Daily Devotion

Day 1

Fasting

​He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’
-Luke 4:2-4

Prayer:  

Pray that you can learn to completely trust and depend upon your Father in heaven.  Ask God to help you have the same faith Jesus displayed in the wilderness, and that he would reveal himself to you as you depend upon him for all things. Take a few moments to be silent and invite the Spirit to show you any area in which you are not trusting God in your life.

Day 2

Pride

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves. 
-Philippians 2:3

Prayer:  

Pray that God would reveal the pride and selfishness in your heart.  Allow the Holy Spirit to help you see others in your life through his eyes, and to consider them above yourself.  Who can you serve today?

Day 3

Humility

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

​​-Philippians 2:5-8

Prayer:  

Thank God that he has given us the example of Christ and pray that he would help you to live in humble obedience and submission to his good, perfect, and loving will. Ask Him to reveal any relationship or situation in which you are putting yourself above others.

Day 4

Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.    
-Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer:  

Take some time to be still and know that He is God.  Ask God to help you trust in Jesus for true and lasting rest.  Thank him for the gift of Jesus who willingly carries your burdens and offers rest this world can never offer.

Day 5

Busyness

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion and it will not be taken from her.”

​​-Luke 10:41-42

Prayer:  

If you haven’t yet chosen something to fast from, ask God to reveal what you should fast from so that you have more time with him daily.  God loves you and loves spending time with you, more than you will ever know.

Day 6

Truth

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 
-Proverbs 3:5-6

Prayer: 

Ask God in which ways you depend upon yourself, or this world, for truth instead of trusting in him.  As you seek God in Scripture, pray that he would help you trust fully in his presence, revealed truth and love for you.

Day 7

Renewal

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
-Romans 12:1-2

Prayer:  

Ask God to bring renewal and transformation to your life and the community around you.  Ask that he would help you to orient your entire life to him, seek him with all that you are, and conform you to the image of his Son, Jesus, as you seek to live on mission.

Day 8

Filled by the Spirit

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 
-Romans 8:9-11

Prayer:  

Thank God today for the gift of the Spirit who dwells within you because you belong to Jesus.  Pray that you would be filled with his Spirit to live completely dependent upon him as you move throughout your day.

Day 9

Guided by the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirt is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.​​
-Galatians 5:22-25

Prayer:  

Pray to your Father that you learn to walk by the Spirit. Ask that he help you let go of the selfish desires of your heart and instead to love and serve others displaying the fruit of the Spirit to all those around you.

Day 10

Convicting of Sin

As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting.  For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

​-2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Prayer:  

Pray that you would be convicted by God to repent wherever your heart and life is contrary to him.  Trust in the work of Jesus and know and believe how fully forgiven and loved you are in Christ, even as you seek godly conviction that leads to repentance and renewal.

Day 11

Empowed by the Spirit

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen.  
-Ephesians 3:20-21

Prayer:  

Surrender to God’s Spirit, the same Spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead, who dwells in you, and empowers you to love, serve, and live on mission in ways that you never thought were possible.

Day 12

Gifting of the Spirit

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 
-1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Prayer:  

Pray that God would fill you afresh with his Spirit and gift you according to the needs in this day.  Ask him to empower you to fully use these gifts in his mission to reach, redeem, and renew the world in the name of Jesus.

Day 13

Remind us of All Truth

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  ​​
-John 16:13

Prayer:  

As you fast, ask for clarity of mind.  Thank the Holy Spirit for the way he reminds and reveals the truth of God’s word to you. Pray that his presence in your church and community would lead to deeper understanding and dependence on his truth.

Day 14

Communing with the Spirit

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ​​
-Romans 8:26-27

Prayer:  

As you pray, know that God’s Spirit intercedes on your behalf, even when you feel completely weak or lost.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would search the deepest needs and desires of your heart and trust that God knows you fully and welcomes you completely because of Jesus.

Day 15

Physical Healing

In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.  And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
​-Luke 7:21-22

Prayer:  

Confess to God that he is the Great Healer.  Name your brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling physically and ask our Father to heal them.  If you are suffering, ask for healing in your own life.  Thank God for the future promise of all things being made new in his Kingdom.  Ask God to give us stories to tell of his power and mercy, that his good news would be proclaimed, and his name honored.

