Prayer & FAST For Oneness
All of us have needs and wants. Needs are things that we cannot live without. Wants are things we would like to have. What are some of your needs? What are some of your wants? There are many things we need and want. But sometimes, we focus so much on our needs and wants that we put aside our relationship with others and with God. Paul addresses this in the book of Ephesians by calling for a spirit of ONENESS.
Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus is a document that addresses unity. The first three chapters provide a theological basis for unity; the final three are principally concerned with the practical implementation of “ONENESS” in Christ. In 4:1-6, God’s inspired apostle lays down a micro-platform for unity that concerns the two main sources of discord among those who profess to follow Christ. One has to do with temperament, the other with teaching. The recognition of these two problematic areas could go a long way towards healing, sharing a common vision, mission and uniting the church in a common orthodoxy and spirit.
Fasting lets us focus more on God by setting aside our needs and wants so that we can better grasp what God needs and wants so that we as a church may live out ONENESS in Christ Jesus. Knowing this may be your first fast, we have tried to make this informative and somewhat flexible for everyone participating. The importance in this fast is that we take part in it as a church. Our hope is that everyone will participate and pray for our church to walk and live in the ONENESS of Christ Jesus.
What is fasting?
Fasting is stopping an activity (like eating) for a period of time to focus more on God. We replace eating or using our gadgets with time with God. This means praying, worshiping, and reading the Bible. These activities build our relationship with God.
When our parents speak to us, we should pay attention and listen to them. Fasting helps us pay attention and listen to God. It helps us put aside distractions. We say to God, “I am going to listen to You because You are my Father. I trust You!”
Jesus gave us an example of fasting in Matthew 4. Jesus knew that He would need strength and power for His ministry. He prepared by fasting for forty days in the desert. During this time, He was tempted by Satan. His response to that temptation is the truth we can hold on to for strength when we fast:
| . . . “‘4 But he answered, “It is written,“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” MATTHEW 4:4 ESV
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Fasting is usually keeping yourself from eating and drinking as you devote more time for God. But you can also fast from different media (TV, video games) and technology (gadgets, Internet) if you cannot fast from food. The important thing is to keep your focus away from the things the world offers to spend more time with God.
Before Fasting
- Pray.
Spend time reading the Bible before the fast. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in your prayers. Write down your specific prayer requests for your family, friends, church, and nation.
Write the name of your prayer partner here: __________________________________________
- Commit.
Pray about the kind of fast that you will do and commit to it ahead of time. Ask God for grace to help you follow through with your decision. Also, ask your parents and maybe even your doctor if you are allowed to do a specific type of food fast.
- Act.
If you will be fasting from food, start eating smaller portions a few days before you fast. Avoid sugary and fatty foods. Ask someone to be your prayer partner throughout the fast.
While Fasting
- Focus.
Set aside time to read God’s Word and pray. This devotional will help you go through your fast. Just be ready to listen to God’s voice and do what the Holy Spirit is telling you.
- Pray.
If you can, join at least one prayer meeting in your church. Pray for your family, church, pastors, nation, campuses, and missions throughout the week.
- Fill up.During mealtimes, if you’re fasting from food, read the Bible and pray instead. Drink plenty of water and rest as much as you can. Keep in mind that you may find yourself becoming physically weak, tired, impatient, or irritated. If you’re doing a different type of fast, read the Bible and pray during the time you would normally do what you are fasting from (for example, browsing through social media or playing video games).
After Fasting
- Eat.
If you fasted from food, reintroduce solid food gradually. Your body will need time to adjust to a normal diet. Start with fruits, juices, and salad, then add more vegetables. Eat small portions throughout the day. It may be tempting, but try not to eat junk food and sweets right away. If you’ve finished a different type of fast, remember what God revealed to you as you spent time with Him. Take what you learned from the fast into your everyday life. Bring it to church with you and help us all celebrate ONENESS and pursue a unity in spirit and body.
- Pray.
Don’t stop praying! Trust that God will keep His promises and knows what He’s doing. Don’t stop believing in and listening to God all year. Be in faith and expect God to answer your prayers!
