I ran out of time Sunday before sharing the final Scripture I had planned to use: Ecclesiastes 10:20.

At first glance, it probably seems to have nothing to do with this series about being financially free.  Think again.

One thing the Lord has dealt with me about in this series is our attitude and the power of our words.  This verse addresses both:

1.  If our attitude is negative about those who have more than us, or if we fall into the entitlement mentality toward the government, we will remain in financial bondage. (Notice the verse said “even in your thoughts“!)

2.  When we speak, even in private, there are both demons and angels listening nearby, and both of them will take our words and try to bring them to pass.

So if I’m complaining about my situation compared to someone that I perceive has it better than me, I’m empowering demonic forces to keep me in financial bondage.  The rich are not my problem.  The government is not my problem.  I must watch my attitude!

And, when I speak positive, life-giving words, confessing God’s promises to me in spite of my circumstances, I’m empowering God’s angels to help bring me into financial freedom.  That doesn’t relieve me of my responsibility to plan well & manage well, but it does release God’s supernatural assistance to bring about my financial breakthrough!

Say it today.  Say it often.  “I do not serve a god of debt; I serve a debt-canceling God!”

P.S. If this series is helping you in practical ways, or if you have a financial testimony to share that will encourage others, please leave a comment below:

Saturday just before our weekly prayer meeting, I read Psalm 37:1, and in light of our current series and yesterday’s message (especially Ecc. 10:20), I thought, “that’s another really good reminder, Jerry – don’t be envious of what others have or do”.

But then I read Psalm 37:3, and the end of the verse jumped out at me.  I’m using the ESV for my devotions this year, and I don’t think any other translation puts it quite that way: “befriend faithfulness”.  Selah.

Of all the principles that I’m seeing in God’s Word & sharing with you about being led out of the bondage of debt into prosperity (Psa 68:6), I think this is The most important one: befriend faithfulness.

So many of us are going at taking off weight for a while.  We’re good at hitting the gym for a while.  We can watch our spending for a while.  We have no problem tithing for a while.  But for so many of us, the old adage is still true: “consistency, thou art a jewel”.

Yet Scripture is FULL of encouragement that faithfulness is the key to having the kind of life, ABUNDANT life that God wants for each of us.

So I challenge you today, especially if you want to be led out of debt’s bondage into prosperity – befriend faithfulness.

What have you learned that helps you be more consistent & faithful?  I hope you’ll share it below so all of us can benefit-

We made it! 

Today is the last day of our 21-day fast, but I hope not the end of our hunger.  See, more than I want a hamburger & some pepperoni pizza & some fried chicken & a juicy steak (that’s just the first day), I want to be changed!

I’m asking the Lord that this time of prayer & fasting will become the new normal at CLC.  I don’t mean that we’ll become vegetarians or continue fasting every day – after all, the real purpose of this fast is NOT what we ate or didn’t eat – the real purpose was for us to disconnect from our bodily appetites in order to truly connect with the Holy Spirit!  And I don’t want to lose that simply because I begin eating meat again.

I personally want to maintain this hunger for God….this hunger to be changed by His Presence…this hunger that causes me to go after the things I need & want in prayer, knowing they won’t be obtained any other way! (Jer. 33:3)

How about it, CLC?  Let’s not ever go back to trying to live this Christian life in our own strength, but let’s live each day hungry & dependent on Him!  As we read yesterday in Psa 27:8, let’s respond to His voice with our whole heart!

One final thing: would you come Sunday prepared to share a Scripture that has particularly spoken to you during this fast?  You’ll also have an opportunity to share a “one-word testimony” of what this season of prayer & fasting has done for you.  We’re expecting the full ministry of the Holy Spirit at each campus as we celebrate the end of our fast during “Super Sunday“!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  at every campus we’re praying today that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Notice what Proverbs 6:22 says about God’s Word: it will lead us; it will watch over us; and it will talk to us!  At our prayer gathering Wednesday night, the Word certainly talked to all of us, but one verse in particular really encouraged me: Jeremiah 33:3.

