DAYSOF PRAYER

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DAY 1A Prayer for a Fresh Encounter with God

Joel 1:14“Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”

Wouldn’t it be great if you experienced God’s presence in a new and extraordinary way? As we begin this 21-day journey, remember that the purpose for this time of prayer and fasting is to have a uniqueencounter with God. Cry out to God that He would open your ears and soften your heart to the things that He would have you learn during these upcoming days together.

Psalm 139:23“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”

Realize today that God knows you better than you know yourself. One effect of fasting is that you begin to see things in your life that need to change that you didn’t realize before. Open yourself up to God today by asking Him to reveal any spiritual blind spots that you may have. There is much freedom found in the confession of our sins! Confess your sins to God and lay them at the foot of the Cross.

DAY 2A Prayer of Confession

Acts 3:19-20“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christappointed for you, Jesus.”

One of the most important disciplines of spiritual development is the act of repentance, signifying remorse for your sin and changing your actions. Know today that forgiveness is alive in Christ! One of the best habits that a Christian can develop is humility before the Father and asking for forgiveness for specific sins. Ask God to give you the strength and courage to change your actions.

DAY 3A Prayer of Repentance

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Have you ever asked, “What is God’s will for my life?” It is easy for us to give some parts of our lives over to the Lord and to keep some parts to ourselves. Solomon reminds us that the straightest path to the Lord’s will is to trust Him for everything in our lives. Are you seeking the Lord’s will for everything? Pray for the Lord to reveal His will to you in all parts of your life.

DAY 4A Prayer for God’s Will

James 4:7-8a “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…”

Ultimately, God’s will for our lives is for us to be in perfect relationship with Him. James shows us how we do this. Submit to God. Hate your sins. Will you choose to submit to this world or submit to God? Pray for God to reveal the areas in your life where you need to turn from sin and submit to Him. Use your time fasting today to think about how you can draw near to God.

DAY 5A Prayer of Submission

Genesis 5:1b-2 “…When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created.”

We need to be reminded constantly that we are all image bearers of God. Sometimes our family members disappoint us the most. When your spouse, children, or friends are hard to love; remember we are all fearfully and wonderfully created in His image, and we must treat each other as such. Pray for God to help you see your loved ones as image bearers and to love them as God loves them.

DAY 6A Prayer for Family

Psalms 145:1-2 “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.”

Let’s reflect on this past week and all that we have experienced. We have asked the Lord to search our hearts, we have confessed andrepented of our sins, we have asked the Lord to reveal His will to us, and we have prayed for our families and loved ones. Let us now praise Him for His greatness today and in the days ahead.

DAY 7A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Matthew 22:37-40 “And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

We should love God with our entire being. Simultaneously, our love for God should drive us inescapably to love the people around us. Pray this morning that God would give you a discerning heart that can love people in spite of their sins, just as God loves us in spite of our sins. Ask God to give you an overwhelming desire to see your neighbors come to faith in Christ.

DAY 8A Prayer for Love

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Every believer is a missionary, sent with the Good News of Jesus Christ to make disciples. Not a single person we encounter should leave untouched by the faith we display with our actions and proclaim with our words. Pray that we are a church that leaves no doubt about what Christ has done for us. Ask God to provide you an opportunity today to tell someone about your faith!

DAY 9A Prayer for Evangelism

2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.”

You have a God-appointed sphere of influence. God measures your success by how diligently you work within your sphere, and how diligently you share the Gospel with the people in your sphere. Our church will reach Northwest Arkansas, Southwest Missouri, America, and the World by each of us reaching the people God has appointed to us. Pray this morning for boldness to declare the Good News of Jesus Christ to those in your sphere of influence.

DAY 10A Prayer for Influence

Acts 1:8“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

How often do you consider the purpose of the Spirit’s filling? The Holy Spirit empowers us to be gospel witnesses locally, nationally, and globally. Could it be that while we’re waiting for the Holy Spirit to empower us to “go”, the Holy Spirit is waiting for us to take the first step of faith? Have you considered going on mission through Cross Church? Focus today on asking God not if, but where he wants you to go.

