21 DAYS OF PRAYER
JANUARY 14 2025​​​
​Prayer:
Father God. Thank you for your sovereignty & goodness! As we begin this New Year, may we be reminded of your goodness and faithfulness. Whatever circumstance we find ourselves in throughout this year, whether that be a valley or a mountaintop, make your presence known to us. Increase our faith and help us trust you like Job because you are in control! Thank you that you are the same God yesterday, today, and forever!
In Jesus name, Amen.
JANUARY 15 2025
Hearing the Voice of God by Pastor Dan:
As we continue our 21 days of prayer, I am reminded of this year’s words God has given Pastor Jay as he leads us
into all God has for 2025. Hear and obey. For many of us, we would find it easy to Obey if only we could Hear. I am
not saying that obedience is easy because there are many times that obedience comes with sacrifice. In fact, we
are called to be living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). Obedience can be hard, as Tyler wrote, obedience is not for the faint
at heart. But often as we walk with Christ we can spend countless hours and expel much energy searching for
purpose and what God might be saying. But hearing God shouldn’t be that hard. When we recognize that God is
always speaking, it becomes easier to listen to the voice of God. If God is always speaking how can I hear Him?
Here are three simple ways to hear the voice of God in your life today:
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1. Fast and pray. Fasting is not easy and may not be medically possible for some, but Jesus said in Matthew 6:17, “When you fast,” not if you fast. Fasting is the quickest way to bring your flesh back into alignment with the Spirit. As we weaken our flesh through the biblical exercise of fasting, our spirit regains authority over the overindulgence that we often give our flesh. It’s at this point that our spirit can align in greater measure with the Spirit and hear from God.
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2. Go on a prayer walk. God is always speaking, including in and through His creation. I have noticed in my walk with Jesus that I often feel and experience the presence of Jesus in nature. Psalm 19:1-2 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night, they reveal knowledge.” Bundle up this winter, brave the cold, and tune your heart toward God while you experience His glory.
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3. Meditate on God’s word. God always takes us deeper as we turn to His word. There is always something new revealed to us as we take the time to meditate on Scripture. Invite the Holy Spirit into this moment. Intentionally ask Him to meet and speak to you personally as you meditate on His word. Remember, God’s word is a lamp for your feet, a light on your path (Psalm 119:105). We can always turn to it for direction.
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Prayer:
Lord, I pray that you would give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know you better (Eph. 1:17). Lord, I am intentionally turning my heart back to you. Jesus, I want to hear from you. Lord, I need direction for the year to come. I pray that 2025 will be the year that I learn to hear your voice clearly. I pray that as I hear you, I will have the faith and courage to follow through with obedience. Father, I pray that 2025 will be the year I learn to hear and obey in a greater measure.
In Jesus name, Amen.
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JANUARY 16 2025
Unity in Community by Kim Boylan:
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Nothing prepares you for the heart explosion that happens when you watch your children ‘fall in love’ with each other- when you enter the room and see your young children huddled over the same book or happily playing together. Maybe it’s when your teens help each other with a project, or they climb in the car together to go grab a coffee or burgers. When our children are caring for each other or showing kindness, as a parent you can’t help but feel joy and happiness.
If we feel this joy and happiness as ‘earthly parents’, I can’t help but wonder how much pride our Father in Heaven experiences when he sees his children dwelling in unity.
Psalm 133: 1-3 says “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”
In Ephesians 4, we are told that Christians have a calling on their lives. We are given 4 simple steps to walk in unity. On our own these steps are impossible. It’s only when we accept that Christ has done these things for us that they become possible.
We are called to be humble. Humility means putting others needs above your own. Humility doesn’t mean being
unkind to ourselves but it does require us to realize that we aren’t better than anyone.
We are called to be gentle. Gentleness flows from those who realize how completely dependent they are on God. When we realize how gentle God has been with us and our imperfections, we can be gentle with others. Even those individuals we may not agree with.