According to that verse, when we call on the Lord, He promises to show us things.  And not just ‘things’, but great things.  And not just great things, but hidden things.  In fact, the word ‘hidden’ there can actually be translated ‘inaccessible’ things.  In other words, there are things that we want from God that cannot be obtained any other way except through prayer, when we call on the Lord.

When we realize that what we so desperately need & want cannot be gotten through any other efforts, but is promised to us when we pray…..well, that motivates me to pray with greater passion & persistence – how about you?

What is it that you want today that can ONLY be obtained through prayer?

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this is one request I’m circling (if you haven’t read Mark Batterson’s, “The Circle Maker”, you really should!) this entire fast: to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)  In fact, there are 2 specific desires that I’m asking the Lord for in this regard, and while I don’t feel at liberty to disclose them publicly, I ask that every CLCer will agree with me for greater opportunities to impact our world!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.  Better yet – come prepared this Sunday to share what the Lord is speaking to you!

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

If you’ve been using the Bible reading chart, you’ve probably followed the story of Israel being delivered from Egyptian bondage these past several days.  What has struck me again is how Moses resisted the temptation to compromise, which Pharaoh offered repeatedly.

First, it was “go, sacrifice in the land” (Ex. 8:25).  Then it was, “ok, you can go – but not very far” (Ex. 8:28).  Later, it was “only the men can go” (Ex. 10:7, 11).  Finally, it was “ok, all of you can go, but leave your flocks behind” (Ex. 10:24).

Notice that Moses was adamant & unyielding to each attempt – in fact, I love his response to the last compromise in Ex. 10:26 – “not a hoof will be left behind!”  No wonder Exodus 14:8 says the people of Israel went out “defiantly”!

What does all of this have to do with us?  Well, all too many times we pray timidly and we settle for less than what we really want.  But today I’m encouraging you NOT to give in – to be bold in your asking – to defy the enemy’s efforts to deter you – and press your way violently into every Kingdom desire! (Matt. 11:12)

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this request originated with our South Bend campus pastors, but it’s a need that each of us pray from our heart, that we might identify & live out our purpose and discover the resources to accomplish what God has called us to do.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

As I read my Bible yesterday, David’s prayer in Psalm 25:4 became my prayer.  Even though all of us are no doubt fasting & praying for some specific breakthroughs or needed guidance in decision-making, the reality is that fasting is more about what’s happening in me than in what it might cause God to do.

As we’re nearing the end of this season of prayer & fasting, my prayer is that the Lord would help us know His ways and teach us His paths.  I want to know Him better on February 5 than I did on January 15 – don’t you?

(Speaking of February 5, this Sunday at every campus of CLC is going to be unlike ANY we’ve had before, as we celebrate what God has done during our fast AND make room for the full ministry of the Holy Spirit as we end our ‘RUAH’ series – don’t miss it!)

Today’s Prayer Focus:  a big part of our vision at CLC has always been to reach the next generation, so today at every campus we are praying for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

I’m just going to share with you my experience in the Prayer Room yesterday, in the hopes that it will encourage you as much as it did me.  Actually, it was the second or third time during this fast that I just had a strong ‘sense’ of God’s pleasure with what we’re doing.  In other words, in my spirit I heard Him say that He is pleased with us!

Would you take that from my heart today?  No matter what your fasting efforts have been – whether it’s a hardcore ‘juice’ fast, or a Daniel fast, or some form of restricted diet or foregoing of certain meals during these past 16 days – or even if you’ve not been able to be consistent as you’d hoped – would you accept the fact that God is pleased with your effort!  There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1) and there is certainly NO condemnation in your attempt at fasting, no matter what form it’s taken.  And to paraphrase the Scripture that we’ve been singing of late, “If God be for us (pleased with us), who can stand against us!

Let’s believe Him for the desires of our heart today!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this request was submitted from our Lisle Campus, but it certainly applies to each campus of CLC, so let’s all join in praying for the multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry.  Our worship director asked that we also pray specifically for multi-cultural growth at CLC, so let’s ask in faith that the multiplication of families & leaders will reflect our communities, too!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Exodus 8:9-10 was part of our daily reading yesterday, and it’s also the passage that has given rise to all sorts of sermons about procrastination, including perhaps the most colorful title I’ve ever heard, “One More Night with the Frogs”.  But it still spoke to me, and gives us all a challenge for the last week of our fast: what are you putting up with unnecessarily?  What prayer need have you neglected, perhaps just because you’ve accepted the way things are, instead of seeking your heart’s desire?

