Week Two Fast: Unnecessary Spending

New City Church

Messages

Week Two Fast: Unnecessary Spending

January 7, 2024

As you refrain from spending this week, take the time and encounter God like never before!

You can begin your prayers by using the acronym P.R.A.Y.

Praise: Start by recognizing God's worthiness of worship and gratitude for His blessings.

Repent: Reflect on your heart, repenting and turning away from anything that hinders your relationship with God.

Ask: Bring your requests to God, trusting in His ability to meet your needs.

Yield: Submit to God's wisdom and trust Him regardless of the outcome (Philippians 4:6-7).

Praying Scripture is another powerful way to communicate with God. Scriptures like Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, Philippians 1:9-11, and Colossians 1:9-14 offer rich prayers that you can personalize for yourself and others.

Week One Fast: Social Media

January 1, 2024

Fasting is a tool for each one of us to take time from something we value and turn our attention to God. Using our fast to focus on God is essential. Fasting is a great way to remove distractions and center our focus on what matters most. If we want to align our hearts with God’s, we have to be able to look away from our worries and fix our eyes on him. Fasting can mean abstaining from any activity that captivates our focus in exchange for time with God. As you refrain from social media this week, take the time and encounter God like never before! You can begin your prayers by using the acronym P.R.A.Y. Praise: Start by recognizing God's worthiness of worship and gratitude for His blessings. Repent: Reflect on your heart, repenting and turning away from anything that hinders your relationship with God. Ask: Bring your requests to God, trusting in His ability to meet your needs. Yield: Submit to God's wisdom and trust Him regardless of the outcome (Philippians 4:6-7). Praying Scripture is another powerful way to communicate with God. Scriptures like Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, Philippians 1:9-11, and Colossians 1:9-14 offer rich prayers that you can personalize for yourself and others.

Day One

January 1, 2024

Dear Lord, I commit myself to fasting and praying for these next 21 days. I desire to grow deeper in my relationship with you and to pray and intercede for the needs of my church as well as my personal needs. I believe you hear my prayers, they don't fall on deaf ears. Holy Spirit, strip away distractions, dismantle any idols that fight for my attention, and fix my gaze solely upon you. May my hunger for Your Word and my commitment to prayer intensify during this time. Your word tells us in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” I hold on to these words you spoke during this time of asking, seeking, and knocking. May Your presence be palpable, Your guidance be clear, and Your blessings overflow as we unite in prayer and fasting. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Day Two

January 2, 2024

God, as I prioritize this time of prayer, I do so from a place of surrender. I surrender my plans, my ambitions, my ways, and I ask that Your will be done in my life. I am making more room for You to move, to speak, to heal, to reveal, and to have Your way. I pray there would be more of You and less of me. As I draw near to You, help me grow in my faith, and experience You like never before. I am expectant for all You will do! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” John 3:30 (NLT)