We are called to be patient. Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. We are called to bear with one another in love. It’s not always easy, but as believers we are called to put up with one another. The world dismisses those who are opinionated or annoying, we are commanded to “love your
neighbor as yourself.”
When we operate in unity of heart and soul with other believers, we may be an answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21 “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Today we have been given God’s gift of unity- how good it is when we embrace unity, when we practice it, when we foster it and when we treasure it.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for each brother and sister in Christ, each place of worship and outreach ministry in my community that is following you. I pray today for unity and understanding. Help us to recognize each other’s unique gifts and strengths and celebrate and appreciate our diversity. May we learn to listen to and respect one another and work together towards the goal of revival in our city. Open our eyes to those who are struggling and need help and open the doors of opportunity to share the gospel with those who are unbelievers. I pray that you would bless my brothers and sisters, each place of worship and outreach ministry in my community and provide for them the necessary resources to accomplish their mission. Help us to support one another in prayer and action and focus on what unifies us so that together we can impact our community by spreading the gospel. I pray that truth will be spoken with love and grace and that it will be impactful and influential. I pray we would be unified in faith, unified by love and unified with mission.
In Jesus name I pray- Amen.
JANUARY 17 2025​
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The Gift of Hunger – Devotional by Janie Dreidger
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Proverbs 8:34-35 “Now therefore listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.”
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Proverbs 8 is a compelling invitation to abundant life. It is the most passionately beautiful passage that gives us a glimpse of how desperately our God wants to have relationship with us. He invites everyone! He invites anyone who will listen! The words “listen, listen!” stand out in this chapter. His desire is for us to know Him and to find life. He wants us to listen to His heart and know Him intimately so that we can have abundant life; true satisfaction. We have a passionate God who desires for us to know Him and to seek Him. He invites everyone to hear truth, excellence and righteousness. Knowing Him is better is than silver, gold and rubies. Nothing can compare with this walk that our God so wants us to do with Him. He promises counsel, wisdom, understanding and strength and much more than we can imagine. This is true for both the good times and for the difficult seasons. To genuinely believe this, our ears have to be open. “He who has ears, to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 11:15 I want to be that person who listens to my God. I want to be the one who watches daily, at His gate, eagerly waiting for Him, like a child anticipating a treasure. I want to be the one who longs for Him. This is a picture of one who is desperate for God. I believe that the Lord wants to mark 2025 with an outpouring of the greatest gift, the gift of hunger. Hunger for God. Desperation for Him! This is His will. He wants His bride to have a fierce determination to know Him. Spiritual hunger causes you to want to know God, to seek Him like your life depends on it. Jesus said that the violent take the kingdom of heaven by force. Most of us have never really experienced true hunger. We say the words “I’m starving” and go find something in the fridge or cupboard to take the edge off. I remember my father’s stories of his time spent at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where prisoners literally starved to death. He often said that He loved America because on April 11, 1945 at 11:00 am, the surviving prisoners were liberated by the Americans. The planes came in and dropped food directly from the planes. Prisoners were scrambling, almost violently to grasp as much food that they could physically hold in their hands. This is the kind of hunger that God wants us to have for Him! Isaiah 55:1-3 says “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, Come buy and eat. Yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live.”
