The Daniel Fast Devotional Guide The Lexington Baptist Church family is devoting the first 21 days of the New Year to seeking the Lord in prayer and fasting. We’re calling this period the Daniel Fast, modeled after the biblical figure that followed a similar pattern as he sought the Lord. Our purpose in fasting is to join our hearts together as we seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year. The Bible says fasting is a deep and spiritual undertaking. It’s intended to direct the heart and focus the attention on the things of God. The principle is that as we give up certain material things—like food—we connect more closely with spiritual things. Often during fasting the Lord will impart new revelation and spiritual authority. This devotional guide is intended to help us move through the days of fasting in an intentional manner, allowing the Spirit of God to speak through the Word of God in a way that touches our congregation as a whole. You should make use of this guide in whatever way best suits your situation and schedule. Maybe ten minutes in the morning before you go to work. Or at night around the dinner table with your family. Perhaps with a friend or two on the phone or by email. Feel free to share verses, phrases or your own thoughts with others through Facebook or twitter. This devotional guide is only a suggestion. You may prefer a different Bible reading plan. But if you’d like to be aligned with many others from your church family, this guide will be useful. It’s arranged according to our congregational worship during the twenty-one days, using the three Sunday morning worship services as a framework. The Sunday sermon series is called “The Pleasure of His Company,” and the three sermons during the fast will focus first on “Spiritual Freedom,” next on “Spiritual Honesty” and, finally, on “Abiding in Jesus.” The three Wednesday nights during the fast will also play an important role, and you’ll be blessed if you attend all of them. The final Wednesday night service—which falls on the concluding day of the fast (January 21)—will be a special, congregation-wide service of corporate prayer. The Sunday following the Daniel fast, January 25, will be a day of celebration. The morning services will focus on how the Kingdom is inviting us into God’s fullness through events like the Daniel Fast and where that divine invitation takes us. That evening we’re having an old-fashioned covered dish dinner where all our people gather in one place and share a home cooked meal. I’m anticipating God to do a work in our congregation through these three weeks! As we join our hearts together and seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year, we should expect God to make His presence known in our worship, our Sunday School groups, our Children and Student ministries, our missions outreach and in every other area of our church life. Thanks for being a part of the Daniel Fast with your brothers and sisters in Christ! Pastor Mike

Day One Thursday, January 1, 2015

What is a Daniel fast and why are we doing it? Today’s Scripture But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank…Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs has assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:8,11-12) Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God…(Daniel 9:3-4) In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. (Daniel 10:2)

Today’s Thought

Daniel, a young Jewish man and leader in his community, was forcibly taken into exile by the Babylonian Empire that had defeated the nation of Judah. He was taken into the household of the king and there expected to conform to Babylonian customs, education, culture and even religion. But Daniel refused to buy into a society and belief system so far removed from the faith he had known since childhood. So he made a deal with his captors. He and his friends would observe a partial fast—that is, eating only simple, natural foods instead of the rich, decadent foods of the king—for a period of time (Daniel 1:8,11-12). Then the Babylonians would see how much healthier such a diet would make the young men, compared to others who had not observed the fast. They would see first-hand the results of godly convictions. Later, in Daniel 9:3-4, we see how prayer and fasting were the basis of Daniel’s spiritual sensitivity and authority. In the third passage in today’s reading (Daniel 10:2), we find the mention of a 21 day period where Daniel devoted himself especially to prayer. The Daniel Fast brings together Daniel’s biblical example into a single experience. For 21 days, our church family is observing a fast similar to that practiced by this biblical model of passion and integrity as a way of focusing our hearts on the things of God. Our purpose in fasting is to join our hearts together as we seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year.

Today’s Prayer

Pray today that God would be glorified as we seek Him through the weeks of the Daniel Fast.

Day Two

Friday, January 2, 2015 What can we expect God to do during the Daniel Fast? Part One—new revelation Today’s Scripture Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of the God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 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; he reveals deep and hidden things (Daniel 2:19-22)

Today’s Thought

Daniel became known through the king’s household as a man of unusual insight. His advice was sought after and his wisdom was valued. But beyond the human dimensions of Daniel’s abilities there was a deep, spiritual understanding of how God was at work. Today’s Bible passage reflects a moment when Daniel’s natural capacities were supernaturally expanded. The Babylonian king had a dream that none of his advisors could interpret. Daniel was brought in to provide insight as to the dream’s meaning. That night God revealed to Daniel how the dream was a template for the future of the Babylonian empire itself. Talk about a moment of revelation! Daniel’s spirit—trained and matured through the discipline of prayer and fasting—was open to the revelation God’s Spirit imparted to him. The king and all the people around him were astonished but promptly accepted Daniel’s words because they had about them the ring of truth. Revelation isn’t a magical notion; it’s simply the way God speaks to his people through His Word in order to unfold His purposes. Daniel shows us how prayer and fasting align our spirits with God’s Spirit, allowing a deeper insight into what God’s doing in our lives and in the life of our church. Are you struggling with a decision you need to make? Are you wrestling with understanding a situation in your life? The three weeks of the Daniel Fast may well be the time when the Lord brings you fresh revelation for some of the challenging areas of your life. Today’s Prayer

Pray today that you’ll hear and receive whatever the Lord may be saying to you through the course of the Daniel Fast.

