The Key to 2021

January 5, 2021

God does nothing but in answer to prayer.

It has been said that no person is greater than his or her prayer life. James the half-brother of Jesus tells us… “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

If there is one word that has probably described many of our lives in 2020, it is either worry or anxiety. I want us to change that. You see, worry is a conversation you have with yourself about things you cannot change. Prayer is a conversation you have with God about the things He can change.

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:6-7 TPT).

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us, and looking ahead at 2021 I believe it has never been more important for us as God’s people to be on our knees. But knowing how to pray is not always easy. Jesus’ disciples felt the same confusion.

But knowing how to pray is not always easy. Jesus’ disciples felt the same confusion. They were familiar with the oft-repeated prayers of the Torah. But Jesus prayed with a kind of authority and power they had never seen before—as though God was listening! So when they came to Jesus, as told in Matthew 6, they didn’t say, “Teach us another prayer.” They said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus did... 

Check out this message on prayer and discover how to connect directly to the heart of God through our prayerful time with Him.

In Matthew 17:14-17 NKJV, Jesus tells the disciples there are some things that happen only through prayer and fasting.

If you are like me, you long for a breakthrough in 2021, which I believe will only come about through prayer and fasting. This is why I am calling all of NewPointe to 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting. You might ask, “What does that really mean?”

Prayer is connecting with God. When we are not connected with God on a regular basis we find ourselves living in doubt and discouragement, which is a result of being too connected to the world in which we live. You have heard me say that we are more spiritual than physical, yet we find ourselves focusing more on the physical than the spiritual. This causes us to lose the power that we need to be able to do life in a world that is broken. Yet when we are connected with God, we are walking in faith. Believing that He is who He says He is and will do what He has promised to do, we find ourselves being more than conquerors.

Fasting is the way we become disconnected from the world so that we might focus on connecting with God in a deeper, more personal way. Fasting is like turning the volume knob down on our flesh and the world and turning it up in the Spirit. We gain authority, clarity, and intimacy with God.

I want to encourage you to draw three big circles to pray for. One for what you desire God to do in your own personal life in 2021. It might be a relationship, finances, or your health.

Your second circle is for NewPointe. Ask God to move and work in and through NewPointe in 2021. The third circle is for our country. That we would turn to God and experiencing His hope and healing. 

Let me leave you with a few quotes from The Circle Maker. I also encourage you to check out our message series Circle Makers.  

“Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.”

“Prayers are prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life.”

“The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked.”

“God does not answer vague prayers. The more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives.”

“Most of us don’t get what we want because we quit praying. We give up too easily. We give up too soon. We quit praying right before the miracle happens.”

Lastly, I invite you to join us for 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting as we kick off 2021.