EXODUS 14:13-16 13  And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14  The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”15  And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16  But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

THOUGHTS There is a popular sign that is sold in antique and souvenir shops and that used to adorn our office. It is a reproduction of a British World War II poster that was used to encourage the people who were under attack and nightly aerial bombardment from the German Nazis. The sign is red with white letters and a Crown above the letters. It says “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.” The encouragement to face difficulties with calm determination as well as consistent activity helped to maintain morale and keep the country from giving in to fear.

Moses encouraged the children of Israel who had their backs against the Red Sea and their enemies, the Egyptians, advancing against them. He declared that God would fight for them and thus they should KEEP CALM! But while Moses told them to stand still while keeping calm, God Himself, the One who would fight for them, told Moses to tell them to CARRY ON! “Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” God will fight the battle and win the victory, but it is incumbent upon us to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!

PRAYER Lord, we are trusting in you to fight the battles of life for us. Without Your wisdom and strength, we would struggle in vain. Help us to   trust You in every circumstance. And help us to not only remember to stay in peace because we do trust You, but to act in faith, carrying on the duties and activities of life in confidence of Your love for us. You are our ever present help in time of need.

SCRIPTURE:

John 17:20-21 (NKJV) “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

John 17 is Jesus’ prayer for unity. He prays for His close associates – His apostles. But He also looks down the corridors of time to our days and prays for us – those who have believed in Him through the ministries and writings of the apostles. His prayer is for all of us to be in unity – with God and with each other. When we are, the world will believe in Jesus.

PRAYER FOR UNITY: THROUGH THE WORD

Lord Jesus, we have received the testimony of the Apostles. Their New Testament letters lead us to believe in You. Help us to fully receive their testimony and pass it on to others. Help our words to always be in unity with Your Word. Your Word is truth. Help the world to see You in the truth that we speak.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, Lord, that You are always true to Your Word. Thank You for Jesus, the Word made flesh. Thank You that we have the honor to speak Your Word in Jesus’ Name. Thank You that the world will see You when we are one with You.

In January we have prayed and fasted contending for purpose. God has honored our time of consecration and brought many answers to prayer and great changes to our lives. Please take the time to write down testimonies of answered prayers and note the wonderful transformations underway. This week we will start February pressing into God’s purpose for the new month: Contending for Unity. Continue praying together knowing that our prayers are never in vain. His Word declared in our prayers will not return void.

SCRIPTURE:

DANIEL 12:3 (Message) “Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

This month, we have focused on contending for God’s purpose for our lives. Jesus told us plainly that we are salt and light in the earth. We are to live in such a way that we create a thirst in others for God and shine the light of the truth of God. When we live according to that revealed purpose, He shines through us brightly with no cloudiness. We’re getting ourselves out of the way, not blocking Him from shining. Self will is yielded to His will.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: SHINING BRIGHTLY

Jesus, You are the light of my life. Help me to yield to Your purpose daily. I pray that others will see Your light when they interact with me. Let me never cloud over Your life lived through me. “Less of me and more of You” is my prayer. Help me to live each day wisely and well.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, Lord, for the wisdom that comes from Your Word. Thank You for illuminating Your Word to me so I know Your purpose and how to live it well. Thank You for the opportunites to share You with others that they might find the right path to life. And thank You for eternal life through Jesus Christ.

SCRIPTURE:

PSALM 75:6-7 (KJV) “For promotion [cometh] neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God [is] the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

In contending for purpose, we are desiring something better in life – God’s best. We desire to advance in His plan and purpose – a better job, improved or new relationships, better means in life. It’s easy to fall into seeking and striving after “the next thing” and become impatient. We can start looking for angles, advantages, ways to get things done. We can become self-promoting. Yet God is the one who will promote and elevate us. And faithfulness brings promotion.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: PROMOTION

Lord Jesus, You taught that being faithful in little things will qualify us for bigger things. Help us to be faithful in what You’ve given us and asked us to do. We want to be ready for whatever assignments You have for us this year. What You ask, we will do. We pray for increased faith and determination in obeying You in 2010.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You that we don’t have to struggle and strive to make everthing happen on our own. Thank You for helping us when we ask You. Thank You for helping our efforts to do Your will and be fruitful. And thank You for promotion in Your perfect time and season.

SCRIPTURE:

GALATIANS 5:25 (Amplified) “If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

Walking in (or by) the Spirit is a choice. God’s Spirit surrounds us and gives us life. But allowing God to lead us and guide us each day is a decision we make. When we look in the mirror in the morning, do we think “I’m ready to take on the world today?” Or do we choose to pray and yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? If we yield, we come into alignment with God’s purpose for us for the day.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: WALKING IN AND BY THE SPIRIT

Lord, I choose today to yield to the direction of Your Holy Spirit. I choose to walk in line with Your plan and purpose for me. Please set Divine appointments for me – set the people in my path that You have chosen for me to meet. And guide my conduct today by Your wisdom and understanding.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You,God, that I can continually live in Your Presence through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the promise that if I will yield to Your Spirit’s guidance, that I will be right in line with Your purpose for me and my actions will be pleasing and in accordance with Your will.

