WEEK 1 NEW YEAR SUNDAY: 21 Days of Prayer

Intro

A New Year is here...

New jokes

New thoughts

New worries

New opportunities to trust and learn to love like Jesus

So... What do we do different this New Year so not to repeat 2024?

Or...What do we control to make this our year in the Lord?

Weight loss...

food choices, beverage selection

exercises, running, weight lifting, yoga

Manage stress and medication

Set Additional Boundaries socially i.e., defining margins with...

family, friends and news broadcasts

Transition

Where do we get the skinny for me individually for 2025?

Facebook or Instagram?

TV Guide or National Inquiry?

God’s Word????

(or— does that sounds old fashion?)

Overview of our 21 Day Journey

When we confess Jesus Christ as Lord,

the Spirit of God brings the life of Jesus

into us, and us into the life of Jesus.

From the moment of our salvation, the Holy Spirit begins a lifelong work within us, leading us to deny the works of our sinful nature, enabling us to live as a new creation and testifying to our identity as children of God.

This is known as The Inward Work of the Spirit

DOES THAT SOUND SCARY OR MYSTICAL?

NO! Not really!

The Holy Spirit is the Omnipresence of God Himself.

He is refereed to as the third God of the Trinity.

We see this in the first two verses in the Bible.

Genesis 1:1–2 (NLT)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

We see the Holy Spirit all throughout the Bible

TRANSLATED in the OT

Holy Spirit 84x

Psalm 51:11 (NLT)

11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Spirit of God 5x

2 Chronicles 24:20 (NLT)

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”

and Spirit multiple other times x73

Psalm 139:7 (NLT)

7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

TRANSLATED in the NT

Holy Spirit x77

Luke 1:35 (NLT)

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Acts 2:33 (NLT)

33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

NOTE: This is post resurrection and post ascension

John 14:17 (NLT)

17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

Spirit of God x11

Romans 8:9 (NLT)

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

This may sound confusing “the Spirit of Christ”?

Many titles revealing different ways the Spirit Works

EXAMPLE:

Name of our Church? Foursquare, Cornerstone, CF

Mickey Baldwin… who is that guy!

Marcie’s husband,

Alivia and Audrey’s dad

Mayor of Okmulgee

Community Registered Nurse

or Pastor?

The same guy, but working differently with a varied areas of responsibilities

Spirit of God?

Luke 24:49 (NLT)

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

John 14:26 (NLT)

26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Spirit x120

John 7:39 (NLT)

39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Acts 6:10 (NLT)

10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

SO—DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT SOUND SCARY? NO!

It’s just something that is hard to understand...

BUT WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT THE, TEACHER, SHOWS UP—He imparts

As the author of the Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem wrote...

“How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven.” source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/christmascarols/o/olittletownofbethlehemlyrics.html

WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT EVERYDAY

21 Days of Prayer + Fasting

Prayer: by Steve Schell https://foursquare.church/holyspiritprayer

First, the Holy Spirit groans with us.

Romans 8:26 NLT

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Second, the Holy Spirit gifts us with the ability to pray supernaturally.

1 Corinthians 14:14–15 NLT

14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. 15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.

Finally, the Holy Spirit prophetically guides our prayers by the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom and discernment

1 Corinthians 12:8 NLT

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.

Fasting: by Bill Gross

https://foursquare.church/fasting-2025

“Fasting unto the Lord is therefore feasting—feasting on Him and on doing His will.” ~Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Fasting from food isn’t the only type of fast.

Jesus spent an afternoon ministering to a broken woman. He brought healing to her fractured sense of self and showed her that God had so much more for her than she realized. When His friends asked Him if He wanted some food, He wonderfully said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34, NKJV).

Jesus was filled by caring for this wounded soul.

He focused His time on her needs, and in return, His needs were met by God’s special soul food.

This type of fast is much like the true fasting that Isaiah spoke about:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isa. 58:6-7, NIV).

I believe this type of fasting is really needed today.

Our world is desperate for some chain-busters and shelter-providers.

Maybe this should be your chosen fast

All fasting is the intentional setting aside of self to focus on God and His presence and plans for you.

The Inward Work of the Spirit and Life in the Spirit

TWO SCRIPTURES

Titus 3:5–6 NLT

5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Saved-Washed-Gave New Life-Poured out His Spirit on us!!

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NLT

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

We were made to worship, to Worship God

So today is like every other Sunday… we always have to choose to walk “In Christ” or to walk “In Our Own Way”.

Prayer and Fasting and the fortitude it takes to be disciplined is never just easy,

but if you found last year missing something,

2024 was less impactful than you expected, or

just feel like you are missing something...

Join me this next 21 Days to seek Father with Spirit Filled Prayer!

https://www.foursquare.org/events/21-days-of-prayer/

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LET’S PRAY!