Day 1
Fasting Options:
Social Media Fast
No Technology
G No Gadgets
Skip One Meal
No food, just fluids
No meat, just vegetables
Other ____________________
Day 2
Fasting Options:
Social Media Fast
No Technology
No Gadgets
Skip One Meal
No food, just fluids
No meat, just vegetables
Other ____________________
Day 3
Fasting Options:
Social Media Fast
No Technology
No Gadgets
Skip One Meal
No food, just fluids
No meat, just vegetables
Other ___________________
Day 4
Fasting Options:
Social Media Fast
No Technology
No Gadgets
Skip One Meal
No food, just fluids
No meat, just vegetables
Other ____________________
Day 5
Fasting Options:
Social Media Fast
No Technology
No Gadgets
Skip One Meal
No food, just fluids
No meat, just vegetables
Other ____________________
Sunday February 4th
READ: Ephesians 1 Read before Fast
”3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. . . EPHESIANS 1:3
“I am in Christ.” Stop and ponder that for a while. Say it to yourself a few times, with varying emphasis. Savor the richness of this profound truth.
“In Christ” determines our new identity. Being in Christ not only redefines who we are, but it also supersedes all other possible definitions. Gender, culture, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation—every label is secondary and subservient to our identity in Christ.
“In Christ” describes our spiritual position. We are united in Christ, beneficiaries of a new covenant that we did not deserve and cannot ever earn. We have legal right to claim all that is Christ’s as our own. And this inheritance is available for us today.
“In Christ” defines our current reality. All blessings of the Spirit, every good and pleasant thing he wants to bestow on us are already ours in Christ. His favor is not something we have to work for to receive.
“In Christ” recognizes our benefactor. In ourselves, we are helpless, wretched, with nothing to offer. But in Christ and only through Christ do we have life and all we need. No one who has experienced his fullness will ever choose to abide in anything or anyone else.
List all of the spiritual blessings in Ephesians 1 that God has given to believers in Christ.
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How does our identity in Christ affect the manner and confidence with which we should pray?
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What blessings do you feel led to pray for our church to experience more of?
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What one thing will you change today as a result of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you through this study?
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Pray to Know God Deeper
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him . . .
EPHESIANS 1:16–17
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving US the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know you better. WE are not satisfied with only knowing about You. WE desire to know you intimately. WE meditate daily on your Word, help US grow in our relationship with You so I can see you as you are, in all your fullness and glory. Show US what pleases you and what breaks your heart. Enable US to reflect your character to those around me, and may the light of your grace in my life draw others closer to you. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.
As we get to know God better, in what ways will our ONENESS as church be seen?
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February 5th Day 1
READ: Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. . . EPHESIANS 2:8
The late Canadian evangelist Ern Baxter once said, “When Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ it was finished and you either take it finished or you don’t get it at all. We are constantly trying to improve what cannot be improved. Imagine someone unveiling a great work of art while everyone stands amazed at the beauty of the painting. But an amateur in the crowd grabs a brush and a daub of paint and approaches the painting saying, ‘I think he missed it here.’ The crowd shouts,
‘Keep your hands o that canvas.’ The masterpiece of the cross is a finished work and any attempt to add to it only destroys its power and effectiveness.”
Christ’s work on the cross is enough—a masterpiece of grace and love. It beautifully depicts both our helpless state and his unsolicited benevolence in a way that is both tragic and glorious at the same time.
Stare at his masterpiece. The more we see the gospel for what it truly is, the deeper our response of reverence, gratefulness, wonder, and joy. It is impossible to encounter his workmanship and move from the experience unchanged.
What’s equally amazing is this same Divine Craftsman is at work on another masterpiece—you. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Will you let him work in and through you to produce what he envisioned for you, even before the creation of the world?
According to Ephesians 2, what was our condition without Christ?
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What has God done for us? What motivated God to do this for us?
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Read Ephesians 2:8–10. How do good works relate to our salvation? ___________________________________________________________________________
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What one thing can we change as a church today as a result of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us through this study? What thing will you change to from what the God’s word has revealed?
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Pray to Understand Our Calling
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers that . . . having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints . . . EPHESIANS 1: 16, 18
Heavenly Father, thank you for opening the eyes of OUR hearts so WE may fully grasp the hope that is now mine and ours in Christ. WE understand that You have called US out of darkness into your marvelous light—You have called US to walk with You. May holiness and faithfulness mark OUR every step. Help US to remember that not only am I rich in you, but that you see me as your prized inheritance. May your light shine through my life in a way that brings honor to your name. Be glorified in all WE think, say, and do. All this WE pray in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
February 6th Day 2
READ: Ephesians 3
“that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” EPHESIANS 3:16
In Ephesians 1:19–20, Paul introduced the theme of God’s mighty power, referring to “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.”
