Welcome to day 20! We are nearly at the end of this time of prayer and fasting we have had some days and times of serious introspection. We have asked the Lord to get us into alignment with what his desire is for our lives. We have prayed and prayed and prayed some more. Sometimes it can be scary to be vulnerable with God, to admit that we may not know exactly what we are doing, and that we are in need of guidance, but you have done all of that over the past few weeks. So today we want to be an encouragement to you, as God continues to unveil the intricacies of his specific purpose, and plan for you, know that he does not make any mistakes. 

Romans 11:29 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

These spiritual gifts of God’s grace are immutable in unalterable. God never revoked them or takes them away. He meant to give Them, when he gave them to you and he does not go back on his word, have confidence in the fact that he purposed and equipped you, and only you to do what he is outlining and has already laid out for you and walk in that assurance with the insurance that it has been settled in heaven 

Activity: Look in your mirror and say about yourself what God has said about you find your favorite scriptures and promises or use the ones below. 

• The cross of Christ is my power. 1 Corinthians 1:17

• My God meets all my needs. Philippians 4:19

• Because I place my hope in the Lord my strength is renewed. Isaiah 40:31

• God is my refuge and strength. Psalm 46: 1

• I set my heart and mind on things above… this gives me peace. Colossians 3:1-2

• I guard my heart because it determines the course of my life. Proverbs 4:23

• I trust God at all times because he is my refuge. Psalm 62:8

• I live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 12:7

Welcome, it’s day 19. Today, on our journey to purpose, our focus is understanding that in order for purpose to be accomplished, we must love, People are our greatest resource, everything that God did in creation was about people. When Jesus walked the earth, although he did not tolerate sin, whenever he encountered people, he corrected them, and He showed them the way. He did so in love. In first Corinthians 13 has been coined the quote, love chapter 13 verses, it sums up the resolution answer to all things plaguing humanity at this present moment. 

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body [a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [b]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [c]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is [d]perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

It’s a simple as love! You’ve matured when you have learned to love. Love in spite of, love because of, love everyone because nothing that you do matters if it is not done from the seat of love. It is easy to love someone when you agree with them and they do things that you like all the time. It is a little more difficult to love when you do not see eye to eye but this is when it matters most, when it is not what you prefer to do. All things will end, but love will remain prophecies, will cease, tongues will cease, knowledge will disappear, but love never fails. 

Activity: 

·      Where are you operating from? 

·      Are you feeling your rocket with love? Do you approach your family, friends, coworkers, followers, etc. from love, or try to beat them over the head with what you think they should be doing? 

·      Do they see Jesus when they see you or do, they just hear you like a loud sounding symbol? 

Welcome to Day 18 and the first day of the last section Progress. Progress is the forward and onward movement toward an expected end. Over the past 17 days we have been in Pursuit of Purpose. We started with the question Why am I here? Understanding purpose was established before we ever were. God didn’t create anything without first predestining them to accomplish a tiny part of this overall plan. We all have an expected end. Then we moved into a process and discovered some steps that we can participate in, to operate ultimately in our purpose. 

Once we were equipped with how to continue to sharpen our skills for purpose we peeled back and found out that we have a position in the Kingdom, but we have also been placed or positioned for what God has prepared for us. Over the next four days as we conclude our 21 days of fasting, we will learn the steps of progression so that we continue forward or onward toward our expected end.

We all were created first for God’s good pleasure. He gave us the opportunity to commune and be in relationship and presence with Him then Adam and Eve fell into sin. Ultimately, the world needed redemption and Jesus came to Earth, fully God and fully man and lived without sin to be the example as well he taught the people of his time about his Father in Heaven and provided us all the opportunity for reconciliation in relationship to God and guidelines for how a corrupt world can be saved, But it’s a choice and a conscious decision we have to make. Many are not aware that the option to live and have relationship with God and attain and retain eternal life is available. So, a charge was set for those who chose to be followers of Christ and this is our collective purpose.  

Matthew 28:19-20

19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen

This text outlines the overview of why we are all here. It is the intimate details of how you as an individual will go about spreading this hope in your daily life that God will show you. But every day that you have breath in your body is about helping another to see that they are forgiven, they are loved, they are chosen and predestined with purpose. 

Activity: Who can you share God’s love and truth with today, this week, this month? How will you do this? _____________________________________________________________________________

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Prayer: 

Welcome to day 17 and our final Worship Wednesday of the Relentless Fast 2023. If you have not watched this mornings worship moment, go ahead and click the link and take a moment to worship with us. The right atmospheric conditions, along with the fuel, the counterweight and proper crew we have already discussed a key component for the rockets flight. 

When a rocket launches exhaust pushes out of a rocket’s engine down toward the ground. In response, the rocket begins moving in the opposite direction, lifting off the ground. Earth’s gravity is still pulling down on the rocket. When a rocket burns propellants and pushes out exhaust, that creates an upward force called thrust. To launch, the rocket needs enough propellants so that the thrust pushing the rocket up is greater than the force of gravity pulling the rocket down. A rocket needs to speed up to at least 17,800 miles per hour—and fly above most of the atmosphere, in a curved path around Earth. This ensures that it won’t be pulled back down to the ground. (Erickson & Doyle, 2022)

We must also ensure that when we are launched into what God has for us that we have prepared our rocket for lift off and have assembled the propellant needed to keep the course. In today’s text found in Colossians we are reminded that the path has been cleared for takeoff and very thing that we have been promised are for us and we do not have to wait as we have the power and authority to bring, pray, live, walkout the things of God’s kingdom into the Earth when we set our sights beyond what we see naturally and what is happening around us in pursuit of what pleases God. For a clearer look let’s read today’s text in the Message translation

Colossians 3:1-5 

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy.