The reason I ask is because you don’t have to accept things as they are.  During this time of prayer & fasting, you can press your case…..pray for your heart’s desire….and believe God to do what He has promised now – not “tomorrow”.

Today’s Prayer Focus:  At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC.  (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)  This certainly applies to every ministry and every pastor and every leader – we want God’s favor to accomplish what He’s called us to do!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Just 7 more days…..perhaps you’re craving meat or your favorite dessert or ???  But even more than you want that food or that meal, remember WHY you’re fasting in the first place – it’s because you want to disconnect from the world and connect with God (see Job 23:12).  That hunger is helping me stay focused as we enter this final week of our fast – and I’m pressing in for the requests that have motivated me to deny myself.

Join me today – even if you haven’t been fasting with us until now, or if you started but stopped at some point in the last 2 weeks.  Regardless of that, let’s finish strong and believe Him for supernatural answers to prayer this week, starting today!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for increased activity of the Holy Spirit among us – in our services, in our pastors & leaders, indeed, in the lives of every CLCer!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

I know it’s almost a cliche’ in Christian circles, but as I read Matthew 18:19 yesterday, I was struck by the power of unity in prayer.  When we agree in prayer, God promises that it will be done!

That simple verse so moved me yesterday that I felt we should make every effort in the closing week of our season of fasting to pray in unity.  We’ve had a daily prayer focus since the fast began, but I want us to especially agree this next week for each of those prayers to be manifest at CLC.

Here’s the complete list again – I suggest you may want to print this out & place inside your Bible where you will be reminded each day to pray in faith that as we unify around these needs, God will answer: 

• for increased activity of the Holy Spirit for all of CLC.
• for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC.  (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)
• for multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry, multi-culturally.
• for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.
  
• to identify & live out our purpose and the resources to do it.
• to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)
• that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go.

Today’s Prayer Focus:  at every campus we’re praying today that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

In yesterday’s Bible reading, I was blessed by Exodus 2:23-25.  I’m using the English Standard Version (ESV) this year, and I was really struck by the close of verse 25, for after describing Israel’s misery while enslaved in Egypt which caused them to groan and to cry out and that God heard them and saw them, it simply says “and God knew“.

I’m sure you’ve prayed prayers and brought needs to the Lord before and in your pain & discouragement felt that your prayers weren’t rising above the ceiling, or that they weren’t doing any good at all.  But I’m encouraged today as our fast nears the end of the second week, that God knows!  He knows exactly where you are and exactly what you need, and in His perfect timing, He will take care of it!  He KNOWS!

Knowing that He knows should give us fresh hope & faith to press on a little more – to not listen to the lie of the enemy that our prayers aren’t making a difference and to believe God for the answer that may already be on the way (see Daniel 10:2-14, especially verses 12-13!)

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this is one request I’m circling (if you haven’t read Mark Batterson’s, “The Circle Maker”, you really should!) this entire fast: to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)  In fact, there are 2 specific desires that I’m asking the Lord for in this regard, and while I don’t feel at liberty to disclose them publicly, I ask that every CLCer will agree with me for greater opportunities to impact our world!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

In my devotions this week, I noticed in Genesis 49 that shortly before he died, Jacob pronounced individual blessings over each of his sons.  But verse 28 particularly stood out to me, because it says he blessed each of them “with the blessing suitable to him”.  In other words, God has a specific blessing that is appropriate for this season of your life!

Then I read in Psalm 20:4, a blessing from King David that God would grant our heart’s desire and fulfill all our plans, PLUS in the next verse, that He would fulfill all our petitions!

I don’t know if that encourages you like it does me, but on this 12th day of our season of prayer & fasting, I am believing the suitable blessing of the Lord would be to grant my heart’s desire by answering my prayers!