Day Three Saturday, January 3, 2015

What can we expect God to do during the Daniel Fast? Part Two—spiritual authority Today’s Scripture And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…” (Daniel 10:10-13)

Today’s Thought

We saw on the first day of the Daniel Fast how Daniel spent three weeks in prayer and fasting (Daniel 10:2). In today’s passage we see the spiritual results of those twenty-one days. The angel Gabriel (he’s named in chapter nine) comes to Daniel, to assist him in response to his prayer. “You are greatly loved,” the angel says then lays out a remarkable sequence of events. As soon as Daniel began praying Gabriel was dispatched from heaven. But a demonic figure called the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” kept him from arriving at Daniel’s side. So God’s response to Daniel’s prayer was delayed. I think we all know what that feels like! How did Daniel respond to the delay? He kept praying! He didn’t give up. One week. Then a second. Finally a third for a total of twenty-one days! Then our passage says a second angel named Michael came to the rescue and helped Gabriel get through to Daniel. The prince of Persia was defeated, Gabriel arrived and Daniel’s prayer was answered. Prayer is more than just reciting a laundry list of needs to God. Prayer actually engages spiritual forces that we cannot see with our human eyes but are real nonetheless. Daniel’s persistence in prayer is an incredible picture of spiritual warfare and the kind of praying that breaks through! If there are strongholds in your life where you need God to work a miracle, the twenty-one days of the Daniel Fast might be what you’ve been waiting for. What better time to pour out your heart before the Lord in prayer? You may well experience the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for. Today’s Prayer Expand your spiritual influence today. Get in touch with someone you know who’s struggling with a long-standing problem in their life. They need a breakthrough. Come alongside them in prayer for the duration of the Daniel Fast, seeking the Lord’s intervention on their behalf. Join your faith with theirs to defeat the enemy and allow God’s power to be released.

Day Four Sunday, January 4, 2015

Learning to enjoy the pleasure of God’s company Today’s Scripture But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24) Today’s Thought

Congratulations—you’ve made it through the first few days of the Daniel Fast! Today is the first Sunday in the fast, a time when we join together with our brothers and sisters in the Lord in worship, Bible teaching and fellowship. I imagine that for many of us, today is especially meaningful because we’ve spent the last few days seeking the Lord with unusual attention. Our Bible passage today is taken from the famous conversation Jesus had with a Samaritan woman. She was trying to understand what worship was all about. Jesus re-directed her concern. God’s much more interested in the worshiper than in whatever place or style the act of worship takes place, He told her. In his book The Pleasure of His Company, Dutch Sheets points out how “The body of Christ has lots of strange ideas about praise and worship. Frankly, God neither needs nor wants worship. He is, however, seeking worshipers…God longs for the singer, not the song. Our heart as a worshiper is what makes our singing worship, not the words and music. He’d rather have a love-filled glance from your eyes than a song parroted from your lips.” (p.19) Just as God enjoys the pleasure of our company when we worship, so we enjoy the pleasure of His company. In other words, worship isn’t a religious performance. It’s not a ritual we do on Sunday. It’s not the expression of a tradition. Worship is when we step into the presence of our heavenly Father and give Him our hearts. Nothing brings more pleasure—not in the sense of amusement or entertainment or even personal gratification but in the sense of fullness, peace and belonging—than worship. Today as you worship, take the time to relax and just rest in the Father’s heart. You’ll probably find that you’ll enjoy the pleasure of His company in some new ways.

Today’s Prayer

Pray today for your church family in worship, that as a united congregation we would enter into the fullness and power of God’s presence.

Day Five Monday, January 5, 2015 Finding spiritual freedom

I love the title (and the content) of Dutch Sheets’ book, The Pleasure of His Company. The title captures what we’re longing to find through the twenty-one days of the Daniel Fast: Our purpose in fasting is to join our hearts together as we seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year.

Yesterday’s sermon on “Spiritual Freedom” was the first in a three-part series through the Daniel Fast that I pray will help all of us better experience the pleasure of God’s company. Today’s Scripture

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) Today’s Thought As we saw yesterday in worship, this single little verse packs a large spiritual wallop! Think of it in three stages. First, the result of what Jesus did for us. Jesus came not to make us religious. Not to make us good. Not even to make us Baptists. Now before you raise your eyebrows, let me say that there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, as long as we understand that none of them will save us. Instead, Jesus came to make us free. Free from what? The larger context of Galatians makes it clear that Jesus frees us from the law and the sin that the law provokes within us. At the same time He sets us free to live in relationship with the Father. Second, the challenge for us is to continue to stand firm in our freedom. There are so many things that compromise our freedom that we must be vigilant in maintaining it. Third, the danger is always that we’ll return to slavery instead of advancing in spiritual freedom. People, institutions, traditions, personal experience—all these and more may ensnare us in spiritual captivity even after we know Jesus. Our passage warns us—don’t’ let that happen! Instead, continue seeking the presence of the Lord because only He brings you true freedom. Today’s Prayer

