C O N T I N U I N G with P R A Y E R

Welcome back! I hope that you had a good week and that maybe something fun is planned for the weekend! Because who doesn't LOVE to just chillax and re-collect themselves for the coming week? I know I do!

This weekend I am actually getting together with some other ladies that want to start blogging and so we are throwing a "blog start up party!" It should be really fun and I am looking forward to it! I will make sure to share about it afterward! :D

Speaking about having that time over the weekend to renew ourselves for the coming week, this is the last weekend of the 21 Days of Prayer. :( But don't be alarmed! Even though there won't be a video to watch, you can still continue this rhythm in your everyday life. In fact, I pray that you do. 

Today I am going to share with you two different prayer outlines that God gives us in the Bible and that we can use every day to have that time of renewal and strengthing. 

1. The Lord's Prayer

The first outline that I am going to share with you is the Lord's Prayer. I shared this outline in one of my previous posts called Camel Knees. Please check out that post to learn more in depth about using the Lord's Prayer outline in your prayer time.

Jesus gave this prayer to His followers as not only a standard prayer to pray but as a guideline of WHAT TO PRAY.

He wants to know our hearts and our hearts long to know His.

This is a great prayer outline to start out with, as it is simple to remember and easy to use.

*The picture above is a sneak preview of my new journal Bible, that I am excited to share with you in an upcoming post!

2. The Tabernacle Prayer

Second, I want to share with you a more in-depth outline for prayer that was formed from the design of the tabernacle. The tabernacle in the Old Testament was basically the Israelite's portable Church; a place where they went to worship and offer sacrifices to God. Even though we do not practice most of the Old Testament's old ways, the truth and principals that are found within its pages still hold true.

Hebrews 9:1-9 recounts in short what the tabernacle was and how it was set up, but if you want to dig deeper, look up Exodus chapters 35-38.

To come into and dwell in the presence of God, there is a protocol that needs to take place, and it always starts with praise and thanksgiving.

The Outer Court

Psalm 100:4 tells us to enter God's gate with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. 

Start your prayer time with praising God's name (just like we have been doing in the 21 Days of Prayer). This gets your mind set on things above and focused on who God is and who we are in Him.

1. The Brazen Altar

The next stop in the tabernacle was the altar where the priests made the sacrifices but because of the ultimate sacrifice that was given on your behalf we no longer have to make the daily sacrifices. I am so thankful for that!

Take time to reflect on this wonderful gift, because it is ONLY through God's Son that we are able to come into God's presence and have a more personal relationship with Him!

2. The Laver

The laver was a bowl of water for cleansing. From their reflection, the priests would see their imperfect selves, but at the same time, they were letting God wash them clean and strip away any negative aspect of their lives that would prohibit them from fully enjoying God's presence. Check out Romans 12:1-2. 

In this moment, also take the time to pray through the Fruits of the Spirit. Ask God to help grow you in certain areas of the fruit that you might be lacking or if there are areas where you feel pretty good, ask God to continue igniting those areas. 

The Holy Place

Now you are able to meet with God more intimately.

3. The Candlestick

The candlestick represents the Holy Spirit and it is the Holy Spirit who fills us with God's Spirit and desires. Ask Him to take out your own desires and replace them with the desires of God's heart.

4. The Table of Shewbread

Bread in the Bible represents God's Word and God will sometimes use His Word to speak to you. Use this time to be still and listen. 

5. The Altar of Incense

The altar of incense was the last step of the priest before he would go into the Holy of Holies. Here he would bring the burning coals from the brazen altar to ignite the incense. This is another time to remember who God is and what He has done for us. Worship in this moment and because this is an intimate time, do whatever your heart calls you to do. Break out that instrument you play, listen/sing worship music, or thank God for who He is by calling upon His various names. 

A few of God's names are:
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord will Provide
Jehovah M'Koddesh - Who makes me holy

Jehovah Rapha - My healer

Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is peace
Jehovah Tsidkenu - My righteousness

Hebrews 12:15-16 also tells us that we can worship God through our services or giving.