And I’m confident of that because I’m not trusting in my own strength or ability to bring those prayers to pass, but HIS! (see verse 7).  I hope you’ll claim those promises with me today!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this request originated with our South Bend campus pastors, but it’s a need that each of us pray from our heart, that we might identify & live out our purpose and discover the resources to accomplish what God has called us to do.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

After this past Sunday’s message about hearing the Holy Spirit speak to us, I love this excerpt from Mark Batterson’s, The Circle Maker:

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.  Mark 4:23

Praying isn’t about talking as much as it is about listening.  Prayer is the way we tune into the still small voice of the Spirit.  Call them holy hunches.  Call them God ideas.  Call them prayer promptings.  When you get into God’s presence, you’ll start hearing that inaudible yet unmistakable voice of God.

Last year I spoke at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama for my friend, Chris Hodges.  While I was there, I toured their Dream Center in downtown Birmingham because we are on the verge of launching a Dream Center in Washington, DC. They have an amazing outreach to pimps and prostitutes.  They mentor kids.  They feed the hungry.  You name the need and they are meeting it.

One of the women working there is a former journalist named Lisa.  She had a good job with a good salary, but she quit because she knew God wanted her to work at the Dream Center.   Lisa is one of those people who exudes joy, exudes life, exudes energy.

During our tour, Lisa talked about their daily dependence upon God to meet the overwhelming needs in their community.  It’s takes hard work and hard prayer. Then she told me about one of the miracles she had experienced.  One day, as she was circling the Dream Center in prayer, she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to take her woolly socks with her to work.  She thought she was losing her mind.  It was one of the strangest promptings she’d ever had, but she couldn’t shake the impression. So she grabbed her woolly socks, put them in her purse, and headed downtown.  When she got there, a prostitute was literally passed out on the doorstep.  Lisa opened the door, carried her inside, and just held her on the floor until she regained consciousness a few minutes later.  She was so cold she was shaking.  That’s when Lisa asked her: “If you could have anything, what would it be?”  Without hesitation, the woman immediately said, “Woolly socks.”  Lisa about lost it.  As she told me the story she started tearing up.  Then I started tearing up.  Lisa then told her, “Look what I have.”  She pulled out the woolly socks, and the woman said, “They even match my outfit.”

God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him.  God is great because nothing is too small for Him.  A sparrow doesn’t fall without Him noticing and caring, so it shouldn’t surprise us that he cares about a woman who wants woolly socks.  God loves showing his all-encompassing compassion in little ways, and if we would learn to obey His promptings like Lisa, we’d find ourselves in the middle of miracles a lot more often.

The reason many of us miss the miracles is because we aren’t looking and we aren’t listening.  The easy part of prayer is talking.  It’s much harder listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. But two-thirds of praying hard is listening and looking. Then we need to obey those prayer promptings.

Today’s Prayer Focus:  a big part of our vision at CLC has always been to reach the next generation, so today at every campus we are praying for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Last week, when I read Genesis 45:26-27 in our daily Bible reading, I immediately remembered a Sunday morning about 4-5 years ago, when I woke up at 4am with the declaration, “I see wagons coming!” in my head.

Jacob couldn’t believe the good news about his long-lost son until he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent from Egypt, loaded down with all sorts of gifts for him.  Likewise, I’m believing today that what God has in store for us after this time of fasting is beyond our imagination!  I want to encourage you today that God already has the wagons loaded with what you’ve been asking Him for, and they’re already on the way!  Don’t be discouraged and don’t doubt – keep pressing through on this fast and believe that His promises to you are true and that every word will come to pass!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC.  (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)  This certainly applies to every ministry and every pastor and every leader – we want God’s favor to accomplish what He’s called us to do!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

For the second time in our first week of fasting, the same phrasing jumped out at me from 2 different daily readings on Friday: first, in Genesis 39:21 & later in Psalm 17:7. Did you see it?  In Genesis we read that despite all of Joseph’s setbacks, the Lord “showed him steadfast love”, and in Psalms David prayed that God would “wonderously show your steadfast love”.