Isaiah 58:6 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?” The Daniel Fast may be the time you’ve been waiting for to move out of spiritual bondage into a new season of freedom. Ask the Lord today to lead you more fully into the freedom that is your birthright in Jesus

Day Six Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The freedom of the Father’s House Today’s Scripture

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him…But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20, 22-24) Today’s Thought The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the best-loved passages in the Bible, for believers as well as non-believers. The reason is that it expresses so well the heart-yearning all of us have for the love and acceptance of our heavenly Father. As Jesus tells it, a wealthy father had two sons. The younger came to him one day and asked for his share of the inheritance so that he could spend it in whatever way he wanted. Despite the amazing disrespect of his request, his father granted it and the boy took the money and left home. We all know what happened next. Over the course of a short time, the boy spent every penny and found himself in abject poverty, feeding pigs for his living. Then he realized all he had left behind in order to pursue the illusion of freedom. He decided to return home. And this is where the story moves beyond a mere cautionary tale into the realm of gospel. The boy expects his father to be bitter and resentful over what had happened. In fact, the best result he expected was to be taken in as a slave. But nothing could be farther from the truth. As our passage tells us, his father had been waiting for him all along! And, in the famous conclusion of the story, he welcomes his son home with a great party and makes him once again a well loved part of his family. It’s a story about God, of course, our heavenly Father, our “Abba” or Daddy, as He’s called elsewhere in Scripture. And how He’s waiting for every one of us to come home. But the subtext is also important. It’s the account of freedom—what it is and isn’t, how it’s lost and how it’s regained. In our modern world there are many more illusions about freedom than there are experiences of the real thing. The only way we can truly know freedom is in our Father’s house, in relationship with Him.

Today’s Prayer

Pray today for our church’s mission partners, that they would continue to rest in the Father’s love as they share the gospel across the world. Pray for Brenda in Central Asia. The Central Asian team. Kevin and his family in Russia. Neil and Margit and their family in Southeast Asia. Rick and Amy and their family in Southeast Asia. Will and Winnie in the far East. Daniel and his wife in California.

Day Seven Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Freedom from the idols of our age Today’s Scripture

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:8-9) Today’s Thought

I think we all remember the song from our childhood about Zacchaeus. It went like this: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.” You probably know the rest of the words as well as I do. About how this short, little tax collector was called down out of his tree by Jesus who then invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house to eat. And how he was so impressed by Jesus that he confessed the error of his ways and returned any money he had taken unlawfully from his Jewish brethren. It’s a good story, and one that has a particular attraction for kids. I guess because they identify with his size. Plus the song is catchy and fun to sing—what other song has that cool Scottish word in it, “wee?” But as is often the case, there’s more here than meets the eye. To start with, Zacchaeus’s profession wasn’t just distrusted, it was despised and the people who practiced it were reviled as traitors to the Jewish nation, thieves of their fellow citizen’s money and transgressors of the Torah. Zacchaeus’s height wasn’t just a matter of physical stature. It also indicated the level of his spiritual maturity and his standing in his community. On another level, it revealed the way he thought of himself. Zaccahaeus had sold out to the gods of the age. He had sold out to the Roman overlords in his agreement to collect their taxes. On a deeper level he had accepted the idols of his age—of all ages—that money is more important than anything else. He was willing to give up his people, his reputation and his faith for the sake of the almighty dollar. He wasn’t the first and he certainly wasn’t the last to make that choice. A funny thing about idols, though: when you compare them to Jesus, they always come up short. The illusions that idols show us are always exposed in the bright light of Jesus. The money Zacchaeus had accumulated didn’t mean anything when he saw Jesus and experienced first-hand what life was really all about. The Daniel Fast has a way of exposing our inner idols. Indeed, that’s often the purpose of fasting in the first place. And for us living in the middle of American consumerism, money is the main idol we have to contend with. These twenty-one days may be a time when the Holy Spirit reveals to us the degree of entanglement and compromise we have with the idols of the age, especially money.

Today’s Prayer Pray today about how you look at money, how you handle money, what you expect money to do for you. Money can be a blessing from God! It’s also a great temptation and we must never make it an idol. Money can never do what Jesus does.

Day Eight Thursday, January 8, 2015

Connecting freedom with truth Today’s Scripture

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36) Today’s Thought We’re starting our second week of the Daniel Fast today! I imagine some of you are having an incredible time with it, and God’s blessing your socks off. Others are engaged in some deep levels of spiritual warfare. Others may be struggling and wondering how you’re going to make it two more weeks without coffee. And some have left the fast behind, thinking it’s too hard to do. Let me encourage you today—don’t give up! If you’ve stopped your participation in the fast, you can start back up today. This isn’t a rigid set of rules we’re following in the Daniel Fast. It’s instead a simple way of focusing our attention on the Lord. There’s grace! So pick it up wherever you find yourself today and start moving forward again. Our Bible passage today speaks of the particular kind of freedom Jesus offers. It’s a freedom that doesn’t fit into our normal categories of political, economic or national—although it has implications for all of those. Instead, it’s a freedom that brings identity and destiny. When we have a saving relationship with Jesus, our identity is a child of God. Our destiny is how God includes us in His redemptive plan for the world. Freedom is when we accept our identity and live out our destiny. The context of our passage was a dispute between Jesus and some Jews over just these two issues. They believed their identity as descendants of Abraham somehow entitled them to a privileged destiny. Not so, Jesus said. If you’re trusting in human lineage or even national reputation to save you, you’re a slave and will always be a slave. The truth is that only Jesus can set us free. I met the other day with a man who had been struggling with pornography for much of his adult life and was sharing with me how the Lord set him free from that a few years ago. I loved the way he described his life now. “I don’t have to worry when I get up in the morning if someone will find out about my addiction,” he said. “I can approach each day knowing that God can use me however He wants.” My friend’s identity is finally being revealed in his destiny.