Holy of Holies

Directly in God's presence.

6. The Mercy Seat (the Ark)

Because the veil was torn on the day Jesus died on the cross, we are now freely welcomed into God's presence. 
The priest went into the Holy of Holies only once a year to intercede for the Israelite's sins. 
Intercession: to work with God on behalf of other people
Use this time to pray for those who have authority over you and for those around you (1 Timothy 2:1-4):
- pray for our nation's leaders, state leaders, and local leaders
- pray for your family, those close to you, and those that need to see God's love
- pray for your Church, its needs, and the leaders there
- lastly, pray for your own needs 

End your prayer time with more thanksgiving and just enjoy the time that you just spent in God's presence! 

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Click on the picture below to print (or save for later) a summary of the Tabernacle Prayer. 

*This printout was put together by Church of the Highlands
You can also check more resources on prayer here

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Wow! That was a lot of information and if you are reading this then you are totally awesome and I commend you for wanting to grow your relationship with God!! :D

Stay Tuned for next week as I will be sharing some tips/ways that I have found help me to keep God at the center throughout my day and to bring Him into my morning first!

F A S T I N G

Day 12 of the 21 Days of Prayer is here (almost over actually) and one day over the halfway marker! I hope that you have joined with me on this journey (if not, it's not too late! check out my other blog post) and that you have enjoyed soaking in all of God's goodness like I have.

To be real with you, I'll just say that the first week of this 21 days of Prayer was not as focused as I would have liked it to be. It just seemed like the days were speeding by, and while I told myself I would fit the one hour of prayer in, it didn't quite work out like that.
Thankfully this week has been much better focused and it is amazing how much better I feel after spending time worshiping God and digging into His Word for that hour and how the day runs so much smoother (that is if I do it in the morning :) ).

In this post, I am going to share with you some tidbits of fasting and various resources out there that you can check out for more information. Now don't be scared away from reading the rest of this post! Fasting is not as terrible or scary as it sounds... trust me :)

Why Fast

Fasting goes hand in hand with prayer, as you rarely hear about one without the other. The concept of a fast is to focus on things NOT of this world but on things above; things everlasting (Colossians 3:2). To take away distractions and to show God that you are all dependent on Him. It can also be a way to demonstrate to God and yourself that you are really serious about having a relationship with Him. 

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend [tear] your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

~ Joel 2:12-13 (NIV)

Fasting has even been a tool in decision making, seeking God's will and fully relying on Him for help during a difficult process. An example is in the book of Esther. Esther was so nervous to go to the king without permission, and she knew that if she didn't include God and rely on Him for strength and courage, she would not be able to go through with her duty.

Fasting is living out your faith; that you are not going to rely on your strength alone but on God's.  

God is our ultimate provider, healer, comforter, and father. Only He can fully satisfy us and make us new. This earth is not our forever home, as there is a place for each one of us in God's family waiting for us in Heaven. We fast now so that when we get to Heaven we can feast! 

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?"

~ Isaiah 58:6 (ESV)

Types of Fasting

Complete fast: this is when you abstain from food and are on an only liquid diet of water with the option of light juices.

Selective fast: this is when you removed certain foods from your diet. An example could be sweets or meats.
Also in this category is a fast called a Daniel fast. I have been doing some research on this kind of fasting and I found an excellent article that I believe would be beneficial to you if you want to check it out. This article explains how the Daniel fast is not a true Biblical fast, as Daniel (the person in the Bible) used this eating plan as more of an actual diet. I do agree with the author that the "Daniel fast" can set the focus more on what you are eating and not eating, instead of on God. I still believe that the "Daniel fast" is a great alternative for someone who would not be able to go without food due to health concerns or for someone who has never fasted.
*Please follow this subject up with your own research, as God's calling and guidelines for fasting for a particular person could be different from another.

Partial fast: sometimes called the "Jewish fast" and is when you abstain from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon.

