D AY T WO. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Faith. Faith defined simply is “complete trust”. Today, as you have opened yourself up to the leading and prompting of Holy Spirit, what are some areas that you struggle with having complete and total trust (faith) that God will heal, deliver, and make you whole in? If you are wondering how to specifically identify those areas, ask Holy Spirit to show you the areas where you least ask for help. These are often the areas where we have made the resolve that we can do them ourselves, etc. In this season, God desires to move in ways that are far beyond your imagination in the small things so that your victory in the larger things will hold more joy and embedded a more resolute faith in your heart, mind, and soul. PRAYER // Father, help my faith to connect me to my promise.
D AY T H R E E . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Bring. Immediately upon looking at this word, I thought about how I can sometimes forget to appropriately greet my parents because I am so anticipating what is in their hands. Is that not like us? We have been trained to look at hands before we look at hearts. It’s the classic fish and loaves syndrome! We look for the miracle instead of the one who created the miracle. But, when we look at our focus scripture, we see that it is attached. There cannot be one without the other. Commitment. Follow through. We are committed to the drop off or delivery. This year, there can be no personal victories if we are not willing to bring our all.
PRAYER // Lord, help me with my follow through.
D AY F O U R . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Hope. On the surface, hope means expectation and or desire for something to happen. But once you dig into its foundational meaning, hope means that there are “substantiated grounds for you to believe for a specific outcome.” Are you like me and having a big SELAH moment? There are so many moments in which we have had high hopes for a person, a house, … to happen when we had nothing to prove that it could or would come pass. Misplaced. Today, Holy Spirit wants us to reexamine our hopes. If you are believing God for this person to marry you, by the definition or hope: what has he/ she done to prove or validate that this could be possible? Instead of hanging our hopes on the tangible, Holy Spirit is inviting us to hope on what’s been proven.
PRAYER // Father, help me change my wishing nature.
D AY F I V E . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Reality. For so many of us, we have based our realities on things that have little to no merit at all. The cars we desire, the house we want, the perfect kids, the perfect career, etc. have all come from a jaded misconception that has been implanted in us from our first TV show. As we are narrowing close to the end of our first week of this fast, we can see that God (in just the beginning of our scripture) is redirecting how we build and what we see as real. God is challenging our reality and causing us to look inward at what it is or who it is that we have laid all of our hopes and our faith upon. Does your what/why line up with God’s word or have we allowed ourselves to be willfully deceived?
PRAYER // Lord, help me to build on what’s real.
D AY S I X . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Become. Become defined is simply: begin to be. Today’s devotion is simple. Look around you. Look within you. Look back over all that you have done and all that you think you are. Does it measure up to what God destined you to be? Way back when He was forming man, He saw you coming up through all those generations. He not only saw you, but He thought about you and was very intentional on how you came to exist. You, your struggles, your highs, your lows are all a part of the path of shaping you to help you to become. What you begin to be (become) based on the reality of who He is will properly position you for your personal victory.
PRAYER // Father, what are you creating me to be?
D AY S E V E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Foundation. The definition of foundation that many may not know is that it is “the lowest load bearing part below ground level.” Our foundation in life is not just what we are building from or building on, it is also what carries the load. From who we have become to what and how we act, it all stems from our foundation. As we end our first week of fasting, ask Holy Spirit if your foundation is strong enough to carry you through out this year. For some, it may be that our foundation has sunken because the earth around it has shifted. The easiest way to know is by looking through your house (spiritually) to see if there are any “cracks” in your wall.
PRAYER // Holy Spirit, is my foundation ok? I give you permission to reveal every crack so that I can begin to work.
D AY E I G H T. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Selah. Whew! Let’s just take today to celebrate the work we have done to make it to week two of our fast. We are well on our way to creating an atmosphere for victory to reside. Yes! The past seven days has been really interesting and required us to hit the ground running. The older saints would say: Soul Searching. If nothing else, we are relearning what it is to operate in faith the bible way. As Bishop Blake would often tell us, “If you do it the Bible way, you will get Bible results.” Today, I challenge you to go back through your notes and ask yourself some hard questions. Then, if you have not already begun to do so, start doing the work so that you can properly position yourself to receive all that Holy Spirit has for you going forward.
PRAYER // Father, I stretch my hands to Thee ask you to strengthen for the work that lies ahead.
