21 Days of Prayer New Life Church January 2026
Day 1 - Faith That Bring Us Close
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!” Matthew 6:6-8
In Matthew 6, we find Jesus leading His disciples into a new and radical way of living out their faith. As He approaches the subject of prayer, He instructs them to “shut the door” and “enter into.” For the disciples, this meant shutting the door to prayer motivated by performance, measured by eloquence and validated by the admiration of others.
Do you need to close the door on anything so you can enter in?
Next, Jesus instructs His disciples to “enter into” a private room. It’s in the private room we are invited into true communion with the One who already sees and knows everything. Let’s be open and honest with Him there.
Leave behind the things that hinder you from fully experiencing His love and walk into the life He has for you. Ask Him to lead you with open hands making a difference for His Kingdom today.
Prayer - Jesus I come to you today declaring that today is a new day, your mercies and grace tell me I get to start fresh. Help me to let go of my past, pursue your presence and walk with you in surrender. Would you forgive me and help me to walk forward in you. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 2 - Seek His Ways
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
“When God is removed from the center of a culture, something else will always take His place.” - Karl Barth
What took His place then, and now, is self-rule.
King Saul was brought to the throne by God. Saul was given God’s presence and power and then in turn he became prideful thinking the victories he was winning on behalf of Israel were only because of him and not God.
God will not be mocked, He gave Saul over to his desires of pride and it tormented him. Have you been living as though you are in control, like you know best? Come to Jesus, repent today and surrender to his will.
Don’t live as though you have no king, put Jesus back on the throne.
Prayer - Jesus I come to you today declaring that you are God, I am not and I need you. I admit I’ve been prideful thinking I know what is best. Forgive me and help me to walk in your ways today. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 3 - Direction, Not Perfection
Have you ever failed at something? You can relate to David.
Have you ever waited for years for something? You can relate to David.
Have you ever been picked last? You can relate to David.
Have you ever been the CEO, King, Leader of a massive nation or company? You can relate to David.
Have you ever committed adultery? You can relate to David.
Have you ever killed someone? You can relate to David.
So while David wasn’t perfect, he did write Psalms like this…
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
David can teach us that it’s not about the perfection of your life, but about the direction of your heart.
“God does not save us by what we do, but by what He does in us.” - Charles Spurgeon
Ask God to search your heart today, point out anything that offends Him and walk in his ways.
Prayer - Heavenly Father, I come today asking you to search me, help me to see those ways in which I have separated myself from you. Forgive me today as I turn to your ways, help my heart be set on yours. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 4 - We Don’t See What God Sees
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God doesn’t judge the way we do. We look at outward appearances, the Lord looks at the heart. Saul looked the part but lacked the heart.
This time of year we put our appearance on such a high priority, going to the gym, diets, and we should take care of our bodies, they are the only ones we will ever get, but instead of focusing so much on outward appearance, what about focusing on the heart.
Eliab looked like king material - height, presence, strength, but God was looking at what was on the inside.
David had the heart before he ever had the throne. “Heart” refers to character, obedience, faith, and surrender. God is not impressed by what impresses people. How do you evaluate success, leadership, and spiritual maturity? Are you prioritizing principles that should be secondary?
Prayer - Lord, Help me to see people the way you see them. Help me to see myself the way you see me. Work on my heart, change me to be more like you. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 5 - Remain In Me
John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Jesus is teaching us what David realized, in order to bear fruit for Jesus in this world, we need to remain in Him. This doesn’t mean we are perfect, this just means that when we wake up we acknowledge that God is God and we aren’t. As we go through our day we connect with Him in His word, we come to Jesus for help, to share times of joy and just in the mundane.
Are you feeling alone, separated from God today, set some time to sit and listen to a worship song, pray and dive into the Psalms. Come to Him and He will meet with you.
Prayer - Jesus, help me today to come to you, in the good, bad and just plain ordinary moments of life. Help me to remember your Spirit dwells in me and you have made me to be connected to you. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 6 - The Hurried Soul
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
If you have been a follower of Jesus for any length of time you will know that as much as we may have the right attitude and intention to spend time with the Lord daily, it is difficult!
In our fast pace culture we find our souls in a state of hurry.
Unfortunately, we rarely see the chasm until we’ve lost sight of where we started. We are too busy doing, and sometimes doing for God.