Today’s Prayer Pray today for someone in your life who is captive to sin and doesn’t yet know the liberating power of Jesus. Pray that their hearts would be open to Jesus’ love and that they might find true freedom.

Day Nine Friday, January 9, 2015

The cosmic scope of freedom Today’s Scripture For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8:19-22) Today’s Thought

We could use a jolt of caffeine this morning to help get into the depths of this passage of Scripture! But since we can’t drink coffee on the Daniel Fast, we’ll just have to pay special attention. Romans 8 is one of the most important chapters in all the Bible because it lays out in such clear and compelling ways the implications of Jesus’ resurrection. I especially love the second verse: “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Isn’t that what we’ve been praying about all week? We have freedom in Jesus. While our natural tendency is to place ourselves at the center of the universe and act as though everything was all about us, the truth is that God is moving in larger directions than just in us as individuals. To be sure, He loves us passionately and individually, but He’s also working through history to bring about a much larger redemption. The amazing thing about the gospel is how He invites us to be a part of His larger work. An integral part of that work is the salvation of the nations, of all people who live on earth. We call it the Great Commission and it’s our high privilege and responsibility in the church to be a part of that. But what our Bible passage tells us today is that there’s even more to what God is doing than we realize. His redemptive work actually includes all creation. That’s right—everything He made has come under the curse of sin and must be redeemed and made right. So our passage tells us—and I know it’s hard for us to conceptualize this but the Bible is clear about it—that all creation “will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” The freedom we now have as believers, a freedom that will be fully realized when Jesus returns, will also be enjoyed by all the created order. In other words, God is reclaiming the broken and dying universe to the glory of His Son Jesus. I don’t know anything to say to that except, “Hallelujah!”

Today’s Prayer Instead of praying for something specific today, let’s just spend a few minutes in silent adoration, as we consider the scale and the scope of God’s redemptive work in our lives, in our church, in our world and in all creation. Hallelujah!

Day Ten Saturday, January 10, 2015

Freedom in the Church Today’s Scripture

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31) Today’s Thought The fourth chapter of Acts relays the events surrounding an early episode of testing for the church. Peter and John, the two most visible Apostles, had healed a lame man at the entrance into the temple. When a crowd gathered, Peter used it as an opportunity to proclaim the good news about Jesus. The Jewish authorities were threatened by Peter’s message and had the two arrested and interrogated. Later, the Apostles returned to the home where the other believers were gathered and led a corporate prayer gathering. The prayer prayed by the congregation is amazing, but today’s passage focuses on what happened after they prayed. First, the place they were gathered was shaken. This reflects a physical shaking, like an earthquake. But what they experienced wasn’t a seismic event; it was instead a spiritual movement. Whenever the Lord starts dealing with His people, He always shakes things up. Comfort, complacency and predictability—characteristics valued by our modern churches—aren’t that common in the New Testament. Next, we read that the people were all filled with the Holy Spirit. The verse doesn’t tell what the manifestations of this filling were. At other places in Acts, the filling of the Holy Spirit is evident sometimes by the gift of tongues; sometimes by miracles; and sometimes simply through the spiritual discernment of the believers. The point isn’t whatever signs the Holy Spirit uses to reveal His present; rather, it’s the utter certainty among the believers that He in fact was there. Third, the people’s response was not to back up in the face of opposition. Not to fear what might happen if they continued in their public ministry. Our verse says instead that they “continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” The freedom we’ve been talking about and praying through all week must have expression in the church. In the church of Acts, the freedom that Jesus brings allows for passion in prayer, freedom to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit and confidence in sharing the gospel. One of the greatest blessings we could receive through the Daniel Fast is a renewed passion among our people to be free to have those same characteristics.

Today’s Prayer

Start your prayer today by making yourself available to the Holy Spirit, especially in your witness for Jesus. Spend some time interceding for our church, that the Holy Spirit would be free to work with us and that we would have freedom in how we respond to Him.

