Day 32: Seek First God’s Kingdom
Intention
To see the restoration of our families and our nation, individual Christians need to seek God and His kingdom first
A Timely Conclusion
Thank you for your partnership in Prayer and Fasting through the month of October 2021. The strategic nature of your prayers at this time are beyond the realm of human comprehension (Ephesians 3:20). Suffice to say your prayers have made history and without you this month of Prayer & Fasting could never have happened. We invite you to join us if you are able on our zoom prayer calls now held at 8PM AEDT time on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday as you are able. Encourage you to get your own copy of the POWER OF PRAYER. Free is a pretty good price. Much Love WM, CM & KM
Scripture
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:26
Reflection
We sometimes think that wholehearted devotion to God entails a rejection of earthly things, including family and work. Instead, we need to think of submission to God as a reordering of our lives to enable us to enjoy His blessings appropriately (and, consequently, to the greatest degree).
The foundation of the Christian life is total surrender to Christ. This is the paradox of the Christian walk: give up your life and you will save it. Likewise, compared with God, we are to “hate” our family, and God will empower us to love and serve them far more than we ever could on our own.
Christians need to get our priorities right. Seek God, His kingdom and His righteousness first, and everything else will be ordered correctly. This is the opposite of what Scripture calls idolatry.
Surprisingly, the objects of our idol worship – family, friends, work, our nation, even Scripture – are not always bad in and of themselves. What is sinful is when they take the place of God and His kingdom.
Paradoxically, for us to be able to effectively protect and uphold our nation and families, we first need to give them up. We first need to seek God’s face: the knowledge of the Holy One.
Only then can our families thrive and our churches, communities and nation experience renewal and reformation. This is not an easy message because it starts with action on our part. It starts in the heart of each individual believer. To be true disciples of Christ, we must actively put Him at the centre of our lives, love Him, know Him and worship Him.
This eternity-focused mindset is critical in the reformation of our society. As C.S. Lewis put it, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next”
Christians should start with their “heads in the clouds” to gain an adequate view of how God is working in the world today. Tozer insisted that “True religion confronts earth with heaven and brings eternity to bear upon time.”
This is the mindset that can lead to the restoration of families, the renewal of fatherhood and motherhood, the transformation of our nation and its leaders. And it starts with your knowledge and worship of the Most High God.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we wonder at Your greatness and perfection. Your attributes are awesome; they are mysterious. Help us to be still and know that You are God.
We confess our tendency to put other things in Your place, even good things like our family and our nation. Help us, through the power of Your Spirit, to long for Your will to be done in our lives each and every day.
We acknowledge that we are weak but proclaim that You are mighty. We believe… help us with our unbelief.
Father, we trust that, as Christians get to know You, we will experience the transformation of our families, communities and nation.
In Christ’s Name, we pray,
Amen and amen.
31 Days Prayer Points
- Pray for the restoration of FAMILY, FATHERHOOD and MOTHERHOOD in our nation. Malachi 4:6
- Pray for healing for MARRIAGES, protection for CHILDREN and restoration of the sanctity of LIFE. Isaiah 58:12
- Pray for Revival, Renewal and Reformation for Australia, that our nation might return to God. 2 Chronicles 7:14
We invite you to support this month-long Prayer & Fasting campaign to raise up prayer for Family and Nation. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us spread the word and make a stand for Family, Faith, Freedom and Life.
Donate Here: https://canberradeclaration.org.au/donate/
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