DAY 11A Prayer about Missions

1 Peter 2:13-14“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Inauguration Day is tomorrow. Often the command to submit to our authorities is difficult to obey. However, our obedience to thiscommand allows us to demonstrate faith in God in spite of ourcircumstances. Pray for our authorities today. Pray for our new government. Ask God to grant our new leaders a special measure of grace and wisdom.

DAY 12A Prayer for Government

1 Timothy 2:1-2“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

It is often said that the peaceful transition of power is something that sets the United States apart from other countries. Take a moment this morning and thank God for allowing you to live where you do. Pray today for President Trump and Vice President Pence. Pray for God’s wisdom for those in authority over you so that you would be able to live a quiet, godly and dignified life in every way.

DAY 13A Prayer for our President and Vice President

Psalms 146:1-2 “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

We started the week by looking at the great commandment, a call to love God and to love others. We also looked at the great commission, a call to go make disciples. We ended the week by looking at God’s power in us to accomplish all that He calls us to do and the mission He is calling us to. Let us now praise the Lord for His power, not only in us, but also through us.

DAY 14A Prayer of Thanksgiving

2 Chronicles 7:14“If My people who are called by My name humblethemselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This verse gives us a glimpse into the character and faithfulness of God toward His people. Our church is seeking a fresh move of God in our midst. Today, humble yourself, pray, seek the face of God in your prayers, and ask Him to move in a new and fresh way among our Cross Church family.

DAY 15A Prayer for the Church and Our Pastors

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity!”

Nothing can destroy a body of believers faster than disunity. Satan works continuously to spread disunity among churches because he knows that there’s nothing like the Church when the Church isworking right. Pray for unity within the fellowship of Cross Church. Seek forgiveness if God has revealed to you that you are spreading disunity in the family of Cross Church. Pray that our church becomes known for the unity that we share together.

DAY 16A Prayer for Unity in the Church

Psalms 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me”.

Occasionally all Christians need revival. It is so easy to get distracted from our job of spreading the Gospel and changing people in our sphere of influence. We often get lackadaisical in our Bible reading or our prayer lives and wind up waking up one day wondering how we got so far away from God. Beg God to revive you, plead with Him to give you a renewed vigor to consume His Word. Commit in your heart today that you will spend time reading God’s Word and praying every day.

DAY 17A Prayer for Revival in the Church

Psalms 100:4-5 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and Hisfaithfulness to all generations.” As we pray today and come into God’s presence let’s not come with a long list of requests, but rather let’s approach Him with thankfulness and praise. Don’t think of all the things you don’t have yet, but think of all God has done for you. Think of His steadfast love and how He has been faithful to generations past, and think of the ways He has worked in your life.

DAY 18A Prayer of Praise

Psalms 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

The psalmist remembers the stories of God’s people and how God continually showed His faithful love toward them. This very thought causes him to write this great Psalm of thanksgiving. Today as you pray, dwell on the story of scripture and how everything fromcreation to the second coming displays God’s faithful love toward His people. Give thanks to God for His faithful love toward us.

DAY 19A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Faithfulness

Acts 4:31“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Peter and John had just been arrested for preaching about Jesus, and the threat against the Christians was becoming very real. However, upon their release, the believers gathered together and began to pray asking God for boldness to proclaim the word of God. Today, pray that God would give His church the boldness to be obedient to His commands and to proclaim His Gospel in a world that is becoming increasingly resistant to that message.

DAY 20A Prayer for Boldness

Psalms 150:1-6 “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with flute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

As we reflect on the past 21 days, praise the Lord for His sovereignty, all that He has done, and all that He is doing. As we gather together as a church body, let’s praise Him with everything that is within us.

DAY 21A Prayer of Thanksgiving