The Springs Church
21 days of prayer and fasting devotional
2021 This will be your best year ever if it is your best year spiritually Welcome This past year has been one for the books. What started out as a normal year turned into something none of had ever seen before. If we have learned anything from this past year, we have learned life is uncertain and unpredictable. We do not know what this coming year holds but we do know our God holds this coming year. I believe this year can be our best year no matter what happens if it is our bast year spiritually. Take this journey with me over the next 28 days and draw closer to God than you ever have before. This book is designed to act as a guide for you as you begin your year. Giving the first month of your year to the Lord signifies that this year belongs to the Lord and everything it holds. My prayer is you will experience God on a whole different level than you ever have before. I am believing this year you will see bondages broken off of your life. This year you will experience restoration in areas you thought were hopeless. I am praying and believing this year you will be filled with God’s Word and God’s Spirit like never before. I pray The Springs Church would experience a year like never before. One filled with a mighty move of God. This year is a year of “re”. We wont (re)vival, (re)pentance, (re)newal, (re)focus and I could go on & on. I am believing God is going to do a mighty thing. Whether you are reading this to start out the year or whether you are part of our church or not I am excited to be seeking God together with you. This book is meant to be used as a resource & devotional. There is much that I have written & much I have borrowed in putting this book together. I have made references and given credit when I know the source. I just desire for you to truly know God more this time next year. I have fasted and prayed for you as you begin this time of seeking after God. I Love Ya’ll, Pastor West Garner
P.S. Don’t give up if you miss a day. Keep going. Keep seeking. If you seek Him you WILL find Him. My Prayer List Write your personal prayer reminders here. If God answers a prayer write the date He answered it. Write down what you are believing God for this year.
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WEEK 1. RECHARGE Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Day 1 | Starting Well
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
In 1919, Babe Ruth hit a record 29 home runs for the Boston Red Sox. That December, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 and a $350,000 loan. Ruth went on to set record after record for the Yankees, and they won numerous World Series with Ruth. The Red Sox had to wait more than 80 years to win another World Series. The Red Sox had made a very bad trade. Every day we are offered trades, and many end up badly. They won’t wind up with a nickname like “The Curse of the Bambino” and be discussed nearly a century later, but they are still bad trades.
Daily, we are enticed to trade the reality of God’s goodness, in return for the satisfaction of our own decisions and desires. We are offered various weights and sins that effect the way we run our race. It is so easy to get weighed down and get off course. Our spiritual enemy offers us temptations that appear so gratifying. It often sounds like this, “It won’t hurt” or, “Go ahead there are worse things” or, “Just this Once” or, “You can handle this” These decisions never lead to what we think they will lead to. What we thought would lead to happiness and satisfaction lead to emptiness and misery.
As we begin these twenty one days of prayer and fasting together some of us are empty and weighed down because we chose to trade God’s will for the World thrill. We have been carrying the weight of decisions where we chose not to obey God. Lets start these 21 days by making a trade.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus traded His life for our sinfulness. He showed His love for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Will you trade your desires for His. Will you trade things that are weighing you down and trust God His way is better than your way.
• In this time of fasting what do I need to remove from my life that is keeping me from running the race for Christ.
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If you have never given your life to Christ but would like to, pray this prayer:
“Dear Jesus, I ask You to forgive my sin and take control of my life. I believe Jesus died for my sins and I desire to live for you. I confess you right now as my Lord and my Savior. Thank you for saving me! Amen.”
• Read the fasting resources available on our website https://mysprings.church/prayer
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLkHygFqQno
Day 2 | Keep It Charged
31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOBIPb-6PTc
A pastor got a new cell phone. Before he left the store, the sales clerk said, “Charge your phone fully before you use it.” The pastor wanted to try out the new phone right away, so he turned it on as he left the store. Within minutes, the phone was dead. At the office, he plugged it in but was soon called away for a meeting. Even though the phone was not charged, he took it. When his wife called, the phone went dead in the middle of their conversation. This went on all day. Charge a little; battery dies. Charge a little; battery dies. Charge a little: battery dies. Many people are like the pastor’s phone—never being of full use to the Master because they never receive a full charge. They can get started, but then they fizzle. Isaiah tells us that the people who wait on the Lord shall be fully charged. They are the ones that won’t go dead halfway through the year. Waiting on the Lord means we have to stay in one spot and stay connected to the source of power. If we want our spiritual batteries to stay charged we must be committed to charge for longer periods of times and not a spot charge here and a spot charge there. If we want to have enough power to do what God created us to do we must stay connected to him and keep our spirits charged. This could possibly require us to say “no” to some good things in order to make time for the great things. There will always be many people and things want your time. In order for us to stay spiritually full we must be committed to giving God time to pour into us.