Made me think about all the times in my life when God has shown His love to me – regardless of what I was going through at the time or how others might have been treating me.  I can truly say, He has shown me steadfast love!  Can you remember those times in your life?  Anything come to mind that you want to share with other CLCers, to encourage those who may be questioning His love during this fast?

If nothing else (which is a dumb thing to say, because there have already been so many other benefits), I pray this time of fasting & prayer will give you a greater sense of God’s steadfast love for you personally!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for increased activity of the Holy Spirit among us – in our services, in our pastors & leaders, indeed, in the lives of every CLCer!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

If you’re reading this early on Sunday morning, I’ve got to tell you today’s installment of “RUAH” is going to be amazing!  Can’t wait to see you here!

As we finish the first week of our fast, I want to encourage you about the prayers you’ve been praying.  My #1 personal request for CLC is something that’s been in my spirit for at least 2 or 3 years, seemingly without any change.  But yesterday I received an email that indicates God is at work to bring it to pass!

Now, I must tell you, the email was a small indication.  Some people might not even connect it to my prayers.  But I’m seeing it as a little fist! (1Kings 18:41-46)

Let me encourage you to be alert & aware of those little indicators that God is working on your behalf.  We sometimes miss the fact that oftentimes His work is progressive – read Mark 4:26-29.

I’m expecting a full-grain, gulley-washing downpour soon!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  at every campus we’re praying today that we would be anointed to take the power of the Holy Spirit outside our church walls to the marketplace, our schools, our neighborhoods & wherever we go!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

I read a post from Mark Batterson yesterday that I thought was perfect for this 6th day of our fast:

Blessed is he who is not offended at me.   Luke 7:23

At this point in the 21-Day prayer challenge, you might be experiencing a little faith fatigue. You aren’t alone. All of us go through prayer slumps!  Sometimes it’s the slow erosion of faith. But more often than not, the loss of a prayer life is traced to unanswered prayer.  Death by disappointment.  What do you do when God doesn’t answer how you want or when you want?  Let me tell you what you don’t do: you don’t stop praying! It’s always too soon to quit. It’s always too soon to give up. You need to resolve that you’ll keep circling until the day you die.

John and Heidi are part of the prayer circle that prays for me. In fact, they are some of the most prayerful people I know.  God has given them some amazing answers to their prayers for others, but many of their own prayers for their own challenges have seemingly gone unanswered.  But there is no quit in them.  They just keep on praying like it depends on God because they know it does.  They haven’t thrown in the prayer towel despite the disappointments.  Their secret?  One promise has sustained them through the toughest times and deepest disappointments. They circled Luke 7:23: blessed is he who is not offended at me.

Here’s the context.

Jesus is doing miracles right and left. He is healing diseases, casting out demons, and restoring sight to the blind, but John the Baptist misses the miracle train.  It seems like Jesus is rescuing everybody except his most faithful follower who is in prison.   And John is his cousin, nonetheless.  It seems like Jesus could have, and maybe should have, organized a rescue operation and busted him out before he was beheaded.  Instead he sends a message via his disciples.  He tells them to tell John about all the miracles he is doing and then he asks them to relay this simple promise: blessed is he who is not offended at me.

Have you ever felt like God was doing miracles for everyone and their brother, but you seem to be the odd man out?  It seems like God is keeping His promises to everyone but you?  I wonder if that’s how John the Baptist felt.  What do you do when you feel like God is answering everyone’s prayers but yours?

In the words of my friends who have experienced their fair share of unanswered prayers: “We try to live our lives unoffended by God.  Jesus promises that we will be blessed if we aren’t offended.  Obviously we aren’t in prison about to be beheaded, but we have seen many answers to our prayers for other people when we have prayed for their finances, their health and their kids.  Yet in our own lives, well…”

When God doesn’t answer how or when you want, you have a choice to make.  You can give up or hang on.  You can let go or pray through.  You can get frustrated with God or choose to live unoffended.