In his book You Have a Soul, John Ortberg calls being hurried “an inner condition, a condition of the soul. It means to be so preoccupied with myself and my life that I am unable to be fully present with God, with myself, and with other people.”
For many it takes a crisis to slow down. God will sometimes make us rest, He “made me lie down” (Ps. 23:2). And in this green pasture of necessity we can find what our souls longed for all along, peace. Are you running too fast? Take some time today and rest your soul. Spend some time with the most important things in life, your relationship with God and others.
Prayer - Jesus, help me to slow down, to find my comfort and rest in you. Lead me into your presence. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 7 - Faith That Strengthens Others
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25
Jesus made the way for us to be adopted as sons and daughters of God. His sacrifice continues to allow us to rest boldly and unashamedly in the presence of the Father. When we are secure in God’s love through spending time in His presence, we are able to lift our eyes from our own cares, worries and problems and pass the flame of the love of God to those around us.
We are called to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the same way that Jesus did. We are to seek the betterment of
others over ourselves. Only then can we truly be one (John 17:22).
Prayer - Jesus, thank you for making a way for us to have a right relationship with your Father. Help me today to walk in boldness in your victory and share that victory with others around me. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 8 - Defeated Enemies
“I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 1 Samuel 17:8-11
Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God? 1 Samuel 17:26
Israel is paralyzed by fear. Every morning and evening for 40 days the giant, Goliath, comes out to mock, threaten, and defy the armies of God.
The army doesn’t move and worst off Saul, Israel’s King doesn’t move. In fact he is terrified because he know The Spirit of the Lord has withdrawn from him because of pride.
Chapter 16 ends with Saul depressed and afraid, which always happens when we start trusting in our own strength.Fear grows when God is removed from the center of the situation, but yet the opposite is true and we will see in David.
When you are walking with the Lord you won’t have any fear for he is fighting your battles. He is with you. He will win the victory.
While everyone else sees a giant, God is preparing a shepherd.
Are you allowing fear from a giant to hold you back today? Trust in his victory!
Prayer - Jesus thank you that in you I can stand confident in your victory! Help me to see the giants are defeated enemies because of you! In Jesus name, Amen
Day 9 - Faith Is Often Opposed By Familiar Voices
But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 1 Samuel 17:28-30
Eliab is fuming now. He's just been called out by his insolent little brother but is at a loss for what to say.
David turns to his big brother and this time speaks only to him. With the confidence that can come only from someone who has literally wrestled with a bear and won, he says, "You know what, brother? You're right. All these years you've been right. I didn't kill that lion. Or the bear... God did. He just used me to do it. If none of you are going to stand up to this pagan, who is ridiculing our people and our God, then in God's name, I will. Just like the lion and the bear, God will take him down too. And I'm going to let Him use me to do it."
Sometimes the loudest discouragement comes from people who know you best.
Those closest to you may not recognize God’s work in you. Don’t let discouragement from others silence faith. Obedience to God often looks like arrogance to fearful people. Walk in humility, which is strength under control, meekness isn’t weakness.
Prayer - Heavenly Father, today help me to focus on you, not what others may say about me. Help me to focus on your strength at work in my life. Give me the courage to stand firm and walk in your ways even when others may ridicule or mock me. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 10 - God’s Battles Cannot Be Won In Someone Else’s Armor
Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. 1 Samuel 17:38-39
Saul gives David his armor which was heavy, impressive, yet useless for David. It didn’t fit him so he does what we need to do when we try to be someone else, remove it and be who God has called us to be.
David goes to what he knows, his sling with some stones.
1 Samuel 17:40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
Stop trying to be someone else, there is only one of you in this world created by God for God.
You cannot fight God’s battles using methods God never gave you.
Strop trying to fix sin with self-help.Trying to fight anxiety with willpower.
Trying to earn grace.
David fought God’s way, not man’s. Don’t imitate someone else’s calling. Trust how God has uniquely prepared you.
Prayer - Heavenly Father, Thank you for making me who I am. Help me to discover who you have made me to be and help me to walk in that calling today. Help me to stop the comparison game. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 11 - Victory Comes When God’s Glory Is The Goal
Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:41–47
As David looked at the giant, everyone ran in fear, yet David remembered what God had done while he was a shepherd. The Lord had used him to save his sheep, to rescue them from the bears and lions and he knew God would give him the victory over the giant.
We fight from a won battle. The battle is the Lord’s. David steps forward as he hears the giant mock his God. He said enough is enough, the shepherd against the giant, the anointed against the armored for God’s glory, not his own.