Day 11 Sunday, January 11, 2015

We must be honest with God to enjoy the pleasure of His Company

Today’s Scripture

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again the cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-3)

Today’s Thought

Today is the second Sunday of our Daniel Fast—we’re half-way through! The spiritual rhythms of the fast we’re observing during the week form the foundation for corporate worship on Sunday. Few things are more fulfilling than joining our hearts together with people on the same spiritual journey we’re on. Corporate worship enriches our lives, builds up the church and prepares us for eternity. For that to happen, though, we have to be honest—with ourselves and, more to the point, with God. Our Bible passage today is a case study. Nicodemus was a leading figure among the Jews who lived in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. He had an important position in the political and religious circles of the day. He had a reputation among his peers. He apparently was financially comfortable. He was even recognized by the Roman authorities. Like so many people, then and now, he had built a life for himself on the virtues of hard work, intelligence and morality. That’s not a bad life—far from it! In fact, that kind of life is the goal for most people. The problem with that kind of life is that it’s fundamentally dishonest because it ignores reality. True life, real life happens not when we build it on what we have, what we do or what others think of us. It happens only when we align ourselves with God’s identity for us and God’s purpose for us. In other words, when we’re confident of who we are as children of God and joyous in experiencing God’s purpose for us. No amount of success—whether religious, political or professional—can substitute for that. The reason is simple. Everything in this life is temporary while eternity is forever. Nicodemus’s experience is a picture of honesty. He knows that Jesus is the revelation of God’s eternal love and purpose. He recognizes that the life he’s lived—while a good life—in no way has prepared him for what really matters. The fact that he comes to Jesus “by night” illustrates both that he’s coming out of spiritual darkness and that he’s ashamed to be seen with Jesus for fear of ridicule from his peers. He has to have an honest conversation with the Lord. Jesus tells him, as He tells us, that we must be born again. To come into relationship with Him requires the spiritual rebirth that only the Spirit of God can accomplish within us. Then we’ll be honest with ourselves and with God.

Today’s Prayer

Let the focus of your prayer today be the words of Psalm 139:23-24(NASB), “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my anxious thoughts! And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way!”

Day 12 Monday, January 12, 2015 Honesty and Repentance

Today’s Scripture

But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:60-62)

Today’s Thought

Yesterday’s sermon continued our sermon series called, “The Pleasure of His Company,” where we’re looking at the ways we can enjoy God’s presence in our lives. The basic principle was how honesty leads to biblical repentance. Peter was the leader of Jesus’ disciples. He was the group’s face, their voice. He spoke for all of them. As is the case with all leaders, though, he had several times of notable failure. Our passage today reveals the most painful one. The night before He was crucified, Jesus was arrested and taken to trial. Peter followed at a distance even though he had promised earlier that he would never forsake the Lord. So he stayed near Jesus but not too near. While Jesus was on trial for his life in the high priest’s chambers, Peter remained outside with the crowd that had gathered. Three people challenged him. Each asked the same question. “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?” And each time Peter’s fear compromised his faith. “No, I don’t know him,” he replied. It was his third denial that exposed his heart to himself and tore down all his self-illusions. While he was still speaking, our passage says, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Looked right at him. His eyes of love and trust bore down on Peter across the courtyard in a way that seared Peter’s soul forever. I can’t imagine what that moment must have been like for the Apostle. In the very act of fear, cowardice and failure that he swore would never happen, the Lord looked right at him. Peter’s response to this moment of brutal and painful honesty was as immediate as it was authentic. He wept bitterly. His recognition of his own failure led him to the only thing that could lead him back to life. He repented. What is there in your life today that you need to repent of? True repentance isn’t a religious ploy. It’s not an exercise in self-illusion. It’s not the attempt to manipulate God, others or even yourself. True repentance is our determination to change in the face of an honest assessment of who we really are.

Today’s Prayer

Nothing is as important in approaching the Lord—individually as well as a church—as a repentant heart. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Pray today that your heart would be honest, repentant and sensitive to the Lord. Pray for that our church family would seek the Lord with the same spirit of repentance.

Day 13 Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Honest enough to accept grace

Today’s Scripture

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Today’s Thought The purpose of the Daniel Fast is to join our hearts together as we seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year. As we move through the Scriptures and themes of our devotional guide, I pray that our church family is being blessed as we seek the Lord together. More than an interesting exercise in the biblical practice of fasting, these three weeks are the invitation for all our congregation to come before the Lord at the start of the New Year. Today’s Bible passage goes to the heart of the gospel. Most of us are very familiar with this passage for that very reason. At the same time, it calls us to a kind of discomfort we’d rather avoid if we could. Maybe that sounds contradictory, so let me explain. On the one hand, the gospel of Jesus proclaims that our saving relationship with the Father through Jesus is the result of what He did on the cross. It has nothing to do with what we’ve done or haven’t done. That’s what grace means—unmerited favor. “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” our passage says. And surely that’s the greatest gift any of us can ever receive! At the same time we have the perception—often rooted in childhood experiences that taught us the better we behaved the more we were loved—that God loves us on the basis of our performance. The result is that our theology says one thing while our experience teaches us something else. We get entangled in a kind of performance orientation that robs us of joy. We strive more and more, work harder and harder and enjoy the things of God less and less. It’s not a pleasant way to live. That explains why so many believers today and the churches they inhabit are joyless, dry places of religious performance that talk more about grace than actually experiencing it. Let’s be honest. Either God is a God of grace or He’s not. Either our salvation is a gift or it’s not. Either we live as performers trying to earn God’s love or we don’t. Either we rest in God’s presence or we don’t. Which will it be for you?

