The entire church body of The Concord Church family will fast and pray during the Lenten Season. This time of fasting and prayer will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 21, 2007 and will end on Saturday, April 07, 2007. The entire church body will petition God daily between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. or 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. We will fast and petition God concerning our personal spiritual growth, our families, community, and nation. In addition, this year we will petition God concerning our Capital Stewardship Campaign.
The Holy Spirit, through prayer, will direct your individual time of fasting and abstaining. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that will increase your prayer time, and will also enhance your relationship with God. Fasting is a time of bringing the body under the control of the Holy Spirit on a consistent basis. Instead of receiving physical gratification of food substance and various other activities, we become very aware of the substance and power of the Holy Spirit. As our prayers intensify, God will satisfy our physical and spiritual needs. As we pray, we will become aware of our dependence on God in areas of our lives, and our relationship with god will strengthen.
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you know when your individual time for fasting and prayer should be. This is an swesome time of unity and focused prayer in the life of our church and in your spiritual growth and relationship with God.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
If you are under a physician's care, follow his/her instructions. And, as with all nutritional and exercise programs, it is recommended that you consult your physician prior to beginning.
Suggested Guidelines
- Increase prayer time. Fast, and pray at least 2 hours and 40 minutes every day, read, and study the word, meditate or just be still.
- It is important to drink plenty of REAL cranberry juice on a regular basis, to help flush the kidneys.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are important. 75% of your diet should consist of vegetables either steamed or raw.
- Suggestd exercise programs: Daily stretching and deep breathing. Walking at least 30 miniutes per day, three times a week.
- Limit excessive social telephone calls, secular TV, radio, books, magazines, computer games and video games.
- Avoid sugar, salt, fat and fast food.
- Exclude and abstain from smoking, drinking, drugs, and caffeine.
You may eat skinless chicken (poultry) and fish.
NOTE: The entire church body will fast every day Monday-Saturday from 6:00 a.m.. to 12:00 Noon or Noon To 6:00 p.m. To 6:00 a.m. This does not include your choice of any additional hours of personal prayer and fasting. Sunday are not included as "fasting" days but will be utilized for focused prayer as provided in the prayer guide.
Day 1 February 21 Church fast
Pray that God will create a spirit of humility and brokenness among the believers (Isaiah 57:15; James 4:6). God will not revive those who are self-sufficient and proud. The believers must come to see their spiritual bankruptcy and utter dependence on God.
What is God saying to You?
Day 2 February 22
Pray that God would grant believers a deeper understanding and awareness of His holiness (Isaiah 6:1-5; 1 Peter 1:5-16). The holiness of God is a neglected subject in the Church today. Yet, it is essential to revival. We need to understand that God is utterly holy. He does not and cannot sin. He is not tempted nor is He tempted. He is pure and without the stain of sin. He always does what is right and good. Pray that believers would be gripped by the absolute holiness of God.
What is God saying to You?
Day 3 February 23
Ask God to reveal to believers the depth and the evil of their sin. Call on the Holy Spirit to move them to confess and repent of their sin (Psalm 19:12-14; 1 John 1:9). The Holy Spirit is grieved when a believer cherishes sin and does not confess and repent of it (Psalm 66:18; Ephesians 4:30). When the Holy Spirit is grieved, He will not release His miraculous, life-transforming power into our midst. Sin has to be dealt with by believers. Believers must be honest about their sin and must come clean with God about these things.
What is God saying to You?
Day 4 February 24
Plead with God to grant the believers a hunger for the Word of God and a readiness to obey the Word of God (Psalm 119:97, 103; 1 John 2:3-6). Plead with the Holy Spirit to stir within every believer a desire to search and to know the Word of God. Ask Him to remove any complacency toward the Word of God by the believers. Call on Him to stir the believers to be doers of the Word and not simply hearers of the Word (James 1:22-24).
What is God saying to You?
Day 5 February 26
Ask God to reveal any obstacles that could hinder your
What is God saying to You?
Day 6 February 27
Pray that your pastor will preach the Word of God with power, conviction, and authority (1 Corinthians 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4). Revival usually comes when God gives His people bold, faithful, and fearless preachers of the Word of God. True and powerful preaching of the Word of God is used by God to revive His people. Plead that your pastor will powerfully preach the Word of God. Pray that He will proclaim the fundamental truths of the faith with great clarity, conviction, and power.
What is God saying to You?
Day 7 February 28
Ask God to deal with any unforgiveness or bitterness among the believers of the
What is God saying to You?