Prayer - Heavenly Father, Help me to step forward today in faith, knowing that you have already won the battle. Help me to be confident in your victory. I want to live to bring your name glory. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 12 - A Sailboat Without A Sail
As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26
I love Victoria, BC. Natalie and I have been up there a handful of times since we have been married and each time we love to rent mopeds and ride around the island. There is one stretch of the island where you can look out over the Strait and see dozens of sailboats.
A stationary sailboat isn’t much of a sailboat. It’s just an extension of the dock. In the same way, belief that doesn’t find itself doing much isn’t doing much good. Faith that isn’t experiencing by doing what it has learned is a boat tied to the dock. It’s a sailboat with no sails.
Jesus has a personal revolution for each of us, and it starts with doing, not just believing. It is tempting to think that following Jesus is about learning the right ideas, saying the right words, memorizing a couple verses and singing the right songs. But faith without works is a sailboat without a sail… it is worthless.
God is calling you toward the horizon with Him because He knows what can happen with your faith when it unties from the dock and starts to move.
Where is God inviting you to trust the wind of His Spirit more?
Prayer - God, thank you for Faith, that I get the opportunity to believe and trust in you. Help me to develop my faith in you, but faith that pushes me to do good things for others. To love others the way you love me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
Day 13 - Into The Unknown
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
Why don’t we like the unknown…It’s Unclear. It’s Unsettled. It’s Uncontrollable. But can I tell you that the unknown also allows us to take risks, step out of our comfort zones and trust God.
But here is what I know, God is for you, Anything if possible, and Now is the Time! Think of Abraham, he left the familiar, discovered his destiny and he could have missed it. I don’t want you to miss it.
Take a leap of faith, jump into the unknown. Trust God and rely on his strength.
Prayer - Father, thank you that a relationship with you is a faith journey. I choose once again today to walk into the unknown with you knowing that you know what is best for me. Help me to trust you and give it all to you. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 14 - Expressing Your Faith Through Love
For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. Galatians 5:4-6; 13-15
Love is the visible fruit of invisible faith. Passing on our faith means letting it shape our relationships and actions in tangible, loving ways.
What if Jesus wasn’t as concerned about the religious practices you kept as he was about how you loved others? In Galatians 5, Paul tears down an argument about the legalities of religious practice and replaces it with a charge to humbly serve—motivated by love.
To the church of Corinth Paul also says that love is the only thing that lasts forever, after all, it was love that purchased our place in that kingdom and that compels us to invite others into the family of God.
Prayer - Jesus thank you for your love, your ultimate act of sacrificial love poured out for me so I could have a right relationship with the Father. Help me to love others the way you love me. Holy Spirit please help me to love today. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 15 - Carry Each Other’s Burdens
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. - 1 John 3:16
Here at New Life we encourage every person to be in a group. We say that, “New Life Church is a church of Groups, not a church with Groups.”
When we do life together, our problems become smaller as God uses others to bring support and encouragement to our lives.
Groups become a place where others don’t just know your name but care about what is happening in your life and want to support you in your spiritual journey.
I have a neighbor down the street from me and whenever I leave my garage door open or he has a package on his front door step we text each other, we look out for each other.
Who has God surrounded you with too look out for?
What burden do you need to come along side for someone else?
What burden do you need to share so you can let someone come along side you?
Prayer - Jesus thank you for carrying my burden of sin on the cross. Would you help me to come along side someone today and help carry their burden. In your name Jesus, Amen
Day 16 - Find Rest
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29
Are you tired? It’s so easy to get tired and worn out, especially in today's fast paced media driven culture where everyone is a keyboard warrior and headlines are constantly being pushed in your face.
We talked about it a few weeks ago, but a yoke ties two oxen together. One trained oxen alone can pull 5,000 pounds and an untrained ox can pull 2,000 pounds, but together they can pull 12,000 pounds. More than 2x individual trained oxen can pull.
Jesus was speaking to the people who knew this well and said in his statement was asking them a question too. What are you tying yourself to?
What are you tying yourself to? Do you need rest today? Comes to Jesus!
Prayer - Jesus thank you that through you I can find rest. I can find peace for my anxiety. I can find hope for my future knowing you hold me in your hands. Today I want to be yoked to you, led in your direction. Lead me and guide me in your name Jesus, Amen
Day 17 - Faith That Moves To Action
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:14-17
Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Think about if Jesus just spoke these words, but never went to the cross and backed them up by the act of his death and resurrection.
