5 Days to Fast & Pray for the Election Guide

fast-and-pray-electionWelcome to 5 Days to Fast & Pray for the Election. We are so happy to have you join us in praying for our country during this important time. No matter who you are supporting, we can all agree on the fact that prayer is needed as we head to the voting booth and as we transition to a new administration.

We are leaving it up to you to decide if you will participate in the fasting aspect of this prayer guide and if so, what type of fasting you will do. If you are able, remember to join us for prayer Monday-Thursday evenings from 8 p.m.-8:30 p.m Eastern time on our Facebook page. You may also post prayers anytime of the day or night on that page as well. If you have not yet asked to join that page and you would like to, go to the Facebook page and request permission to join, and we will grant it.

Day 1: Turn from Sin

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

Prayer Focus: Candidates and voters would humble themselves and seek the Lord and have a servant’s heart. That revival would sweep across our nation.

Actions Steps:
  1. Find a quiet place to process with the Lord. Take your Bible and a journal.
  2. Pray for revival to start in your own heart. Ask the Lord to show you any habits, actions, thoughts, words, attitudes, etc. that need to change in you so that you are ready for revival.
  3. Journal about what you feel God is showing you.
  4. Once you feel your own heart is set, move to praying for your community, state, and nation. Choose a scripture that you can pray specifically for our nation and use that throughout the week.

Day 2: Turn to God

Scripture: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13
Prayer Focus: That our purposes and plans as a nation would align with God’s.
 
Action Steps:
  1. Make a plan to pray for the elections several times throughout the day. If needed, set the alarm on your phone to remind you to pray.
  2. Pray for people in your building or neighborhood to pray for God’s will in this election. Ask another to join you in prayer today.
  3. Take a prayer walk and pray for the elections and issues in your own city.
  4. Get out a map or look up a map on Google and pray across the states in our great land. Ask God to raise up Christians tp pray and exercise their right to vote.

Day 3: Turn to Wisdom

Scripture:  “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15
Prayer Focus: That voters would seek the Lord’s wisdom as they cast their ballots and vote on initiatives.
Action Steps:
  1. If you haven’t done so yet, it is time to become educated about the issues of this election on every level. Please do your own research or click on the following link to learn about the candidates for 2016: Wall Builders. If you go to your state’s .gov site, you will be able to download a copy of the ballot to see all the candidates you will be voting on, plus any initiatives you may be voting on. 
  2. After you have completed your research, make a list of whom you plan to vote for and for the proposals in your community.
  3. Research the location of your polling place and check the hours.
  4. Help elderly neighbors and relatives by offering then a ride to their polling place.

Day 4: Turn Your Eyes

Scripture: And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”‘ Acts 28:25-27
Prayer Focus: For this to be a peaceful, non-violent election and transition to the new administration.

Action Steps: 

  1. The time to act is now. The destiny of our nation hangs in the balance. I have heard several people say they plan not to vote in this election. This attitude is defeatist and irresponsible. It is time for the church to wake up and take our place in the shaping of our culture before we lose the right to do so. Remember, when we cast our vote for a candidate we not only vote for the individual, but for the cabinet members they will bring on board. Most experts believe that the next President could be choosing around three supreme court justices. Personnel makes policy.
  2. Spend some time interceding for peace and against violent protests or riots, especially the evening of the election.
  3. Watch the news for any “hotspots” of where violence is occuring, whether it’s due to the election or other reasons. Cover these geographic areas in prayer.
  4. Pray and ask the Lord if there is any specific geographic region He wants you to cover in prayer over the next few months until the new President takes office. Record any direction in your journal so that you remember to make it a prayer priority.

 Day 5: Turn Your Heart

Scripture: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21
Prayer Focus: For our country to be unified and for Congress to work together for the good of the people. That God-honoring laws and legislations would be enacted. 
Action Steps:
  1.  In my experience, this has been the most rancorous, divisive election ever. I have even experienced being “unfriended” due to my political beliefs, and I know others have experienced this as well. This should not be happening. Pray for civil discourse in our country and the ability to agree to disagree without friendships and family relationships suffering for it.
  2. Decide to pray for our government officials at all levels. They need God’s wisdom. They need honesty. They need pure motives. And they need servants’ hearts.
  3. Become informed about local, state, and federal legislation. What decisions is your school board making about curriculum and other important issues such as transgender issues and bathroom/locker room/overnight arrangements for students? Many of us may think that Roe v. Wade is beyond changing, but God can do anything. Ask God if you need to get involved in working to change this law. Perhaps you have never been involved in politics before, but it’s important to let your voice be heard on policies and laws. Call and/or email those in charge. Here’s a link to find your local, state, and federal officials. We can’t afford to ignore these issues any longer.

