Day 3 (March 3)

“Lord, give us your heart for the world.”

Daily Direction

• Israel (as the Church, we are the new Israel) was called to be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12.2-3). In pursuing the Father’s heart during this 40-day period, we are longing to know more of who God is. As we see throughout Scripture; God has been out to rescue his children from the grips of death since the very beginning. And so, as his image-bearers, we are asking him to show us his heart for the lost.

• The Inland Vineyard doesn’t exist by accident; we have been strategically placed in this city to reach the lost with the Gospel! We, along with all the other churches in our area, are God’s ‘light’ in our hometown. We are praying that God would make that reality tangible for us; that we would be stirred up to reach our city and live for the ones who live ‘outside our walls.’

• We are asking God to give us his heart for the world around us that we might shine like stars in this dark world.
  

Daily Devotion

• “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64.4

Daily Help

• Drink lots of water! This tip is obviously focused for the people who are doing some sort of a food fast. Keeping your body hydrated during this season is crucial. You are ridding your body of something it is used to being fed, and so keeping ‘everything flowing’ is important during this time.

Day 2 (March 2)

“Father, increase our intimacy with you.”

Daily Direction

• Days 2-4 are prayers building on the prayer of Day 1. As the Spirit comes and fills us up, we are beginning today to ask for more of an intimacy with Jesus. It says in Scripture that in Jesus the ‘veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom.’ Jesus brought the beginnings of New Creation, and in doing so he tore the veil from the top down; in other words, God took it upon himself to restore our relationship with him.

• God is not distant; he is dwelling now in our midst. So, as we cry out for more intimacy with Jesus we are declaring that he is near and we are asking for more of that reality. We are a people created in his image; we are a people born to hear His voice. Only in intimacy with the Father do we find our identity, not only as persons but as a community.

• Jesus is in our midst to be near to us, to show us more of who he is, and consequently more of who we are. As we draw closer to him, as we hear his voice, as we feel his heartbeat, we become more ‘us’ than we’ve ever been before. We long to live in the constant reality that the God of the universe is near, present, and active in our lives. He took it upon himself to invite us into an intimate relationship together, and so we are responding to that invitation.

Daily Devotion

• “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and he found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Philippians 3.8-9

Daily Help

• Plan your time of prayer. There will be ‘open’ space now where eating (or whatever you are fasting) would have been before. Plan what you will do during this time. If the time is simply empty, then it will be hard to focus and stay with the purpose you have set. Whether it’s worship, prayer, Bible reading, etc.; Have a set plan for your ‘open’ space so that you can stay focuses; and that plan might simply be sitting before the Lord in silence. No matter what the plan is, the point is to have one.

Day 1 (March 1)

"Holy Spirit, come and fill us up!"

Daily Direction

• As we begin this season of fasting together we are starting on our knees; declaring our desperation before the Lord. We are declaring as a unified people that Jesus is King and that He is in control. We are crying out for more of His presence in our lives and in the life of the Inland Vineyard.
• This prayer, "Holy Spirit come", is the founding prayer of the Vineyard movement that started in the early 80's. We are 'getting back to our roots' as part of the Vineyard movement as we humbly ask for more of God's presence in our midst. This prayer is synonymous with the first petition of the Lord's prayer, "Let your Kingdom come."
• So, on Day 1 of this 40-day fast, let us pray as a community of people that the Holy Spirit would be the center of all we do!

Daily Devotion

• "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6.9-13

Daily Help

• We are called to community, and so it is crucial that you have people supporting you during this time. Whether it's your family, or a couple of close friends, let other people in on your journey so they can be supporting/encouraging you as they are praying for you. There is a battle over a person's commitment to fast, and the enemy doesn't want you entering in; so it's vital to have 'covering' from people in the community.