Topic: The Power of Routine

The dictionary defines a “routine” as a sequence of actions regularly followed. Routines are things we practice on a regular basis.

There is a supernatural power that becomes available to us as we incorporate biblical routines or practices into our lives and make them a permanent part of who we are.

Philippians 4:9 | AMPC (9) Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 | NKJV (16) Rejoice always,  (17) pray without ceasing,  (18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

• Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
• Prayer is connecting with God so that His will can come to pass in your life.

Matthew 6:10 | NKJV (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray for Greater

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 | NIV (9) Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” (10) Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

1. Pray and believe for a greater experience of God’s blessing. (Bless me indeed…)

Psalms 5:12 | NKJV (12) For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Ephesians 1:3 | NKJV (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

You can’t give someone something you don’t have.

Genesis 12:2 | NLT …I will bless you… and you will be a blessing to others.

Some of us think God is a withholder and not a blesser.

Matthew 7:11 | NKJV (11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

2. Pray and believe for a greater level of influence. (Enlarge my territory…)

Jabez prayed for God to enlarge his territory. This means sphere of influence…

God wants you to know your purpose so you can live a fulfilled life.

Colossians 1:9-10 | TPT (9) Since we first heard about you, we’ve kept you always in our prayers that you would receive the perfect knowledge of God’s pleasure over your lives, making you reservoirs of every kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding.  (10)  We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness!

Dream some big dreams… not just pray about your pain…

Ephesians 3:20 | TPT  (20) Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.

3. Pray and believe for a greater manifestation of God’s presence and power. (Let your hand be with me…)

The hand of the Lord always represents God’s power.

Acts 11:21 | AMPC (21) And the presence of the Lord was with them with power, so that a great number [learned] to believe (to adhere to and trust in and rely on the Lord) and turned and surrendered themselves to Him.

Zechariah 4:6 | NKJV (6) So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

4. Pray and believe for greater protection. (Keep me from harm…)

1 Peter 5:8 | NKJV (8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Psalms 3:1-5 | NKJV (1) A Psalm of David When He Fled from Absalom His Son. LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.  (2)  Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah (3)  But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.  (4)  I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah (5)  I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

Psalms 91:1-16 TPT (1) When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High.  (2)  He’s the hope that holds me and the Stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence.  (3)  He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse.  (4)  His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.  (5)  You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you.  (6)  Don’t fear a thing! Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you, nor will the powers of evil launched against you.  (7)  Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed.  (8)  you will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment, for they will be paid back for what they have done!  (9) (9-10) When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?  (11)  God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm.  (12)  If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you and keep you from stumbling.  (13)  You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness, trampling every one of them beneath your feet!  (14)  For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: “Because you have delighted in me as my great lover, I will greatly protect you. I will set you in a high place, safe and secure before my face.  (15)  I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in your time of pressure and trouble. I will be your glorious hero and give you a feast.  (16)  You will be satisfied with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!”

The dictionary defines a “routine” as a sequence of actions regularly followed. Routines are things we practice on a regular basis.

There is a supernatural power that becomes available to us as we incorporate biblical routines or practices into our lives and make them a permanent part of who we are.

Philippians 4:9 | AMPC (9) Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 | NKJV  (16) Rejoice always,  (17)  pray without ceasing,  (18)  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

(v17) – Pray every time and opportunity presents itself; pray regularly.

• The more you understand something, the more you can desire and love it.
• Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

Teach Us To Pray

Luke 11:1 | NKJV (1) Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

Luke 11:1 | TPT (1) One day, as Jesus was in prayer, one of his disciples came over to him as he finished and said, “Would you teach us a model prayer that we can pray, just like John did for his disciples?”

Matthew 6:9-13 | NKJV (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This is a general outline for prayer. A good place to start and build from there.

1. Connect with God relationally.

“Our Father in Heaven”

Romans 8:15 | NLT (15) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.”

2. Worship His Name.

“Hallowed be Your Name” – greatly revered, honored

Proverbs 18:10 | MSG (10) GOD’s name is a place of protection– good people can run there and be safe.

Philippians 2:9-11 | NKJV (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

3. Pray His agenda first.

“Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Matthew 26:39 | NKJV (26) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

4. Depend on Him for everything.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Psalms 121:1-2 | NKJV  (1) I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?  (2)  My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 68:26 | NLT (26) Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel’s life.

Acts 17:28 | NLT (28) For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

5. Get your heart right with God and people.

“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”

Matthew 6:12 | TPT (12) Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.

1 John 1:9 | NKJV (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Mark 11:25 | NKJV (25) “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

6. Engage in spiritual warfare.

“And do not lead us into temptations but deliver us from the evil one.”

Better translation: “And when we are tempted, deliver us from the evil one…”

James 1:13 | TPT (13) When you are tempted don’t ever say, “God is tempting me,” for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation.

Ephesians 6:12 | NKJV (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

James 4:7 | NKJV (7) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 | MSG (7) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.

7. Express faith in God’s ability.

“For yours is the Kingdom and Power and Glory forever.”

Jeremiah 32:17 | NIV (17) “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

Mark 10:27 | NKJV (27) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Revelation 5:13 | NIV (13) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The dictionary defines a “routine” as a sequence of actions regularly followed. Routines are things we practice on a regular basis.

There is a supernatural power that becomes available to us as we incorporate biblical routines or practices into our lives and make them a permanent part of who we are.

