Pray First: First Things First

2014 (20) Utah Utes v. (2) Oregon Ducks

Utah was looking for an upset and had momentum on their side…They had gone up 7 to 0

A pass play gave Kaelyn Clay a clear path to the endzone for a play that would put Utah up 14 - 0 with momentum

and then this happened (play clip)

He embarks on his touchdown celebration before he completes the process of scoring the touchdown...

The play turned a 14 - 0 lead into a 7 - 7 tie and Utah went on to lose the game 51 - 27.

IT MATTERS THAT THINGS ARE DONE IN THE PROPER SEQUENCE

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We are missing some things in our lives in 2023.

There are a lot of people living out their existence in 2023 lacking in some primary areas.

We lack fulfillment

We lack peace

We lack joy

We tend to think that if we could change the substance of our lives we would find these things…

The lack in our lives is based on our sequence more than our substance!

Our first series this year is about getting our sequence right!

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Put God in the Beginning this year!

The bible opens up with a passage that gives us the principle for proper sequence.

Genesis 1:1 ESV

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Notice the first four words of Holy Scriptures.

IN THE BEGINNING GOD

When the world was perfect…God was the beginning.

I don’t mean to oversimplify our issues…but much of our lives would fix themselves if we would put this principle into practice.

Put God first again.

Put God first in your career

Put God first in your marriage

Put God first in your finances

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God desires to be first in our lives.

We need to put God first…because that is where He requires Himself to be...

The first of the ten commandments reemphasizes this principle.

Exodus 20:1–3 ESV

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.

The word for gods in this text...simply means things that rule your lives...

In our culture we are governed by our passions and priorities

GOD OPENS HIS LAW BY SAYING DON’T PUT ANY OTHER PASSIONS OR PRIORITIES IN FRONT OF ME!

He doesn’t mind us having other passions…as long as they are kept in the proper sequence.

Some religious circles make the mistake of saying “don’t have passions”

God created us with a desire to do things (sports, art, hobbies, etc…) They can actually bring glory to Him when they are in the proper sequence.

The big idea of our discussion today is that we need to put God back into first place in our lives.

We are going to talk about four ways that we can put God first.

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Give God the first of my year.

One of the ways that we give God the first of our year is by taking three weeks in the first month of the year and dedicating ourselves to prayer and fasting.

One of the mistakes I have made many times is being commited to fasting without implementing prayer...

Fasting without prayer is dieting! (2 DOGS ILLUSTRATION)

Participating with Church of The Highlands 21 Days of Prayer...

We are doing prayer services here at the church January 16-20 from 6:00 - 7:00

I BELIEVE THAT OUR CHURCH IS DESPERATELY IN NEED OF A GREATER SENSE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Prayer is the catalyst that initiates greater levels of God’s presence.

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Let’s talk about fasting.

I wanted to take just a few minutes to talk about fasting.

It is not as common of a practice among Christians as it was in the past.

There are a lot of materials out there (Jentezen Franklin, Church of the Highlands, etc.)

I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about a few ways you can fast.

I’d love to see 100% participation on this fast.

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Complete Fast

This is the most literal form of fasting.

Greek word for “fast” simply means to go without food.

In this fast you do not eat any food and only drink water and some people will do light juices.

IF YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL ISSUES…THIS MIGHT NOT BE FOR YOU.

If you’ve had medical issues it would be wise to do this fast with medical supervision.

USE COMMON SENSE!

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Selective Fast

This is probably the most common type of fast during a 21 day fast.

Remove certain foods from your diet for the duration of the fast.

Daniel Fast: (no meat or sweets.)

Remove Coffee or Soda

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Partial Fast

This fast is sometimes called a “jewish fast”

Fasting certain meals

Not eating all day but eating an evening meal.

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Soul Fast

Anything that effects your soul…(what we take in!)

Social media

Movies

News

Secular music

A soul fast is about getting away from the rhythm of life that your used to and putting more of God into that rhythm.

We are giving God the first of our year by practicing 21 days of prayer and fasting

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Give God the first of your month

We can give God the first of our month in two areas…(a) scheduling and (b) budgeting.

(a) scheduling

Some of us could see miraculous healing in our mental health if we would enact the miracle of margin!

I give God the first of my month by not letting my schedule get to such a place that my faith is neglected.

Don’t take the meeting.

say no to the dinner plans.

don’t let the urgent suffocate the important.

My travel, activities, meetings, etc are going to be in submission to my faith!

(b) budgeting

I give God the first of my month with my budget by giving my tithe before anything else!

I don’t tithe from my left overs…I bring God the first fruits!

Give God the first ten percent for this year

I ALL BUT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE IN BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION THIS TIME NEXT YEAR!

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Give God the first of your week

You can give God the first of your week really simply…GO TO CHURCH!

We don’t value church attendance anymore…

Our children reflect that priority when they reach adulthood.

64% of young people walk away from church when they reach adulthood.

What if your kids reflected your commitment with a decrease of 25%?

I understand you need to rest…That’s what Sunday night is about!

YOU WILL HAVE BETTER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE WEEKS THIS YEAR IF YOU MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO BE IN CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY!

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Give God the first of your day

I used to think that my life would be changed by big moments.

My expectation from every youth camp, revival, conference, etc...

It never lasted.

Life change doesn’t take place in moments…it takes place methodically.

Life change happens when daily habits change!

YOUR FAITH WILL GROW WHEN IT BECOMES A PART OF YOUR DAILY HABITS!

Give God the first fifteen minutes of your day!

5 minutes in the Word (get a plan)

5 minutes with worship (this is easy because every worship song is about 2 hours long)

5 minutes in prayer.

Don’t just set out to give God the first of your year, month, or week....watch God move in your life when you give Him the first of your every day life!

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Put God first and watch Him bless the rest.

The beautiful reality is that when we give God the first…we can expect him to bless the rest!

Proverbs 3:6–10 ESV

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

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My selfish reasons for fasting

As we prepare to start our fast, some of you will do so for the first time…I want us to spend some time asking God how he wants us to do this.

I don’t want to fast how I want to…I want to fast how God wants me to...

I have a selfish reason for saying that.

Look at the result of fasting in the way that God chooses for you!

Isaiah 58:6–9 ESV

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

When I fast according to God’s plans for me he promises

Light where there has been darkness

Healing where there has been hurt

Righteousness in my life

Glory in my life

Conversational Communion with God

We are not going to try and move into the next phase of our year without putting things in the proper sequence…Today we are putting First things first!