Prioritizing Prayer and Fasting for Spiritual Growth

 

Summary

Summary:

As we embark on a new year, it's crucial to prioritize prayer in our lives. Often, we rush into our days, relying on our own strength to tackle challenges, and only turn to prayer as a last resort. This year, let's make prayer our first priority, leading our lives with it. Prayer is not a waste of time; it's a powerful tool through which God chooses to work. Even though God has plans and purposes, He has chosen to partner with us through prayer. There are things God desires to accomplish in our lives, church, and community that will only happen if we pray.

When we pray together, there's a greater power released. Jesus emphasized the strength of agreement in prayer, likening it to a symphony where each part contributes to a powerful whole. As a church, we are called to come together in unity, praying for God's will to be done in our lives and community. This year, let's commit to being part of this symphony, praying together and seeking God's presence.

Additionally, fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us draw closer to God. By voluntarily abstaining from food or other activities, we humble ourselves and allow our spirit to grow stronger. Fasting is not about manipulating God but allowing Him to transform us. Jesus modeled and taught fasting, emphasizing its importance in our spiritual growth. As we fast, we put our flesh in its place, allowing our spirit to rise in victory.

This year, let's prioritize prayer and fasting, seeking God's presence and allowing Him to transform us. As we do, we'll see our faith grow, our perspective change, and our lives align more closely with God's will. Join us in this journey of spiritual growth and transformation.

Key Takeaways:

1. Prioritize Prayer: Make prayer the first priority in your life, not the last resort. By leading with prayer, we align ourselves with God's will and invite His power into our circumstances. Prayer is not a waste of time; it's the muscle that moves the hand of God. [41:04]

2. The Power of Agreement: When we pray together in agreement, it's like a symphony where each part contributes to a powerful whole. There's a multiplication effect when we unite in prayer, releasing God's power to accomplish His purposes. [47:38]

3. Fasting as a Spiritual Discipline: Fasting helps us draw closer to God by putting our flesh in its place and allowing our spirit to grow stronger. It's not about manipulating God but allowing Him to transform us. Jesus modeled and taught fasting, emphasizing its importance. [01:02:05]

4. Transformation Through Prayer: Spending time in God's presence changes us. Our praise, worship, faith, perspective, and behavior are transformed as we grow in prayer. We become more like Jesus, aligning our lives with His will. [55:00]

5. Join the Symphony: Be part of the symphony of prayer at Desert Springs Church. As we come together in unity, praying and fasting, we invite God's presence and power to work in our lives and community. Let's prioritize this spiritual journey together. [01:09:18]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:00] - Introduction to the New Series
- [02:30] - Importance of Leading with Prayer
- [05:00] - Making Prayer a Priority
- [10:00] - God's Partnership Through Prayer
- [15:00] - Power of Praying Together
- [20:00] - Understanding Agreement in Prayer
- [25:00] - The Concept of a Symphony
- [30:00] - Multiplication Effect in Prayer
- [35:00] - Introduction to Fasting
- [40:00] - Jesus' Model of Fasting
- [45:00] - Spiritual Transformation Through Prayer
- [50:00] - Invitation to Join the Symphony
- [55:00] - Call to Action: Prayer and Fasting
- [01:00:00] - Closing and Invitation to Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 3:1-6
2. Matthew 18:19
3. Matthew 4:1-2

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Observation Questions:

1. In Genesis 3:1-6, what specific instruction did God give to Adam and Eve, and how did they respond to it?
2. According to Matthew 18:19, what does Jesus say about the power of agreement in prayer?
3. How does the sermon describe the concept of a "symphony" in relation to prayer? [46:28]
4. What was the purpose of Jesus' fasting in the wilderness as described in Matthew 4:1-2?

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 illustrate the consequences of not aligning with God's will through prayer? [42:00]
2. What might Jesus mean by the "symphony" of agreement in prayer, and how does this concept enhance the power of collective prayer? [46:28]
3. In what ways does fasting, as modeled by Jesus in Matthew 4, serve as a tool for spiritual growth and transformation? [01:02:05]
4. How does the sermon suggest that prayer and fasting can lead to personal transformation and alignment with God's will? [49:33]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current prayer habits. How can you make prayer a first priority in your daily routine rather than a last resort? [41:04]
2. Think about a time when you experienced the power of agreement in prayer. How can you actively participate in the "symphony" of prayer within your church community? [47:38]
3. Consider a specific area in your life where you feel distant from God. How might fasting help you draw closer to Him and strengthen your spiritual walk? [56:18]
4. Identify one aspect of your life that you would like to see transformed through prayer. What steps can you take to spend more intentional time in God's presence? [55:00]
5. How can you incorporate fasting into your spiritual discipline this year? What specific fast might you undertake to seek God's guidance and transformation? [01:02:05]
6. Reflect on the sermon’s call to join the symphony of prayer at Desert Springs Church. How can you commit to participating in this collective spiritual journey? [01:09:18]
7. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your prayer life is not just about asking for things but also about listening to God and aligning with His will? [49:33]

Devotional

Day 1: Prayer as the Foundation of Our Lives
Prayer is not merely a last resort but the foundation upon which we should build our lives. It is through prayer that we align ourselves with God's will and invite His power into our circumstances. By making prayer our first priority, we acknowledge our dependence on God and open ourselves to His guidance and strength. Prayer is not a waste of time; it is the muscle that moves the hand of God. As we begin this new year, let us commit to leading with prayer, trusting that God will work through our prayers to accomplish His purposes. [41:04]

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison." (Colossians 4:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: What specific area of your life can you begin to lead with prayer today, inviting God's guidance and strength?


