21 In Twenty-One Devotional
Day Nine
Prayer Focus: The Word
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”
Psalms 23:1-5 NLT
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””
Matthew 4:1-4 NLT
The thing that has repeatedly come to my heart and mind as I’ve journeyed through this fast is fuel. Over and over, I’ve heard God ask me, “Daniel, what are you fueling your soul with?” See, most days I’m able to fool the people around me (and even sometimes more impressively I’m able to fool myself) and appear like I have my spiritual life in check. However, if I am being honest, I find myself shoving spiritual junk food into my soul. Just something off the dollar menu that will get me by until the next time that I need something. I cheapen what God has done by giving him 5 minutes in the morning and then “moving on.” As you can imagine, it doesn’t take long until I find myself in the triathlon of life and suddenly that 20 piece McNugget I had this morning just isn’t cutting it. It’s not doing anything for my stress or anxiety.
If this fast has shown me anything, it’s that I need to stop fueling myself with junk food and actually give myself something that will last when life is tough. In the Bible, Jesus fasted for 40 days and during His fast Satan tried to tempt him. But when Satan did this, each time Jesus used THE WORD to resist Satan. In Jesus’ weakest state, it was God’s Word that helped Him prevail.
So this week, keep feeding on God’s word so that when temptation comes (because it will) you’ll have the fuel to resist and keep doing what God has called you to do!
Prayer: “God, thank you for being a constant in our lives when everything around us is anything but constant. That’s why you gave us your Word... because it doesn’t change and you reveal your consistency though it each day. As we search for more of you and learn about who you are, help us find that in your Word.”
DON’T STOP THERE! Choose one verse this week that you can memorize and one that you can pull from when you need strength.
Love,
Daniel Howell
Psalms 23:1-5 NLT
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””
Matthew 4:1-4 NLT
The thing that has repeatedly come to my heart and mind as I’ve journeyed through this fast is fuel. Over and over, I’ve heard God ask me, “Daniel, what are you fueling your soul with?” See, most days I’m able to fool the people around me (and even sometimes more impressively I’m able to fool myself) and appear like I have my spiritual life in check. However, if I am being honest, I find myself shoving spiritual junk food into my soul. Just something off the dollar menu that will get me by until the next time that I need something. I cheapen what God has done by giving him 5 minutes in the morning and then “moving on.” As you can imagine, it doesn’t take long until I find myself in the triathlon of life and suddenly that 20 piece McNugget I had this morning just isn’t cutting it. It’s not doing anything for my stress or anxiety.
If this fast has shown me anything, it’s that I need to stop fueling myself with junk food and actually give myself something that will last when life is tough. In the Bible, Jesus fasted for 40 days and during His fast Satan tried to tempt him. But when Satan did this, each time Jesus used THE WORD to resist Satan. In Jesus’ weakest state, it was God’s Word that helped Him prevail.
So this week, keep feeding on God’s word so that when temptation comes (because it will) you’ll have the fuel to resist and keep doing what God has called you to do!
Prayer: “God, thank you for being a constant in our lives when everything around us is anything but constant. That’s why you gave us your Word... because it doesn’t change and you reveal your consistency though it each day. As we search for more of you and learn about who you are, help us find that in your Word.”
DON’T STOP THERE! Choose one verse this week that you can memorize and one that you can pull from when you need strength.
Love,
Daniel Howell
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