SCRIPTURE:

ROMANS 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

Having come through a dedicated time of prayer and fasting to draw closer to God, it is easy to develop a mindset focusing on what was eaten or what was avoided during the fast. The point wasn’t what foods were fasted, but our increased attention to communicating with God. Right relationship with Him brings peace we can’t get elsewhere. And the joy of our salvation is refreshed by our growing interaction with the Holy Spirit who is here in the earth to lead and guide us.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: THE KINGDOM IS…

Lord, help me to stop worrying about the mundane issues of life and to build a more trusting relationship with You. I choose to follow Jesus’ instruction to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness knowing that You will take care of all my needs. I believe and trust You and choose to stop worrying.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, Father, for putting me in right relationship with You. As the scripture declares, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And thank You, Jesus, for the peace that You bring to my life. And thank You, God, for joy in the Holy Spirit. I am strengthened by the joy You give me.

SCRIPTURE:

PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

When a great goal is achieved, it’s a natural tendency to come to a resting point and breathe a sigh of relief. We have arrived. But we can’t stay there. God is calling us to come up higher with Him. When the Apostle Paul referred to forgetting those things that were behind, he wasn’t just thinking about his failures (when he was zealously persecuting Christians) he was also thinking about his successes (preaching, ministering, and building churches). We can enjoy the achievement of our most recent goal and then engage our faith as we press for God’s high calling for our life.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: PRESSING TOWARD THE MARK

Lord, I rejoice in having come to the end of this consecrated time of prayer and fasting. But Lord, I pray for Your help in not retreating back into my old ways. And I pray that I will not stay where I am at today. I want to go where You are leading me in 2010. I pray that You will help me to press on to all that You have prepared for me this year. I have decided to follow Jesus…all the way.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, Lord, for helping me through this time of prayer and fasting. Thank You for all that has changed in me during this dedicated time. Thank You that You still have more for me. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that will lead and guide me as I press for the mark for the prize of Your high calling for my life.

SCRIPTURE:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:57-58 “… thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.’

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

It is our Lord Jesus who gives us victory when we contend for purpose. We do our part praying and acting in faith and Jesus brings the results. The battle is the Lord’s. Knowing this, we are encouraged to not give up, back up or back down because what we have done in faith is never in vain. Victory is ours.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: VICTORY

Lord, help me to keep my mind fixed on You. Keep my faith firm on Your promises. I have committed my desires to You in prayer and I have aligned my focus on You through fasting. I believe you for victorious results. I trust You and I praise You.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, God, for the victory in Jesus. Thank You for strengthening me, firming my faith and my resolve, and multiplying the effects of what I pray and do for Your Kingdom. I know that nothing I do for You is fruitless or wasted, but will bear good fruit in its season. I rejoice in You and Your victory.

SCRIPTURE:

MATTHEW 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

As we contend for purpose, we need diligence to stay committed to our pursuit of God in prayer, fasting, worship and Bible study. We want to do the right things, but it’s all too easy to stop yielding to and depending on the Holy Spirit. When we slip into doing things in our own strength and understanding, stress builds and we become burdened. When we recognize what’s happening and cast our burdens on the Lord, we will find rest, peace and a renewed strength.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: LIGHTEN THE LOAD

Lord Jesus, I come to You at Your invitation and I give You my burdens: my cares, my worries, my struggles and my strivings. I choose to release my grip and stop trying to control everything in my life. I yield to You, trusting that Your way is best. You are my Lord.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You, Jesus, for caring for me. Thank You for lightening my load and taking it upon Yourself. And thank You for givng me just what I can handle. I thank You that I no longer have to depend on my own strength, but I depend on the help and the power of the Holy Spirit. I rest in You and thank You God that through Jesus, I can do all things.

SCRIPTURE:

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

THINK ON THESE THINGS:

As we discover the foundation of our purpose in God, we have to determine how we’ll build on that purpose. God has provided His Scripture as our blueprint for life so that we have all the instructions we need to finish what we are assigned. It gives us the framework of principles (doctrine) and the specifics to do things correctly (instruction in righteousness). It also provides the tools to help with changes and modifications to the plan (reproof and correction) so that we can complete our life’s assignment correctly.

PRAYER FOR PURPOSE: THE BLUEPRINT

Lord, help me to become diligent in making Bible Study a daily focus of my life. Help me to gain knowledge and wisdom from Your Word so that I’ll be equipped for any circumstance of life. When I open my Bible, help me to understand what I am reading and what You are saying to me today.

THANKSGIVING:

Thank You for being a God that is not silent, but One who desires to communicate with me. Thank You that You are the Word and that I can always trust You to be true to Your Word. Thank You that I don’t have to wonder about how to live but can always depend on Your Scripture to instruct me.