that: We just have to, in humility, accept His goodness. Thank you, Jesus! In Christ we have earned favor with God because of what Jesus did on the cross, not because of anything we have done. Holy Spirit, please plant this truth in us so deeply we won’t ever forget, and it will change us through and through.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 11
Ephesians 4:17-5:21
Habits
Take some time today to examine the things you do on a daily basis. We typically are creatures of habit. Some habits are good, others, not so much. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you which habits are life giving and which aren’t. I am not saying there is something wrong with you; I’m asking you to examine, with the help of the Holy Spirit, why you do the things you do. I have had several bad habits, such as my language. You get into the habit of talking a certain way and don’t really realize that it is out of character for someone who is trying to follow Jesus. (Language, driving habits, smoking, and pop are just a few of my examples.) Allow the Holy Spirit to point out anything that should be laid down and anything that could be taken up. Remember, don’t force something to be wrong, just be open to His leading.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 12
John 20:24-29, Mark 9:24, Hebrews 3:12-14
Unbelief
Unbelief is a sin. When Jesus says something is true, you can believe what he said. Take some time and ask the Holy Spirit if there are things that you doubt or flat-out don’t believe. Ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief. Please believe He will help you. He wants you to live life abundant and the only way to experience life to the full is to believe and act on what Jesus says. If He shows you something, confess your unbelief and turn around and follow him. Always ask for help. He will help.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 13
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Strongholds
Strongholds are lies or untruth that you believe. Strongholds keep you from experiencing life in the kingdom or abundant life. They will block you from giving and/or receiving God’s love. Take some time and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any strongholds that are hindering your relationship and walk with God. If He brings something to mind, ask Him to show you the truth to replace the lie. Search Scripture and find out the truth and believe that while discarding the lie. You will need His help to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. If you need help finding out what the truth is, then ask a friend to help you. Receive the truth and hold onto it by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 14
Romans 6:1-14, Romans 8:28-39
Bondage and Addictions
This is always hard, but we serve a God who does things that are impossible. Take some time and allow the Holy Spirit to show you if there are things that have control of you—things that you can’t say, “No” to. If He brings something to mind and you want to be free from it, ask Him for help. My experience is that I am not able to break the chain with my own strength. I have struggled with alcohol twice in my life. I felt helpless on my own. It was as though I was being mastered by alcohol. In my spirit, I knew that I didn’t want to keep doing it, but in my flesh I felt very helpless. This is what I prayed.
Lord Jesus, I know you can do all things and that nothing is too big for you. I need you to change my heart. I don’t want to want alcohol; I want to want you. You say in your word not to get drunk on wine but, instead, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Lord, in my spirit, that is what I want. Please put my flesh to death and take away the desire to drink. I need you. I need your power.
I can’t say it happened overnight, but it did happen—He changed my heart. He took the desire to drink and have me the desire to seek Him. He can do the same for you. Some of you may be thinking: well, it worked for you but it will never work for me. I would say that you’re believing a lie. Christ died so we could be free from the control of sin. He gave us everything we need to live this life He’s called us to. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. Ask a friend for help. Don’t let something master you for one more day. Ask and you will receive.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 15
1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7
Worry and Anxiety
Today, let’s deal with anxiety or worry. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that causes you an unhealthy amount of anxiety. As a young father, I used to worry about what could happen to my kids—I worried about it a lot. I wanted to protect my kids from everything that was bad. I would wake up at night in fear over a bad dream I had about not being able to protect or help my kids. I lived in fear and worry until God asked me to trust Him with my kids. He told me that He loved them even more than I did. I finally realized that I had to let God have my kids and trust that he had a plan and purpose for them that I knew nothing about. When I have them to Him, I experienced freedom from this. This is just one example in my life. Ask the Holy Spirit and allow Him to show you anything that you are anxious over. Then ask Him to help you to let go of these things. Trust that He will take care of you and all your needs.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 16
Galatians 5
Freedom
