Day 9 of 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Devotional: 

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ” Offering our lives to the Lord is a choice. Paul says- I beg you, I urge you, I beseech you. It’s our choice, each of us, individually.God never forces full surrender, he invites us and we have a choice. We each are making our own decision during these 21 days- the depth of the level of surrender and what we give to God. What kind of sacrifice is Paul encouraging the people to give? He calls them to offer their bodies, their whole self. Not your works, not what you do, but WHO YOU ARE. We are invited to give God our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s a living sacrifice- not pieces of an offering, but its entirety. In the old testament, if the sacrifice was to be living, it was fully intact. It was brought alive to the altar. “The body is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. Keeping it at God’s altar as a living sacrifice keeps the body where it should be.” We are choosing to stay at the God’s altar each day, on the altar, so that he can rule and reign fully in our lives. The outcome of total surrender is transformation. Let’s be transformed to look and be more like Jesus. Choose to give your whole heart today. Offer yourself fully to the Lord and allow him to transform your life for his glory.

Questions:

1. Are you offering yourself to the Lord during these 21 days, or have you been more focused on what you do?

2. What areas of your life to do you still need to lay down before the Lord?

3. Take a moment and consider who you want to be by the end of these 21 days. As God transforms you to be more like Jesus, how would you be different from who you are right now?

Prayer:

“Lord here I am. These 21 days are not about what I do for you. It’s all about the transformative work you are doing on the inside of me. My desire is surrender. Take all of me- my family, my work, my friendships, my plans, my dreams and desires- I lay it before you. I choose to offer you my whole self. I want to be transformed as you renew my mind. As I pray, worship and read your word, make me more like Jesus.”