Joshua 3:5 “Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’”

This time of fasting and prayer allows us to prioritize our relationship with the Lord at the start of the new year; releasing all the trash that held us back, hurt or hindered us in 2018; freeing us up to enter this new year hungry for the supernatural to increase in our lives.

During the 7 days, we will believe God for revival, miracles and breakthrough in our spiritual lives. Whether this is your first time fasting or you have done this many times, the result is always a closer connection with God and a stronger church family.

We are excited about 2019 and the new era the Lord is leading us into. We are expectant of a mighty manifestation of the supernatural in our midst and upon the earth! As you enter this fast, release decrees and declarations that you will see the burdens of 2018 fall from you and have a renewed vision and hope for 2019!

Remember, the most important consideration in fasting is your motive. Why are you fasting?

What will we be praying about?

We are placing the Lord as first priority in our lives to bring about the breakthroughs, the new, the renewal and the revival; in us and the global body of Christ.

Key words for this New Era:     Exploits,   Opportunity,  Supernatural Favor,   New , Fulfillment of  all things.

We are trusting the Lord that this time of fasting and prayer will release a passion for His name within us – to cut off what belongs to a past season, to receive renewed hope and vision for our lives/ministry, to be conduits for signs, wonders and miracles and to fulfill the mandate of sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth!

During this time of fasting, be intentional about your priorities. Set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. The more time you spend with God, the more meaningful your fast will be.

If you need an overview or suggestions on what you can do to make the most of the fast in terms of having a daily routine,  use the below points:

Morning:

Begin your day in praise and worship

Read and meditate on God’s Word

Invite Holy Spirit to work in you

Noon:

Take a short prayer walk

Spend time in intercessory prayer for the theme of the day

Evening:

Make time for an unhurried time of “seeking God’s face”

If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer

Avoid television or any other distraction that may affect your spiritual focus

When possible, begin and end each day with your spouse, family or friend for a brief time of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Please let us know you’ll be fasting and praying with us!

Day 1: Relinquish & Release (Mon, 14 Jan)

Scripture: Psalm 25:4, 5 and 15

Psa. 25:4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. (5) Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (15) My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only God will release my feet from the snare. (NIV)

The focus for day 1 is for us to relinquish and release all the “baggage” from 2018 – any sin you need to confess, any hurt or anger to release, extending forgiveness to others and yourself, letting people go whom have held you in bondage and guilt.

We need to let go of disappointments, regrets and missed or lost opportunities suffered in 2018. Get ready, 2019 is a tremendously powerful and significant year for you and the global body of Christ.

Find a quiet place where you can be free of distractions. Turn off your phone and forms of social media.

Our mobile phones are one of the greatest distractions Christians face in their attempts to hear God’s voice.

Take a moment to become aware of the stillness (or appreciate the worship music you might be playing in the background).

Read the scripture aloud several times, slowly.

• Ask the Lord to bring transformation in the area/s you want to relinquish and release.
• Spend time journaling about what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.

Day 2: Tune in: Speak Lord, your servant is listening (Tue, 15 Jan)

Scripture: John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Today’s devotional is an exercise designed to help you grow in your ability to hear God’s voice.

The illustration of a mobile phone will be used. Unlike earthly cellular companies that promise us limitless coverage and perfect reception but rarely deliver it, God has the ability to transmit the heavenly signal to us no matter where we are on the planet.

Take your mobile phone out and turn it off. No matter how great your phone is, you cannot receive or make calls until the power is on. It is no different with humans. Unless your power is “on,” regular communication with God is almost impossible. Spiritually speaking, our power is turned on through our times of intimacy with the Lord and connecting during these times.

Signal problems—Within the cellular world, signal strength can be affected by proximity to a cell tower, obstructions such as buildings or trees, destructive interference from other communication towers, or the condition of the cell phone.

First of all, just as cellular reception is affected by proximity to cell towers, so your ability to hear God clearly is directly related to your proximity the Lord and fellowship with other believers (the church).

Remember, hearing God is not a skill; it is a relationship. Therefore, the more quality time you spend with God, the better you will hear.

The word quality here is important – we have to limit the attractions and distractions of our media-driven world. Once we have discipline, we will be free to focus on God through the Word, worship, and waiting on the Lord.

Our proximity to God’s people is also vital. Without discipleship, mentoring, fellowship, equipping, and accountability provided through a healthy church, we would not have the foundations necessary to develop an authentic, sustainable relationship with God.

Even as the internal condition and quality of a cell phone can determine call quality, so the condition of our souls is vital to the whole process of hearing God. These are some of the factors that influence our ability to hear God: stress, fatigue, physical sickness, exhaustion, distraction, or busyness. You cannot forget that your spiritual life is deeply impacted by how you are doing physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

If none of these factors is involved, it could just be destructive interference. Just as cellular communications can be affected by other electronic signals, so the enemy—the prince of the power of the air—does everything in his power to impair our ability to hear God’s voice.

Simply quiet your soul and take a deep breath. Spend two or three minutes simply waiting. You may feel the Lord’s presence before you hear the voice of the Lord.

If you are feeling God’s presence simply say, “What do you want to say to me, Lord?”

• Journal (write down) what you are hearing.

Day 3: Worship and War: Breakthrough is here! (Wed, 16 Jan)

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20: 15; 17-18

(15) He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. (17) You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ ”(18) Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.

The goal of worship is to commune with God. Worship focuses us on the Lord and as we worship, God is enthroned in our praises and we break through into Heaven.

When we truly worship, we take “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Worship releases the anointing of God to break yokes.

