Fasting: Day 13,14,&15
CHECK IN ( write in your journal):
Write down your memory verses that are on the top of your heart
What are your observations on how God is moving in you and around you while you fast?
How are you reacting to making more room for God’s presence?
OUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS
Learning how to equip ourselves with the word again. Read your memory verses throughout the day.
Practice and Reflection: Obeying and Praying
Operating in God’s will, submitting to his shepherding.
Meditating on God as my Father.
My Secret Life (Solitude)
Where Is Your Good Shepherd Leading You in 2026?
Read Psalm 23
The Shepherd Always Moves with Purpose
A shepherd's job is simple yet profound: to move sheep from point A to point B—always with purpose, always for a reason. The shepherd leads his sheep to water so they can drink. He guides them to green pastures so they can eat. He brings them to the pen so they can rest and heal. He moves them through the darkest valleys and over challenging hills. When they wander, he disciplines them to get them back on track. Everything the shepherd does has intention behind it.
The Question That Changes Everything
We hear a lot of talk in the new year—new year, new me. Goals, plans, resolutions. "I want to be more disciplined." "I want to go on a diet." These things aren't bad, but I want to ask you a deeper question:
If God is your Good Shepherd, where is He leading you in 2026?
This is the question we need to ask. If the Good Shepherd moves His sheep from point A to point B for a particular purpose, then shouldn't we ask God to search us deeply and reveal:
What are we celebrating about 2026?
What are we repenting from?
What fruit is being produced in our lives?
What healthy habits need to start?
And remember this: these questions aren't about performing for God's love and acceptance. These questions flow from the reality that God already loves you and calls you His own. They come from a foundation of being loved by God, as He showed us on the cross.
How Do We Know What Needs to Change?
To know what needs to change, we need the conviction of the Spirit of God. It's a gift of God's Spirit that we—naturally rebellious creatures—would confess with our mouths: "God, rescue me. Save me. I am a sinner in need of Your grace, mercy, love, and restoration." The spirit of God is active! He is able to make us feel whether or not something glorifies God OR if something will destroy us. Asking for wisdom to discern between the two is something the spirit of God can give us.
Receive Him today and surrender to his call!
Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes…"
John 16:7-8 tells us: "Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment."
Titus 2:11-12 reminds us: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age."
We Need God's Spirit and God's Word
The Word of God helps us discern between our minds, hearts, and flesh. It shines a light on the truth and design of God. We must always remember that when Jesus came before Pontius Pilate, and Pilate asked Him what purpose He came into this world for, Jesus didn't say to give everyone a Mercedes and perfect lab reports from their doctors. He said He came to give the truth.
If there is truth, then there must be lies. Lies are so ingrained in us—woven into our minds, deep in our cultural DNA. They frame the way we react. But God has made this claim: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He doesn't say "I am a way, a truth, a life." He is the truth. The lies of the enemy destroy us. Jesus has come to destroy them. God’s word is our guide. It shows us the right way so that we can detect the wrong ways. It’s so powerful that it can search our own being and bring internal corruption to the forefront.
Psalm 119:105-107 declares: "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I have solemnly sworn to keep your righteous judgments. I am severely afflicted; Lord, give me life according to your word."
Hebrews 4:12 explains: "For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Discovering Your Point A and Point B
With the Spirit of God in us and the Word of God in us, how do we know how the Good Shepherd is moving us? What's our point A and what's our point B?
Here's the challenge: most of the time, it's not revealed to us in a Bible study or in the comfort of church pews or a church classroom. It's revealed to us in the field.
Look closely in these Bible examples and see how Jesus trains and disciples His loved ones ON THE FIELD.
Martha and Mary had their faith in Jesus checked in their house before supper. When Martha was busy cooking and getting dinner ready, Mary sat at Jesus' feet. Martha accused Mary of not being helpful. Jesus said, "Mary has chosen the one thing." On the field, Jesus revealed that the worship of Him was the most important thing.
Lazarus died for several days before Jesus showed up and brought him to life. Why the long wait? Jesus exposed a hole in Mary and Martha’s understanding of how powerful Jesus was. This field study showed that Jesus doesn’t just authorize the resurrection in the end of days, he is the resurrection and the life itself. A lesson taught powerfully in the field.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand stretched the disciples' faith. They said, "We can't afford this. This is impossible." Jesus showed them: "I am Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who provides." Watch me feed people”! On this field, Jesus was able to provide in miraculous ways.
When Jesus calmed the wind and waves, the disciples believed He was powerful, but they struggled to believe He was God. Jesus exposed a weak link in their faith and belief to Jesus. On the field, Jesus revealed that he was the same God in the Old Testament, the God who has authority over creation in Psalm 104.
Peter rebuked Jesus when He spoke about His coming suffering and death. Matthew 16:22-23 records: "Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, 'Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!' Jesus turned and told Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you're not thinking about God's concerns but human concerns.'
On this field, Peter reveals the heart of not just himself, but the Jewish people’s understanding of what the messiah is supposed to do. Peter wants a physical king of Israel destroying geo-political enemies. Jesus intends to destroy evil and the works of the devil, entering into the war that will end all wars eventually.