We are in the home stretch now. The last 15 days were to help you realize how much God loves you and then you help you deal with some things that could hinder the closeness of your relationship to God. He wants to be very intimate and close to you. Allow Him to have His way with you and lead and direct you to life abundant. Today I want to meditate on freedom for the believer. Jesus died so we could be free from sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life that you haven’t experienced freedom in. If He brings something to mind, ask Him to show you the truth. Freedom is not a license to do what your flesh wants; freedom is a license to do all things God has called you to without sin having any power to control you. You are free from sin and death in Christ Jesus. You are free to wholly follow Jesus. Don’t forget that the Holy Spirit empowers you to live a life victorious over sin. Take time to meditate on these things.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 17
Ephesians 4:1-5, Romans 1:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Calling and Assignment
Take some time today to offer your life as a living sacrifice. You were called by God to live a life for His glory—not yours. When you believed, He gave you the Holy Spirit and assigned you a purpose in His creation. God put you there as His ambassador to testify to His love. He doesn’t make mistakes. He put you in that certain and specific place and gave you power and gifts to carry out His purposes. You are called by God. Allow Him to use you any way He sees fit even it makes you uncomfortable. He will use you in great ways if you allow Him.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 18
Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12
Today I wanted to talk about our spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit works in us. Spiritual gifts are given to you. They’re not only for you, but for the good of others. Look at Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 for a list of gifts that God has given to us. These gifts are supernatural and dependent upon the Holy Spirit. He gives the gifts and the power to work the gift. Apart from Him, they are nothing. If you don’t know your gift (or gifts) ask the Holy Spirit to show you what gift he has given to you. If you want help in this area, ask people to pray with you and for God to reveal your gift (or gifts) so that you can us it in the body. Gifts are used to edify and encourage fellow believers. If you are not using your gift, you and others will miss out. Again, the body is always there to pray by asking God to reveal His call for your life. Don’t be too proud to ask.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 19
Matthew 5-7
Life in the Kingdom
Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what life in the kingdom looks life. I’m guessing He will point you to Jesus’s teachings and show you how He lived His life on earth. Matthew 5-7 is a godo place to start for a look at what living in the kingdom of God looks life. How would this look today in your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to live in His kingdom even though we are surrounded by the kingdom of this world. We can lie in God’s kingdom een in the midst of this chaotic world. We are in this world, but we are not of it. Living in His kingdom is life and peace. We build His kingdom. We invest in His kingdom. We worship Jesus as our king. We do all this in a kingdom that is invisible, yet is more real than what our eyes can see. We can live in His kingdom here and now in part, and fully when we pass from this life to the next. Look for His kingdom. It is all around you. Ask for eyes to see.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 20
1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 1 Peter 2:11-12
Life in the Kingdom with Others
Do you know those weird people who live so differently form the way the world is? It is eems that they are marching to a different beat. They have peace in chaos. They don’t worry much. They give away their things to others. They pray about everything. They love on lowely people. They have joy. They consider others before themselves. They actually care about others. They love God and even express their love for Him when people can see. They share. They don’t fight or destroy others. They always insist on being lst. They smile. Christian, this can be you, living life in the kingdom of God. God has given us so much, not only for our good, but always for the good of others. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live life abundant—life to the full—life the way God designed it. Loving God and loving others. Praise you, Jesus.
Read, Meditate, Pray
Day 21
1 Corinthians 9:24-27, James 1:22-25
Reflect
Take some time to review the last 20 days. My hope is that you have a deeper understanding of God’s love in your life. Also, that you are free from some of the things that hindered your relationship with God. Also, that you are closer than you have ever been in the past. These last 20 days are nt just a nice way to live for a while. This is how we can live every day. By reading his word, praying, meditating on His word, and listening to His Spirit. He wants to be with you in an intimate way every single day. If you made progress in any area of your relationship with God, I encourage you to write it down, so you can remind yourself from time to time how God spoke to you over the past several weeks. I have things written down that I go back to and it encourages me to keep following the direction He pointed me in. It is why I go to Living Waters Church. It is why I talk in front sometimes. It is why I don’t farm anymore. Lastly, and again, let’s not have this be the end of this way of life, but rather the beginning.
Read, Meditate, Pray