Activity: Reflect on the scripture above

·      How does knowing this reassure your position in God? 

·      How do you feel about the promises that you have seen thus far? 

·      Express your gratitude to God today.

Hello, it is day 16 of 21 of the Relentless Fast 2023! We are in day 4 of 5 of our position in purpose. For the last 15 days of the fast we have been discussing our purpose and calling what it looks like, how we pursue it, the process we must walk out to be complete in it. As well the past few days we have been examining our positioning, that is where God has placed us for purpose as well as the posture we must be in for alignment. Today’s text in John 15:4-8 reads

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[a] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Are you familiar with this text? You have probably heard it in a sermon before, seen it on a t-shirt or maybe you participated in our Relentless Circle Life Group study about abiding during the pandemic. If you have done, seen or heard the text in any of these settings then the focus was probably on Jesus being the vine that we are abiding within and God the Father as the vinedresser. Now this is a very, very important component of the text but as our focus is on purpose for our lives let us look to the branches. 

He is indeed our source as the vine, but we are the extensions of Him as the branches that carry the nutrients, the downloads God gives us out into the world that fruit can be produced. 

Wow! What a great responsibility we have been given by being positioned adjacent to himself. As Christians we sometimes require pruning by the gardener or vinedresser and is a good thing in order to cut off the dead or areas that are not growing. A good gardener will do whatever it takes to help the vine bear fruit. 

Activity: Answer the following questions.

·      What kind of fruit is God looking for us to produce? We spoke about some of it days ago. 

·      How is your fruit holding up? 

·      What is God seeing when He is examines your branches?

It is day 15 of the Relentless Fast 2023! The wisdom of God. It is not solely about gaining intellectual skill set but Spiritual discernment that will allow you to navigate 2023. As we have made our way over and through the first few weeks of this new year we hope that we have helped you to shed “stinking and thinking” about your life, your circumstances, your past and realize that you have been called with a purpose, God has provided you with gifts you only have to ask Him to unlock them so that you can begin to be the answer to what your community and His church needs. 

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Wisdom comes with a level of maturity that we have been journeying to ascribe to albeit in our weekly worship, our discipleship classes, our circle groups and hopefully personal study. God reveals the mystery of the word to us when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes of understanding. The gift of divine revelation is treasure for the mature believer. Our part is to trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into the truths of God. That is exactly what our time of fasting and prayer was set aside to provide a space for the veil to be lifted from our eyes, for our focus to turn towards God and block out all the noise and daily distractions, to spend more time in the word to understand what God says to us as well about us. 

Activity:

·      What practices will you keep throughout 2023?

·      How will you continue to pursue God and His wisdom and truths this year?

·      What other areas do you desire growth this year? 

Welcome back it’s day 14! Have you ever tried to drive your car and it would not crank because you did not have any fuel. Or have you ever tried to workout but just could not get going because you forgot to have lunch so that weight training session was not going to happen? Just like the rocket won’t go without the proper mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen needed to provide the fuel that allows the power in the engines to operate. We as believers must be in the proper place and positioning to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’s baptism that is both fuel and power for the purpose we have been predestined to accomplish. 

Acts 1:8

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The power that we receive from the Holy Spirit in the Greek is Dunamis and is described as a special miraculous power, ability, abundance to go and complete the assignment.  The kind of power that transforms who we were to what God’s desire is for us to have the Holy Spirit working within us. Not our natural earthly ability but to complete our tasks from our position in the Holy Spirit. Our assignment is to evangelize the World and the strength, the wisdom, the direction that we need is found in the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us if we will let him. We to can perform miracles, signs and wonders. We first must receive him, but we then must make the time to commune with him so that he can continuously download the specifics to us individually. Jesus is the name that saves, and the Holy Spirit will direct your conversation. 

Welcome Family. It’s Day 13. We have journeyed through almost two weeks together pursuing our purpose and understanding our calling. Today we begin five days of grasping how we have been positioned by God and how we should position our thinking surrounding our purpose. In terms of launching a rocket we know that personnel are essential along with the mechanical components of the rocket itself. The key roles of the personnel who monitor and or are traveling on the rocket are equally as important as the physical location of the vessel itself.  It would not be wise to launch a rocket in the middle of a busy city downtown off of the city council building. There needs to be clearing around the rocket as it exits its docking space the exhaust and flames have plenty of space to be dispelled. 

What does that have to do with us as Christians? When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior there are a number of things that He establishes for us. Truthfully, that were always ours we just had to make the choice to receive them. In today’s text found in Ephesians Paul outlines exactly that. So much can be said about how God has positioned us from this text alone; from his great love that saved us and made us alive, to him raising us and sitting us in Heavenly places it is full of hope for our purpose and direction in God. 

Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Let’s take a moment to hone in and focus a bit on God’s grace in verses 8-10. We have been “graced” or empowered that is to be granted the authority or power to do a thing. The creator of the universe has given you the power to complete your specific assignment is the “position” that He has placed you in the position to win but it doesn’t stop there you and I both have a responsibility to have the faith that was described above to believe that He will do what He said that He will do. What have you been positioned and empowered for? God will grace you run your business. He will grace you for the relationship. He will empower you for you to deal with difficult people.

Activity: How can you exemplify your faith in the position that God has given you? What can you do? Reflect on the reading from today and use the SOAP method and allow the Lord to speak to you. 

–       Scripture – Read a passage of scripture and write down a verse or two that jumps out to you.

–       Observation – What are your observations that you note from this scripture?

–       Application – How does it now apply to your everyday life? What can you do to apply this in your life today?

–       Prayer – Write a personal prayer based on your observation and application.