wk 2 - NEW YEAR

Intro

Writing prayers verses praying prayers

New thought

Old process

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.

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.

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.

REBORN

WASHED

COVERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT…THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR!

This is known as The Inward Work of the Spirit

WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT EVERYDAY

PART ONE IN OUR STUDY GUIDE

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

To seek Father with Spirit Filled Prayer!

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

1 Corinthians 12:3 NLT

3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

QUESTION:

How has this unearned favor given you a new identity in Him?

DAY 2 MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST

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.)

Romans 8:11 NLT

11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

The resurrection power of the Holy Spirit transforms us from a life bound

by sin and death to one filled with purpose and vitality in Christ.

Galatians 2:20 NLT

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

ACTION

Lift up those in your life who feel spiritually dead or disconnected, praying that they may experience the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit and be made alive in Christ.

DAY 3 BELOVED CHILDREN OF GOD

By the Holy Spirit we

are made sons and

daughters of God,

and may enjoy a close

relationship with Him as

Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:15 NLT

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

YOU ARE N0 LONGER SLAVES!

Galatians 4:6 NLT

6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

QUESTION:

What is the hardest part in accepting that you are God’s son or daughter?

we must accept the work Jesus did on the cross

we must embrace our new identity as God’s beloved child to flourish in us.

we must pray for a deeper experience and understanding of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

EXAMPLE:

If you had won the lottery, it would take you a while to understand that you had unlimited resources

LIKEWISE...

We are now Son’s and Daughters of God!!!

THINK ABOUT THAT:-)

PART 2

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not

a formula,

a doctrine or

a mystical experience.

It’s the condition of a person who intends to be a disciple.

There is more to Christianity than believing the right things; we are to receive and experience the Spirit of God.

DAY 4

PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

1 Thessalonians 5:16–19 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. 19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice always. Start by identifying some of the thieves of your joy, (such as guilt, grief, grudges and grumbling.)

Decide to approach life from an opposite spirit. Choose joy instead.

Pray continually. Prayer doesn’t have to be flashy. As a matter of fact, it’s best if it isn’t. Just talk to God, and let Him talk to you.

Give thanks. The apostle Paul begins 10 of his 13 New Testament epistles with some expression of gratitude. His prayers and letters were peppered with thanks, despite the ongoing challenges he faced. One could say Paul’s letters are “thank full!” We are invited to be the same, by giving thanks

ACTION

Make a list of what you are grateful for today. That

list may prompt a phone call, text or note to people

who have had a positive impact on your life.

DAY 5

REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS

The story is told of a critical person who approached Methodism founder John Wesley at a church service, saying, “My talent is to speak my mind.” Wesley allegedly replied: “That’s one talent that the Lord would not care a bit if you buried!”

Humorous as it is, there is nothing funny about the unwholesome and unconstructive talk that so often comes out of our mouths. We are exhorted to get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice. That’s a good start; however, it doesn’t end there.

We must then replace it with that which is much better: kindness, compassion, forgiveness and love. This transformative process is a work of the Spirit.

Our appropriate response to the work of the Spirit is repentance, and the bearing of spiritual fruit in keeping with that repentance.

Ephesians 4:29–32 NLT

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

ACTION

When approaching challenging situations, pray

Psalm 141:3 over your life: “Set a guard over my

mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my

lips” (NKJV).

DAY 6 TRUTH AND FREEDOM

In these uncertain times, we must lean on the Spirit of the Lord to discern truth and be obedient.

TRUTH AND FREEDOM

Julia Ward Howe was born: May 27, 1819, New York City. She was the author of Battle Hymn of the Republic, "eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord," was written in 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War.

The last line of the first verse is “His truth is marching on.”

a choral arrangement that Marcie and I sang in High School, the bass voices would sing over and over “Truth is marching on, Truth is marching on.”

Verse 4 says, “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; As he died to make us holy, let us die that all be free! While God is marching on.”

John 8:31–32 NLT

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:36 NLT

36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT

17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

John 16:13 NLT

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

IN THESE DAYS OF UNCERTAINTY WE MAY BE UNSURE OF LOTS OF THINGS… BUT KNOW THIS--

We can know if we are a disciple of Jesus.

How?

Jesus told those who believed in Him,

“If you continue to obey my teaching, you are truly my followers” (John 8:31, NCV).

One of the primary marks of a disciple of Jesus is obedience to the Word of God.

It’s been said that Christians are generally educated far beyond their level of obedience.

This means we know a lot, but unfortunately we do not always show this with our actions.

Do not delay to obey Him, especially in these times of uncertainty and complexity.

ACTION

Are you a follower of Jesus who is walking in

freedom, and in the Spirit of truth? If so, what areas

of greater obedience might Jesus be calling you to?

Are you yet to become a follower of Jesus? If so, take a moment to pray, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all Truth, to Jesus. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

PRAY

Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to give you more

opportunities to obey the leading of the Lord.

As we enter into this second week of Prayer and Fasting… Feast on Jesus and the “Transforming Work of the Holy Spirit.”

God’s desire for us is that we

“be conformed to the image of His Son”

(Rom. 8:29, NKJV).