Prayer and Fasting Focus: God's Salvation

This week is Holy Week! As we prepare our hearts for Easter, we will go through the final moments of Jesus. We can be humbled that Jesus died for us and confident that God has given us the gift of salvation. As we go through this week, let’s be prayerful about who we can share God's love with. God’s love is meant to be shared. Our salvation in God is meant to be shared. Who can you share Jesus’ story with?


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Prayer and Fasting Focus: God's Love

This week we are focusing on God’s love. God's love can feel like too much. It’s not something you can earn,  there are no conditions to it, and it’s something that we will always have. Maybe God’s love is supposed to feel like too much. God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to die for us. God knows everything you’ve done and still sent his son to die for you! Because he loves you. You are his child.  Sometimes we run away from God until we feel like we’re good enough to come back, but God doesn’t want us to do that. He loves you and wants to be with you. Choose to accept God's love even when it feels like too much.


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Prayer and Fasting Focus: God's Faithfulness

This week we are focusing on God’s faithfulness. God is always faithful to fulfill his promises. The ways that he is working out his good and perfect plan is more than we can comprehend. His steadfastness keeps us grounded and steady through any chaotic situation. The faithfulness of God displayed throughout scripture to the Israelites and his children is astounding. Even if we run away from God, he does not run away from us. How has God shown his faithfulness to you? Maybe you are praying a prayer, and God has answered it in a way that was not what you expected, but was exactly what you needed. God remains faithful even in the waiting for those prayers to be answered. He is with you and is going before you in your situation.

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Prayer and Fasting Focus: God's Hope

This week we are focusing on God’s hope. The word "hope" means that there is an expectation and desire for something to happen. Sometimes we hope for things that we know may not  happen. We may hope to get tickets to a concert at Red Rocks or hope to beat traffic on a Friday afternoon. Sometimes our hopes are much more significant, like hoping to make a career change or having specific hopes for our family. Sometimes when we hope… we get let down. One hope we can have that will never disappoint us is our hope in God. He is never changing and always present. He’s a God who will always have your best interest and always be with you. Sometimes that is hard to believe, but know that God wants you to trust Him and rest in Him. Having hope in God will make a difference in your life. It will bring you peace and comfort when everything around you may seem hopeless.


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Prayer and Fasting Focus: God's Strength

This week we are focusing on God’s strength. It’s hard to trust in the strength of God when life is hard. Financial struggles, health problems, relationship problems, loneliness, grief, pain, depression, anxiety… it can leave us feeling that our situations are impossible and won’t get better. God has a different plan. With Him, God can move in these impossible situations. He can give you peace, heal your brokenness, provide for your needs, and comfort your sadness. Through God, all things are possible. This week let’s meditate each day on the strength of God and all the ways God is showing us his strength in our lives.

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40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

For the next 40 days, we will be focusing on Prayer and Fasting. Life can be a distraction from God. Not necessarily on purpose, but things in our life can always distract us from our relationship with God. Our hope for the next 40 days is that we all can take intentional time to focus on who God is and less time focusing on what distracts us from God. When we come together as God's people to pray, it’s in those moments that God can do mighty things. For the next 40 days, we will focus on an attribute of God and scripture to help us as we pray. It's a time when we can remember who God is. We hope you join us on this 40-day journey!

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Who Does God Say that I Am? - WANTED

Several years ago, I was going through a season of depression. I was lonely and felt far from God. Just a year and a half before that I started working on Sunday mornings. I had grown up going to church and knew how important it was for my relationship with God. However, I thought skipping a few Sundays wouldn’t make that much of a difference. I let my pride convince me that I was fine on my own and did not need a church or community of believers to keep my faith strong. Fast forward a few months later and I was working 65+ hours per week, living alone, feeling disconnected from friends, and struggling with my faith in God. 

Not only did my faith not grow, but I also started believing lies about my worth and my identity in Christ. I thought I wouldn’t be welcomed back at church because of how far I had drifted. I imagined walking in and feeling the judgment of other people. I thought that God was disappointed with me and did not want me as his child.