Ask the Lord for the gift of hunger as described in Psalm 42:1-2. James 4:2 says “you do not have because you do not ask.” He wants to bless you with this gift in 2025. This gift will open your ears to hear what the Spirit is saying and will compel you to walk in his ways.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that You love us and desire us. Thank You for your incredible goodness and the blessings that You lavish on those who hear your heart and know You. You want more than anything to have communion with us continually. How profoundly beautiful is it that You, the Creator of the ends of the earth, desperately desires us! Help us to respond to your passionate invitation to abundant life. Open our ears so that we can truly hear what You are saying. Lord we pray that You would give us the gift of increasing hunger for You in 2025. Help us to seek You as a treasure, to look for You, to wait at the gates and the posts daily for You. Help us to be like the merchant who sold all that he had to buy the one pearl! Give us resolve and determination! Give us the grit to take the kingdom of heaven by force. Give us abandoned hearts! Lord you said that those who hunger will be filled. I thank you that as we grow in our desperation for You, we will hear what You are saying to us through your word, Holy Spirit and our intentional times spent with You. Let this be the year where the spirit of wisdom and revelation falls on your people. Jesus, when we truly see You and all that You are more clearly, we will love You more and will truly want to follow your ways. Your Word says If we love You, we will obey your commandments. Let this be the year for all of us!
JANUARY 18 2025
​Seasons of Refreshing
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Acts 3:19; "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
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I don’t know about you, but I quite often find myself needing a season of refreshing from the Lord. Life has a way of depleting us. The good news is we have a never-ending supply of the Holy Spirit’s life and presence in us. He has been given to us so we can live refilled and refreshed daily. Jesus said that out of our innermost being would flow streams of living water, referring to the life of Holy Spirit. I am thankful that the supply always exceeds the demand. Coming to the Lord and admitting that we are weary and depleted isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s an admission of our humanness. And the Lord knows our weakness and our limitations. And he doesn’t hold that against us, instead, he offers the solution – His life empowering us by the resources of his own Spirit and presence in us. The key is to not let ourselves get to a place where we are drawing from an empty well. Isn’t that what we so often do? We wait until we are depleted and dry, and then we come before the Lord’s presence and ask for a fresh baptism of the life-giving flow of His Spirit. Don’t wait! In 2025 Jesus wants us to freely come to him, to spend time in his word and let our roots go deep into truth; he wants us to pray and cast our cares on him and invite his power and presence into our circumstances; and he wants us to come and freely drink of the water of his Spirit daily so we can live out of the overflow. Psalm 23 tells us that when we hear and obey the Good Shepherd, he leads us to places of rest, restoration, and our cups overflow. Even when surrounded by enemies he prepares a table for us, a place of rest, sustenance, fellowship and peace. Maybe today you can spend some time repenting of trying to live by your own strength and in your own steam. There is no provision for God’s people to live the Christian life apart from the power and enabling of his Holy Spirit. To admit that we need him, that without him we can do nothing, is the starting point of living in the overflow. Greater is the one in you than anyone or anything in the world! I pray today that you will be refreshed and renewed in your inner person, and you will find new vigor and strength in Him!
Prayer:
Lord your Word declares that you lift up those who are bowed down (Psalm 146:7). I must confess Lord Jesus that there are those times that I live in my own strength, and I wait until I am depleted and tired before I turn to you, the wellspring of life. I come to you today and declare my need for you! Jesus I am asking that streams of living water would flow from my inner person, that Holy Spirit would refresh and replenish me in such measure that I am overflowing with your power, presence, and joy! “As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42). Help me to make time today to be in your word, to pray, and to be in your presence. As our church prepares for REVIVE 25, I ask that your Holy Spirit would descend on us and that the fire of Jesus would consume our hearts, refresh our souls, and send us home in power and anointing.
All this I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
JANUARY 19 2025
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Don’t miss out! Devotional by Seth Black
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Mark 6:1-6, "Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him."
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A quote from a book that I will never forget is that “familiarity breeds contempt.” The rhetorical question of the Nazarenes in verse 3 is a prime example of the great truth in this statement. The incarnate Son of God stood before the Nazarenes, and they took offence to His power and claim. To His majesty. To his wisdom and to his miraculous work. Their familiarity with their hometown boy not only became a breeding ground for doubt and spiritual blindness – but pride. Not only did they fail to see Jesus as the living Christ, but they couldn’t even see Him as anything greater than themselves; all their eyes (and hearts) could see was the young boy they grew up with. This is Christ’s reply: "Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith."
