Day 20: World
This segment of the Dangerous pursuit is about intercession. Today you will intercede for our world. Write down the time and place where you are completing this Soul Workout.
Warm-Up:
Pray:
“Jesus, I pray that all people would believe and decide to trust in You as their personal Savior and Lord—to experience no judgement, no rejection, and no condemnation. May all people practice truth, do what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually and come to the Light. May their work be plainly shown to be accomplished in You, divinely prompted, done with Your help, with complete dependence on You.”
Round 1:
Read John 3:13-21 and underline what stands out to you.
Round 2:
“Lord, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. I pray for Your Spirit to penetrate the hearts of all people and draw them back to You. Specifically, I stand between the following mess of humanity and Your grace and intervention in each of these areas.”
Take as much time as you need to intercede for our world. Pray the prayer above for some or all of the critical problems in our world.* Come back to this list often to stand in the gap for our world:
Poverty: More than 70 percent of people in the world own less than $10,000
Religious Conflict and War: Terrorism and the rise of religiously-motivated insurgent groups have forced the hand of several governments.
Social Polarization: Polarization has skyrocketed with the rise of social movements across the world.
Government Accountability: Throughout the world, political scandals have led to a distrust of government.
Education: Inequality between genders in specific parts of the world has emerged as a large part of the problem.
Food and Water: 1 in 9 people lack access to clean water across the world and the same ratio are malnourished.
Health in Developing Nations: Statistics have widely shown that access to clean and affordable living conditions has lagged in the developing world.
Discrimination: This covers a wide breadth of issues and takes several forms such as race, gender, wages, income inequality and education.
Physical Fitness: The lack of physical fitness programs and extra-curriculars have created significant issues that could affect future health.
Round 3:
Look back in your journal at Round 3 of Day 1 and Round 3 of Day 3. What breakthrough did you write down? This answered the question: “Why am I praying and fasting for 20 days?” It motivated you to keep going when you wanted to quit.
Well what happened? Have you experienced a breakthrough yet? Either way, write down your latest thoughts about what you’ve been believing for over the past 20 days.
Burn Out:
What an amazing pursuit of God this has been. We are just getting to the starting line! My prayer is that you will continue pursuing God every day. Let’s end Day 20 the same way we started Day 1…with this prayer:
Pray:
“God, these last 20 days have been dedicated to pursuing You. [As I continue to pursue You] prepare my heart to continue to discover things I’ve never known; to receive new revelations, to grow in my intimacy with You, and to encounter the power of God like never before. No one comes to You unless You draw them, so thank You for drawing me. I’m ready [to keep pursuing You]!”
Sometime this week:
If you are able, fast this week. Choose a day and fast a meal, two meals or the whole day. During the time you would normally eat, take some extra time to focus on God through prayer or reading. If you are not sure if fasting is okay for you, consult your doctor.