This season of depression lasted for a few months until I was finally able to see that something needed to change. A good friend convinced me that she cared about me and was worried about me so I started talking to a counselor. I still had my excuses for not being able to attend church and get involved in groups, but I was starting to feel God’s pull on my heart again. 

I mustered up the courage to request Sunday morning off from work, and three Sundays in a row I woke up with every intention of trying out a new church. Three Sundays in a row, I let the fear take hold and the thoughts that I am not good enough kept me in bed -- too nauseous to move. 

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
— James 4:8

On the fourth week, I enlisted the help of another friend who also wanted to go back to church. The Saturday night before, I was reading my Bible and came across Psalm 5:7 which says, “But I through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house.” This verse struck me in a way that I had never experienced before. It felt to me like a personal invitation from God that he wanted me to come to him and worship him. It is only by his abundant love for me that I am able to overcome fear and the lies I had believed about myself and come to a place where I can worship him. That Sunday I came to Forefront Church at Bear Creek K-8 for the first time. 

My fears of other people judging me were made up in my mind. I judged myself more harshly than anyone else would have. My fears of God not wanting me were only a manifestation of the shame and disappointment I felt in myself. The truth is that God wants me and has a place for me in his house and in his family. God is inviting you also to enjoy a loving relationship with him. He wants you to throw off the lies that you believe and be reminded of your identity in him. You are WANTED.

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
— Deuteronomy 31:8

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for your steadfast love that gently draws me back to you. Please remind me of the truth of who you say I am.

Who Does God say that I Am? - FOUND

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
— Luke 15:24

Have you ever had a dream that just sticks with you and you can’t seem to shake? I had a dream like this several years ago, and I can still see it just as vividly today. In the dream, I was in my hometown, walking home. I lived close enough to most places where walking or riding my bike was a regular activity for me. I knew every street, every house, every car parked in driveways. I was walking along the familiar route, only a few blocks from my house. I turned the corner and suddenly I was on a different street in a different part of town. I kept walking, feeling slightly confused. Once again I turned the corner and ended up on another different street. Panic began to set in as I felt lost and did not know how to get home. The frustrating thing was that I knew exactly where I was in my town but I was lost on how to get home. 

That feeling of being lost is now what I imagine when I read the three parables of Jesus in Luke 15 that each talk about something or someone being lost. Each one shows the importance of what was lost being found. The parables build to the final one where Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. In this story, we have the beautiful image of God being a loving and welcoming father. The father in the story was ready to welcome back his lost son even after the son disrespected him and basically wished his father was dead by taking his share of the estate while his father was still living. We read what kind of life this son had after he left his father’s house. We see his desperation when he decides to go back as a servant to his father. Instead, the father runs to him, welcomes him, and restores him as his beloved son. The father takes his lost son and helps him find his way back home. Not just the physical residence of his home, but “home” as that place of being loved, secure, at peace, found, and restored back to the family. 

We can try to find our way home on our own, but we will only end up more lost. We see this in the older brother in the story. He tried to do everything that his father asked, but his pride kept his heart hard and distant from the father’s love. He was still lost even amongst the familiarity of his physical home. God, in his unconditional love for his children, is willing to find us wherever we are and bring us home to him. You are FOUND. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Forgive me for the times that I wander or when my pride convinces me I can do life on my own. Thank you for going out of your way to find me and bring me home to you.



Who Does God Say that I Am? - NEW CREATION

Anyone else love springtime in Colorado? Sure, the weather is temperamental and you can never dress in enough layers, but there are only a few short weeks when the color of the landscape turns green. The flowers bloom in beautiful colors and trees that have been barren now start to bud. The earth seems to wake up after a long winter slumber and show its new life. It’s a beautiful reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning and that God gives new life to his creation.