Today’s Prayer As you pray today, ask God to relieve you of any performance driven approach to your relationship with Him. Remember the promise of Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Day 14 Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Honest enough to give

Today’s Scripture

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44) Today’s Thought

Through this second week of the Daniel Fast we’re focusing on honesty. We can only have an authentic relationship with God when we’re honest with Him and with ourselves. Today’s Bible passage takes the issue of honesty into a whole new level. Today, Jesus has some words for us about how honest we are with our money. Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus in our passage takes his disciples into the temple, the center of religious life for the ancient Jews and the focus of so much of the His teaching. On this particular day the Lord is teaching about money, and it’s a hard lesson. We should note in passing how much of Jesus’ teaching concerned this very topic. Money—how we earn it; how we value it; how we handle it; how we spend it; and how we give it—is a central topic through much of the Bible. Nothing else in our lives so clearly reveals our true loves and priorities. Jesus directed the disciple’s attention to the treasury, where worshipers were giving their offering. One person in particular caught His attention. It was a poor widow. Caught in the crowd of well-heeled leaders in the community who made a show of their giving, this woman slipped to one of the boxes set up for the purpose and quietly dropped in her contribution. She just as quietly left. No one there noticed her. No one paid attention. No one but Jesus. He knew her condition, her attitude and even the amount she dropped in the offering box. He didn’t miss a single detail. He never does. He pointed her out to his disciples as the single individual who, in the religious show going on all around her, alone demonstrated honest giving. In stark contrast with the religious show going on all around her, Jesus said, “she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Our giving is measured by how much faith it demonstrates. That’s a pretty high bar, isn’t it? Many—maybe most—give out of their leftovers. They give whatever money that’s left over after they pay for everything else they need and want. A few, though, give out of faith, out of love, out of a grateful heart. Those are the people Jesus is looking for.

Today’s Prayer Pray today for a generous heart. Ask the Lord for the faith and courage to step out and give, not from your leftovers but from the best of what you have.

Day 15 Thursday, January 15, 2015

Honest relationships lead to Jesus

Today’s Scripture

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4:29-30) Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” (John 4:39) Today’s Thought We’re in the home stretch of the Daniel Fast—the last week! I pray you’ve been blessed as you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone to embrace this spiritual discipline. The Bible talks so much about fasting, and we’ve done so little of it. Many of you will want to practice fasting on a more regular basis now that you’ve experienced it. I love today’s Bible passage because it’s so real. Jesus is in Samaria, a region of the ancient Jewish homeland where people of mixed ethnicity lived. For that reason, normal Jews refused to have any dealings with Samaritans or even to travel through their country. Not Jesus. He went to the area on purpose, to take the gospel into a place where polite, religious people would never set foot. Sitting at the town well, He met a woman whose life was a train wreck. Their conversation ended up with her receiving Jesus as her Savior. Finally, the woman ran to others she knew and brought them to Jesus, too. Whatever our particular situation, the Samaritan woman’s experience with the Lord is the same as for all of us. We come to Him with the tatters of our life. He meets us where we are and loves us without condition. He imparts His life into our lives. We’re changed forever. We go out and honestly tell our story to bring others to Him so that they might have the same experience. The biblical approach to evangelism follows just that pattern because the gospel proceeds through relationships. When we know Jesus, we know people in our lives who need to know Jesus, and we introduce Him to them. It’s not canned. Not programmed. Honest evangelism is instead natural, authentic and immediate. Who has God put into your life who needs to know the same Jesus you know? Today’s Prayer

Begin praying today for someone in your circles of influence who doesn’t know the Lord. Allow the Holy Spirit to lay them on your heart then be faithful in praying for their salvation. Then be alert for the right time to share your faith with them. If we’re faithful in praying, God will be faithful in providing the opportunities to share our faith.

Day 16

Friday, January 16, 2015 Honesty in the Church

Today’s Scripture

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)

Today’s Thought Few things are as difficult to accomplish as being honest in church. Now, don’t get mad at me for saying that! I don’t mean that churchgoers are dishonest people. It’s just that we have an image of ourselves that we want to project to other people in order to perpetuate our self-illusion. We end up wearing a kind of happy, moral, I-have-it-together kind of mask at church that often disguises who we really are. That’s why churches so often feel artificial and joyless. It’s hard to be honestly joyous if you don’t begin be being, well, honest. The list of encouragements Paul gives to the church at Rome in our passage of Scripture today is breath-taking. We’ve read it—or passages similar to it—so many times that we’ve lost the radical description of honest relationships it lays out for the church. Let’s look at a few items on that list more carefully:

1. Let love be genuine. Not false, manipulative, creepy, disingenuous, pat-your-back, performance-driven, disinterested, perfunctory. Instead, honestly engaged with serving the best interest of the people in your church.

2. Abhor what is evil. We seek compromise with evil far more than we develop a sense of abhorrence to it. Honest relationships are able to seek the best for the people around us without endorsing evil.

3. Love one another with brotherly affection. “The Message” renders this as “be good friends who love deeply.” Simple friendship is one of the greatest blessings we can know within the church.