Today’s prayer: “Jesus recharge my spirit as I wait on you. I want to be fully charged and have the spiritual power to do what you created me to do. Amen. Day 3 | Just Do What He Says
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. - Psalm 28:7
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymkl0t0FOcw
An experienced cave explorer once invited his friend, Danny, to explore a cave with him. “Danny,” he said, “I discovered this cave, but it’s a little tough to get there. Would you like to come with me?” Danny, always open for a little adventure, agreed. When they entered the cavern, the passageway got smaller and smaller and narrower and narrower. Pretty soon, they had to get down on all fours and crawl. To get through a small narrow crack in the rock, they had to lie on their backs, push with their legs, and keep their hands to their sides. To Danny’s horror, the passageway grew so narrow that they could not breathe and move at the same time. When they took a breath, their lungs expanded and filled the tiny space in the cave, causing them to get stuck. So they had to breathe out in order to move forward. Breathe in, get stuck; breathe out, push with the legs, move a tiny bit forward. How’s that for claustrophobia? Danny started to ‘lose it.’ “I am going to die in this cave!” he thought. “I can’t go forward. I can’t go back. I’m stuck!” At that moment in the darkness, Danny’s friend called out to him, “Danny, this is really important. If you keep listening to those voices in your head—if you let your mind run wild—you will flip out. And if you flip out, you will get stuck in this cave. I want you to listen only to my voice right now. Danny, I have been through this, and I am here right now. I won’t leave you. You can trust me. Danny, you can make it. You just have to keep listening, every moment, to my voice.”
To what voice are you listening? There are many voices that speak fear into our minds. As we listen to them fear and anxiety build and at times it is hard to move. Jesus says, “Keep listening to my voice. I know you’re in a cave. I know you are in a dark place. Don’t listen to the voices that tell you it’s too late for you, that you should give up hope or that you should settle. Stop listening to your doubts and fears. You can trust me. I will not leave you. I am with you always.”
The voice of God comes in many forms. Primarily His speaks through His word. He also speaks through other people, preacher and teachers. He can speak through a song or a message. Often God will speak in a soft whisper in the silence and stillness of our lives. You will know it is God’s voice because He speaks peace and faith. He speaks confidence not confusion.
I heard it said, “We won’t be held accountable for how much we have done, but for how much we have done of what He has asked us to do.” In other words the only thing that really counts is following God’s voice. Pay attention to whose voice you are listening to today as you walk with the Lord. Try to evaluate every voice and acknowledge each time you hear God speak to you.
Write it out. (What are you Hearing God speak to you?) ______Today’s prayer: “Jesus, speak to me today. Allow me to hear your voice above all others.”
Day 4 | Waiting Rooms
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. - Psalm 130:5-6
Take courage my heart — Stay steadfast my soul —He’s in the waiting — He's in the waiting, — Kristene DiMarco
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r49V9QcYheQ
We have waiting rooms in hospitals, doctors’ offices and airports. People wait in lines at the movies, amusement parks and the grocery store. People wait for retirement. Students wait for summer. Teens wait to turn 16 so they can drive. You wait for that package to arrive that you ordered online. There should be a bumper sticker that reads: Wait Happens. Waiting is part of the human condition. We wait many times because it is the only option we have. If we had a choice whether to wait or not we would choose not to wait.
Many times in our lives we say we are waiting on God. Waiting for God to Heal. Waiting for God to Provide. Waiting for God to Deliver. Our whole focus is when is He going to make it happen. We get so focused in on the outcome we desire to see that we sometimes miss what God is doing in the waiting. As I was looking for flights to Honduras I got on all of the various websites that help you find tickets to places you need to go. Every airport said the same thing there are no direct flight into Honduras. No matter where you were flying from you had to take connecting flights to the destination. Many times in our journey with Christ there are no direct flights. God has to take us to different places to get us to where He wants us to be.
Whatever you are desiring from God understand God has a waiting process for you. He is making you what you need to be in order to get you to the place He wants you. God is never late if we will trust Him to do what He does.
Write it out. ______
Today’s prayer: Jesus, I will wait for you and take courage in my soul that you are working in me to make me what you want me to be. Day 5 | Running on Empty
1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Psalm 42 (NKJV)
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqf5mhYZ6tI
We have all done it before. We look and see that the needle is close to E and the light has come on indicating we are almost on empty. We’ve all seen it, we’ve all acknowledged it and we’ve all ignored it. There is so much to do. There is so little time to get it all done. We spend the rest of the time on edge hoping we don’t run out of gas before we get it all done.
