Day 21 - Prosperity

Often when a person thinks of the word “prosperity”, the word “money” seems to be the next word he/she thinks of.   It’s almost as if the two words are one.  When we hear of someone who is prospering, we tend to think it has to do with “finances”.  Yes, we all want to prosper financially, but there’s much more to it than money.  Living well financially is just one of MANY ways to prosper.  In the book of 3rd John, verse two, it says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy SOUL prospereth.”  This one verse brings the true meaning of prosperity into focus.  John is writing to a friend here.  I believe John desires that his friend prosper in everything and in his health, but goes on to say “as your SOUL prospers.”  In other words, “I want you to do well in every way, but I’m most interested in the prosperity of your own SOUL.”   The writer of the well-known spiritual song, “It is Well”, didn’t say, “It is well with my finances.”, “It is well with my relationships.”, or “It is well with my health.”  He penned, “It is well with my ... SOUL.”  True prosperity begins with the SOUL and its condition.   You can be doing well in almost every aspect of your life at the moment, flourishing, experiencing some successes, PROSPERING, but if your SOUL isn’t where it needs to be, nothing else matters.   I truly believe that if we concentrate on the state of our souls, making sure they’re in tune and in line with the Lord, we will see prosperity in other areas of our lives also.  Psalm chapter 1 tells us HOW to prosper.  It says if we do not walk in step with the wicked, stand in the way that sinners take, sit in the company of mockers, but delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night, whatever we do will ... PROSPER.

Day 20 - Evangelism and Outreach

Evangelism and outreach are different, yet within the Christian faith and the church, they work hand in hand towards reaching the same goal.   EVANGELISM is defined as “the spreading of the Gospel through public preaching or personal witness”.   OUTREACH is a more a hands-extended, hands-on approach to meeting the “needs” of others.  Evangelism is geared more towards the “spiritual”, where “outreach” is more focused on the “physical”.  They are each in support of the other.  With both, the goal is to point a person towards the cross and the gift of salvation.  I firmly believe that effective outreach can pave the way for effective evangelism.  If you meet a persons “physical” needs, they are often more attentive and more interested in what you have to “say”.   We’ve always heard it said, “Don’t TELL me you love me ... SHOW me!”  When I grew up in school we had what was called “Show and Tell” days where we were allowed to bring an item we liked and talk about it.  The SHOW came before the TELL. Through the ministry of OUTREACH, people SEE the love of Christ in action.  Through the ministry of EVANGELISM, people HEAR about the love of Christ.   The two work hand in hand.  Pray today that God will give you and your Avenue family opportunities to engage in BOTH.


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Day 19 - Unsaved Loved Ones

There’s nothing more heart-wrenching than the thought of a loved one missing Heaven and going to hell.  The thought of someone we love missing the rapture of the church and being left behind is painful. We don’t even want to think about it.   There are a lot of things in life where we pray once, we understand God heard it the first time, and then we let it go.  But, when it comes to a lost loved one ... we battle ... we pray daily ... we plead for their lives ... we claim their lives for Christ.  It’s true that WE can’t change them.  It’s a decision of THEIR hearts, which is out of our control.  Of course, we can say things or do things that will possibly reach their emotions, but they’re the ones who have to make the turn.  Speak the Word of God over them.   Get other faith-filled believers to join with you in prayer.  Couple together FASTING with your prayers.  When it comes to lost family and friends, don’t give up the fight!  Their lives are worth it!  Salvation is just as much a gift for them as it is for you.

Day 18 - Gods Will

Gods will!   What is that?  You may at least be asking, “What is God’s will for ... ME?”  Other questions people ponder are, “What is my PURPOSE?” or “Why am I here?”  Gods GENERAL will for everybody can be clearly seen if one just simply reads the Bible.  It’s His SPECIFIC will where people get confused and frustrated in their search.  Everybody wants to know what they’re supposed to do in life, and rightfully so.  One of the most fulfilling things in life is to be in the center of Gods will and KNOW it ... operating in your God-given gifts ... answering the call ... making a difference in the Kingdom of God.  I’ve dealt with so many people throughout my ministry who struggled and wrestled with the will of God for their lives.  What I found was that many of those people were doing “nothing” except waiting on the answer to fall into their laps ... expecting a list of instructions to be included somewhere in the box ... maybe even the audible voice of God or a physical visitation of Jesus Christ.  Well, finding Gods will shouldn’t be difficult, but it definitely doesn’t always happen that way.  One day when seeking the will of God for my own life, He spoke something so powerfully to my heart, and it changed my perspective on how the will of God can be revealed in a persons life.  He said, “When you don’t know what to do ... do what you KNOW to do!”   That may sound very confusing to some, but He made it make perfect sense to me.  What does it mean?  In the midst of your WAITING ... get involved in Kingdom work ... do SOMETHING ... don’t be idle!    Remember I mentioned the “general” will of God and the “specific” will of God.  I’m a firm believer that if a person faithfully pursues and fulfills what the Word of God commands and encourages EVERY believer to do ... the SPECIFICS of a persons life and call will eventually come clear.  GENERALLY speaking, there are things we ALL are called to do as Christians.  Some have found the specific call of God for their lives while operating in the general.  Get active in your local church and community!  Find out what they need done and jump in!   Volunteer!   God will reveal what needs to be revealed in your life in His way and in His timing.   There’s no need to wrestle!   Just work!

