By now, you have examined yourself, determined your supply, and taken steps to fan the flame and keep it going. We have learned that we must do whatever necessary to keep the fire of God ablaze and to keep it hot. If neglected, we know the fire will begin to burn low and eventually burn out completely. God gave us all the tools we need to feed and kindle the fire.
“I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you”
The first tool is the Word.
As we read the Word of God, it pierces every area of our lives, it washes us clean, changes our thinking, and strengthens our faith.
Reading the Word of God daily is a necessity. You will not truly understand the impact of this until you need the power of God to manifest in your life. What does this mean in real life? It means that you will be the man who built his house upon the rock. When the rains come and the storms come, your house will remain. It means you will become immovable in your faith and you will have the strength and power to overcome.
God doesn’t stop there, He provides you with another tool - Prayer!
“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.”
Pastor Datha has taught me that prayer is the key to an intimate relationship with Jesus and the ability to see and know the spiritual realm. I can hear her now, “you will never go higher than your prayer life.”
Just read the book of Acts. There are so many books out now for church leadership about growing your church, church planting, etc taken from the book of Acts. Yet, somehow they seem to miss the main ingredient for the early church’s success — prayer!
Prayer was not something they did casually - it was at all times, in all places, and in all situations. It must be a vibrant and consistent prayer life. God was always on their mind, they were aware of His presence, and they invited Him to participate in their lives.
DL Moody wrote, “We are not told that Jesus ever taught His disciples how to preach, but He taught them how to pray.”
If you’ve every felt like you don’t know what to pray for or how to pray, Rick Renner explains six kinds of prayer (page 75) and 15 things to pray about (page 80).
A good starting place:
Fellowship with God
Surrender your life to Him
Thank Him for all He has done
Why not start now? Let’s pray,
Father, I thank you for saving me, for loving me, and for always being there for me. I surrender my life to you. I am not here for anything for me, but to tell you how much I love you.
(Begin to tell Him in your own words how much you love Him!)
Amen
Think About It
What is your pattern of prayer? Do you inquire of the Lord often about matters both great and small? Or do you spend so much time talking or worrying about situations that you barely pray at all?
God longs to move on your behalf. But He waits for you to express your desire as He has expressed His. Have you accepted the divine invitation? Are you calling out to Him in hungry anticipation? He will surely respond to your prayer in ways that exceed your greatest expectation.
Reading Schedule
March 2nd Week 1 - Chapters 1 & 2
March 9th Week 2 - Chapter 3
March 16th Week 3 - Chapter 4
March 23rd Week 4 - Chapters 5 & 6
March 30th Week 5 - Chapter 7
April 6th Week 6 - Chapter 8
April 13th Week 7 - Chapter 9
April 20th Week 8 - Chapters 10 & 11
April 27th Week 9 - Conclusion & Announcing our next book!