“According to” is a prepositional phrase that means “determined by.” Think of
it as a credit limit. Credit cards normally have credit limits that determine your spending power. Once you reach your limit, you have no more spending power. Paul is stating that the credit limit on the power available to all believers is the amount of power released in the resurrection of Christ.
How much power is that? In the Victors Bible Background Commentary, Lawrence Richards said, “Paul piled up synonyms to emphasize the over- whelming nature of that divine power. The words Paul used include dynamis (intrinsic capability), energeia (e ective power in action), kratos (power exerted to control and overcome resistance), and ischys (the vital power inherent in life).”
In Ephesians 3, Paul again piled on synonyms to express the immensity of this power available to us. He started with the root word, ekperissos, which means “superabundant in quantity, excessive, and beyond measure.” It is the same word
Luke used to describe the twelve leftover baskets after Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. It is a word that means more than enough of whatever you need. He then added the prefix, “huper”, which means “over, beyond, and above.” And just in case we missed his point, he added an extra “huper”! That’s the extent of the Holy Spirit’s power at work in us.
What habits and routines can you build into OUR lifestyles and the CHURCH to help US “be
filled with all the fullness of God”? v 19
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How did Paul describe God in Ephesians 3:20? Prayerfully consider if you’ve somehow placed
a cap on what God can do in and through you. Have we as a church placed a cap on what God can do?
Have I placed a cap on what I would allow God to do in this church?
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What can you and WE change today as a result of what the Holy Spirit has revealed so we don’t
place a cap on what God could do here?
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Pray to Experience His Power
“18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” . . . EPHESIANS 1:18–20
Heavenly Father, give me and OUR Church a greater revelation of your immeasurable power. You are a mighty God. Empower us to use the faith You have given US and help me break through any limitations so that WE as a church will not limit your leading and direction. Thank you that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is actively at work in me right now. I choose not to rely on my own ability, but to depend on your Holy Spirit to live out your holy calling with the other Saints in Trinity Church.
I confess that apart from you, I can do no good thing. Forgive me God when I pursue my on glory, my own desires apart from the unity and oneness of the church family you have made me part of. May Your life and power over flow in me and out of US (Trinity Church), and may WE become a more effective witness to our city and Tri-Valley. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
DAY 3 February 7th
READ: Ephesians 4
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. . . EPHESIANS 4:1
In Ephesians 1 to 3, the Apostle Paul described the spiritual reality of every believer in Christ. Beginning in chapter 4, he shi s his focus to emphasize the practical outworking of this new identity. Paul’s exhortation is clear. What we believe determines how we behave. How we see ourselves directly impacts how we will act. And because we are now in Christ we can walk in a manner worthy of his calling.
On one side, this is a challenge to daily embrace the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work of sanctification. We are called to walk in the light. The more we walk in the truth of the gospel, the less we will tolerate darkness to linger in our soul.
But Paul goes beyond our inward life. He connects acting in a manner befitting Jesus’ name to our calling to walk in unity with other believers. We exemplify our reconciliation with Christ most when we actively engage in behavior that builds relational bridges and promotes unity in diversity.
Jesus is our best standard and example for this, but we must always remember that he is also our means. The list of relational virtues Paul gives—humility, gentleness, patience, and love—re ect the outward fruit of a life rooted in Christ’s amazing grace. We cannot live out any aspect of our calling apart from him.
What does it mean for you to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling?” How can you re ect more of his grace in your life and relationships today?
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In Ephesians 4:11–16, how does Paul describe the role the local church plays in spiritual growth? What is our role in the local church? How can you be more engaged in your local church community?
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What one thing will you change today as a result of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you through this study?
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Pray to Experience His Inner Strength
That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. EPHESIANS 3:16
Heavenly Father, I recognize my absolute dependence on you. WE as a church must have absolute dependence on you. In and of myself, I am weak. My heart and my flesh will fail me, but you are my strength and
my portion. As WE move forward together as a church in ONENESS. Strengthen my inner being with power through your Holy Spirit. Enable me to confront the trials before me with boldness, courage, and faith that your Spirit in me is greater than any hindrance or opposition I will face. Keep me from being a hindrance or opposition to OUR Church family. Help me to know that OUR church is seeking your will and to rest in Your strength. We will be more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us. Amen!
