30 for 30 RESET – Day 12

Gatheringplace   -   September 12, 2024

If there is one area that we all need a reset in from time to time it would be our faith. Life is hard, and at times it can be very disappointing, especially spiritually. Have you ever prayed for something with all your might, with all your faith, only for it to not pan out? And to makes matters worse, you had a promise of God that covered that area? So how do you reset your faith after such a disappointment? Here is how.

As you all know, my wife going to heaven after we all had prayed for so long, and with so much faith, and with prophetic words surrounding us, was, to say the least, a massive disappointment. Since that time I have struggled in the area of faith and prayer. I’m sure you have as well. So, what do we do?

For me, there is only one thing to do, depend on the voice of God. The Bible clearly says:

“(Belief you see, can only come from hearing the message, and the message is the word of Christ.)” Romans 10:17 Philipps

And,

“Jesus answered, ‘The scripture says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”’”. Matthew 4:4 Philipps

Faith comes from God, and when my heart has sunk, there is no “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps.” Faith is a spiritual thing, and it comes from a spiritual source, God. And more specifically, God’s voice.

Now, of course, God’s audible voice would be the most powerful way to hear from Him. But this is extremely rare. But there are other ways to “hear” God’s voice, as we discovered in Day 3’s post.

Today I want to focus on the primary ways God “speaks” to us – through His Word and prayer. But both of these take effort. And when we are sad, depressed, discouraged, angry, or disappointed, this is the last thing we want to do – but it is essential.

Think about king David in 1 Samuel 30. He just lost it all. God had promised him that he would be the next king of Isreal, and yet, on this day, after he had been running from the present king of Israel for three years, living in caves, and faithfully serving the only king who would have him, his town was burnt to the ground, his family was kidnapped, and all of his soldiers were speaking about stoning him to death. Now that is a very bad day.

So what did David do?

“And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” 1 Samuel 30:5 ESV

David went to God. And God spoke to him. And David found courage from God’s voice. And he pursued and recovered all! And, by the way, he became king in the morning! But what if he didn’t seek God in his distress? I wonder what would have happened.

This is what you have to do. This is what I have to do. I have been personally experiencing God’s voice moving me forward. It is amazing. It is supernatural. I am not completely restored, it has only been six months, but without God’s voice I would certainly not be where I am today.

Now my Word and prayer life is not where it used to be. But I know better than to not pray and not open my Bible. I KNOW where my source of recovery comes from, and I am purposefully subjecting my heart and mind to His Word and His voice. I pray a lot of lamentation prayers, but that is faith, too! I know Who my Source is. They are not pretty prayers, but I have no doubt God loves them.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 NLT

I know God is healing my heart and restoring my faith. And I think, in the long run, I will have a more authentic faith, a deeper faith, and hopefully a more powerful mountain moving faith. So will you.

Start where you are. Reset. Ask God to heal your heart. Ask Him to increase your faith. Then stay in His Word and prayer and let Him do His work.

John

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)