We thank you so much for joining us this week as we pray for the election and our country. We know that your intercession is a fragrant offering to God, and we trust that your prayers will “availeth much.”

Please feel free to share this post with anyone else you think would be interested. Keep praying and God bless you!

Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

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 (VanOsdol)



Holy Week Devotions-Maundy Thursday: Sickness to Healing

JesusHealingCenturionServant“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.'” Matthew 8:16-17 (Original verse in Isaiah 53:4.)

For our fourth devotion of Holy Week, we are studying the following stanza of the True Lenten Discipline Poem:

FAST from thoughts of illness; FEAST on the healing power of God.

(Here is the full poem of True Lenten Discipline. Here are the devotions for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.)

What strikes me about this verse in Matthew is that every kind of infirmity is addressed by Jesus: spiritual, emotional, and physical diseases. We see just as many illnesses and problems in our times as were present in the Bible times–maybe even more. Jesus also wants us to be whole in mind, body, and spirit. That should always be our goal and desire too.

Physical Healing

I think many of us don’t have any doubts about our minds and spirits being whole, but when it comes to our bodies, we struggle with that because so many people are not healed of diseases. It’s difficult for us to fully understand why. But, I do feel that God wants us to pray for physical health and to control what we can in our lives so that we are healthy. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and as such we need to care for our temple. This means watching what we eat, making sure we get enough rest, maintaining proper hygiene, exercising so that we are fit, living moral lives, and caring for ourselves if we get sick. Many physical problems can be avoided if we do these things–but not all of them.

I do believe that God wants us to seek healing for diseases like cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and the like. We are to pray continually for healing, and to use the resources of doctors, a healthy lifestyle, food supplements, and other treatments as God leads; we then leave the results up to Him. Whether we are healed to earth or healed to heaven, God loves us and desires the best for us.

Spiritual and Emotional Healing

We may think that physical healing is the most important type of healing, when in reality our spiritual state trumps everything else. Salvation–confessing our sins, accepting Jesus’ death on the cross in atonement for our sins, and giving Him control of our lives– is only the first step in our walk with God. If we just stop there, we will miss the richness of a life on earth lived in the power of the Holy Spirit to God’s glory. God wants us to grow, to be healed of any spiritual or emotional weaknesses and illnesses. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that He has come so that we can have an abundant, full life.

Much of our emotional and spiritual state hinges on the things that we allow ourselves to “take in.” Philippians 4:8 tells us that our focus needs to be on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things. By doing this, we renew our minds (Romans 12:2). What we think and reflect on is what we become (Proverbs 23:7). Philippians 4:9 then goes on to tell us that whatever things we have learned or received or heard from Jesus, we are to “put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you,” (emphasis mine).

It’s also a good idea to be in the habit of protecting our spirits by praying through Ephesians 6:10-20. Jesus realized that His followers would have spiritual battles, and the Bible tells us how to protect ourselves by putting on the full armor of God. Several years ago, I read these verses aloud daily as I prayed for my family each morning. To my surprise, after a few months I found that I had memorized the entire section without even trying! So, if there’s a long section of scripture you want to memorize, get in the habit of reading it aloud every day.

Today, on this Maundy Thursday when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His apostles, let’s put our focus and our prayers on the Great Physician and his ability to heal the things in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones that need to be healed.

Application: What in your life needs to experience the healing power of God? Are there any changes that you can make that will speed up your healing? What resources has God given you that you can take advantage of?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, We thank You that ALL things are under your feet, are subject to you. We ask for Your healing power to be unleashed for these specific things: _______________ (you fill in the blank). Lead us to the people, resources, and lifestyle changes that will help us. We thank you for your mighty power that is at work in each of us. Amen.

You may find these other resources helpful: Are Your Walls Up?;            Praise the Lord!

 



Lent Day 17, Yom Kippur Fast

Welcome to Day 17 of our Lenten devotional! The time is already flying by. I trust these devotionals have been encouraging you in your preparation for Easter. We’re nearing the end of our week’s study on fasting, and today we take a look at the Yom Kippur fast. Join us by clicking on the link below.

Lent Day 17, Yom Kippur Fast



Lent Day 12, Fasting that Pleases God by Mary Kane

Are you intimidated by the practice of fasting? Does the thought of going forty days without food make you faint from hunger? Relax–God is not impressed with the length of your fasting or the depth of your suffering, but with the heart of your scarifice. To do the Lenten devotion Fasting that Pleases God please click on the link.

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net