4. Outdo one another in showing honor. Again, “The Message” renders this as “…practice playing second fiddle.” This is the opposite of the entitlement mentality that so characterizes our age.

5. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Do these traits characterize our relationships with one another in our church family? Hope, patience and prayerfulness are cornerstones to honest relationships.

Today’s Prayer Building honest and redemptive relationships within the church is one of the great challenges we face today. Pray today that our congregation would begin to find new ways to reach across whatever divides us to relate honestly with one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Day 17 Saturday, January 17, 2015 Becoming a friend of God

Today’s Scripture

And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23) No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

Today’s Thought I have to confess that the way the Bible speaks of Abraham puzzled me for a long time. It’s one thing for someone to be known as a worshiper, a follower, a servant or even a priest of God. But His friend? That conveys a relationship with God that is so far removed from our experience that it’s hard to even imagine. Friendships seems to us—at least in many ways—to bear little resemblance to what we thought our relationship with God ought to be. A friend is someone that we know intimately and well. They’re someone we can say anything to and know they’ll still be our friend. We can trust a friend to always act in our best interests, and we in theirs. Our lives are open books to our trusted friends, just as they open their lives with us. We spend time with friends not because we have to but because we enjoy their company. Indeed, the reason for our friendship from the beginning is because we feel comfortable with them. The basis for friendship is usually shared interests. For instance, if I meet someone who’s a Georgia Bulldog, we immediately have something in common that brings us together. We never lack for conversation. While I also have friends who attended Clemson, it’s a little harder! Friends don’t compete with us (if they do, it’s in fun), threaten us, manipulate us or try to hold us to some artificial standard of performance. That’s why a good friend is one of life’s greatest blessings. The amazing truth of our Bible passage today is that God wants to be our friend. That truth doesn’t ignore the fact that God is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer who deserves reverence and awe. It does, however, invite us into a kind of closeness with Him that we often miss. To build a friendship with God, with all that relationship implies, will take you to an entirely new level of excitement and fulfillment in your faith. I pray that the weeks of the Daniel Fast have begun to move you in that direction. You can be a friend of God. Today’s Prayer

If you were to talk with God today in the same way as you converse with a well loved friend, what would that look like? How would your praying change? Take the next few minutes and imagine Jesus sitting in a chair next to you, and talk with him as your friend.

Day 18 Sunday, January 18, 2015

Abiding in Jesus Today’s Scripture

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in my and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Today’s Thought

Today is our last Sunday of the Daniel Fast! Our purpose in the fast has been to join our hearts together to seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year. These three Sunday mornings we’ve been in a sermon series called “The Pleasure of His Company.” The first Sunday, our message focused on finding spiritual freedom. The second week our theme was honesty. Today, we complete the series with a message on “Abiding in Christ.” Taken together, the three messages—along with these devotions as they follow the same track—encourage us all to enjoy the pleasure of God’s company. I pray that’s happening in your life as you follow the Daniel Fast. In today’s Bible passage (the whole passage is John 15:1-8 but our focus is on verse five), Jesus uses the agricultural image of grapevines to convey the ways in which we’re connected with Him. He points to three essential elements. First is the vine itself. This is the portion of the grape plant that actually grows from the ground. Second is the vinedresser. He is the one who tends the grape plant, making sure it grows properly. Third are the branches growing from the vine. They’re the portion of the plant that bear fruit. Three elements of the illustration, each with a specific meaning. Jesus says He’s the vine. He goes on to say the Father is the vinedresser. Finally, the branches that grow from the vine are those who follow Jesus. The key to the whole illustration, found in our verse five, is the word “abide.” In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word means, “to remain, dwell, abide or stay.” In other words, it describes the intimate connection of the followers of Jesus to Jesus Himself as the key to a productive, meaningful life. Just as the life flowing from the vine into the branches makes the grape possible, so the life flowing from Jesus into His followers makes their lives productive. Just think of it—Jesus’ invitation isn’t to a code of conduct or a set of beliefs or even to a religion. He invites us to Himself, to receive the very life of God and to abide in His love! Today’s Prayer

Here’s a prayer you may pray for yourself today: ‘Dear Jesus, I want to abide in your love every moment of today. Fill me up with Your life that I may be a blessing to others even as You have blessed me. I offer myself to You today to do Your will in every conversation, every meeting, every appointment, every decision. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

Day 19

Monday, January 19, 2015 The Holy Spirit and Abiding

Today’s Scripture By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit. (1 John 4:13)