Day 17 - Faith

There’s much to be said about the topic of our prayer point today.   Many sermons, lessons, and devotions have been built around its truths.  Faith, or rather “KEEPING the faith”, can be challenging.  The attacks on our faith are not new, but they do seem to be increasing as time quickly marches on.  How important is it?  According to the Bible we are “saved through faith” ... we “hear by faith” ... we “walk by faith” ... “justified through faith in Christ” ... “made well by faith” ... told to “stand firm in the faith” ... we “ask in faith”.   Wow!   It seems as though faith is the basis of EVERYTHING. If we don’t have FAITH, what do we have?  Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.”  That’s the power of it, and our adversary the devil knows this.  It’s why he works diligently to blast our faith with every possible discouragement and delay.  The disciples could have asked for anything from Jesus, but in Luke 17, they only said, “Increase our FAITH.”   How do we KEEP the faith ... STRENGTHEN our faith ... INCREASE our faith?   The Bible makes it clear: “Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the WORD OF GOD.”  Stay in the Word and listen to the voice of God ... get in and stay in a Bible-based, FAITH-based church ... surround yourself with friends of faith and encouragement ... and make a CHOICE to believe no matter how difficult the times.  In the parable of the sower, Luke 8:15 says, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who HEAR THE WORD, RETAIN it, and by PERSEVERING produce a crop.”  Today, do as the disciples did and ask the Lord, “Increase my FAITH.”

In Proverbs, chapter 3, the writer said, “The LORD will be your CONFIDENCE.”  I love that!  There are more people than we realize who seem to lack in the area of SELF-confidence.  Maybe things were said or done to them that brought pain, disappointment, and changed how THEY saw themselves.  Sometimes the lack of confidence in ourselves can be due to what’s called “suffer by COMPARISON”.  We look at others ... their accomplishments ... their personality ... their looks ... their popularity ... their position ... their success ... their influence ... their money.  We begin to feel LESSER than, because we COMPARE our lives to them, wanting to be more like them, having what they have, wondering what they did to get it.  This leads us to a place of dissatisfaction and discouragement.  There is a simple yet profound truth that we ALL must grab hold of and it’s this:   “God called YOU to be YOU!”   You are unique, designed and fashioned by the Creator Himself, and those whom you may be comparing yourself and your life too aren’t like YOU either.  

On another note, you may be a highly confident person in yourself, but you have a problem putting confidence in OTHERS.   You feel you’ve been let down a lot, misled, and betrayed by the words and actions of those you trusted.  Trustworthy, reliable, dependable people are out there.  Find that person or persons you can connect with ... share your heart with ... share your dreams with.  They could be looking for you also.  Bottom line, “The LORD will be your CONFIDENCE.”  Put ALL of your confidence in Him, and He’ll lead you to others.

Day 15 - Peace

Our prayer point for today seems to be one the most elusive things in a persons journey through life.   Peace!  Many people search for it their whole lives, only to come to the end of their road without ever finding it.  Why is that?  How many times in my life have I looked for something, only to discover I wasn’t looking in the right place? We’ve all done it.  Could it be that peace is difficult to find, because people are trying to search for it through other people ... relationships ... social acceptance? Country star Johnny Lee made famous the song “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.”   I believe the same can be said about peace.   Peace wasn’t meant to be elusive or something to be chased.  We oftentimes just look for it in all the wrong places.  We try to find peace in the “stuff” of life ... the material things.   Some think that the more money they have, the more peace they’ll have.  We try to find peace in others sometimes, only to be disappointed.  Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; MY PEACE I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”  Notice Jesus said “MY peace.”  We make it difficult, but the solution is actually rather simple.  Maybe we should quit pursuing peace, and start pursuing Jesus Christ.  In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 13, God said, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”  There is a “counterfeit” peace that’s found in many things.  That peace seemingly suffices for a period of time, but then it runs out ... runs its course ... vanishes ... and leaves a person feeling even lower than they did before.  Here it is:  Seek CHRIST and there you’ll find PEACE ... all you’ve ever needed and more.  Seek HIS peace!   There’s NOTHING that can compare!