We also have new life when we place our faith in Jesus. Before, our lives were described as walking in darkness, dead in our sin, or a long slumber, but now we are transformed into the newness of Christ. You are a NEW CREATION.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

What part is considered “old” and “passed away”? This old self is the part that is spiritually dead, far from God, and enslaved to sin. This is the part that experiences the passing away. Then the newness that comes is the restored life we have with Jesus. We also experience a resurrection as the old dies and the new is raised to life. The new creation that we are in Christ is a complete transformation from the inside out. Our inner self is renewed and changed. When we are this new creation, we no longer walk in the darkness, we are no longer slave to sin, and are no longer spiritually asleep or dead. 

In Ephesians 5:14, Paul references the book of Isaiah by saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” This is a call for all of us to wake up, walk out of the darkness, and step into the newness of life with Jesus.

God also makes a promise to the Israelites in Ezekiel that he will restore them as a nation. When he does, he will remove their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. The old heart of stone will pass away and God will restore to them a heart that is kind, compassionate, and ready to follow God. 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
— Ezekiel 36:26-27

You do not have to be stuck in the life you once lived. Jesus offers a rebirth -- a resurrection -- that brings you out of that life. He renews you and continually changes you on the inside so that your life reflects the light of Jesus shining in you. The old life of sin and death is gone. God has done a complete change in you, and you are his new creation. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the resurrection of Jesus. I believe that you have buried my old life and have raised me up to new life in Jesus. Please continue renewing my inner self and transforming me into the person that you created me to be.




Who Does God Say that I am? - CHILD OF GOD

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
— 1 John 3:1

When I think of being a child of God, I think of a small toddler who did the very best to create a masterpiece of fingerpaint and colors. The child brings the artwork to their parent looking for their approval. The parent generously gives praise and encouragement to the child and proudly pins the paper to the refrigerator to be on display. The child feels loved, seen, and cared for. 

By any other person’s evaluation, the toddler’s artwork was not much to look at. It was messy and smudged, with crumbs from an earlier snack stuck in the paint. Yet the parent looks at the work like it could be the most beautiful painting in an art gallery. The parent sees the effort that the child made to do something special. The encouragement and praise gives the child the freedom to continue growing and creating without the fear of disappointment, failure, or not being good enough.

We also strive to give God our best masterpiece by using our talents and our energy, and we hope that he is proud of the work that we have done. Just like that parent, God delights in us and takes joy in what we bring to him. Of course our efforts are far from perfect. The gift that God desires from us is more than just our accomplishments, work, or service, it’s all of who we are - our whole lives. We give him our mess and brokenness, and he turns it into something beautiful.

God’s love for us is the unconditional love that a parent has for their child. His love guides us, nurtures us, protects us, and grows us into spiritual maturity. We have been given the gift of adoption into God’s family through Jesus. God chose us as his children and delights in us as his own. You are a CHILD OF GOD.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.””
— Romans 8:14-15

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting me as your child. When I try to find my worth and value in other things, remind me that I am yours. Please guide me and protect me through your love.



Who Does God Say that I Am? - FREE

When Jesus was crucified, he took the sins of the world upon himself. Each of us nailed to the cross what was getting in the way of a relationship with God. These sins are what keep us enslaved and living life apart from God. This yoke of slavery and being bound to our sin keeps us buried inside the tomb. 

This is not the life that God has for us. We know that the story does not stop with the death of Jesus, but that he rose again, conquering sin and death forever. Jesus stepped out of that tomb and released the bonds of death. He invites you to step out of that tomb as well when you place your faith in him. You are FREE.

“ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
— Romans 6:6

The yoke of slavery to sin is no more and we are now free from bondage. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Do you feel the weight of chains lifted from you? Do you see God moving that stone away from the tomb? 