I’ve noticed at times in life my low fuel light will begin to blink. I hear God’s quiet whisper you need to stop and fill up your soul. But I ignored it. It isn’t until breakdown on the side of the road that we actually say I need to stop.
Our soul is like a container that has an inlet to fill it up and has an outlet to pour it out. The challenge for most people stepping into 2021 is they have way more outlets than inlets. There are way more things in life waiting to drain our spiritual tank than things in life that pour into our spiritual tank. That is why it is so important to know who to stop and fill up. Allow your spiritual tank to be poured into.
Each of us are different. There are some things that drain one person that fills another person up. There may also be things that fill another person but drains another. You have to know what fills you up and what drains you. For instances when I preach it fills my tank but when I counsel it drains me. When I exercise it fills my tank. When I have to organize an event it drains me. What fills you? What drains you? A few other things that fill me are traveling, dates with my wife, devotional time, good live music, physical work outdoors, and being creative with other pastors about church.
Here is the fact of the matter. We all have things we have to do that drain us and those things can be beneficial. There has to be things that take out of you in order for life to run. However, there must be an intentional effort to pour life back into your spiritual resevior. Remember, the busier you become the less time you will take to replenish your soul. Today write down things that fill your spiritual tank and make plans to do those.
Today’s prayer: “Father, I ask you to help me to pay attention to the gauge on my soul. May you pour into me Your Spirit.
Things that Fill Me Things that Drain Me
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______Day 6 | Stop Moving
10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46 (NKJV)
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_G-JQGqUl0
One of the great challenges in our culture is silence. We have become so addicted technology it has become difficult to sit and just be. No TV. No Social Media. No Texts. Just still and quiet. God says be still and know that I am God. What it, when faced with circumstances, instead of googling it we just went to God and listened to His Voice.
God shows us an example of this in the children of Israel on their Exodus out of Egypt. They were on their journey and they hit a dead in the Red Sea. They couldn’t see how to move forward. In the midst of their challenging moving forward their old bondage began to catch up with them with the Egyptian army. They were in a situation that physically you could not see any other options. However, in that moment what God tells them is insteresting. He says “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14. In a moment where they could do nothing The Lord fought for them. As we grow in our relationship with God we learn the more were allow God to handle things and the less we handle things the better the outcome. Just remember The Lord fights for you if you will just stay out of His way and be still.
When children are younger they are endlessly in motion. They move from one thing to the next. As they grow older they wiggles and movement slows down and they learn to be still and sit at a restaurant or watch an entire movie. As they mature they learn to sit still. I believe the ability to be still is a sign of spiritual maturity. The mindset that the most important thing I do all day long is spend time in quietness with God. Today make time to sit quietly with the Lord. Turn off your phone where you are not tempted to look at it and be still and know.
Today’s prayer: “Jesus, I will be still and I will trust you to fight the battles in my life.” Day 7 | Rhythms of Grace
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [f]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11 (NKJV)
Worship Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E-KdAED9o0
“I came across a contemporary version of the twenty-third Psalm entitled “Psalm 23 Revisited.” In it, the author captures perfectly where many of us are today: The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest. It makes me lie down only when exhausted. It leads me into deep depression, it hounds my soul. It leads me in circles of frenzy for activities’ sake. Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done, for my “ideal” is with me. Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me. They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule. They anoint my head with migraines, my in-basket overflows. Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.” It is so obvious God’s rhythm and Culture’s rhythm do not play on the same beat. God has a rhythm, a beat, a pace that we are designed to live by and it is not the pace of this world. God didn’t create us to multitask. Our brains were not designed to process the amount of information it is access to on a daily basis. The volume of the beat of the world is so loud it can often over shadow the rhythm of God.
The wonderful thing about headphone is you can put them into your ears and you only hear what they are plugged into. Whether on the lawn mower or at your desk you only here what is coming out of device you are plugged into. As we learn to live in the rhythm of grace we learn to plug into what God is saying. The culture may have a drastically different beat but that doesn’t affect someone that is only hearing the beat of God.
Today read Psalm 23 and consider how different God’s rhythm is from the worlds. I believe you will find the rhythm of God is filled with joy, peace, satisfaction, love, and grace.
Today’s prayer: “Dear Jesus, I desire to live on beat with you. Help me to hear your rhythm.