Day 14 - Patience

PATIENCE!  This is a tough one for more people than will actually admit it.  In the book of Galatians chapter 5, the Bible gives us a list of 9 things you and I as Christians are supposed to model.  It calls them FRUITS.  One of the fruits listed is “temperance”. In the New International Version of the Bible, it refers to it as “self-control”.  There are many things that try our patience ... test our durability ... challenge our self-restraint.  We all have certain “pet peeves” ... things that set us off ... things that “get on our last nerve” ... buttons that can be pushed.  It escalates when it’s things that are very much OUT of our control.  That’s when we have to work even harder at being SELF-controlled.  I read a quote many years ago, and it ministered to me. It’s full of truth and stands to help anyone whose patience is lacking.  It’s been around a while, and I’ve seen it made into frames for wall decor and written on other things. A professor and theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr actually came up with it and spoke it as a prayer.  He said, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”   Can you imagine how much more smoothly our journey in this life would be if we could all just make a more intentional effort to live by that prayer?  The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in a city called Colosse.  In his letter, he told them that ever since he heard about their faith in Jesus Christ, he had not stopped praying for them.  Part of his prayer was for God to strengthen them with power, give them endurance, and give them ... PATIENCE.  Paul knew the challenges of living the Christ-life and the difficulties that came with practicing self-control.   If you haven’t already, make Professor Niebuhr’s prayer a part of your personal prayer time.  Working patience can relieve stress and alleviate some of the pressures of life.  It’s a fruit some of us must work hard to bear, but it’s well worth the effort.  

Day 13 - Depression

Depression is a battle many Americans deal with on a day to day basis.  It seems that many of them also do so alone ... behind closed doors ... without anyone even knowing.  It’s often a private journey they travel by themselves.  Let’s be honest.  In the day we now live, it’s easy for any of us to become discouraged, disheartened, and find ourselves ... DEPRESSED.  Even some of our favorite Bible characters experienced low seasons ... times of disappointment ... considered giving up.  The great prophet Elijah sat down under a juniper tree in the wilderness and literally told the Lord to take his life.  Elijah made the statement in vs. 4 of I Kings chapter 19, “It is enough!”  Have you ever thought the same, “It is enough!”, because you too felt like you couldn’t take any more?  If you’re depressed or feeling as though you’re dealing with bouts of depression, don’t isolate yourself and try to go it alone.  That’ll only make it worse.  There’s HELP and there’s HOPE!   No pit is so deep that the power of God can’t pull you out.   I Peter 5:7 says to cast ALL your cares on Him for He cares for you.   In Psalm 40, David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, set my feet on a rock, and established my goings.”   Reach out to somebody ... somebody that’ll encourage you ... somebody that’ll walk through it with you ... somebody that’ll PRAY with you.

Day 12 - Sufficiency

When I think about the word “sufficiency”, I’m drawn to a passage my father quoted for years throughout many sermons.  It’s in II Corinthians 12:9 and it says, “My grace is SUFFICIENT for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  These were words spoken by the Lord to Paul.  At the time, Paul was experiencing a moment of trial in his life.  He had obviously prayed passionately for God to intervene, because it says he PLEADED with the Lord three different times to remove the object of his torment.  For how long we don’t how, but God allowed Paul’s personal battle to continue.  Was God teaching Paul a lesson in SUFFICIENCY?   Was Paul being reminded that in the most intense moments of life’s weaknesses, his SUFFICIENCY is in ... GOD AND GOD ALONE!   The word sufficient is defined as “enough” or “adequate”.  There’s nothing wrong with being SELF-sufficient at times, but moments will come in our lives when “self” can’t make it happen ... “self” can’t pull it off ... “self” needs a little outside help ... “self” isn’t “enough” or “adequate”.   You and I can’t navigate the waters of this life all on our own.  Our efforts many times are not enough ... not adequate ... and not sufficient, but the God we serve is ALWAYS more than enough ... more than adequate ... and more than SUFFICIENT.