Philippians 4:9 | AMPC (9) Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

Matthew 6:16-18 | NKJV (16) “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (17) But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, (18) so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Jesus said that His disciples would fast: “…when you fast…”

The Apostle Paul fasted:

2 Corinthians 6:4-5 | NKJV (4)  But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, (5)  in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;

There are three types of fasts:

• Absolute fast – no food or water are consumed
• Normal fast – no food and just water is consumed
• Partial fast – like the Daniel fast

Things to know about fasting:

• The length of time is variable depending on how the Lord leads you but it must be a sacrifice (Romans 12:1)
• When fasting, if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it won’t mean anything to God.
• Without being combined with prayer and the Word, fasting is little more than dieting.
• Understand that fasting changes you, not God.
• Fasting does not win you points with God. God was there the whole time – fasting makes us more aware of Him and His Presence.

What should you do while you are fasting?

• Spend more time in God’s Word and prayer than you would otherwise.

Fasting itself is a form of continual prayer to God. There may be days when it seems as though heaven opens and your heart is prompted to deep times of prayer but then there may be other days when your energy is sapped and you just cannot seem to focus on prayer at all. Do not condemn yourself. God sees your sacrifice.

It may seem as though you are not receiving anything from the Lord at all. But you cannot be moved by what you are feeling during the fast because at first your senses will lie to you. Fasting will eventually quite those things down as your spirit rises to supremacy.

What is happening to me when I fast?

• Fasting is also like spring cleaning for your body.

The headache we often get is not the devil attacking you, it is the result of toxins being flushed out of your system. They usually subside after two or three days.

If you push through the discomfort, hunger, headaches and lack of angels and violins, things will clear up and you will arrive at a deeper place in God where the rest just does not matter.

It has been proven that fasting sharpens your mental process and aids and improves your sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, and all sensory faculties.

• Fasting breaks the addiction to junk food and can break the power of an uncontrollable appetite.
• Fasting helps you to be able to hear the voice of the Lord and receive clear direction for your life.

Acts 10:9-16 – Peter was fasting on the rooftop when God gave him a new revelation and called him to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

• Fasting prepares you for the new thing that God wants to do in your life.

Mark 2:20-22 | NKJV (20) But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. (21) No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. (22) And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

• Fasting will allow the Lord to be able to step in and defeat harassing enemies in our lives.

2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NKJV (15) And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (16) Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. (17) You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

1. Have a purpose for your fast.

• • Declare our dependence on God. (first things set the priority)
  • Ask for forgiveness.
  • Refocus on the spiritual.
  • Invite the presence of God in our lives.
  • Believe God for answers to specific needs.

2. Decide what you will do.

Make a commitment and stick with it! There are resources available online about types of fasting.

3. Expect results.

Isaiah 58:8-9 | NIV (8)  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (9)  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I…

These things are benefits of fasting:

• • • Healing
    • Holiness
    • Hearing from God
    • Help

 

The dictionary defines a “routine” as a sequence of actions regularly followed. Routines are things we practice on a regular basis. As believers, there is a power that becomes available to us as we incorporate biblical routines or practices into our lives and make them a permanent part of who we are.

Philippians 4:9 | AMPC (9) Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

Practice – what one does repeatedly, becomes a habit.

Bobby Robson (English Soccer Player) – “Practice makes permanent.”

Build Your Life on the Word

John 1:1-3 | NKJV (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

• The Word of God is more than a book. The Word of God is a Person.

John 1:14 | NKJV (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

• The Word of God is alive.

John 6:63b | NKJV (63) …The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Spirit = (Greek – Pneuma) The literal translation means the breath of God for the fulfillment of what He just said. When God speaks, His power is present to cause that word to come to pass in whatever He spoke it to.

• The Word of God has a way of getting deep in you.

Hebrews 4:12 | AMPC  (12) For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

You are not just getting information; you are getting the power to do the information.

For the Bible to Come Alive in You:

• Faith activates the Word.

Hebrews 4:2 | NIrV (2) The good news was preached to our people long ago. It has also been preached to us. The message they heard didn’t have any value for them. They didn’t combine it with faith.

Faith in God’s Word is what turns it from the natural to the supernatural.

You must start with a simple faith that God’s Word is God speaking to me.

• Revelation activates faith.

Romans 10:17 | NKJV (17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Vine’s Dictionary – implies two kinds of hearing, more than just the physical hearing

Logos – written Word

Rhema – revealed spoken Word

Luke 1:34-38 | NKJV (34) Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (35) And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. (37) For with God nothing will be impossible.” (38) Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:37 | AMPC (37) For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.

• Meditation in the Word activates revelation.

It takes time to slow down and ponder it, think about it.

Joshua 1:8 | AMPC (8) This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Prosperous – Hebrew meaning: break out, be victorious

Successful – Hebrew meaning: to be prosperous and deal wisely; to prosper and know why

Practical Steps:

1. I must accept its authority in my life.

This has to do with your attitude towards God’s Word.

There are some things we must accept it by faith!

1 Thessalonians 2:13 | NIV (13) And we also thank God continually because, when you received (welcomed like a stranger) the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

Do not try and make the Word fit your lifestyle; make your lifestyle fit the Word of God!

2. I must incorporate its truths into my life.

You must work it into every area of your life.

• • Get a Bible you understand.
  • Make an appointment every day to read your Bible.
  • Have a reading plan.
  • Do not just read the Bible, let the Bible read you.

3. I must make up my mind to do what the Word says.

James 1:22, 25 | NIV (25) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.