At Radiant Church, we believe prayer changes things. Let’s start the new year right—with 21 Days of Prayer from January 4-25.
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At Radiant Church, we believe prayer changes things. Let’s start the new year right—with 21 Days of Prayer from January 4-25.
FROM OUR PASTOR…
For several years we have been reminding ourselves to Pray First! We are excited about what God is going to do in your life during the next 21 days. We believe that prayer brings heaven’s influence into our earthly circumstances.
More than ever, we are in desperate need of the move of God in our community and our families. Prayer is a key ingredient in navigating this journey with the hope and assurance of Jesus. We know the God who holds the future in His hands, and we have complete access to Him through prayer!
Many times, we act first and then want God to help our situation; however, prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
During the month of January, we are calling Radiant Church to 21 Days of Prayer. We will be focusing on deepening our prayer times and encouraging you to introduce fasting into your weekly routine. You can join us every Tuesday on Facebook Live for a guided time of prayer at 6 AM and 9 PM. During the 21 days, we also invite you to worship in person every Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the Cedar Rapids sanctuary.
When you discover the beauty of daily conversation with God, you’ll experience His life-changing presence! You’ll be reminded…
- Before the day begins
- Before you go to bed
- Before you go to work or school
- Before you send that text
- Before you eat, drive, or travel
- Before you worry….in every situation….
PRAY FIRST! Prayer changes everything!
We love you, church!
– Pastor Brian & Kristi
FASTING
The heart of fasting is drawing near to God. In Scripture, fasting means setting aside distractions so we can give God our full attention. When we fast, cravings will show up. Those cravings remind us how quickly we reach for substitutes instead of the life Jesus offers. Use those moments to turn toward Him in prayer and ask for a deeper dependence on His presence. Fasting helps quiet the noise, reset the soul, and bring our focus back to what matters most.
Fasting isn’t a diet or just “giving something up.” It’s choosing to create room for God by stepping out of our usual patterns and letting that shift awaken our need for Him. Fasting is replacing the time we spend fulfilling our needs with time spent depending on God. Remember, fasting is a response to God’s grace, not a way to earn something from God. Therefore, don’t approach fasting with strict rules or legalism, but with a humble and hungry heart.
Choose a fast that stretches you but honors your physical realities. Ask God to guide you toward the right step for this season of your life.
Complete Fast
In this fast, you drink only liquids, typically water, with light juices as an option. Jesus practiced this type of fast in preparation for His ministry in Matthew 4:1-17. Please make sure you are prepared for this type of fast, both emotionally and physically.
Daniel (Selective) Fast
This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. In Daniel 1, Daniel and the other young leaders from Israel were brought into an intense cultural re-training program in Babylon. To make sure their spirits were not compromised during this time, they chose to limit their diets to stay dependent on God.
This fast focuses on eating whole grains, beans, nuts, vegetables, and fruit. This means avoiding meat, eggs, sugar, refined grains, processed food, and fried foods. For greater detail and recipes, you can visit “The Ultimate Daniel Fast” by Kristen Feola.
When you are focused on God’s best, you receive the best God has for you. At the end of the fast, it says, “God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17). The most essential part of the Daniel Fast is that you deny yourself physically so that you may seek the Lord in prayer and grow closer to Him.
Partial Fast
This is the most common type of fast. This usually involves abstaining from food during a certain time of the day. This can correlate to a specific meal, certain times of the day (such as 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), or from sunup to sundown. This can also be attached to just one or more days of the week. For example, you might fast lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Soul Fast
This fast is an excellent option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you want to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast, and then carefully reintroduce that element into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.
Scripture References
Matthew 6:16-18
Matthew 9:14-15
Luke 18:9-14
Acts 27:33-37
Nehemiah 9:1-3
PRAYER
We don’t have to follow a specific formula to talk with God, but practicing consistently with a model can help us deepen our purpose and connection to Him through our prayer time. The heart of this month is to help you find a new level of purpose, effectiveness, and enjoyment in your prayer life. While prayer does take commitment and can require discipline to develop into a daily habit, we also want to remember that it’s a “get to” not a “got to.” It’s a privilege to be able to come to God in prayer.
Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.
HAVE A CERTAIN TIME
Jesus got up early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. Make a daily appointment with God — whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening — and faithfully keep it.
HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE
Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a designated place to pray helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud.
HAVE A CERTAIN PLAN
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” This outline (listed below) can help you develop a rhythm for your prayer time. As we pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary, maybe including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to listen to God. It doesn’t always have to look the same, it doesn’t have to be a required amount of time; it just helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.
THE LORD’S PRAYER – MATTHEW 6:9-13 (NKJV)
CONNECT WITH GOD RELATIONALLY
“Our Father in Heaven” –Take a moment and make sure your focus is on God alone. This could be as simple as saying, “Good Morning God.”
WORSHIP HIS NAME
“Hallowed be Your Name” – You could play a worship song, or recite the words of your favorite chorus or hymn. He is great, so let Him know you believe in Him.
PRAY HIS AGENDA FIRST
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” – Before you get into your needs ask God for help in seeing life through His perspective. Pray for the topic provided by the church on the weekly prayer guide or on Social Media (@RadiantChurch.Live).
DEPEND ON HIM FOR EVERYTHING
“Give us this day our daily bread” – Take some time and pray for the needs (relational, financial, emotional, etc.) in your life and for those close to you. Believe that God will give you what you need to thrive today.
FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” – Clean up the relational baggage you carry. Ask God to forgive you for the ways you’ve tried to make life work without Him. Extend that same forgiveness to those who have cost you undue time in your emotional focus.
ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” – Pray in the Spirit. Pray for your kids, spouse, family members, neighbors, co-workers, etc. . Pray that God will protect others and that He will push back the darkness the enemy brings into our world.
EXPRESS FAITH IN GOD’S ABILITY
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” – Believe that God is who He says He is. Align your trust with His purposes and go for it!