STRATEGIC PRAYER FOR THE FFI FAMILY:
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, goingto-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the
best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even
thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants
from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of
immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
God, I pray that we at FFI would be diligent about offering "EVERY" aspect of our lives to You on a daily basis, as a
sacrifice of WORSHIP. We set our attention and focus on You, knowing that we will be changed from the INSIDE
OUT and set apart from this world, as we stay CONNECTED to You. We declare that we will strive to become like
YOU- the one we worship! We pray that we would hear Your voice clearly and QUICKLY RESPOND to what You ask
of us. In Jesus Name Amen!!!
DAILY ALIGNMENT AND COVERING PRAYER
Pray
1. Confess your sins and believe that you are forgiven
2. Praise Him for who He is
3. Thank Him for all the things He has done for you.
4. Daily alignment prayer (recommended for starting your day)
I put on the mind of Christ.
Your thoughts are my thoughts
Your emotions are my emotions
Your words are my words
Your actions are my actions
I will be obedient to Your will.
Your plan
Your desires
Your hope for me
I put on the full armor of God
I buckle the belt of truth around my waist
(Lord, help me to always walk in truth)
I place the breastplate of right living upon my chest.
(Lord, help me to make right choices by Your Word)
I place the Good News of peace upon my feet to help me stand strong
(Lord, help my mind to stay on You—because You are perfect peace)
I will use the shield of faith to combat the plans of the enemy
(Lord, I will stand firm and trust in You)
I wear God’s salvation as my helmet
(Lord, I have assurance that you have redeemed me from my old life of sin)
I will take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, with me throughout the day.
(Lord, teach me to apply Your Word to my everyday life)
5. Daily strategic financial prayer
"As I give, I expect good things from God from whom all blessings flow.
I am believing for:
A job or promotion in my job
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales & commissions
Settlements
Return on creative/witty ideas
Estates & inheritances
Interest & income
Rebates & returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Debts demolished
Royalties received.
Hallelujah!"
WEEKLY DEVOTIONS
Day One
Work as Worship
“Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with
all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Ephesians 6:6
With God there is not a separation between sacred and secular in the lives we lead. Work, family, church, and
every part of life are important to God. Through these devotions we have grown to discover that in everything we
do we worship Him.
He wants to be involved in everything we do. God cares about every area in our lives; he cares about our health,
our relationships, our finances, and even our work. It’s important to understand that work is good. It is a pre-fall
activity. God worked when He created, Adam worked what God had given him, and we follow suit. God created
work as an activity that can be very productive and fruitful.
But we can make work to be an all-consuming task. The job becomes too high a priority because it “brings home
the bacon” or makes us feel accomplished. If we are not careful, life becomes all about doing and not about being.
There must be a balance so that we can maintain our relationship with God and family.
In work, we must remember that everything is the Lord’s, including us. So when we work, we work for Him. Our
job then becomes a sacred activity. Recognize that you are called to serve God in your profession or career field.
Rely on God’s spirit in the day to day of work to bring excellence. You adorn the gospel by doing your job with
great quality. This is work as worship.
The end goal is to never get caught up simply in what you do. Our identity is not in what we do, it is in who we are
in Christ.
Discussion
1. How do I view my job currently? As a blessing or a curse?
2. What is one way I can worship God on the job?
3. Is my identity in what I do or whose I am?
4. Do I allow my job to take away time from God and my family?
Prayer
God, help me to work in a way that would bring honor to you. Change my perspective to see work as a way to
worship you, no matter the difficulty from a situation or person.
Day Two
Whistle Why You Work
Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, He didn’t just tell Him to keep away from certain bad apples. God
placed Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). Remember that God said this before the curse,
indicating that work wasn’t a punishment inflicted on Adam for his sin, but was a part of God’s original design. The
first purpose God had in mind for Adam wasn’t to read a Bible or pray, but to be a good gardener. Adam was
placed in the garden to develop its raw materials, to cultivate a garden.
You too are called to cultivate the garden in your secular vocation to help bring God’s presence to the world. God
is active through a person’s work. Too many Christians begrudge their work when they ought to revel in the fact
that God is using them, in whatever small part, to fulfill His purposes.
So throughout your workday, whistle—whistle an old song, whistle a new song—whistle. Watch as you till your
“garden” how the atmosphere changes, people’s heads begin to bob, they may even join in. How uplifting this will
be as you cultivate your garden every day.
Pray:
Help us to cultivate our garden at work. Always whistling a song that will bring about an atmosphere change that
will open the door for You to fulfill Your purpose through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Day Three
Dopey, Grumpy, Happy?