This is a season and time for breakthrough as you worship and wage war against the enemy’s schemes to keep you bound in the past season and preoccupied with doubt, fear of failure, insecurity and uncertainty about the “next steps” or decisions needing to be made to take you to breakthrough.

Don’t buy into the lies of the enemy – you are destined for greatness and the God of the impossible is on YOUR side; fighting on your behalf. All we need to do is to come into agreement with the Lord and believe that breakthrough in areas of oppression or lack will come.

• Begin to worship and if you speak in tongues, pray in tongues. If you don’t speak in tongues, just release a sound into the spiritual atmosphere as you call on the name of the Lord to come and invade your atmosphere.
• What form of spiritual warfare have you recently been facing – your marriage, relationships, your ministry, other Christians coming against you, workplace tension/challenges, health, finances etc.
• Begin to declare 2 Chronicles 20:15 (b) over the areas you are experiencing opposition or need breakthrough. Additional scriptures to declare: Acts 16: 25-26 and Isaiah 10:27
• Write down which yokes you believe have been broken over your life/ministry as you worshipped and warred for breakthrough.

Day 4: Declare & Decree: Opportunity & Exploits (Thu, 17 Jan)

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-5

Colossians-4v2-Devote-yourselves-to-prayer(2) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (3) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. (4) Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (5) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

This is a year where great favor will rest on exploits you undertake, if they are aligned with God’s will. You will have supernatural favor as a child of the Lord in opportunities to prosper comes your way (supernaturally) – new business ventures, new geographic territories you have mapped out and want to take for Christ, new or revamped church premises, new connections to bless you and your ministry.

There are keys in heaven which the Lord is now giving to us  to open doors previously closed to us and keys to open treasure chests to bring about spiritual transformation in cities and nations. Keys of different shapes and sizes, made of different materials – you are unique and the key you will be given is unique to fulfill your unique exploit.

• Ask the Lord to show you and create opportunities to do mighty exploits for the Lord – in your family, your friendships, your church, your community, your workplace, your country.
• A lot has been spoken about the end time harvest of souls being ready to come into the church – that new breed being raised up to take their place in the body of Christ. Ask the Lord for strategies and opportunities to reach the end time harvest of souls. Declare that you will have sufficient workers in the field to reach the harvest.

As the end of days approach, the increase in the supernatural display of Holy Spirit’s power will be undeniable. Plug in and see what God will do.

• Declare that every opportunity to prosper in mind, body, soul and spirit will not be missed this year.
• Invite God to use you – seek out every opportunity to pray for others to bring glory to the Lord – decree that signs, wonders and miracles will follow us
• Pray for your family, workplace, city, ministry, global body of Christ to receive breakthrough to enter the new era of delight, freedom and prosperity in the Lord
• Pray for an increase of supernatural signs, wonders and miracles to be seen as believers pray for others and gather in groups to praise the name of the Lord.
• Decree exponential growth in your spirit, knowledge and wisdom, revelation
• Decree that exponential growth will occur in the body of Christ and the finances to prosper

Day 5: Restore and Revive (Fri, 18 Jan)

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4

“ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. God has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,(2) to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (3) and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (4) They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

2018 was a difficult, challenging year for many of us. It took a lot emotionally, spiritually and possibly financially from some.

BUT God… this is the year where the Lord is going to restore and revive all that was lost or stolen. The Lord is sending a fresh wind upon the earth to breathe life into the weary.

The Lord is rebuilding walls which were torn down in the past season due to devastating circumstances or personal challenges; restoring vision to those who have lost direction; restoring a renewed passion for Kingdom work and Kingdom people.

• Ask the Lord for that refreshing wind of Holy Spirit to blow upon you – decree that you are being given new strength (emotionally, spiritually and physically)
• Decree and believe that as you fast and pray, your passion will return – to see what God wants to reveal to you, to hear what the Lord is whispering to you, to move with the rhythm of Holy Spirit
• Decree that every broken wall, every stolen or lost moment, will be restored unto you
• Pray that the restoration and revival will be in EVERY area you need it in – that there will be no area in your life/ministry missed

Day 6: Fullness and Fulfillment (Sat, 19 Jan)

Scriptures: John 1:16 and Isaiah 48:6

1John 1:16 “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favour upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.”

Isaiah 48:6 “You have heard [these things foretold], now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known.”

This is a season and time for the seers and the hearers, as the Lord is showing and revealing new things upon the earth and in the spiritual realm. The fullness of time is upon us, with increased signs and wonders, increased prophetic utterances, increased revelation – the fulfillment of Joel 3!

This is the start of a new era, where the impossible will be made possible in the name of Jesus, experiencing increased restoration and revival upon the earth, a separation of the authentic and the counterfeit; promises and prophetic words spoken over your life will come to pass rapidly, as you put the Lord first in all things.

• Decree that you will have a relentless pursuit to walk in the fullness of what Christ has promised you.

Day 7: Thanksgiving and Praise (Sun, 20 Jan)

Scriptures: Psalm 69:30 “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify the Lord with thanksgiving.”

Psalm 100:4 “Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and God’s courts with praise; give thanks to the Lord and praise God’s name.”

• Look back over the past 6 days and thank the Lord for every transition and shift (no matter how small) you have made (spiritually, emotionally and physically) during this period of fasting and praying.
• Declare that on Day 7, your transformation and breakthrough will be complete according to God’s will and riches.
• Decree that there is no going back to the old season. Speak completeness of turnaround in your healing, health and wealth in your spirit, emotions and physically.
• Thank the Lord for every person who fasted and prayed during this period – that they too will experience the fullness of transformation and transition in spirit and circumstances.