Day 8 March 1
Plead that God would convict and save any deceived, unregenerate
What is God saying to You?
Day 9 March 2
Call on God to convict believers that they must give an account of their lives at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Believers need to realize that they must give an account to God for their lives. There will be a day of judgment for the believer. Believers need to be gripped and motivated by the fact that they will give account to the Lord Jesus Christ one day. Pray that believers will realize this and remember this.
What is God saying to You?
Day 10 March 3
Pray that God will grant the believers an agonizing burden for lost people and an unceasing desire to share the gospel with them (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 9:1-3). Call on God to create within
What is God saying to You?
Day 11 March 5
Plead that God will give the believers a deeper love for the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 4:1-3). The Spirit of God enables people to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Revival is a powerful work of the Holy Spirit in which He draws believers closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. In revival, he leads believers to love and to confess Jesus Christ in a deeper, more faithful way than at other times. Pray that the Holy Spirit will deepen the believers' love for and confession of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord and Savior.
What is God saying to You?
Prayer Arguments
The following are prayer arguments that you can use to plead with God for revival. These prayer arguments are biblical reasons that you can use to call on God to revive His people. Nehemiah provides an example of this kind of praying (Nehemiah 1). Nehemiah 1 records Nehemiah's prayer for the restoration of
Day 12 March 6
Father, this
What is God saying to You?
Day 13 March 7
Father, we have become a reproach to the lost world around us. Our lack of unconcern has brought on us the contempt and ridicule of the world. How can You let Your Concord Christian Center Church be ridiculed? How can You stand the fact that Your Concord Christian Center Church lacks influence in this community? O God, have mercy on us! Revive Your Church that we may exercise a righteous influence in the world. Cause Your presence and power to be displayed in this
What is God saying to You?
Day 14 March 8
Father, You have commanded in Your Word that we must not grieve the Holy Spirit. Yet, I confess that we have grieved Your Holy Spirit. I plead that You would grant revival so that we would deal with our unconcern as never before in our relationship to You. Do this so that Your Holy Spirit will no longer be grieved. Do this so that Your Holy Spirit will be pleased to release His power into our midst (Ephesians 4:30).
What is God saying to You?
Day 15 March 9
Father, I plead that You will grant revival in order to deal with our unbelief. Jesus will not work in an atmosphere of unbelief. I believe, Lord; help my unbelief! I pray that You will grant revival and increase our faith in You as never before in our relationship to You. As you do this, I trust that Jesus will transform lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. O God, I plead that You would remove our unbelief. Have mercy on us! Forgive our lack of faith! Grant revival so that Your people will have a renewed faith so that we can experience the miraculous power of Jesus Christ in our midst (Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5-8).
What is God saying to You?
Day 16 March 10
Father, Your gospel is the good news about Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is the glorious and gracious message that through His Person and His work, sinners can be brought into a right relationship with You. It is the power of God to salvation. It is the message that brings sinners into a right relationship to You. It is the greatest message ever given among people. Yet, we are not sharing this message. We have grown indifferent to this message. We have failed to proclaim this message on a continual basis to the lost who are in desperate need of it. Forgive us of this abominable sin! Have mercy on us, O God! Grant revival to us that we would share this message with the lost. Send genuine revival so that Your gospel will go forth in power from us! For the sake of Your gospel, I plead that You will grant revival (Romans 1:16).
What is God saying to You?
Day 17 March 12
Father, You have declared in Your Word that if I call to You that You will show me great and mighty things which I do not know. I am calling to You, O God! I am pleading with You to grant revival to the believers of
What is God saying to You?
The following are Scripture prayers that you can use to plead with God for revival. These requests are based on the Word of God and are the revealed will of God for the Church. Plead these Scripture prayers with confidence and persistence. As always, begin by praying for yourself and then move to interceding for the other believers concerning revival.
Day 18 March 13
O God, revive the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 19 March 14
Restore, O God, the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 20 March 15
Rise up and help the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 21 March 16
Father, grant a spirit of brokenness and repentance to the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 22 March 17
Living God, give the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 23 March 19
Almighty God, create in the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 24 March 20
O Lord, do not take away the sense of Your presence from us and do not take away Your Holy Spirit from us (Psalm 51:11; Revelation 2:5).
What is God saying to You?
Day 25 March 21
Lord Jesus, break the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 26 March 22
Father, cause the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 27 March 23
Father, cause the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 28 March 24
Lord God, cause the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 29 March 26
Father, stir the believers of Concord Christian Center Church to remove anything from our lives or Concord Christian Center Church that would hinder our experience of revival (Luke 3:4-6).