Soul fast: this is a great option if you don't have that much experience with food fasting, have health concerns, or if you feel like some physical things in your life are interfering with your relationship with God.
For example, during this 21 Days of Prayer, I have made the decision to take a break from all social media (except Pinterest because I use it for my quite time sometimes). . . I have to say that for the first couple of days it was kinda hard. I would get on my phone to look at Instagram but then realize it wasn't there. At this point in the social media fast, I don't miss it. Yes, it would be nice to see my friends posts but it is not a necessity and building my relationship with God first and foremost is way more important to me than "getting social."

Things to Remember

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."

~ Matthew 6:16-18

These verses point out two very important principals.
First of all, the reason we fast is not to boast or position ourselves over someone else who might not fast. It is not a practice to impress other people, it is a practice to strengthen our relationship with God.
Secondly, I want to point out that doing a fast is not supposed to be or will not be completely easy. It is meant to provide growth and renewal of your faith. In light of this, sometimes it can be hard to put on a joyful attitude when you haven't eaten anything in days and your stomach begins to ache when you see someone carrying a delicious plate of food. Instead of dwelling on what you don't have at the moment, be happy for that person and ask God for the strength to pull through.
I have not yet done a complete fast but I have done a ten day partial fast. I would definitely recommend this type of fast for a first time fast unless God calls you to go a different route.

Resources

Here are some other websites that have excellent information about fasting and other helpful tips. Some of these websites are where I also got my information for this post. 

~ Church of the Highlands        ~ desiringGod        ~ All About God        ~ Cru         

               ~ Food in God's Place,  also on this page           

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During this last half of the 21 Days of Prayer, I invite you to ask God if fasting is a step of spiritual cleansing that you need to take. Whether that is from food, TV, social media, certain activities, or whatever God puts on your heart to do. 

You can always comment below with questions you might have and I will try my best to answer them or to point you in the right direction :)

Thank you so much for reading this post and following along! I hope that this post encouraged you and if it did please share it!

   

2 1 D A Y S of P R A Y E R

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Christmas and time bringing in the New Year! WOW... I cannot believe 2017 is already here! 

A new year to restart.

A new year to set goals,

A new year to plan adventures.

And a new year to grow deeper in LOVE with God. 

As we start off this new year, I would like to invite you to prepare your mind and heart for what God has in store for you. To refocus your eyes on Him and to give Him your FIRST every day.

There are many ways to do just that, but I believe and have been taught that the most essential part of giving God your FIRST is through PRAYER. 

Getting up and giving Him those FIRST MOMENTS of your day is essential to growing that deep relationship with Him. 

Trust me when I say that I have not yet mastered this art (so to say). It is still very much a work in progress, but I am excited to really dig in and commit my FIRST MOMENTS to GOD this year and the years to follow.

I love listening to sermons from a Church in Alabama called, Church of the Highlands (mentioned them previously in Camel Knees). I have learned so much from the pastors and it is from this Church that I have learned the importance of PRAYER. 

Two times a year they hold a 21 Days of Prayer event (in January and then in August). These 21 Days are meant to be days of renewal and planting. Seeking God FIRST, with people all over. 

I invite you to jump start the impact that PRAYER will have on your life with me, as we dig into God's Word with Church of the Highlands and others.

Click on the picture below to go to the 21 Days of Prayer website to learn more!

If you decide to follow along on this 21 Days of Prayer with me, please comment below! I would love to get to know you and build a community of encouragement!  

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I am so excited to start this new year with you all and I am thrilled to show/share with you so many new things! So stay tuned!

P.S.

I am so in love with my new PRAY glass water bottle that I got for Christmas, that I just had to share it with you all! 

It came from YouInfuse which was created by an AWESOME lady who's name is Monique McLean.

Monique is a woman who has a heart to fully serve God. She is an encourager to others and an inspiration to me. Monique also did her own version of the 21 Days of Prayer that I did last year. If you have a spare moment in your day go over to her website and check it out!

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Have a Blessed Day! :)