Day 11 - Forgiveness

The act of forgiveness is very challenging for some because of the hurt and pain they carry from day to day.  Words were spoken, maybe even by a loved one, someone they trusted, that cut them to the core.  Many people slip into eternity, never forgiving someone or being forgiven by someone.   Our Savior showed us the greatest example of forgiveness on the very day He was put to death.   He was wrongfully accused ... teased and scorned ... battered and broken  without mercy ... his head penetrated by multiple thorns from a homemade crown ... hammered with nails to a splintered cross ... and hung half naked, suspended between Heaven and Earth, in front of His mother, brothers, and other onlookers.   He could have said a lot of different things at that time. He could have taken that last moment to lash out and give them all, as we would say, a piece of His mind.  But, His response should speak to us all.  He said, “Father, FORGIVE them, for they do not know what they are doing!”  Wow!   If He could speak those words after all He had been through, even to His executioners, is it possible you and I can forgive those we’ve been hurt and offended by?  Don’t let unforgiveness be a stumbling block in your life.  As difficult as it may be, make amends with whoever you must.  Life is too short!  Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”   There’s power, strength, and healing in the act of FORGIVENESS!

Day 10 - City/State/National Government Leaders

Our political leaders, whether local, state, or national always need us to lift them up in prayer, especially in the day we now live.  Every day they are faced with decisions that will be life-impacting for the American citizens they have been voted on or appointed to serve.  Their challenges are mounting as time presses on and the tasks don’t get any easier.  It takes great courage and commitment to do what they do.   When they step into those positions, they have to be willing to take the hits that come along with it.  Paul urges us in chapter two of his second  letter to Timothy (I Tim. 2:1-3) to pray, to intercede, and to be thankful for those who are in “high positions”.   He went on to say, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”  They sometimes make decisions that frustrate us and anger us, but that doesn’t negate the passage we just read.  We still have a biblical responsibility to PRAY for them.  Take time, not just today, to lift them up to the Lord.  Pray they look to God for guidance and not make decisions based on their own thinking or the pressures of those around them.  Pray He fills them with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Day 9 - Senior Adult Ministry

The seniors citizens of The Avenue are vital to the health and success of our church.  Many of them have poured their lives into the church, the ministries of the church, and are still doing so.  We never want our elderly to feel unneeded or unwanted.  Their prayers are genuine, powerful, and full of faith.  They are filled with wisdom, knowledge, and life experiences we ALL can glean from.  The NIV translation of Leviticus 19:32 says, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.”   It’s not the job of one person, two, or a particular group or ministry, but it’s ALL our responsibility to check on and lend a hand to the seniors of our church family.  Take a moment today to pray for our seniors and our senior adult ministry at The Avenue.   They need us and we need them!

Day 8 - Christian Education Department

Today, take time to pray for those in our church who TEACH the Word of God.  Whether it’s a child, a teenager, or an adult, we ALL need to be discipled and trained in scripture.  We have teachers at The Avenue who are passionate about helping people mature in their walk with Christ.  They take time weekly to pray and prepare. 1st Corinthians 12:28 says, “and God has placed in the CHURCH first of all apostles, second prophets, third TEACHERS, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.”  Teaching isn’t just a job or a position ... it’s a CALLING.  Pray today God will continue teaching “them” as they teach us ... pouring into “them” as they pour into us.  You and I need what God gives them!

Day 7 - Children/Youth/ College & Career Ministry

In the book of 1st Timothy, chapter 4, it says,  “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are YOUNG, but set an example for the believers in speech, and conduct, in love, and faith, and in purity.”  So often in churches, the young get overlooked, because they are seen as having nothing to contribute ... nothing to bring to the table.  On the contrary, they carry their own God-given gifts, talents, and abilities.  In my years as a student pastor, I learned early that I needed to listen at times to my teenagers.   Obviously I spoke into their lives often, but there were times THEY also spoke into mine.  I’m thankful that at The Avenue, we make a place for our young to minister and put those gifts into action.  If there’s ever been a time that our kids, our teens, and our young adults need our prayers, love, and support ... IT’S NOW!  They are bombarded daily by the enemy’s agenda, who seeks to invade their thoughts and interrupt God’s plan for their lives.  Lift them up today in your prayers and pray that hedge of protection around them.

Day 6 - Church Leadership

There’s nothing easy nor simple about being a leader in a church, especially in the day we now live.  When anyone has ever asked me what it’s like to be a pastor/leader, I’ve always replied, “It’s challenging, yet rewarding, but the rewards always outweigh the challenges.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re standing behind the pulpit or serving in another area of the church, if you’re a leader, there’s a target on your back.  The enemy works diligently to bring down church leaders, infiltrate their families, tarnish their reputations, and attack their character.  They’re as human as anyone else, they hurt, they have struggles, and they make mistakes. Just because they are oftentimes out front and leading the charge doesn’t mean they have it all together.  They need your prayers, your support, and your encouragement.