My friends have chosen to live unoffended: “Jesus promises blessing if we are not offended when He does things for others.  And if He does it for them, He might do it for us. I don’t know why God does what He does.  I do know that 100% of the prayers I don’t pray won’t get answered.” I love that approach to prayer, that approach to life.  It’s the circle maker’s mantra: 100% of the prayers you don’t pray won’t get answered.

Live unoffended.

This devotional is taken from The Circle Maker. To purchase copies, go here.

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this is one request I’m circling (if you haven’t read Mark Batterson’s, “The Circle Maker”, you really should!) this entire fast: to extend our influence in Chicagoland, Michiana & globally (additional campuses, etc.)  In fact, there are 2 specific desires that I’m asking the Lord for in this regard, and while I don’t feel at liberty to disclose them publicly, I ask that every CLCer will agree with me for greater opportunities to impact our world!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

In one of my daily readings this week, I noticed the last part of Matthew 12:15 where it says that “many followed him and he healed them all”.  I suppose it could be argued that everyone who followed Jesus in this passage needed physical healing, but what occurred to me as I read was that all of us need healing in some area of our life.  Whether it’s physical or emotional or spiritual, in our relationships, or wherever we aren’t whole, the bottom-line is that if Jesus could heal ALL of them in Matthew 12, He can heal ALL of us today!  (Heb 13:8).

So today, as you continue your fast, why not ask the Lord to heal you in your area of deepest need?  I believe He will answer ALL of us when we follow Him!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this request originated with our South Bend campus pastors, but it’s a need that each of us pray from our heart, that we might identify & live out our purpose and discover the resources to accomplish what God has called us to do.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

My Bible talked to me yesterday as I read Genesis 35:9.  What jumped out at me was when it says “God appeared to Jacob again”.  You’ve had those times in the past when God met with you or appeared to you, as I have – but during this fast, I’m asking the Lord to appear again!  Let’s believe Him today for a new & fresh appearance – with revelation & insight for us personally!

If you read the next verse, you may find that when God appears again that it’s to reinforce something you already know, because we’re so prone to forget who we are.

The rest of the passage is wonderful, but I especially noticed verse 18, that the place where God appeared to Jacob was the house of God.  It’s no coincidence – He often chooses to speak to us in His House, so I’ll encourage you to join us tonight at 7pm for a special time of prayer & praise where He can appear to you again!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  a big part of our vision at CLC has always been to reach the next generation, so today at every campus we are praying for a deep hunger for the Word among our youth, resulting in a youth-led, Holy Spirit revival.

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

I don’t know about you, but yesterday my body was wanting to eat!  Honestly, I don’t think it was hunger; I think it was just my ‘spoiled’ flesh wanting to exert its will – which is why fasting is important.  Remember, Jesus said we should deny ourselves daily (Luke 9:23) and Paul taught us to discipline our body (1Cor 9:27).  In fact, self-control is even listed as a ‘fruit’ of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-24).  So regardless of the type of fast you’ve chosen or how difficult it may have been these first few days, be encouraged to know that you are winning!  And if it’s any encouragement, from my previous experience, it’s usually the first 3 days that are the most difficult physically – it seems after today our battle with the flesh is less and we can really begin to connect with the Holy Spirit.  I pray that each of you experiences a new & fresh sense of His Presence today!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  this request was submitted from our Lisle Campus, but it certainly applies to each campus of CLC, so let’s all join in praying for the multiplication of families & leaders for every ministry.  Our worship director asked that we also pray specifically for multi-cultural growth at CLC, so let’s ask in faith that the multiplication of families & leaders will reflect our communities, too!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

As we move into the second day of our fast, I want to share a ‘word’ that one of my favorite CLCers submitted yesterday: “Heard the Lord say obediance rather than sacrifice……..if the Lord told you to do something and you have been putting it off………….NOW is the time to do it!…….I know He has plans for those who love Him!”

That certainly resonates with me, for as we’ve seen in Isaiah 58, just doing without food is not the key to our fast.  So even as we push away from the table again today, let’s examine our heart as to whether the Lord has asked us to do something that we’ve neglected – THIS is the time to obey!

Today’s Prayer Focus:  At each campus of CLC, we’re praying for wisdom & guidance in accomplishing the mission of CLC.  (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 30:31)  This certainly applies to every ministry and every pastor and every leader – we want God’s favor to accomplish what He’s called us to do!

