DAY 2 – October 2nd

SCRIPTURE:

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,

    who rely on human strength

    and turn their hearts away from the Lord.

They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,

    with no hope for the future.

They will live in the barren wilderness,

    in an uninhabited salty land.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

    with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

    or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

    and they never stop producing fruit.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

    and desperately wicked.

    Who really knows how bad it is?

But I, the Lord, search all hearts

    and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

    according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:5-10 (NLT)

KEY VERSE:

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve. (v. 9-10)

THOUGHTS:

What is in our heart eventually works its way into our life. That is why the wise man in this passage tells us to guard our heart. What safeguards do you have to protect your heart? What does God find when He looks there? (He’s looking there now.) What kind of reward would you get if it was based on your actions today?

PRAYER:

Gracious God, help me to guard my heart because I know that I cannot do it alone. Help me not to allow things there that would rob me of my devotion to You. Look into my heart and make sure that all of my inner motives are pure. May my life always be an influence with others for You. Amen. 

DAY 1 – October 1st

SCRIPTURE:

Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

2 Chronicles 7:12-16 (NLT)

KEY VERSE:

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (v. 14)

THOUGHTS:

What is it that God was trying to tell Solomon in this passage?  How does that apply to you today? Why is it that we need to pray? What do you need to give up, give away, or give into to become the person God wants you to be?

PRAYER:

Loving Lord, what You have done for me is awesome. Your faithfulness is overwhelming and Your mercy and grace are sufficient for all my needs. I begin this 30-day prayer challenge knowing that there is an incredible distance between You and me. And yet, I come. During these next 30 days help me to grow into the image of Jesus. Show to me the things in my life that are keeping me from becoming all that You want me to be. Let me hear from heaven. And let revival and restoration for my family, my church, my city, my state, and my nation begin with me. Amen.