Day 5 - Men’s and Women’s Ministries

David said that a MAN who FEARS the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments will be blessed.   Another verse says that charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a WOMAN who FEARS the Lord is to be praised.  There’s a key word in both passages that seems to stand out ... a word that plays a vital part in defining what a “godly” man and a “godly” woman should look like. That word is ... FEARS.  It’s not the same fear as in the fear of heights ... the fear of snakes ... the fear of public speaking ... or the fear of flying.  God is not asking or commanding us to be “afraid” of Him, His power, and what He can do.  It’s a “holy” fear ... a sacred fear ... a sense of respect and admiration ... a commitment to reverence.   A man and a woman who truly FEARS God and understands that fear will live in complete devotion to Him, serve Him to the fullest, and lead others to do the same.  We need more men and women like that in the church.   The world itself needs us to be that “man” and that “woman”.

Day 4 - Church Unity

Scripture tells us in the book of Mark that a house divided against itself will not be able to stand.   Two days ago in our devotion on “spiritual revival”, we talked about the three keys to revival.  One of those keys was “unity”.  Whether it’s in a home, in the workplace, or in a church, there must be UNITY for God to work as He desires to work.  In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul admonished them by saying to them that there should be no divisions among them, but that they should be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  On the day of Pentecost that is spoken of in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Ghost came down on the 120 people gathered in that room, the very first verse of the chapter states that everybody in the room that day were with “one accord” in one place.   The word “accord” means “to be harmonious” and it also is an “official treaty or agreement”.  That simply means they were together ... in agreement ... in one mind ... UNIFIED.   The atmosphere was set, and God did something that’s still changing our lives to this day.  We understand we may not always agree.  We are all individuals with our own ideas and opinions.  That’s part of what makes us unique.  But, God can operate when we learn, in spite of our differences, to come together as one.

Day 3 - Church Family

In the book of Acts chapter 2, the “church” during that time grew exponentially and many were saved.  They attributed 4 factors to that growth:  listening to the Word (apostles teaching), breaking bread together, praying, and FELLOWSHIP.  Human beings are relational beings and WE NEED EACH OTHER!   The apostle Paul exhorted us to “encourage one another and build one another up.”  Because of this global virus, the game has changed, and we’re not able to always connect on the same level as we once did.  Nevertheless, we can still connect and encourage one another whether through a simple phone call, Facetime, emails, etc.   The blessing of today’s technology still makes it all possible.  Jesus said, “On this rock I will build MY CHURCH and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  You and I are that CHURCH He’s speaking of.   Let’s continue as a church family to pray for one another, encourage one another, and build one another up, especially during the times in which we now live.

Day 2 - Spiritual Revival

To REVIVE something means to “restore it to life” ... bring it back ... give it new strength.  Revival is first personal.  Don’t wait on someone else to catch fire.  Seek to be renewed for YOURSELF.  I’ve always believed there are 3 keys to revival ... humility, unity, and repentance.  God is drawn to a heart of humility.  He said in II Chronicles 7:14 that He would hear from Heaven, forgive us of our sins, and heal our land if we would do 4 things.  The very first one He mentioned in this passage was ... “HUMBLE themselves”.  Get YOU out of the way and God can work.  

Where there is UNITY, God can operate.  The apostle Paul challenged us in I Corinthians 1:10 to keep division out from among us and be UNITED in mind and thought.  He went on later to say in the book of Romans that you and I should “live in harmony with one another”.  

Thirdly, revival begins with REPENTANCE.  Acts 3:19 sums it up by saying, “REPENT, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of REFRESHING may come from the Lord. “. Take note that REPENTANCE is made first, then REFRESHING comes.  Make things right with the Lord and let the door of revival be opened in your life.  

Day 1 - My Family

This first day of the 21N21 push is very personal, because today we pray specifically for our own families.  I hold to the scripture that says, “As for me and MY HOUSE, we will serve the Lord.”   If you have family members who are unsaved ... claim them for Jesus Christ ... fight for their souls ... pray they turn to the Lord.  Parents, speak over your children’s lives ... speak favor ... speak blessing ... speak protection ... speak prosperity ... speak direction.   The FAMILY unit was ordained and instituted by God Himself from the very beginning.  Pray today that 2021 will be the greatest year yet for you and YOUR FAMILY!  

21 N 21 is our 21 days of Prayer, Fasting and Scripture reading. We will post a daily emphasis and scripture reference to pray specifically about. 21 N  21 begins January 1st. We look forward to what God will do in and through us during this time of prayer and fasting.
Check out our website for more up to date information: myavenuechurch.org