Philippians 2:14-15 (TLB)
14In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing 15so that no one can speak a word of blame
against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked
and stubborn. Shine out among them like beacon lights.
Discussion
Life can be difficult. A car pulls out in front of you and cuts you off; the family in front of you in the check-out line
has kids that are out of control; or perhaps your co-worker is not doing their job and you are having to work twice
as hard. All of these situations can lead to frustration, feeling of annoyance, and complaining. However, the
scripture says “in everything you do stay away from complaining and arguing” and that includes driving in the car
and even at your job.
What areas/situation of life cause you to complain or argue?
As believers in Christ, we are called to worship Him in all that we do. Whether that is with our family, during our
playtime, or even at work. People are watching how we react and respond to life. With Christ’s help, we can
overcome and strive to stay away from complaining and arguing. By doing so, we are being lights for God in this
dark world and worshiping Him. Let’s endeavor to give people around us reason to look to God, not find blame in
out witness. Pointing people to Christ, even while at work, is worship that God loves.
Weekly Challenge
Begin each day by praying God give you strength to resist complaining and arguing. Ask Him to give you His joy and
compassion for others so in turn we can be that beacon of light that overcomes darkness and points people to
Christ.
Day Four
Callouses Lifted High
When I was a kid, one of my fondest memories of my grandpa when we would visit was hearing the clap of his
calloused, work-hardened hands as we would walk in the front door and watch him smile with delight as he
welcomed us with a “Hey, Hey there!” He was a hardworking man who delighted in doing what he did to the best
of his ability, and it showed in those leathery, weathered old hands.
I find it interesting that hands so worn and toughened by toil and labor would also be part of God’s plan for
worship, but according to Ecclesiastes 9:10, that is exactly what God had in mind. Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might! Colossians 3:23 goes on to say, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, and not for human masters.” Whenever we do whatever we do as though we are doing it for
the Lord, we are giving Him a part of us, honoring him with our abilities, time and effort. That’s worship!
So, let’s take this idea a step further. Have you ever had a bad day at work? Have you ever grumbled and
complained about your boss or your coworkers? Have you ever felt overworked, underpaid, unappreciated or
frustrated with things you’re asked to do? I’m sure we’ve all felt that way from time to time, but as a child of God,
we must not allow these things or people to be what we focus on. Everything we do needs to be done as unto God.
If we can elevate our focus and do those things that ordinarily cause us stress, frustration, or anxiety for our
Heavenly Father, I think we’ll find the negative emotions that come with them will melt away.
Discussion: What is one job or chore you are asked to do that causes you to feel frustrated or unappreciated?
Now close your eyes and imagine yourself doing that thing for Jesus. How do you feel about that thing now?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I repent for every time I’ve grumbled, complained, or been frustrated with those who ask
me to do things that are part of my daily job or even part of taking care of our household. Please forgive me for not
living according to what your word says in Colossians 3:23, for not doing all that I do as if I’m doing it for you.
Please help me to elevate my focus especially in times of stress, frustration or anxiety. Thank you Father!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Day Five
Work Like Ants
Ants can carry more weight per body-size than any being ever created by God. They perform their work diligently,
without question, without fail, without complaint. Ants have the ability to perceive smells through their antenna
and communicate to each other using pheromones, or chemical hormones. Once a path is formed by the ant
community, every ant uses it without question for they have no territorial arguments within their specie. The ant is
complex, their foraging abilities are unbelievable, their compound eyes actually use light from the sun to help
them determine direction much like a compass, and some breeds of ants actually are able to feel the Earth’s
magnetic field to know which way to go.
People benefit from ants for their underground trails that naturally aerate the soil, they can be eaten as a
tremendously high source of protein for people groups that are void of animal consumption, and have been used
in numerous mythologies for centuries including those written by Aesop and even Mark Twain.
In Proverbs 6 the bible states, “Go the ant, you sluggard; observe its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no
overseer, or ruler, yet it prepares its food for the summer; it gathers at the harvest what it will eat!”
We should serve the Lord diligently, without question, without fail, without complaint. We should use our spiritual
gifts to perceive those who are hurting and those who need help. We should avoid territorial arguments, working
together at all times. Though our lives, jumbled up with a difficult mix of spouse, children, parents work, house,
recreation, and limited time may appear complex, we should come to the Lord continuously using the Holy Spirit
as our guide, like a compass. And when God seems far from us because we have maneuvered our lives in such a
way that the Lord may feel distant, we just need to go outside and look at God’s creation to know He is with us.
Take a trip outside as a family and, while looking at all God created, talk about how we can work in all ways for The
Lord.