In John 13, Jesus finishes washing His disciples’ feet and then says: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” So, if true discipleship is the imitation of the way of Jesus, and the way of Jesus is that the Word himself puts on flesh and bone (John 1:14) and comes to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), let us too put substance to the things we speak. Let us put bone and flesh to the call of 1 John 3, to love with our actions and in truth—that our words would reflect the reality of our transformation in Christ.
Prayer -
Hey Jesus, thank you for your willingness to lay your life down for me. Holy Spirit please lead me today in how I might follow in Jesus example and lay down my life for others, please show me ways to serve today. Give me compassion and empathy for those around me who may be in need. In your name Jesus, Amen
Day 18 - The Power Of The Holy Spirit
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. John 14:16
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
Can I encourage you to pray these 5 Prayers…
Holy Spirit: Comfort Me, Reveal Truth To Me, Use Me, Convict Me, Guide Me
Read John 16
Where do you need comfort in your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you. If you asked the Holy Spirit to use you what do you think He’s ask you to do? Where do you think the Holy Spirit would want to change you from the inside out today in? Unsure of the future? Ask Him to guide you!
Prayer - Holy Spirit bring to light things inside of me that need to change. Change me from the inside out, change my heart. Make me more like you. In Jesus, Amen
Day 19 - Fear In Adversity
But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56:3-4
It’s impossible to live without fear. Fear of spiders, the dark, fear of the unknown in the future, fear that our families won’t follow Jesus. We’ll all go through seasons facing doubt, confusion, or apprehension because of fear. The Word of God doesn't dismiss these concerns. Instead, it tells us what to do when we're afraid.
The best response is to admit or confess your fears to the Lord and trust Him to work out the situation according to His will and timing.
Many people want to hold anyone but God responsible for their adversity-that's because they can't reconcile why a good God would allow their situation. What they fail to realize is that the Lord literally took their sins and the sins of others that were done to them on the cross.
If you're going through difficulty, remember that God knows, He cares, He took them on his shoulders, and He is for you.
Yield to Him, and let Him accomplish His purposes through your trials. When you trust in God, you have no reason to be afraid.
Prayer - Jesus thank you that when I am afraid I can cast all my cares on you for you care for me. Thank you that you’ve won the battle and the victory is yours. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 20 - Transform Your Mind, Transform Your Life
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2
As a follower of Jesus you don’t copy the behaviors and customs of this world, you you die to them. How? By the renewing of your mind. Changing the way you think. You cannot have a positive life when you have a negative mind. Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.
The simplest and easiest way I know how to transform my thoughts is to get into the word of God. John 8:32 says, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
I want to be in touch with the culture but in tune with the Spirit. - Leonard Sweet
Paul says to the church in Corinth if you want to be in tune with the Spirit then. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We’ve gotta take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Not my ways, but his ways. Why, because I belong to him, he bought me with a price, he grafted me in, my body belongs to him, my mind belongs to him.
Where is your thought life? Are your thought honoring to God? Are your thoughts positive or negative? Ask The Holy Spirit to transform your mind today.
Prayer - Holy Spirit reveal to me the ways in which I think that are against your ways, help me to think positive thoughts, thoughts that would be uplifting and encouraging to you and the life you’ve called me to live. In Jesus name, Amen
Day 21 - Pay Back Evil With Good
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead,“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:17-21
The basic principle of all these ways Paul urges us on how to live as Christians is summarized at the beginning and end of this paragraph of verses… "Do not repay anyone evil for evil" (v 17) and: ”Do not be overcome or conquer you, but overcome, conquer evil with good" (v 21).
The word "overcome" is a military word that means to “overpower." Paul says that to repay evil with evil is immediately to lose the battle to evil! The only way to defeat evil is by doing good to the one who has done harm.
In other words, if you hate a person who has wronged you, that person has won! The only way to defeat the evil is to forgive and love the person.
Easy? No, but we share in the victory of Christ who paid the price for all injustice and sin that we do to others and are done to us.
Do you repay evil with evil, or are you repaying evil with good?
When someone does something unkind to you are you paying them back with your most prized possession?
Prayer - Jesus thank you for your words and your life that teaches us to repay evil with good and in doing so we share in your victory. Help me to remain focused on your ways not my ways. In your name, Amen