Week 1
Sept 14-20
Day 1 | Monday
1 Samuel 16:7b NLT - The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Devotion
God doesn’t look at our lives the way we do. God looks at our inner attitudes, our motives, and the spiritual orientation of our hearts toward others and toward Him. God cares about the condition of our inner self. What is the posture of your heart? Only the Word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We start this fast by inviting the Holy Spirit in to reveal any areas in need of repentance, and we offer our prayer for cleansing—for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
Prayer
Father, I come in the name of Jesus, asking You to search my heart and reveal any hidden motive, any sin, or any attitude or behavior that is not like You. Forgive me of all my sins. Uproot any hidden iniquity in my heart. Wash me clean from any guilt. Purify me from my sin. I receive Your forgiveness, and I forgive myself and others. Now, I posture my heart in humility and worship. I thank You for Your precious love toward me. I worship You, for You are the only living God. You are worthy of all my praise. Thank You, Father, for Your mercy and Your grace toward me. I am forgiven, and I am cleansed, in Jesus’ name, amen.
The Posture of the Heart
Day 2 | Tuesday
Treasuring God’s Wisdom
Proverbs 2:1-2 TPT – My child, will you treasure My wisdom? Then, and only then, will you acquire it. And only if you accept My advice and hide it within will you succeed. So, train your heart to listen when I speak and open your spirit wide to expand your discernment –then pass it on to your sons and daughters.
Devotion
In order to live in the NEW thing that God is doing, we must hear and follow His directions. We must treasure His wisdom and seek it as the precious, hidden, cherished treasure that it is. As we open our hearts to Him and His ways and hide His revealed Word in our hearts, we become more like Him. We experience success in our lives. The Holy Spirit reveals the ways of God, and our discernment and perception increase, all by treasuring the wisdom of God. Then, we experience generational blessings as we pass it along to our sons, daughters, and grandchildren. God is a Faithful God!
Prayer
Father, I need Your wisdom. I cannot successfully live in You without it. Forgive me if I have not valued Your wisdom. Help me to value Your wisdom above riches or status. Help me search for wisdom and apply it daily to my choices. Increase my deep respect and obedience to You, Lord. Your Word says that fear (reverence) of You is the beginning of wisdom. I open my heart wide to You. Help me train my spirit to hear Your whispers and obey Your directions, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Day 3 | Wednesday
True Unrestrained Worship
2 Samuel 6:14 NLT – And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.
2 Chronicles 20:22a AMPC – And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against ….(their enemies).
Devotion
What is unrestrained worship? It is worship to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that is expressed through physical abandonment, loud shouting, joyful noise, and casting aside all of our human pride and dignity in order to honor our God.
As we remember (on purpose) who He is: Our Provider, Our Savior, Our LORD, Our Rescuer, Our Healer, Our Protector, the Only Sovereign One, Holy, Righteous, Merciful, Loving, Almighty God. He chose us before the foundations of the world! The One who is always present, He hears our prayers, He saves our loved ones, and He grants us wisdom and insight into the hidden things!
God rescued us when we couldn’t rescue ourselves. Nothing is greater than our God. The Word says, “Praise stills the enemy.” Can you praise the Lord unrestrained, without caring what your neighbor might think? He is worthy of our unrestrained, true worship.
Day 4 | Thursday
Controlling the Appetites of the Flesh
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 MSG – Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
Galatians 5:16 NIV - So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Devotion
This scripture tells us to walk by the Spirit, and we will not gratify the desires or appetite of the flesh. Appetite is any strong craving or longing for something. As we fast and pray, we practice self-control and actively resist carnal desires.
Some strongholds need to be uprooted in prayer and replaced with the practices of God, such as attending church, Bible study, and prayer; worshiping; watching Godly movies; reading the Bible (praying for understanding); and implementing the things of God more in our lives. By doing these things, we can cultivate an appetite for God and the things of God.
We must guard the gates of our hearts, eyes, and ears and fill our spirits with what pleases God so that our spirit man is stronger than our flesh man. It happens not just with prayer, but with the prayer of faith and action. Faith without works is dead.
Prayer
Lord, give me a greater appetite for You and the things that please You. I want to be hungry for You and Your Word. I choose YOU over the things that please my flesh. I choose You over busyness. I choose You over self-gratification.