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There are two recurring principles found throughout the four gospels that are apparent in the reply of Jesus. First, the Jews were a sign-seeking people, and second; it is because of one’s faith that the favour and miracle-working power of Christ Jesus will manifest in a believer’s life. The Nazarenes hoped for miracles, but on their own terms. They wanted to see something greater than themselves, but refused to believe that one of their own was that very something.
They missed out.
I think of all the times I look in the fridge and cannot find the condiment that is right in front of my eyes. I could be looking for the mayo, or maybe some hot sauce – regardless of what I’m looking for; it always seems to be that very thing I can’t find, yet; it happens to be right in front of my eyes. Maybe this year, you’re looking to grow in your spiritual giftings, overcome addiction, or become more patient. But maybe there are also familiarities right in front of your eyes that you have become blind to. Maybe these familiarities are the very walls, roadblocks, and distractions that are keeping you from growing into the man or woman of God you desire to be. These blind familiarities could be distractions (ie. entertainment), insecurities, the hustle and bustle of over-committing.
Prayer:
Pray that God will open your eyes to the walls you’ve blinded yourself to. Pray dangerously. You must be aware to overcome. Comfort and growth cannot and will not exist in the same space. We must be willing to lay things down if we want to grow. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you greater peace and greater joy, that the fruit of the spirit will fill your heart and mind instead of the distractions and noise that keeps you from your Saviour. Finally, pray that the Holy Spirit will teach you through the Word and His voice to see the will and purpose of God without failure. Don’t miss out.
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JANUARY 20 2025​​
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Passion or Discipline?
Romans 12:11, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
Sometimes we put a lot of guilt on ourselves when we don’t feel so passionate and ‘on-fire’ for Jesus or the things of the Lord. We tell ourselves that if we were spiritual, those feelings and passions would come naturally all the time. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you are in a season right now that can only be described as dry. We’ve just come through Revive weekend, and our 21 days of prayer is ending, and here you are feeling dry! Don’t misinterpret a dry season as your love for the Lord waning. What those seasons indicate is that you are a perfectly normal human being! In our human relationships there are times when the feelings of love are overwhelming. There are other times we must make the choice to love even when the feelings aren’t so obvious. In seasons of dryness we have to be disciplined. When we are not hungry for the things of God, that is the very time we must feast on his word, be found in his presence, and make prayer a priority. Just because we don’t ‘feel’ hungry doesn’t mean we stop eating. The only way our hunger grows, and passion returns is to move past our feelings (or lack of them) and do what we know will feed our soul and strengthen our spirits. I long for those seasons when my zeal comes naturally. I can’t wait to get up in the morning to be with the Lord, read his word, and pray! In those seasons Holy Spirit’s voice is so clear, the words seem to jump right off the page and into my spirit when reading the Bible, there is a keen awareness of his presence! Worship comes easy, praise is constant. Romans 12:11 puts the responsibility of my spiritual fervor on me! Keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Fervor is not a feeling, it is a decision, a determination if you will that when I don’t feel it, I’ll follow through anyways. And I believe that in those seasons when discipline is keeping our spiritual fires stoked the Lord is blessed and honoured that we are choosing him, even when it doesn’t come easy. If you are reading this devotional you have made the decision to prioritize Jesus and time with him at the start of the year. How you end 2025 is not based on how you feel six months, or eight months from now. You will end strong if you determine to never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord as a discipline when you lack passion, and as a reward for your discipline when the passion and desire is there!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I chose today and every day to keep my spiritual fervor and hunger stoked by making time with you a priority. Forgive me for those times when I have let me feelings determine my level of devotion to you. Give me a disciplined life that is ordered around the priorities that keep me near to you. In those seasons of dryness, let the habits I have formed in the times of passion carry me and keep me near to you. I prophecy over my year that 2025 will end stronger than it started! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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JANUARY 21 2025​​
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A Fight Always Follows a Revelation
Hebrews 10:32, "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering."
