Day 1 of 21: January 11, 2024
As we enter day one of our fast, we turn our eyes to God and tune our ears to His word. We are asking that He would transform our hearts so that we may be more like Him and to be a light in the darkness of our world. By God’s grace, we got this because He has us!
The word the Lord gave us for 2024 is PURE. The main scripture is found in Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
God wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to see Him. That requires that we cultivate a pure heart. We come to Him and He transforms our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26). As we continue to fight our flesh, we are not in this fight alone.
Scripture
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Observation
Jesus is saying that we will find happiness, joy, and fulfillment when we have pure hearts because it results in our seeing more of Him. We need to get the plank of sin out of our eyes so we can appreciate what He is showing us. It’s hard to watch a movie when you get sand in your eye. He is a refiner and a cleaner (Malachi 3:2). He is the Great Physician who heals and restores us.
Application
As we come to Him in prayer and allow Him to wash us in His word, He purifies and transforms us. Today, make time to read His word, talk to Him in prayer and ask Him to reveal what He wants to purify, then ask Him for the strength/grace to do what he is calling you to do. Following Jesus is not easy, but he gives us grace and it will be more than worth the effort of purifying when we see Him more in our lives.
Prayer
Jesus, I love You, and I thank You for today. Try me and know me and see if there is any wicked way in me. There is so much junk in my soul that keeps me from hearing from Your Spirit. Wash me and make me clean so that I may have a pure heart and see You in my life. Amen.