You said in Psalm 107:9 ESV that You satisfy the longing (greedy, thirsty) soul, and the hungry soul, You satisfy with good things (excellent things, prosperous things, bountiful things). Fill me with Your desires. Your Word says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Give me an appetite for You! Give me a longing (greedy, thirsty) soul that is only satisfied with You, for You are good. Any area in my life that is lukewarm, I turn from it and commit it to Your Lordship. Set my hunger and thirst for You on fire because I choose to make You my first love again, now and forever. I welcome Your glory into my life so that I live in You and for You, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Day 5 | Friday
Being Consumed with the Spirit of Prayer
Luke 3:21 TPT – One day, Jesus came to be baptized along with all the others. As He was consumed with the Spirit of prayer, the heavenly realm ripped open above Him and the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove and landed on Him.
Devotion
Our Lord Jesus is a man of prayer. He was consumed with the spirit of prayer. He was wrapped up in the presence and purpose of His Heavenly Father. He prayed for the Father’s will to be done in Him and not His own. Being consumed with the spirit of prayer is not a mechanical function, but an intimate, consistent conversation with the Holy Spirit to get God’s heart.
We, too, are to allow our minds and spirits to be occupied in fellowship with God. We are to be dependent on staying connected to God in every area of our lives. When we are absorbed in prayer, heaven responds. We declare that New Destiny is a House of Prayer!
Prayer
Father, forgive me for not praying as I should. Forgive me for quick, casual prayers that don’t really engage heaven. I want to be consumed with the spirit of prayer. Give me an active, burning engagement in the spirit as I seek You. Let Your strength, alignment, and fresh fire from the Holy Spirit ignite me to reach new levels in prayer. Deepen my prayer life. I know there is more, and I haven’t reached that pinnacle in You. Deepen my prayer life and my intimacy with You. I yield to Your Spirit; pray through me to accomplish Your will in the earth, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 6 | Saturday
Praying to Maintain an Open Heaven
Matthew 6:6 AMPC – But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
Devotion
Prayer is a key that God has given us for maintaining open heavens. Luke 3 says that when Jesus prayed, the heavens split open. Jesus taught that the heavens would continue to be opened to earth. Matthew 6:10 says, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
We are asking God to infuse our earthly lives with the atmosphere of heaven. It’s simple. The Father’s Holy Spirit wants to bring us into His flow. Maintaining an Open Heaven is praying as the Holy Spirit leads and yielding to Him. We are to be a house in which Spirit-directed prayer is always taking place, and we are to constantly listen for God’s voice.
In other words, we are to be a house dedicated to 24/7 communication from heaven to earth. God is looking for a people who hunger to be continuously connected with Him. It’s in this way that we can “become a house of prayer.”
Prayer
Father, I invite Your Kingdom to come into my life. I invite Your Kingdom to come into my family and into the families of my church. We invite Your Kingdom to come into New Destiny, on earth as it already is in heaven. Infuse my life with Yourself, Father. Let my life be a visible demonstration of Your glory. I yield to Your agenda. Let Your plans and purposes prevail in my life. Let Your agenda prevail in New Destiny.
I declare New Destiny is a “Gateway Church.” We allow the glory of God to pass through us to change our neighborhoods, the surrounding businesses, our local government, and our communities. Infuse Pittsburg and Oakland with the atmosphere of heaven, Father. You be glorified through us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Day 7 | Sunday
New Destiny as God’s Gateway
Psalms 24:7-9 TPT – So wake up, you living gateways! Lift up your heads, you doorways of eternity! Welcome the King of Glory, for He is about to come through you. You ask, “Who is this King of Glory?” YAHWEH, armed and ready for battle, YAHWEH, invincible in every way! So, wake up, you living gateways, and rejoice! Fling wide, you eternal doors! Here He comes; the King of Glory is ready to come in.
Devotion
The King of Glory desires to come through us. When we worship God, we must draw near to Him with our hearts and not just with our lips. The heart is the initial meeting point for heaven and earth. Praise and worship are continually happening in the heavenly realm, so when we choose to join in this worship on earth by pouring out our love for God from our hearts, we are creating a powerful connection with the eternal sound that reverberates from the angels, the living creatures, and all of heaven. Let heaven and earth praise Him. Let the King of Glory come in through you, the living gateway!
Prayer
Father, You said You inhabit the praises of Your people. You are seeking those who will worship You in Spirit and in truth. We bring You our thanksgiving and our adoration. We agree with You. We praise You for who You are. We look to You, our God, our Father. We look to You, Jesus, our Lord. We look to You, Holy Spirit, our Guide; guide us in our worship.
We declare that the King of Glory is welcome here. We welcome the glory of the Lord in New Destiny. We declare that the glory of the Lord is increasing in New Destiny. King of Glory, You are welcome in our lives, in our hearts, and in New Destiny. We, Your living gateways, welcome YOU into this place, in Jesus’ name, amen.