When Jesus was getting arrested, Peter cut off a man's ear! Jesus said, "I could summon a legion of angels if I wanted to"—and He was flexing, because in the Old Testament, it only takes one angel to wipe out a city. When Jesus was on trial and crucified, Peter denied Him three times. The disciples scatter like roaches when you turn on the light. On this field exam, Jesus once again exposed holes in Peter and the disciple’s faith.
All of this happened in the field. All of this brought up anxieties, doubts, and reactivities to the surface. However, it was all done with purpose and precision. The great shepherd was leading them somewhere, somewhere better.
The Field Equals Pressure
The field increases the pressure on our internal beliefs, systems, and convictions. And when the pressure is up, stuff comes to the surface. Weakness, strengths, pain, powers, traumas, and triumphs come up. When something happens to you and you react in a certain way—that's your reactivity showing itself. When the boss undermines you, when your wife forgets your birthday, when your coworkers make passive agressive comments;……we will react! You react with defensiveness, cutting off, internalizing failure, revenge, etc. How does our reactions reveal whats going on the inside?
Is it your trauma showing up again and continuing to prevent you from having hope again?
Is it your anxiety that you learned from growing up in a house that was unstable?
Is it your insecurity welling up from a life of being belittled and never hearing any words of affirmation from parents?
All of these reactions come from an internal system that was learned and formed from the past. Here is an example:
A friend of mine grew up in a hostile household. He grew up with a father who saw him as a curse to his family. His mother saw herself as a failure, and believed she had raised failed children. His whole life, he believed he was worthless. He was garbage. When his 38th birthday happened, his friends surprised him with a cake in the fellowship hall. As the people sang Happy Birthday and faced him, he felt his face turn red, he hated the attention. His back went up against the wall and he couldn’t wait until the attention went away from him. In his eyes, he didn’t want people to see him, he didn’t want people to see garbage.
The question that God wants to ask us is not just “why we reacted this way”, but How did we end up reacting this way.
For my friend above, The reaction stemmed from formations that have been solidified long before his 38th birthday. His reactions came from a foundation that was built years ago as a child.
Christianity is not about you just changing behavior. It’s about God going deep into our formation as a child, digging deep into our memories, and leading us into inner healing and wholeness.
God is going to be loving. God is going to be gracious. God is going to be merciful. God will give you moments of refreshing. HE WILL MOVE YOU!
But the byproduct of movement—the byproduct of objects moving—is thermodynamics: HEAT. When a car moves, the byproduct it makes is heat.
The question we should ask ourselves is: How is this creating heat? For example: if a doctor sends you lab reports, and tells you that you need to lose weight and exercise. You get offended. You feel defeated. You start feeling friction in your ears as he starts delivering the news. You hate corrections. You hate when people start exposing your weakness. Heat begins to form. However, you know that something needs to change.
What’s the heat that is being produced? What is the fuel that is fueling that heat as we are moving from point A to Point B. Are we afraid of loss? Are we afraid of losing the comfort that our sin produces? Are we afraid of exposing our weakness? Are we scared of incompetence?
When the Good Shepherd takes us on a journey, incompetence will follow. Every new season brings us into a place of learning, and learning requires moments of vulnerability and incompetence. We must humble ourselves so we can learn about God and about ourselves. Heat is produced from all the things that reject the sanctification of the Lord. All the lies that the enemy has ingrained in our brain will come face to face with our new master, Jesus. The fight between the spirit and our lies is messy.
In this season, structure of learning, accountability, and response is necessary. (S.O.L.A.R.)
When we are learning, we enter humbly into a time of reflection and confession. Admitting our sin and pain points will guide us into properly waging war against the insidious things that were hiding in our systems.
Accountability comes from a life of community and friends. God has given us the church, the body of Christ, the collection of God’s redeemed, your brothers and sisters. Find a brother or sister in Christ, who will not just pray for you, but pray with you. Give them permission to tell you the truth in grace and love. Join a healthy church today, you are not meant to grow alone.
Response comes from a point of conviction to God’s truth. It’s understanding that his way is better than ours. Response also comes from a point of God’s love and mercy. God doesn’t believe you are garbage. He doesn’t find you disposable. He wants to see his children get better. He finds you valuable to him. The Good Shepherd is the type of shepherd that will leave 99 sheep to go and find one lost sheep. Get better, you are not trash.
rEFLECTION
WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL
Where is your Good Shepherd leading you this year? Take time to ask Him. Listen for His voice. And trust that wherever He's moving you, it's always with purpose and always for your good.
What has the word of God revealed about you? How has the spirit revealed pieces of your inner self?
How has the field revealed your inner systems? How did you react? How was your inner systems formed?
As God is moving you, what produces heat in you? What is giving you resistance towards change?What are you afraid to lose? What are you afraid to gain?
Map out your structures of learning, accountability and response. If there is anything missing in your S.O.L.A.R. system, what is preventing it from forming?
PSALM 139: 23-24Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my concerns.See if there is any offensive way in me;lead me in the everlasting way.