Day 4 February 8th
READ: Ephesians 5
”14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” EPHESIANS 5:14
Have you ever heard of the wake-up light? If you have a hard time getting up when you’re supposed to and have worn out the snooze button of your alarm clock, this might interest you. A wake-up light is a lamp with alarm clock functions designed to simulate the sun rising in your darkened room. The artificial dawn created by this device triggers our brain’s natural response to sunlight and wakes us up. There are other gadgets on the market that will buzz us and even zap you with electricity.
Anyone who has ever woken up because someone turned on the light in their room while they were sleeping knows that light can wake us up. The only way to avoid this is to find ways to keep the light out and stay in darkness. We have to intentionally choose darkness if we want to go back to sleep. We can choose darkness when we choose not to be open to new opportunities, new biblical teaching that contradict what I want to believe, refusing to move in oneness with the church body out of fear and reluctance. I can refuse the light when I remain in my sin and point out other’s sins.
Jesus is the light of the world that shines on us. He wakes us up from our sin and rouses us to a new life—a life of pleasing the One who delivered us from darkness to light. In him, we were transported from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. The more we expose ourselves to his glorious light, the more we bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth in our lives. Who would want to hit the snooze button and miss out on all of that?
Read Ephesians 5:1. What does it mean to be “imitators of God, as beloved children?”
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List the “unfruitful works of darkness” that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 5:3–20. Ask the Holy Spirit to “wake you up and US up” to sin behaviors or attitudes that he wants you and US to turn away from so you cam walk toward more of his will in ONENESS with Christ and Trinity Church.
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What one thing will you change today as a result of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you through this study? What has God shown you today that WE as a church can change to better reflect ONENESS as a body?
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Pray to Not abandon our first Love
So I ask . . . that you, [be] rooted and grounded in love. EPHESIANS 3:13, 17
Heavenly Father, let me Trinity Church be rooted in Your affection for me. Remind me of my identity in Christ. Let me not be swayed by my feelings or the circumstances around me. Anchor me in your truth and be embraced with your grace. These two reveal the breadth, length, height, and depth of your love for me and Trinity Church. The more I reflect on what you have done for me at the cross, the more I realize that your act of sacrifice surpasses comprehension. Let your compassion over flow and move me to love others in Trinity and to overflow out of US as a church to into our city and Tri-Valley. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Day 5 February 9th
READ: Ephesians 6
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand rm. EPHESIANS 6:13
On July 20, 1969, the American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Lunar Module onto the moon’s surface. As 450 million listeners tuned in around the world, he uttered these now-famous lines, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon for a little over two hours despite the extreme temperatures that get as high as 200 degrees C 392 F) during the day and as low as -200 degrees C (-328 F) during the night. However, in that hostile environment, the astronauts were shielded by their complex A7-L spacesuits which used a combination of insulation, reflective surfaces, and an ice sublimator to regulate temperature. If they stayed in their suits, they could fully explore their surroundings.
In Christ, we are protected from the hostile spiritual atmosphere around us. We can walk in his strength. We can stand firm against the enemy’s schemes and face the spiritual battle head-on knowing our fight is not against flesh and blood. Our victory is assured in Christ because the battle has been won for us at the cross.
Read Ephesians 6:10–20. Identify all the weapons and armor God has given for spiritual warfare.
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Why does Paul’s call to prayer follow his discussion of our spiritual battle and armor?
How does prayer relate to this battle?
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Any time a church undergoes change and places itself in a position to do the will of God over our own
there will be spiritual battles. What can you change so that you will better fight the enemies attack?
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Pray to Experience the Fullness of God and Oneness in Christ.
So I ask . . . that you . . . know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. EPHESIANS 3: 13, 16, 19
Heavenly Father, I am overwhelmed by all that you have for US in Christ. Help US grab hold of all you have given US—your grace, your peace, your comfort, your strength, fellowship in the church, your word, Pastors, deacons, elders, servants, friends, family, seekers… Not only do you satisfy the yearnings of my soul, you abundantly provide beyond what we currently need. Teach me to abide in Christ so I may be filled with all the fullness of God and oneness in Christ. Amen!
Prayer
Journal
Keep track of your daily prayer requests and any answers to prayer on this page:
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