“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:19-21

I don’t know about you but I love January. Let’s be honest though, the weather’s awful, next Christmas is a long way off, we’re all back to work or school after a lovely break — you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a pretty bleak month. So, what exactly is so good about January I hear you cry! Well, for me it’s one thing: 21 days of prayer and fasting.

I love seeing our church family come together as one and cry out to the Father in prayer and worship, setting the tone for the year. This year, the Father has been speaking to me out of Matthew 6 and especially about storing up treasures in heaven.

I’ve been really challenged about the values of my heart and the fact that, while prayer is a big priority in January, if I’m honest the other 11 months look very different. You see, the Father and the treasures of heaven, in the form of prayer, are very much my focus in January and He’s been challenging me to focus on those things throughout the year and not just for this 21-day period.

What might this look like for us to seek the Father all year round with the fervour we have for 21 days in January?

CONSISTENCY

A good friend of mine who is a personal trainer always says, ‘Consistency is key’ and he applies this to his spiritual life as much as to the physical. Look at your busiest week and ask what’s the minimum amount of time you could spend with the Father in prayer, reading the Word or just soaking in His presence? Then, make that your goal for every week. When we consistently hit our goals it’s encouraging and we are more likely to carry on. If we set unrealistic targets on the other hand it’s easy to get discouraged and, if you’re anything like me, the person you find it hardest to have grace for is yourself!

USE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU

There are lots of books on prayer which you may find useful. “How To Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People” by Pete Greig is a great place to start. My favourite resource though? Our very own Devoted booklet which can focus your heart on the treasures of heaven that are there waiting for us to seek them out.

DRAW NEAR TO PEOPLE WHO PRAY

If there’s a prayer meeting, make it a priority. Before the start of every Sunday meeting, there is a group of people who gather to pray. Join them, whichever location you call home! We also gather regularly as a whole church to pray with our weekly Wednesday Morning Prayer Zoom and our monthly Revival Prayer meeting. Join us as we cry out to the Father with the desires of our heart. Being around powerful intercessors as they pray stirs my heart and focuses my attention on the heavenly realms, I’m sure you’ll find the same. To see all of our Prayer opportunities available, go to kingsarms.org/prayer

So, finally where are you storing up treasure? Your health? Career? Relationships? Hobbies? None of these things are bad by themselves, but they shouldn’t distract us from where the real eternal treasure lies and I don’t want the Father to only be front and centre for January.

Brothers and sisters, let’s all check our hearts and ask ourselves: Where am I storing up my treasures? If it’s with earthly things, how can I refocus my gaze onto the things of heaven?

Much love,
Tim Brown and the eFocus team

We are about halfway through our 21 days of prayer and fasting and what a way to start the year! 100% focused on our amazing God, seeking more of His love, presence and power to be poured out amongst us.

Years ago, Pastor Jentezen Franklin led his church, Free Chapel, through a season of prayer and fasting, uncertain of what God had in store. Their prayers centred around seeking direction and spiritual growth. Unexpectedly, in the midst of their fasting, a series of breakthroughs followed: financial needs were miraculously met and countless individuals in the church testified to experiencing personal healing and freedom. Pastor Franklin recounts these events as a significant turning point, which brought about profound, life-changing results in his church. (You can read more about this story in Pastor Franklin’s book, “Fasting”)

This is my prayer for us! As we increasingly embrace a lifestyle of seeking God with prayer and fasting the more we will see His kingdom breaking through in amazing ways!

If you need a little bit of encouragement today to stay committed to the finish line, or you are thinking about joining us (it’s not too late!), let’s remind ourselves of the following examples of prayer and fasting in the Bible which brought about great spiritual and physical breakthroughs. Take a hold of these promises as they are true for you too!

Ezra 8:23 tells of how the Israelites, preparing to return from exile, sought God’s protection. “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer.” God’s people fasted, surrendered their fears to God and witnessed His divine intervention.

In Esther 4:16, Queen Esther fasted and prayed before approaching the King to save her people from destruction. Through Esther’s fast, God saved the lives of her people.

Isaiah 58:6 beautifully captures God’s purpose for fasting, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice…to set the oppressed free?” Prayer and fasting empowers us to stand in the gap for others, bringing about justice, healing and freedom.

James 5:16 reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Just as Pastor Franklin’s church witnessed transformation, so can we! Let’s allow our spirits to cry out to our God of hope, healing and miracles. Let’s open ourselves up to His blessing and see Him work in our lives and in the world around us.

Fasting is more than simply abstaining from food; it’s about tuning our hearts to God and trusting in Him. When we fast, we are reminded of our reliance on God, and our faith is strengthened as we connect more deeply with him.

I experienced this not long ago. I could feel my faith was low and I was feeling particularly discouraged about a number of situations plus my own health battles. I decided to spend five days with no TV or entertainment, seeking God with a Daniel fast. I set aside extra time to be with God, particularly focusing on praying in the spirit and worship. My body and mind never enjoys giving things up, but I literally felt my soul coming alive again, I felt a new closeness to Jesus, fresh faith in my heart and a feistiness in my spirit that I hadn’t felt for a while!

God is so kind! As we seek Him in this way, telling our bodies “you are not in charge!” He comes and meets with us and breathes life into us again. I am convinced that this needs to be a regular part of my weekly, monthly and yearly rhythm to keep my soul alive in God!

So, as we enter the second half of the 21 days, let’s hold onto great expectation: knowing that God hears and answers His people, and He is leading us into new levels of faith and breakthrough!

Bring it on! Let’s see what God will do!

Much love,
Carole and the eFocus team