Often we know we are free but it can be hard to walk out of that tomb and live in that freedom. We stay stuck or paralyzed even though we have been given a way out. God leads us to freedom and new life, and yet some of us are more content to stay in the grave. Jesus did not come for you to continue to be enslaved to sin. Jesus came that we have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) 

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Romans 6:22-23

Your abundant new life with Jesus is one of freedom, redemption, and grace. Do not fall again to a yoke of slavery when the Son of God has set you free! (Galatians 5:1)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you that the tomb is still empty. We know that our sins are buried with Jesus and we have been set free from that bondage through his resurrection. Help me to live in that freedom. Thank you for your gift of grace.





Who Does God Say that I Am? - LOVED

Isn’t it amazing that the God who created the universe, who is mighty and powerful, completely sovereign, is also a God of love? God’s love is revealed to us every day in a multitude of ways, but the most amazing display of his love was through Jesus’ death on the cross for us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

”
— John 3:16

Jesus knew what it would take to defeat evil. He knew the pain of what was about to happen with his crucifixion and death. We see in the garden of Gethsemane, soon before Jesus was arrested, that he was pleading with the Father for there to be any other option. His love for us was so great that he was obedient to the will of the Father to take the sins of the world upon himself and give himself up to death in order to rescue and save all of us. Our sins were buried with him and now we also are raised up to new life with Jesus.

“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“ - Ephesians 2:4-5

The Bible reminds us countless times of God’s love, yet it can be so easy to forget that God loves us. Sometimes we can feel so insignificant compared to the expanse of God’s creation - including his people. The love of God feels far away and we wonder if God remembers we exist. Or we think our sins have made the barrier too great, and God could not possibly still love us because of what we have done. Both of these scenarios are not true. God’s love for you ensures that he does not forget you. Jesus’ sacrifice out of love for you made it so there is no barrier separating you from the love of God. You are LOVED.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Romans 8:38-39

The love of God is not temporary or dependent on our obedience; it is overflowing, all-consuming, eternal, powerful, unconditional, and sacrificial. God’s love is for you.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you and praise you for being a God of love. Your love has saved me. Open up my eyes to see the ways that you are showing your love for me. Help me to love others as you have loved me.




Who Does God Say that I Am? - FORGIVEN

Have you ever had to ask for forgiveness from someone? Think back to a time when you know you were in the wrong and something that you said or did hurt someone deeply. It takes courage and humility to confess your wrongdoing, apologize for how you hurt someone, and then ask them to forgive you. If the person extended forgiveness to you, do you remember what that felt like to be forgiven? That person gave you a gift of forgiveness that you likely did not deserve and did not earn. That is how it is with God as well; his forgiveness is a gift of his grace that we can never earn and do not deserve. We simply confess our sins, own up to our mistakes, and God extends this gift to us.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
— 1 John 1:9

Yes we are forgiven, and this also means that we must admit why we require forgiveness. Paul tells us in Romans that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) We have all fallen short and all of us are sinners in need of a savior. We are sinners, and yet God calls us forgiven because of Jesus.

Sometimes we forget what it is like to be forgiven and have a hard time accepting that God has forgiven us. We think it needs to be more complicated or involve more work, but that is not a free gift given by God. Even when we confess our sins and know in our heads that we are forgiven, it can still be difficult to accept the gift of forgiveness. We have to humble ourselves, admit that pride might be keeping us in the mindset of earning forgiveness, and learn to accept this precious gift. You are FORGIVEN.

Accepting the gift of forgiveness and living like you know you are forgiven does not stop with you. We are called to also forgive one another and extend that gift to others. Knowing what it is like to be on the receiving end of forgiveness is a transformative experience. When others hurt you or offend you, remember the gift of forgiveness and the freedom that comes with that. 

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
— Ephesians 4:31-32

Prayer: Dear God, please forgive me of the sins I have committed against you. I know that my sin keeps me from you. Thank you for Jesus and the gift of forgiveness. Please help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.