Day 16

Emotional Healing

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
-Psalm 147:3

Prayer:  

Ask the Lord for healing from the emotional scars you bear.  Tell God you trust his power to heal, and that his grace is sufficient for you.  Ask him to give you and open heart to his healing power and for an increasing awareness of his steadfast love for you.

Day 17

Spiritual Healing

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
​​-Ephesians 2:4-7

Prayer:  

Speak your thankfulness to God for his forgiveness and grace.  Ask God to teach you to remember that he alone has forgiven your sin and healed you from unrighteousness.  Pray that God will make your life a witness to the power of his rich mercy, and that others will be drawn to his forgiveness and freedom.

Day 18

Relational Healing

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  ​​
-Matthew 5:23-24

Prayer:  

Pray that God will make your relationships as important to you as they are to him.  Ask God to give you the faith required to go and be reconciled to anyone with whom you have a fractured relationship.  Pray for healing of relationships in your family, your church and your community.  Pray that the church might be a model of reconciliation in the world.

Day 19

Wounds

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.    
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Prayer:

Ask God to give you peace of heart while he works to bind your wounds.  Pray for a soft heart toward other people who are hurt and downcast.  Ask the Spirit of God to reveal ways you can pray for the people he brings to mind.

Day 20

Trauma

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” ​
-Lamentations 3:22-24

Prayer:  

Pray these verses.  Ask God to help you trust him in the depths of your struggle.  Ask the Lord to send people to you who will speak grace and truth to you and strengthen your faith.  Ask the Lord who you might speak words of grace and truth to and encourage them in their faith.

Day 21

Grief & Grieving

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  ​
-Matthew 5:4

Prayer:  

Speak the name of someone who is grieving.  Ask God to give them comfort and rest in their season of pain.  Thank God for the genuine hope we have in Jesus.  Ask God for peace in knowing there is life beyond this life.  Ask the Lord if there is some other way you might offer encouragement and grace to those that grieve.

Day 22

Freedom from Idolatry

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ​​
-Colossians 3:5

Prayer: 

Pray that your Father would reveal anything your heart desires more than God himself.  Ask for the strength to ruthlessly remove every unholy attraction from your life.  Pray that he would quiet you in his presence so that you can see clearly and worship him freely and completely.

Day 23

Freedom from Unhealthy Habits

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  ​
-1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Payer:  

Pray to your Father to reveal any hidden or unaddressed habits and patterns in your life. Ask him to help you live purposefully.  Ask him to give you the will to submit all your ways to him and discipline your heart and body.  Pray that you can become intolerant even of trivial sin, remembering that everything you do either glorifies or dishonors Jesus.

Day 24

Freedom from False Beliefs

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
​-Psalm 19:7-8

Prayer:  

As you seek your Father in prayer, pray that he would enable you to hold tightly to the truth of his word and reject false beliefs.  As you fast, ask that he give you a hunger for his word, so that you might know the truth and live your life submitted to him. Ask that he help you to put into practice his unassailable truth.

Day 25

Freedom from Depression
and Anxiety

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:4-7

Prayer: 
Voice your concerns and fears to God.  Cast your cares upon him and remind yourself of his deep care for you.  Ask his peace to guard your heart and mind and give you freedom from the crippling effects of depression and anxiety.  Pray this same prayer over those in your home and church and community who are overwhelmed by depression and anxiety.  Give thanks to the Lord for his presence and love in all circumstances.

Day 26

Freedom from Materialism

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Prayer: 

As you pray, trust that God knows what you need and will always do what is best for you.  Pray that God would free your heart from being consumed by material things and a desire for worldly comfort.  Spend some time thanking God for every good gift in your life.

Day 27

Freedom and Religiosity

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.  
​​-Romans 14:17-18

Prayer:  

Pray that your Father would free you from mere rule keeping and self-dependence.  Nothing can save except the blood of Jesus.  Ask God to fill your heart with the peace and joy that comes from trusting that his grace and mercy are enough for you.

