Below is a summary of the week and some questions to ask in your Tribe. Feel free to use any of the resources at the bottom too! The idea is that we are growing in our connection with God.
Hello, it's great to see you!
This week we continued our series "Victory Beyond the Cup." This series is about all victories coming from Jesus. Because of Jesus' resurrection, we are not defeated. Jesus already won. Because he won, we are empowered and equipped to live victorious. "40 Days of Victory" is designed to practically equip us to live with biblical indestructible hope daily where we live, work, learn, and play. God's victories are given to us and through us. These 40 days are not only about our personal development but also the impact God wants us to have.
This week we took a deep dive into Esther and Mordecai's story and learned courage and faith alone are not enough to win. Discipline is also required. Discipline focuses, elevates and activates your faith and courage to operate at the highest level. Without discipline, we can never truly know the joy that victory can bring in our lives. I Corinthians 9:24-26 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
In the story of Esther, we often give Esther the credit and even though she steps up in a big way, she would not have stepped up if it would not have been for Mordecai, her adopted dad. Also, she doesn’t step up until she and Mordecai step into the discipline of fasting and prayer. They demonstrate the discipline of praying big, bold prayers instead of praying survival prayers.
KEY SCRIPTURES
KEY POINTS
Discipline of "Bold Prayers":
1. Bold Prayers Please God (Acts 4:31)
They pray and the room that they are praying in is shaken. In other words, they pray and God responds to their prayers quickly and unmistakably. Why did God answer their prayer for boldness immediately? Because bold prayers please God!
2.Bold Prayers Bring the Presence of God (Acts 4:31)
God’s presence will never us but we sense him in a greater way when we pray for boldness. The phrase Luke uses here that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit filled his mind...saturated his emotions...compelled his will...and energized his body.
3. Bold Prayers Bring the Power of God (Acts 4:33)
Not only did the apostles’ bold prayers connect them with the presence of God, but their bold prayers also connected them to power of God. God’s power is always available to us as believers, yet it seems to be released in greater measures when we pray bold prayers
Discipline of Fasting: Matthew 6:16-18
1. Normal Fast
The first type of fast we’ll call “the normal fast.” That is fasting from food but not water. During that time, you drink plenty of water, plenty of juices but no food.
2. Absolute Fast
The second type of fast we could call “an absolute fast,” an absolute fast. This is a fast from food and from liquids. In this specific type, even water would not be consumed.
3. Partial Fast
A third type is a partial fast. In the book of Daniel, it speaks of a fast not from all food but from some food. What they did in the book of Daniel was they abstained from some of the fancier cuisine and some of the nicer food.
Desire is not enough to win. Everyone has desire, but only the dedicated few develop the discipline to win. Disciplines we can start with together are Prayer and Fasting.
If you haven't yet watched the sermon from this past weekend, we encourage you to check it out. The current sermon video will be available this Tuesday. Click on the link below to view:
Recent TVC Sermon Video
1. Do you tend to pray bold prayers?
2. Have you ever fasted? Could you as a Tribe set aside a day or more to fast together and see how God moves?
3. How can your Tribe support you this week?