As for Me and My House – Day 1

 INTRODUCTION

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

As the Living Streams Church family fasts and prays together in the next 21 days, we want to focus on consecration—being set apart—being in the world but not of the world. 

What is consecration? Consecration is giving yourself to God, becoming His living sacrifice. As Romans 12:1 says: 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.

Before consecration, our life is lived in pursuit of our own desires and goals; but the consecrated life is lived in pursuit of and obedience to God’s will. Our goal during this fasting season is to humble ourselves and move closer to total submission to our Father.

We hope you will enjoy this daily devotional, and that it will help enrich your “alone time” with the Lord each day during this fasting season:

Week 1

GRATITUDE

As for me and my house, we will give thanks.

DAY 1: GOD’S WILL FOR YOU

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

Pray continually, give thanks always in all circumstances—why? Because this is His will for you. 

Admittedly, giving thanks is challenging when life is difficult or we don’t feel well or world events go opposite of the way we want them to go. Yet we’re to “give thanks always.” Will you do it? Will you rejoice? Will you pray continually? Will you give thanks in the worst of times, as well as in the best? 

This is His will for us, so let’s do this!

QUESTIONS What can you be thankful for and rejoice about in your physical world today? In your emotional world? In your relational world? What has to change for you to do this?

PRAYER As I contemplate my circumstances, God, I choose to rejoice and pray. I choose to do Your will. I choose to praise and thank You for every blessing I have, rather than complain about how I feel or what is going on around me. 

ACTION Write down ten things you can decide to be thankful for, even though they are not the circumstances you would choose for your life. Then tell God, “I will rejoice in You. I will praise You right now, not because I feel like it, but because it is Your will for me.”