Today’s Thought

Yesterday we saw how important it is that we abide in Jesus. By that word, the Bible means the nature of our connection with Jesus is one of life, permanence, fruitfulness and authentic relationship. Throughout all of the writings of the John the disciple (he is the disciple responsible for the gospel that bears his name; 1, 2, and 3 John; and the book of Revelation), the word “abide” occurs with astonishing frequency. It’s as if John keeps hammering home the single theme that abiding in Jesus is what the life of faith is all about! Today’s Bible verse takes us one more step in the direction of abiding. What 1 John 4:13 says is that the way we “know” we abide in Jesus is through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Now, “know” in this context carries with it the sense of “knowing by experience.” In other words, while we can know some things by learning about them in books; and some things by observing other people; and even other things by intuition, abiding in Christ can only be known by experience. We have to do it ourselves. The question is how. How do we receive the life of Jesus in our lives? How do we draw close enough to Him that we can know He hears us when we pray? How do we experience real life transformation? The answer is found in the last part of the verse. It happens because “he has given us his Spirit.” The Holy Spirit comes into our lives—the third Person of the Trinitarian God—as the means by which Jesus abides within us. It’s really a simple spiritual equation. To the degree we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, to that same degree we will abide in Jesus. If we resist the Holy Spirit, or grieve Him, or ignore His promptings, then we won’t abide in Jesus. My passionate hope and prayer for our church family is that we would welcome the Holy Spirit into our individual heart and, further, that we would welcome Him into the corporate worship and life of the church as a whole. Where the Holy Spirit is welcomed, Jesus will abide. Today’s Prayer As you pray today, remember the needs of our Lexington community. Pray for those who lead us. Pray for the institutions that meet the needs of our citizens. Pray for the Christian organizations that seek to minister to our community—especially Lexington Interfaith Community Center (LICS), our church’s Prison Ministry, the Chris Meyers Place (Lexington’s Christian children’s home) and the Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Day 20 Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The church abiding in Jesus Today’s Scripture And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:… “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself…” “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:14-20)

Today’s Thought Jesus’ words to the church at Laodicea are stern and convicting—I always wince when I read them. I think that’s because they point so directly to the modern American church. We have so much. So much money, so many buildings, so much organization, so many plans, so much educated leadership. Yet there seems to be so little genuine spiritual authority to our ministry. Our nation continues to spiral downward while churches continue to pursue their individual agendas. At the end of the day, when we stand before the Lord, which would we rather say? Would we rather point to the money and buildings we accumulated as evidence of our faith? Or would we prefer to identify the lives of men and women who’ve come to a saving knowledge of Jesus? I’m not saying those two responses are mutually exclusive. I am saying, though, that the latter must take priority over the former. When we get them out of order, we’re in trouble. And a lot of churches are in trouble. In verse 20 Jesus gives the antidote to the disease of ecclesiastical self-complacency. Even thought He doesn’t use the word “abide” the concept is clearly in mind. “Behold I stand at the door and knock,” He says. “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” In other words, I’ll come in, sit down at the table, and we’ll get to know each other as we share a meal. We’ll abide with one another. The answer to dry and powerless churches is Jesus abiding with them. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Not just during the time of the Daniel Fast, but as a persistent and passionate cry of our hearts, let’s make sure that Jesus is abiding with us. That’s the most important prayer we can ever make.

Today’s Prayer Pray today that your spiritual ears would be alert to the knocking of Jesus at the door. Pray that you’ll always be welcoming to His presence in your life and that you’ll do everything necessary to make Him feel at home.

Day 21 Wednesday, January 21, 2015 The Pleasure of His Company

Today’s Scripture

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Today’s Thought Our church family observed the three-week Daniel Fast for one reason: to join our hearts together as we seek the Lord’s presence in our church for the coming year. Today our fast is completed. And tonight during the mid-week service, we’ll have a special service of corporate prayer to complete our fast in a memorable way. I hope you’ll be able to make it. I pray these weeks have made an impact on each of you! We said at the beginning that seasons of fasting sometimes lead to new revelation and spiritual authority. For some of you, the Lord may have brought revelation concerning a decision you need to make or a change that needs to happen or an attitude in your heart that needs to be altered. For others, you may have spent more time in prayer than in the past, and the Lord has answered your prayers in some remarkable ways. Maybe for some, there hasn’t been a noticeable change in your spiritual life. I want to especially speak to you. The important thing is that you were diligent in seeking the Lord—whatever ways He might or might not have worked in your life in response to your fasting is His business. Ours is to be faithful! So be encouraged that “your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” And for our church as a whole—what should we expect to happen now that our fasting is completed for this season? What I pray has happened is that, in some subtle but important ways, we’ve re-aligned ourselves to the presence and purposes of God. Prayer isn’t magic; it isn’t a way to manipulate God into fulfilling selfish agendas. Prayer isn’t therapy, either, where individuals or groups try to feel better about the way things are. Prayer is instead the mysterious workings of the Spirit, in which we encounter the omnipotent God and somehow are able to move events in ways that wouldn’t happen if we didn’t pray. When a church decides to pray, watch out! Anything is possible! The Daniel Fast, I pray, has taken our church—already a praying church—and moved us even more heavenward. Nothing is more important than that. Today’s Prayer

Great God we praise You and honor You today as our Abba Father, as our Savior Jesus and as our Holy Spirit Comforter. We’ve sought You these weeks with all our heart and now we want more! We want more of You and more of Your Kingdom. We invite you more fully into our lives and into the life our church. And even as we move more deeply into Your grace, we ask that we might see the needs of the people around us with Your eyes and feel their need with Your heart. People without Jesus and without hope. Compel us from safety and comfort into the world with Jesus’ saving message. Thank You for meeting us in this season of prayer and fasting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.