D AY N I N E . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Need. Today, we’re focusing on what is most essential - important. Last week we found out that some of the things that we were “hoping” for may not have been essential to the purpose that God has called us to. As we enter into our second week of fasting, our focus is on where the need is and how we can begin to fulfill our purpose by responding to it. As we build, we sow. As we sow, needs are met. PRAYER // Lord, prepare me. Remove every scale that hinders me from seeing the need.
D AY T E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Acquire. Simply put, to acquire something is to learn or develop; come to have a result of one’s activities or behavior. Let’s look at this as it applies to our focus scripture. We are developing the behavior, and mindset, as that of people of faith and acting out what we believe because of who we have seen our Father to be in our lives. As we acquire things in the earth, we are doing so in hopes that we are fulfilling the need(s) in His kingdom as they arise. Every time a need is met, we are not just acquiring material possessions, we are also acquiring more faith, more hope and seeing the reality of Heaven actually touching the Earth. The overflow from this is where we see our own private hopes become reality. Today, make sure that whatever it is that you are acquiring is not just for personal gain. Your motive will dictate your portion.
PRAYER // Lord, Help me to seek to acquire the things that serve a lasting purpose.
D AY E L E V E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Things. Whoa, wait! Are we really doing a devotion on the word ‘thing’? Why yes! Yes, we are! It is important that we look at this word because it is a focal part of our scripture. Our scripture reads, “... acquire the things…” But what ‘things’? That’s the point. Just what things is not listed or specified. There are no labels which means there are no limits. What you are seeking and hoping for God to do in these 21 days, may be too limited. God wants us to challenge Him. How do I know this? He asked us in His word to “prove Him now.” Jesus even marveled at the faith of an elderly woman. Today, take the restraints off and go big, bold. Pray something that makes you seem completely and totally crazy. After all, our Father does refer to us as “peculiar”. Why not pray that way, too? I dare you!
PRAYER // Holy Spirit take over my prayer and teach me how to pray bold, daring prayers that only God can do.
D AY T W E LV E . “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
We. Faith is not about a personal journey. It is a collective journey. We speaks to all of us working together to achieve a common goal. As we are working individually to develop, we find that we are not alone in our efforts. When this is realized, it helps to make the load lighter. Isn’t it beautiful how all of our focus words are connecting! As God’s word points out the more ‘we’ read in this chapter, there is a cloud of witnesses for us to look back upon. Be comforted in knowing that you are not in anything alone, nor will you ever be. There will always be someone going through or have gone through all that you are experiencing.
PRAYER // Holy Spirit, keep me forever mindful that it is not me, but we.
D AY T H I R T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Long for. It is important that when we use the term ‘long for’ that we understand it is not solely based on what you desire. It also refers to those things that took a while to build and acquire. The things that did not happen overnight - you know - process. Yikes! I said the “p” word: process. As you’re going through this time, give yourself permission to not just go through this process but to also GROW through this process. Know that everything that you are working towards, longing for, is going to come to pass. We all have a due season. It is no different than when a farmer plants a crop. Each is ready at different times of the year, and some - especially if you’ve planted a pecan tree will take longer to bear fruit; but, it will bear fruit! So wait (yeah, another ugly word) but be very attentive as you’re waiting. You may just how what you’ve started germinated and now you have twice as much more than when you first started. PRAYER // Lord, help me to believe it will come to pass.
D AY F O U R T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
We. Faith is not about a personal journey. It is a collective journey. We speaks to all of us working together to achieve a common goal. As we are working individually to develop, we find that we are not alone in our efforts. When this is realized, it helps to make the load lighter. Isn’t it beautiful how all of our focus words are connecting! As God’s word points out the more ‘we’ read in this chapter, there is a cloud of witnesses for us to look back upon. Be comforted in knowing that you are not in anything alone, nor will you ever be. There will always be someone going through or have gone through all that you are experiencing.
PRAYER // Holy Spirit, keep me forever mindful that it is not me, but we.
D AY F I F T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Fellowship. Congratulations! It is our halfway day and we are nearing the end of our time of fasting. As you look back over this week and all that has transpired, take a moment to offer praise to God. In praising, you will be drawn to worship which leads to fellowship with our Father through Holy Spirit. He wants to refresh you, encourage you, and strengthen you for the week to come. You will see the posture of your heart transition to one seated in gratitude. PRAYER // Lord, I am not just thankful; I’m grateful.