We are at the end of our 21 Days of Prayer! My hope and prayer are that this is the start of something in your life, not the end. The priority you have made to be with the Lord in his word and prayer over the past 21 Days has brought insight, revelation, and created a solid foundation of God’s Word that we can continue to build our year on. Let me prepare you, often after receiving revelation we face a fight. Suddenly, BOOM! And all hell seems to be breaking loose in your life. The craziest circumstances erupt, you face a challenge, there is an attack on the direction and word you just received. If this is your experience BE ENCOURAGED! This is a confirmation that you are on the right track! Hebrews 10:32 has 3 keys words in it I want to highlight today; “great,” “conflict,” “suffering.” Those words describe what we can often experience after we have made major steps in our walk with the Lord or received revelation from Him.
The word great is obvious, it comes from the Greek word mega, which means something very big. Affliction has at its root meaning a word that refers to a committed athlete. This very big affliction will feel like you just entered a UFC ring, and you must fight with your whole body to win! Finally, we come to the word, suffering. The word in the language the Bible was written has to do with mental pressure or suffering that affects the mind. It points to a war in your soul or an attack on your mind. Rick Renner expands Hebrews 10:32 with these words expanded as follows; “After you were illuminated, you endured a mega-sized ordeal that threw you into the biggest fight you ever faced in your life. But the most critical part of the struggle resulted from the assaults that literally battered your mind.”
When you take a stand in faith and step out in the revelation the Lord has brought or determined in your heart to never be lacking in zeal, the devil will bring every negative thought against your mind. He will use people and circumstances to throw you from God’s plan, he will use any tool he can to talk you out of moving forward in God’s direction.
Don’t let the enemy rob you of the clarity the Spirit has brought so you can hear and obey the Lord Jesus Christ! If this is happening to you right now, or when it happens, take heart – this is a clear signal that you are hearing and obeying the Lord. When we choose not to hear, or choose not to obey, the enemy leaves us alone. But when he recognizes that we are committed to hearing the Lord, and stepping out in trust and obedience, the devil doesn’t sit idly back. Don’t back down. Never surrender to the enemy. Remember, he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus has come that we might have life and life more abundantly! If you weren’t hearing and obeying the devil would have nothing to challenge! But his challenging your life is confirmation that you are on the path that will lead to abundance, to life, to wholeness, and to greater identity and purpose in Christ than you ever thought possible! Hang in there, don’t give in or give up. You are heading in the right direction and if you don’t give up, you will break through into the good things Jesus has stored up for you in 2025! The season of testing won’t last forever, but the blessing and reward the Lord brings to those who hear and obey reach beyond even this life and into eternity!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I commit my life to hearing and obeying the revelation of your Spirit know the enemy will assault my mind. Thank you for alerting me to the fact the devil may even try and use people and circumstances to discourage and dissuade me from hearing and obeying your word. You have a plan for my life, you have blessings unfathomable for me this coming year, and I submit to your will being accomplished in me as it is in heaven. I thank you that satan cannot stop your plan from coming to pass. With your Spirit renewing my mind I know I will be able to discern the attacks of the enemy and successfully resist each attack. Sharpen the clarity of my spiritual ears to hear; Give me courage and tenacity to obey in Jesus name, Amen.
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A NOTE FROM PASTOR JAY​​
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What a privilege to be able to start the year together with 21 Days of prayer and devotion. Thank you to everyone who contributed; To Pastor’s Jackey, Dan, and Seth; Kim Boylan our Pastoral Daycare Director, Our Master’s College Students, Mitch and Brittany; Janie one of Calvary’s Elders, and Tyler who faithfully leads us in worship! And thank you each and everyone who took the time to pray, read, and stand with God’s agenda for the coming year. May we all commit to Hear and Obey in 2025!
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Blessings,
Pastor Jay
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