30 for 30 RESET – Day 10

Gatheringplace   -   September 10, 2024

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Ecclesiastes 3:22-23 ESV

RESET – “To set again differently or anew.”

One of the greatest gifts the Lord has given to us is the invitation to “reset” at the outset of every new day.

Here are three things you can do every morning that will help you get the most out of your day.

  1. Begin with the Word. This takes discipline, but it sets the day in the right direction from the get-go.

There are a couple of reasons why this will make a big difference in your life. First, it honors God, and God says clearly in His Word that He will honor those who honor Him. Whenever you put God first, you can expect His favor.

“…But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.” 1 Samuel 2:30b NLT

Secondly, no musician tunes up their instrument after the concert is over. They do it before the concert begins. Waiting to get in your thirty minutes of prayer and the Word after the day is over is not a bad thing, but it certainly is not the best thing. Tune up when you get up and I know you will find that it will help you stay “in tune” all day.

  1. Begin with prayer.

Most people make prayer the “last resort.” They say, “Well, there’s nothing to do now but pray.”

Well, why did you wait to pray until things got to an impossible stage? I bet if you prayed before things went haywire, many things never would have. Or, if things do begin to go off track, praying first invites God into the situation. This is where you will get the wisdom, strength, and resources you need to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand.

  1. Get a prayer partner. Ask someone to pray for you every day, and you pray for them every day. This is huge. Jesus always sent his disciples out two by two. The Bible says:

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT

Do not wait until you fall to ask for prayer. Ask someone to pray for you before you fall so that you won’t!

I promise you, that if you do these three things every morning, not only will you be more in tune with God, but you will experience more peace, power, clarity, and courage throughout your entire day.

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)