Day 2: The Symphony of Agreement in Prayer
When we come together in agreement, our prayers become like a symphony, each part contributing to a powerful whole. Jesus emphasized the strength of agreement in prayer, highlighting the multiplication effect that occurs when we unite in prayer. As a church, we are called to come together in unity, praying for God's will to be done in our lives and community. This year, let us commit to being part of this symphony, joining our voices in prayer and seeking God's presence together. [47:38]

"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." (Matthew 18:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Who can you partner with in prayer this week to experience the power of agreement and unity in seeking God's will?


Day 3: Fasting as a Pathway to Spiritual Growth
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us draw closer to God by putting our flesh in its place and allowing our spirit to grow stronger. It is not about manipulating God but allowing Him to transform us. Jesus modeled and taught fasting, emphasizing its importance in our spiritual growth. As we fast, we humble ourselves and create space for God to work in our lives. This year, let us embrace fasting as a means to deepen our relationship with God and experience His transforming power. [01:02:05]

"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?" (Isaiah 58:6, ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing you can fast from this week to create space for God to transform you?


Day 4: Transformation Through Prayer
Spending time in God's presence through prayer changes us. Our praise, worship, faith, perspective, and behavior are transformed as we grow in prayer. We become more like Jesus, aligning our lives with His will. As we prioritize prayer, we invite God to work in us, changing our hearts and minds to reflect His love and grace. This year, let us commit to spending time in prayer, allowing God to transform us and align our lives with His purposes. [55:00]

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create a daily habit of spending time in prayer to allow God to transform your heart and mind?


Day 5: Joining the Symphony of Prayer and Fasting
As we come together in unity, praying and fasting, we invite God's presence and power to work in our lives and community. We are called to be part of the symphony of prayer at our church, joining our voices and hearts in seeking God's will. This spiritual journey of prayer and fasting is an opportunity for growth and transformation, both individually and collectively. Let us prioritize this journey together, trusting that God will work through our prayers and fasting to accomplish His purposes. [01:09:18]

"So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty." (Ezra 8:23, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively participate in the communal prayer and fasting efforts at your church this week, inviting God's presence and power into your life and community?

Quotes

"We're kicking off a brand new year and I'm kicking off a brand new series and I'm excited to have you all here with me today for this. We're calling it Lead with Prayer. Lead with Prayer. And we talked about this last week. We kind of set it up. In fact, if you didn't listen to last week's message, I encourage you to go back and listen to it online. We talked about three things. One, what do you want God to do in your life this next year? And what do you want God to do in your family this next year? And then what do you want God to do in our church this next year? And understanding that all of that is not going to happen unless we are people of prayer, unless we know how to pray and unless we cry out to God. And so we're going to be talking over the course of this next month about the importance of leading with prayer. And by that I simply mean this. We need to make prayer your number one priority this year and not the last thing that you do." [00:39:27] (47 seconds)


"And then when that doesn't work, what do we do? Oh, maybe I should pray. Right? Instead of it being the first priority, instead of us leading our lives with prayer, it's the last thing that we think of. It's the last thing that we try. When we've done everything else, well, maybe I should pray. Listen, why don't we start with prayer? Why don't we start our days with prayer? When we're up against a trial in our lives, instead of trying to fix it ourselves, why don't we lead with prayer? And so that's the challenge. Let it not be the last thing. But can we make it the first thing that we do? Make it our priority?" [00:41:04] (36 seconds)


"To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (57 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


"Well, in the spirit of that, mindset, let me just say this. I want to encourage you this year to waste time in prayer. To waste time in prayer. Now, we all know that, that prayer is not a waste of time. And what we've got to come to realize and come to understand, even though God has purposes and God has plans, there are things that he wants to do and accomplish in all of our lives and in our, in our church and in our city and in our country. There are things that God wants to do. But understand, even though he's all powerful, he has chosen to do it. He has chosen to do it. He has chosen. You've got to figure this out. You've got to understand this. God has chosen to limit himself, to work through the prayers of his people. I don't know why. I don't know why. But he's chosen to work through us. He doesn't want to just come down and say, this is my will. This is what's going to happen. And I'm just going to impose, even if the world doesn't want it, even if my people don't want it, even if the city doesn't want it or the church doesn't want it, I'm going to do this. That's not the way that God works." [00:42:00] (67 seconds)


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Transcript
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