Who Does God Say that I Am? - CREATED

The Psalmist in Psalm 139 praises God for creating him and making him special and wonderful. Even before you were a thought in your parents’ heads, you were known to God. God is the one who creates all of us, gives us life, and numbers our days. You were not a mistake, an afterthought, or a random happenstance. God created you with love and intentionality. He knew exactly what you would look like, what your personality would be, and what interests you have. There is nothing in you that is a surprise to God. He knows you because he made you and loves you. You are CREATED.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10

In Ephesians, Paul describes God’s people as not only created, but God’s workmanship. He crafted us and worked to create us how he intended. We also have the image of a potter (Isaiah 64:8), spending time and talent diligently and meticulously shaping the clay. God takes the dirt from the ground, forms and creates a being, breathes his breath of life into the form, and creates a beautiful work of art. God is the designer and artist giving form, shape, and color to our lives - his masterpiece.

The verse in Ephesians also tells us that God has created us for good works. He has given us this mission and purpose as his creation. God will also help us and sustain us in this purpose. He does not simply create humans and then leave them to go through life alone. God is ever present with his creation and knows his creation better than any other artist, potter, or craftsman knows their work. 

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” – Isaiah 46:4

You are CREATED.

Prayer: God, thank you for creating me and making me wonderfully special. I praise you for the way that you made me different than anybody else. Thank you for knowing me deeply and loving me. Help me to live out the mission and good works that you have created me for.

Who Does God Say that I Am? - SEEN

The first personal name given to God as recorded in the Bible was given by a woman named Hagar, who was Sarah’s maidservant. The name is quite amazing as it reveals God’s character and also how much he cares for his creation. Hagar calls him El Roi - the God who sees me. 

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
— Genesis 16:13

Hagar’s story and life circumstances were not happy. She was a foreign slave under the authority of Sarah and Abraham. At the time, Abraham and Sarah had been promised by God that they would have a son. After years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah both tried to take this promise into their own hands. Hagar fell victim to one of these schemes when she was given to Abraham to have a child with him. 

Hagar became pregnant and then she was abused and mistreated by the people who were supposed to protect her. She ran away, completely broken and dejected. This is where the story of her encounter with the angel of the Lord in chapter 16 takes place. Hagar is at the lowest point in her life -- used, abused, manipulated, broken, depressed, angry, lost, alone, and unprotected. This is the place where God meets her. God cares about his beloved and reaches out to her. In that moment, Hagar feels seen by God. She says, “you are the God who sees me!”

God also sees you. You are not invisible to God. He sees you and knows you and knows exactly the challenges or difficulties that you are going through. When the rest of the world looks away, shuts you down, or kicks you out, God is right there with you, seeing your pain and knowing exactly what you need.

Prayer: God, thank you for being the one who sees me. I do not have to pretend to have it all together because you know my deepest hurts and pain. Thank you for seeing me and loving me despite the brokenness that you see. When other people turn away, I know that I can depend on you.



Who Does God Say that I Am? - IMAGE BEARER

In Genesis we meet the first humans created by God – Adam and Eve. When God creates humanity, he makes them distinct and set apart from all the rest of creation. They are the pinnacle of God’s creation and after God makes them, he looks at his whole creation and says it is “very good.” One way that God set humanity apart from the rest of his good creation was to make them in his own image. You are an Image Bearer.     

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…’ So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
— Genesis 1:26-27

What does it mean to be made in the image or likeness of God? What does that say about who we are that we are bearing the image of God? First, we have to notice that in order to know ourselves, we have to know the One in whose likeness we were created. 

Romans 1:19-20 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

This passage reveals that all of creation, including humanity, points to its creator – the Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth. We are “without excuse” in seeing characteristics of God in his created world. If we are to truly know who God says that we are, it is so important to know who God is. 

Coming up in our weekly devotional videos, we will be diving more into what it means exactly to be made in the image of God. For now, remember that we have to know God and whose image we are bearing, then we can know how humanity reflects who God is. 

Prayer: Lord God, creator of heaven and earth, thank you for creating us in your image. Your creation is wonderful and beautiful, and I know that you made humanity in a special way. Open my eyes to see the ways that you have created me in your image. Help me to know you more by seeing who you are in all that you have created.