D AY S I XT E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
All. When there is nothing left out. When you reflect on the entirety of whatever. All. Everything that you have done prior to you reading this, all of it, is enough to build on and grow from. The moments you fasted and the moments you fell off the wagon but committed to try again; when you did the soul searching and when you stopped because it was overwhelming; ALL of it is going to work for your good to accomplish the end goal. Do not be hard on yourself. Know that our God wastes absolutely nothing. He uses and works through it all. He is in every detail. He was at the ending while you were beginning and sent you the help of Holy Spirit to see you through the process, or middle, of it. All of your cans, all of your can’ts, all of your notes, all of your discoveries, ALL of it, will work, will be enough, will be just what you need for this victory. PRAYER // Lord, help me to be honest and bring it all before you.
D AY S E V E N T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Evidence. There are just some things that you cannot argue with. Evidence is one of those things. When comes to all that you have made it through, one cannot argue the evidence: Jesus will keep you if you let Him. Evidence proves that the facts and information prove something or someone to be true or valid. When we began our fast, we had to measure our hopes against what we knew to be proven. We discovered that a lot of things we were hoping for prior to the fast were not based on trial and err. They were based on what we saw others have or others said and went from there. Now, we understand that hope not based on the evidence of who God is and what God has done, is simply a wish. But, when we take our hopes and what we long for, measure against the evidence of God, we can be sure of two things: He will make it happen for our good or He will block it for our good. Either way, we have a different level of trust and know that based on the evidence, God is doing what is best for us. You can’t argue the evidence. PRAYER // Father, help me to train my flesh to not argue the evidence.
D AY E I G H T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Required. Required in this context means what is due, or expected, from someone because of the virtue of his/her position. It is not speaking to God’s authority but to the authority He has invested in us. Yes, you have been given a position of virtue/ authority. We grow from faith to faith, line upon line and precept upon precept. The more you build upon what you know to be true from God’s word and His works, the more authority you will have. With this authority, you have the ability to speak (make a decree) by faith and it is going to come to pass. However, the key thing is your level of virtue. In other words, there can be no hidden motives or bad agendas. God grants authority based on integrity and character. On day sixteen, we learned that all of it is working for our good. That is because God sees and knows our heart. He knows the true nature of the why behind our what. PRAYER // Father, as I grow in grace, keep me forever humble so that I don’t abuse what You have placed in me.
D AY N I N E T E E N. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Prove. If the evidence is already present, what are we needing to prove? That is a really good question but this is not about proving anything. It’s about demonstrating. We have to remember that we are living epistles. We are that 67th chapter of the Bible that people will read first. Our lives have to be living proof that our faith is not something we talk about but it is our lifestyle. Every single day, we are demonstrating the evidence of who and whose we are. This is why it is so important that fast. It is not about the lack of meat from our diet, but it is about our commitment and our devotion to making sure that we are in proper alignment with our Father. We are what proves faith works now just as it did back in Biblical times. PRAYER // Holy Spirit, remind me always that I am a walking demonstration of faith in action.
D AY T W E N T Y. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Is. I am so excited at the way God reaffirms. It is not because we question Him, but because He is sealing something in us and making us resolute. He uses this tiny word to let us know that we are on the path to the promise. He wants us to know that it will take place but don’t let it change the condition of our heart or mind. ‘Is’ reminds us of what we are dealing with in opposition to or in connection with. There will always be something consistently present that will challenge who you have become during this fast. Lean in to Holy Spirit and follow His leading. PRAYER // Holy Spirit, in spite of what “is”, help me remember what God said.
D AY TWENTY-ONE. “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Still Unseen. Woo-hoo! Congratulations! It is (see what I did there) the final day of our fast and these two words speak volume! The speak to our future. You may very well still be awaiting the manifestation of things you were seeking God for. That is perfectly normal and it is okay. Sometimes what is still unseen is the best thing since slice bread. Literally! When you change your prayers and begin praying boldly and asking God for things that only He can do, the things that transpire leading up to the manifestation are amazing! God begins to orchestrate behind the scenes moving stuff so that you can have “...room to receive…” all of it. Your lifestyle daily demonstrates what is about to take place. As you navigate through this day and the days to come, make sure that you are intentional about your words and your actions being in total alignment AND in agreement with God’s word. Why? Because you are preparing for the still unseen.
PRAYER // Father, do not allow me to let anything or anyone cause me to miss my moment.