Daily Devotional by Jason Boucher
One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Jason Boucher, Lead Pastor, Lifecentre
Every story starts the same, as a blank page.
Imagine the opposite. You are given a series of jumbled words on a page and then instructed to organize these words to write your story.
Which task would you prefer?
Blank page or jumbled words?
Acts 2:42 (NIV) says…
They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
While there are many words that we could highlight from this text, ones with equally profound meaning, there are three “key words” that are essential for the rest of the words to have their full effect.
“They devoted themselves.”
Central to the word devoted is this word vow.
As a minister I see many couples profess vows one to another during the marriage ceremony. What makes this moment beautiful is the depth to which these vows are expressed wholly and freely. One can be forced into a marriage, but no one can be forced to love. That is something that one must make the choice to give.
Just as in any relationship, the same is true in your life with God.
None of us come to God as a blank page. Rather, if we were totally honest, we resemble those jumbled words on a page. This one truth I know – all of us hunger for God to write a story with our lives that is a page-turner.
While I don’t know what the next chapter of your life will look like, what I do know is that if we devote ourselves to God wholly and freely, we will also see a demonstration of God in us and through us equal to what was experienced in the Acts 2 church.
Demonstration is God’s part, devotion is ours. Lord…..make us wholly and freely…..devoted.
Many of us have been challenged through One Prayer to be more devoted to God through fasting and prayer. What has your experience been like? What have you learned that you can share with the rest of the One Prayer community?
Mom is out of the hospital now, thanks for all your prayers and support! Thanks most importantly to GOD for allowing us to pray and for answering!
Here I am thinking about myself when my Mother in Law is in the hospital.
Hoping God will keep her safe from death and bring her, my Wife Liz, Daughter Abby, and anybody else God wants … into the fold.
Thanks, God for this AWESOME opportunity for oneness…
I attend the Edmond Campus of LifeChurch.tv. Craid Groeschel is such an amazing visionary and it is so exciting to be a participant is this extraordinary event. I've always believed in the power of prayer and I am a stalwart prayer warrior. I encourage you all to take the time to remember this amazing cause and participate with all your heart, soul and mind. Thank you, Lord Jesus, we are finally heading in the right direction.
Part of being Devo… is to nix out things that are getting in the way of your devotion.
Example: My current job (not to make a blanket statement here about jobs in general) is something that seems to be getting in the way of me walking with Jesus.
I'm too focussed on this problem. I'm missing out on Jesus here. The God of the universe is in front of me waiting for me to talk with Him and Worship Him, and I'm not looking at Him. I'm looking through the want ads, looking for something else other than Him.
He wants to help me. I'm just looking past Him to what I want from Him.
Don't have to explain how wrong this is.
Please pray that I'll listen to Him and Worship Him alone… not my job, and keep my focus on Him, not on what I want, or on myself or myselfishness, but on Him.
Thanks guys,
Brotherly Love,
Phil
I must confess that my page has been jumbled - for years. Although personally I feel like I am moving in the right direction, I see all of my failures and mistakes. It's difficult to concentrate on the positive when I tend to focus on everything I must do to fix what I just screwed up. I realize I am not perfect - no where close; but, I also realize I am a work in progress. Thank YOU, Jesus for believing in me when I find it so hard. Thank YOU for accepting me just as I am with the desire to become a better Christ follower. I would like to be a wonderful example of YOU for those who do not yet know of your power and strength as well as those who do. Please help me live by example and follow YOUR plan for my life.
Today I woke up shaking and not feeling quite right. As I was wondering what and why? I went into prayer Lifting up our Holy father and Worshipping his love for us all. Like a bolt of lightning I started crying with Joy, God was speaking to me He came to me with a very specific agenda.. When God was finished with me, I felt so spritually empowered. I am his humble servant, ready for the Burden he has so lovingly bestowed upon me.
Blessings and my prayers to you all today. I will continue to read through the prayer request and pray for you.
The one thing I've learned is that our diversity is our greatest asset. The more diverse we are, and if we stay unified, the more people we will reach. I love that we as believers can come together durring this one prayer seriesto praise God, and I pray that we will continue this unified campaign for God after this series has ended. We CAN be the answer to Jesus' prayer.
Devoted to Prayer: My wife and I and the kiddos (9, 7 and 4) did a Prayer Walk last night in our neighborhood. Our 9 year old was armed w/ a Bible. Our 7 year old was armed w/ a notepad and a pencil. Our 4 year old was picking up bugs on the sidewalk! Anyway, it was a tremendous experience for all 5 of us... to openly pray for each of the houses we walked by. When we returned home, my daughter (prayer warrior of the 3) and I jointly prayed, outloud, "by number" for 84 homes/families in our neighborhood... and, it was amazing! Not only did we set a great example for our children, but watching our 2 oldest sincerely contribute likely ministered more to us than anything we could have hoped/prayed for. God is definitely up to something Great!!!
Thanks so much for your comments and thoughts - very insightful.
God is so good. It is amazing the story that God chooses to write continually. My prayer and fasting this week has been inspirational. It truly helped me to calm my life and focus on God.
I'm praying that God's will runs freely in my life.
Amen Liane, I too feel God working through the power of prayer. Tonight my wife and I went to our first Lifegroup meeting. Our discussion led us in many different directions, but the message that I took away is that we are all so different in order to reach more people and bring them into God's light. Because some of us can relate to certain types of people where others cannot. So our differences can be what unites us in our efforts to reach those who do not know God.
One pray for me has done alot. i always thought i was clos enough to God, but the truth is I was barely. Since one pray has started i have been reading my bible everday, praying more often, and fasting. I feel alot better about myself and my relationship with God.
My experience through devoting my time, prayers, and hunger drive to one prayer has been nothing short of a sensational unveiling. Seeing the way God can work through so many people in such a powerful, unprecedented movement is making my relationship with Him more intimate and depthful. I'm thankful I can be a part of it, learn from it, and vow myself to it!
It's been a refreshing challenge to take on - fasting again....since I haven't had a habit of doing that. The last two Tuesdays really helped me just get back to the basics.
We are not blank slates when we come to God. Psalms 139:13-14 For you created my
inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fear
fully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.
God put different temperaments in each of us. Our temperament ia a determining factor in
the spirtual develpment of man. Each of us has a part in Gods plan. As christians we need
to learn what that is. We need to seek God and study his word. togeather we can be so much
more powerful than if we try to stand alone.
I pray that God will bless your church. And we all will become the christians that God intended
for us to be.
Jason, thank you for those words full of wisdom!! I can't begin to explain how wondefull God is
& the great work He is doing in my life through this serie!! He is making me a prayer warrior amongst
other things! I feel so blessed to be able to get on this website & enjoy great devotional like yours every day & stand in agreement with other believers to frustratw the enemies plan!! How awsome!!
Thanks Jason for such a great devotional!
For me, I'm learning to not underestimate the power of prayer and the power we as the body of Christ have. "United we stand, divided we fall." Jesus prayer will never be answered if we don't unite with one another, if we don't realize that prayer is a powerful medium, and if we don't stop doubting the Lord. One Prayer is a huge, amazing step in that direction and I can't wait to see and hear about the impact it will have far after the series is over.