What is God saying to You?
Day 30 March 27
God, convict the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 31 March 28
Father, as the deer thirsts for the streams of water, so cause the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 32 March 29
Lord, I plead that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully among the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 33 March 30
Revive us, O God, that the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 34 March 31
Father, I plead that You will create a spirit of praise among the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 35 April 2
Lord Jesus, enable the believers of
Day 35 April 2
Father, enable us to deal with anything in our lives and our
What is God saying to You?
Day 36 April 3
Have mercy on the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 37 April 4
O God, grant the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 38 April 5
Father, create within the believers of
What is God saying to You?
Day 39 April 6
O God, cause Your people of
What is God saying to You?
Day 40 April 7
Father, cause Your people of
What is God saying to You?
Dealing With Your Idols
In 1 John 5:21, the apostle John warns believers to keep themselves from idols. An idol is anything or anybody that you love more than God. It is anything or anybody in your life that receives greater priority in your life than God. This verse reveals that Christians are in danger of allowing things and people to become more important, to receive a greater priority in our lives, than God.
If the people of God are going to experience revival, our idols must be put away (1 Samuel 7:3). In order to return to the Lord and experience revival, you must deal with those things that receive a greater priority in your life than your relationship to God. The following prayer requests are offered to help you identify the idols in your life and then deal with them. These prayers are based on the Word of God and focus on the idolatrous loves that God despises and condemns. Your idolatry must be confessed and repented of. You can begin this process with the following prayer. Then you can pray through the other requests. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any idols that you have built in your life. Plead with Him to enable You to deal with these idolatrous loves and to remove them from your life. Pray that other believers will deal with the idols in their lives.
"Father, You have declared that I am to love You first of all, best of all, and most of all. You have said in Matthew 22:37-38 that I am to love You with my entire being. This is Your Word. This is Your desire and command for me. I plead with You to grant me the grace and power to do this. Reveal to me the idols that I have erected in my life. Show me anything that I love more than You--anything that I have made a higher priority than You. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would convict me deeply and powerfully concerning the idols in my life. Enable me to deal with them. Amen."
Love of money: I pray that I would not love money more than You and that I would not have a sinful longing for it. Do not allow my pursuit of money to be greater or more important to me than my pursuit of knowing, loving, and obeying You (1 Timothy 6:10).
Love of self: I plead that I would not love myself more than You, Father. Deliver me from being self-centered and grant me the power and strength to deny myself (2 Timothy 3:2).
Love of approval: Father, I pray that I will love and seek Your approval above the approval of men. Cause me to pursue a lifestyle of pleasing You rather than men (John 12:42).
Love of power or control: Father, enable me to overcome the desire for power. I plead that You will create in me a servant's heart and willing to serve others (3 John 9:10).
Love of pleasure: I plead that I will not love pleasure more than You. Cause me to find my greatest delight and pleasure in You (2 Timothy 3:4).
Love of food: Father, I want You to be my God and not my stomach. Cause me to have the proper perspective when it comes to food (Proverbs 21:17)
Love of sleep: Enable me to get the proper rest, but deliver me from indulging in too much sleep and laziness (Proverbs 20:13).
Love of darkness (sin): I pray that I would not love my sin more than You. Cause me to hate sin and to love You with all my being (John 3:19).
Love of simplicity: Father, I ask that I would not prefer my own wisdom above Your Word (Proverbs 1:22).
Love of cursing: I pray that I would not love speaking profanity and filth above speaking words of love and encouragement (Psalm 109:17).
Love of abundance: I ask that the pursuit of my life would not be gaining material possessions. I ask that You would grant me the grace and power to love You and pursue You above all else (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Love of the things of the world: Father, do not allow me to love the attitudes and actions of this world above You. Deliver me from the lust of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life. Cause me to love You and Your Word more than this world (1 John 2:15).
Revelation 2-3 Prayer Model
Revelation 2-3 are Christ's messages to the Churches of Asia Minor in the first century. These messages speak to Churches of all ages. By praying through these chapters, you can plead with God to bring revival and change to your Church. The following are suggested prayer requests that you can pray concerning revival in
(1) Pray that God will give the believers a fresh vision of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:12-18).
(2) Plead that God will enable believers to return to Jesus Christ as their first love, their top priority (2:1-7).
(3) Ask that believers will commit themselves to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ no matter what their circumstances are (2:8-11).
(4) Call on God to convict believers about the evil of tolerating sin and false doctrine in the midst of the
Ask God to strengthen the marriages in
(6) Pray that God will convict the believers of your