Prayer & Fasting Guide

Progression Church exists to help people move forward in their relationship with Jesus. So, the single most important way to accomplish this comes through PRAYER. A praying church is a powerful church! We can plan, strategize, and invite, but God is ultimately the One who makes a difference in your life and other people’s life. That’s why we’ve created this prayer plan: to lead you through some of the important things we can pray for together as a church family.

If prayer leads to progress, then FASTING is the accelerant. It’s one of the ways we recalibrate our lives to God’s will for you and others. Fasting is temporarily setting aside something in your life in order realign your will with God’s will. While praying through this guide, decide on something you will fast from (it could be a meal, the amount of time you spend on your phone, etc.) and replace it with prayer.

TODAY’S READING

LORD, there is no one like you. You are great; your name is great in power. (Jeremiah 10:6)

“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)

JOURNAL & PRAY

1. What stood out to you from today’s reading concerning God’s greatness?

2. Take a few minutes and write down as many reasons why God is great as come to mind.

3. Thank God for all of these things. Praise Him for being great.

TODAY’S READING

“The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.” (Exodus 34:6)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

JOURNAL & PRAY

1. What stood out to you concerning God’s goodness from today’s reading?

2. Write down at least 10 things you are thankful for that are good.

3. Thank God for all of these things and for being good all the time!

TODAY’S READING

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

“But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. “ (Luke 6:35)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

JOURNAL & PRAYER

1. Think about the groups of people in your life that are the hardest to love. Write them down if you are comfortable with that.

Pray for them and ask God to fill your heart with love for them.

2. Think about the specific people in your life that are the hardest to love. Write them down if you feel comfortable.

Pray for them and ask God to fill your heart with love for them.

3. Take a moment and write down as many names of people in your life who don’t know Jesus or might not know Him. Those in the city and out of the city.

Take time to pray for each of these individually and ask God to save them.

4. Commit to share the gospel and/or invite those on your list to join us at church (locals) in the next few weeks. Ask God to give you the courage to reach out to them and for them to be receptive.

5. Ask God to use our church to be a “house of salvation.” Ask God to save more people this Fall through our church family than we’ve ever seen before in a semester. College students, grad students, young professionals, kids, youth, families, adults, etc.

TODAY’S READING

“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.“ (1 John 4:7-8)

“Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.” (Romans 12:10)

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

JOURNAL & PRAYER

1. Are you harboring any resentment towards another believer (in our church or not)? If so, take that to God and choose to forgive today.

2. Ask God to bring to mind some believers you can encourage spiritually. Write down who comes to mind and pray for them. Text them and encourage them when you finish your prayer time today.

3. Pray for some other churches in our city today and ask God to use them in remarkable ways this Fall semester. (Examples: Capital City Church, Istrouma Baptist Church, Antioch BR, Cross Point Baptist Church, etc)

4. Pray for some other churches in our state today and ask God to use them in remarkable ways. (Examples: Fellowship Church in Prairieville, FBC Sterlington in north LA, His Church in Pineville, etc)

5. Pray for some churches in our nation today and ask God to use them in remarkable ways.

Make sure to pray for these churches in Utah that Owen has connected with over the years. Mosaic Church in Provo, Redemption Church in Ogden, Wasatch Mountain Church in Ogden and Gospel Peace Church in Logan.

Ask God to use them in powerful ways and for God to give our church more opportunities to serve and send people to the least reached state in our nation.

6. Pray for some churches or missionaries outside of America and ask God to use them in remarkable ways this Fall.

TODAY’S READING

“If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4)

“Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

JOURNAL & PRAYER

1. Ask God to help us love one another as brothers and sisters and be unified this semester.

2. Ask God to help each person grow in their love for God and each other this semester.

3. Write down as many people as you can think of that either need a church family and/or need to know Jesus. (this list may be similar to the one you created already)

Pray for them and invite them to join us soon (this Sunday or in the next month).

Ask God to bring more guests this semester than we’ve ever seen in a semester and for us to add more people to our church family than ever before.

4. Ask God to help us to be generous as a church and help us to exceed budget this year so we can help more people.

TODAY’S READING

“If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4)

“Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

JOURNAL & PRAYER

1. Ask God to help us to be generous as a church and help us to exceed budget this year so we can help more people.

2. Ask God to raise up more mentors so we can disciple more people. Ask God to help you find someone to help grow in their faith (your kid, friend, co-worker, classmate, friend from church, etc). If anyone comes to mind, write their name down and pray for them.

Ask God to help us see more people than ever in a discipleship relationship.

3. Ask God to help lots of people find biblical community this semester. Ask God to fill up each of our community groups this semester with people looking to grow and hang with others.

4. Ask God to help people UNLEASH THEIR GIFTS this semester and find just the right place to serve. Ask God to fill each of our teams and spark more serving opportunities amongst our church family we haven’t even thought of yet.

5. Ask God to do uncontrollable things for His glory this semester and we may see Him move in us and through us like never before.

6. Ask God to call some of our people out and into ministry or to missions (short term or long term).

Ask God to help us send more missionaries out next summer and be able to support them as well.

TODAY’S READING

“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)

JOURNAL & PRAYER

Today is our Fall kickoff Sunday! Ask God to do more than we can imagine today. Ask God to bring more guests than we’ve ever seen, people to be saved, our people to worship, believers to grow, our church to serve with passion and joy, and God to be glorified.