What are you hearing?  We fully expect that the Holy Spirit will speak to us during this time of fasting, and if you receive impressions from Him that you are willing to share, we’d love to hear from you.  You can simply leave a comment below, or send your ‘word’ to us here.  We also encourage you to share those thoughts on your campus FaceBook page, to encourage your fellow ‘fast-ers’, whether Tinley Park or Lisle or South Bend.

For today’s devotional from Awake 21, go here Awakening Devotional.

Jesus came to our sermon-planning meeting yesterday.

I’m serious.  Kinda like the story in John 20 when the disciples met behind closed doors to talk about Jesus and all of a sudden, He just showed up!

As our pastoral team talked about this week’s message in the “Vintage Jesus” series, and looked through various Scriptures we plan to use, I sensed Jesus in the room!  (Wish I could say that for every week’s staff meeting, but it was definitely true yesterday!)

So I want to say 2 things about that:

• get to a CLC campus this weekend!  There is NO way we can talk about Jesus and look closely at WHO He is, without expecting that He’s going to show up & do stuff among us!  I’m expecting people to be healed, set free, and changed by their encounter this weekend!

• come back to this blog all next week (September 26-30) – Better yet, subscribe now (on the right of your screen) so you’ll get each post delivered to your inbox.  Here’s why: there was SO much that we want to say about Jesus that we couldn’t fit it all in, and it’s SO good we couldn’t just leave it out.  So I’m going to post a daily devotion next week, using 5 truths about Jesus that we wanted to include but just didn’t have time.  (I think it will bless you!)

I guess there IS one more thing I want to say: invite, invite, invite.  If you know someone who needs Jesus or who needs a miracle, THIS weekend would be the time to bring them to any campus of CLC, because He will be present!

That’s all.

In yesterday’s message I mentioned that over 100 of our youth & their leaders have formed a new ‘club’ (actually, it’s a Facebook group) called, “No Word, No Food!”.  The idea came from a message preached by Pastor Joel Montes at our CHARGED Youth Camp a few weeks ago, in which he challenged our students to spend time with the Lord every day.  To reinforce their devotional habit, he suggested they not eat food until they first ‘ate’ God’s Word, ala Matthew 4:4 and Job 23:12!

Someone smarter than me has said, “In the beginning, we make habits.  In the end, habits make us!”

To that I say, “I like eeeeet!” (in my best Bishop Tudor Bismark voice)

I do like it.  In fact, I love the fact that our students have adopted this as their habit (so proud of them & our Consumed Student Ministries), and I’m urging everyone reading this post to follow their example.  If you want to join the Facebook Group (where they post Scriptures from their devotions each day, to encourage each othere), you can do so here.

If you want some help with your daily devotions, the internet is FULL of ideas.  Here’s one I noticed this morning, and while I can’t endorse everything on the site since I don’t even know these folk, anything that will get you into the Word everyday is a good thing!

Will YOU accept the challenge?

Say it with me: “No Word, no food!”

Woke up this morning thinking about the last point of last Sunday’s message – specifically about James 5:16.  Didn’t have time to explain it all Sunday, but the Biblical principle that makes confession to another believer so effective is this: light is good!

That’s what God Himself said in Genesis 1:4, whereas darkness in the Bible is synonymous with evil (Mt 6:23; Lk 22:53; Jn 3:19). So when we keep our sins & faults hidden in secret, in effect, we keep them in darkness, which is Satan’s playground! (Ever heard of ‘home-field advantage’?)

But when we confess those faults or sins, we are bringing them into the light, and that’s good! In fact, there’s something about just bringing it out in the open to someone that actually helps to break the power of that thing against us!  It’s the message of Proverbs 28:13!

You don’t have to wait for our Life Group kick-off to start doing this – all you need is a trusted friend, who will love you & pray with you instead of judging you.

But as I said Sunday, if you don’t have those kind of relationships right now, I can’t think of a better place to start building them than in a Life Group of believers here at CLC.

Remember: light is good!