Day 28

Freedom from Envy

If we live by the Spirit let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. ​​
-Galatians 5:25-26

Prayer:  

Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide you in all your relationships.  Ask that God would teach you to be humble, so that you can serve and celebrate people the same way as Jesus.  Ask that God would give you freedom from comparison and set your heart to become more like Jesus.

Day 29

Repentance

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
-​​1 John 3:2-3

Prayer:  

Confess your sins to God.  Confess them to a trusted brother or sister in Christ. Thank your heavenly Father for adopting you and ask for the faith and courage to rid your life of all desires and actions that are opposed to his holiness.  Ask him to purify your heart as he is pure and to help you bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Day 30

Death to Sin

Put to death therefore what is earthly in your sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  ​
-Colossians 3:5-10

Prayer: 

As you fast and consider the way of Jesus, ask him to reveal the parts of your life you must put to death.  Ask God to make every sinful desire and action distasteful so that you sill stop doing anything that does not lead you to honor and obey him.

Day 31

Distinctiveness

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
-Hebrews 12:14

Prayer:  

Ask God to grow your desire to be set apart for him.  Ask him to grow you in courage and conviction to model your life after him, so that you may reflect the goodness and grace of Jesus to others.

Day 32

Integrity

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about such things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
-Philippians 4:8-9

Prayer:  

Pray and ask your Father to strengthen you to live in complete integrity.  That God would enable you to love and trust him so much that you do not need to hide your ways or manage your image. If God reveals anything that needs correction – confess it clearly. Take a moment to praise him for those things of beauty, honor, purity…that come to mind today.

Day 33

Honesty

But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth that is in Jesus, to put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirt of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
-Ephesians 4:20-24

Prayer:  

Give thanks to God for a new identity and claim the truth that you are his son/daughter created in his likeness and image.  If there is anything in your former identity that you are clinging to, release it by the Holy Spirit today.  And if there is any dishonesty in your speech or lifestyle that needs correction – surrender it today.

Day 34

Transparency

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness. 
-​​1 John 1:6-9

Prayer:  

If there is any place of darkness in our hearts today, let us surrender it to the one who sees us just as we are.  In our culture of cynicism, division, and wars many of us carry unforgiveness – even hatred toward a person or group.  One of the greatest hinderances to us walking in the freedom of forgiveness is our tendency to carry bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts.  Ask God to reveal anything we have kept hidden.  Where necessary reach out to others to seek forgiveness for carrying bitterness and passing judgement.

Day 35

Submission to God’s Word

Through your precepts I get understanding:

Therefore I hate every false way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

I have sworn on oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
-Psalm 119:104-106

Prayer:  

As you have refrained from distractions through fasting, take some time to listen to God.  Ask him to increase your understanding of the goodness and truth of his word.  Pray for a special joy in reading and receiving God’s love and wisdom through the word.

Day 36

Compassion

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”​​
-Matthew 9:36-38

Prayer:  

Pray that God would deepen your compassion for the lost. Ask that he would open your eyes to see those who are far from him in your neighborhood, family, or work.  Ask him how he might use you to help meet their needs and share the gospel.

Day 37

Local and Global Mission

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
-Acts 1:8

Prayer:  

Pray that God would enlarge your heart for the whole world, and that he would reveal to you where he can use you for the gospel today.  Ask him to place a burden on your heart for unreached people in your neighborhood, community, or region. Surrender yourself to serve wherever, however He would call.  Reaffirm your dependence on the Spirit to fill you and enable you to be a kingdom servant.

Day 38

Friend of Sinners

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”  
-​​Matthew 11:19

Prayer: 

Pray that God would show you those in your life and community who feel as if they are not loved by God.  Pray that you would be a gospel presence of love, forgiveness, and compassion to those who the world has cast aside in the name of Jesus.

Day 39

Salt and Light

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  “You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it give light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ​​
-Matthew 5:13-16

Prayer:

Ask your Father in heaven to help you to be a light to the world.  Trust that he is renewing you day by day to look more like Jesus. Ask him that your good works would be seen not for your own pride or success, but for his glory and mission. Pray for Holy Spirit boldness to proclaim the love and hope we have in Jesus.