Open My Eyes: A 21-Day Fasting Devotional from Jentezen FranklinSample

Fasting Day 9: Seeing Your Potential

Welcome to Day Nine of our 21-day Fast. I have been to the mountain where the Bible said, “Jesus, for 40 days and 40 nights, fasted and prayed in the wilderness, being led by the Spirit.” I cannot imagine why He chose that place for such a historical event. It’s so barren out there with none of the comforts of our life. To be out in those extreme places and to know what Christ went through there was almost overwhelming. Today, as we are fasting and we’re praying, I want to focus on those of you who are in a wilderness place right now. I want you to focus on being led of the Spirit, wherever the Spirit leads you. If He’s allowing you to be in the middle of a wilderness situation in your life, it’s because He’s going to bring something out of it. The Bible said, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.” And that’s what I believe is going to happen to you on this fast. As you come out of it, you’re going to return in the power of the Holy Spirit – the very same spirit Jesus was talking about. If you haven’t been able to focus on anything other than your hunger pangs, you are about to experience a sweetness in your daily walk and prayer time. It’s a natural response from a supernatural God.

God has an Amazing Purpose for Your Life

Did you know you were created for a purpose that is bigger than you could imagine? In fact, if I could do anything differently in my thirty-plus years of ministry I would have dreamed bigger! Not only can I never out-give God – I can’t out-dream Him. And neither can you. If there is one thing I can tell you for certain it’s that God has a plan and a purpose for your life that He thought of long before you were even born. Scripture confirms this over and over. What an exciting time to be alive and what an amazing gift to know He has a plan and a purpose for the one life you’ve been given to live.

I want to challenge you to see what’s possible – and then see it bigger. It’s easy to imagine something for a moment and say, “That would be nice.” But I’m talking about actually getting a picture in your head and seeing it, today, tomorrow, and every day. And here’s the good news – none of what you can imagine is dependent solely on you. You plus the Lord is an army and anything is possible.

Prayer: 

Allow me to pray for you today. Father, the Bible teaches that You, Jesus, were led of the Spirit, after being baptized in the Jordan River, to the wilderness to fast and pray. And God, I pray for those that are encountering their wilderness. I thank You today, that Your grace is sufficient. I thank You today that the Comforter is with us. And I thank You, Lord, that You’re going to bring people out of this fast, with the power of the Holy Spirit, resting heavily on them.