BRIDGE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH RALEIGH
WE’RE ABOUT GLORIFYING GOD BY BRIDGING PEOPLE TO HIM THROUGH THE GOSPEL AND GROWING HEALTHY DISCIPLES.
Day 1: The Weight of Submission
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:35-36
“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Commentary:
Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane reveals His human vulnerability and divine mission. He acknowledges His desire to avoid suffering, but He ultimately submits to the Father’s will. This reflects total surrender and complete dependence, showing us the model for our prayers.
Reflection Questions:
What does Jesus’s posture in prayer tell you about the severity of what He was facing?
Reflect on a time when you had to submit to God’s will, even when it was difficult. What was the outcome?
How can you incorporate the phrase “Not what I will, but what you will” into your daily prayers?
Prayer Focus: Pray for a heart of submission to God’s will, especially in challenging situations. Ask God to help you trust His plan over your own desires.
Day 2: Staying Vigilant in Prayer
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:37-38 “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Commentary: Jesus’s instruction to stay awake and pray indicates the importance of vigilance in our spiritual lives. The disciples’ failure to pray shows their unpreparedness for the trials ahead. Jesus reminds us that while our spirit may be willing, our human nature is weak and needs God’s strength.
Reflection Questions:
In what areas of your life are you spiritually “asleep”?
How can you develop a more vigilant prayer life?
Why do you think Jesus emphasized prayer as the means to avoid falling into temptation?
Prayer Focus: Ask God to help you stay spiritually awake and vigilant. Pray for consistency and fervor in your prayer life, seeking His strength to overcome weaknesses.
Day 3: Acknowledging Our Weakness
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Commentary: Acknowledging our weakness doesn’t make us less; it opens us up to experience God’s power. Paul’s testimony reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.
Reflection Questions:
What weaknesses have you been reluctant to acknowledge?
How can admitting these weaknesses to God change your approach to prayer and daily living?
In what ways have you seen God’s power at work in your weaknesses?
Prayer Focus: Confess your weaknesses to God. Ask Him to use these areas to display His strength in your life. Pray for a heart that delights in depending on God’s grace.
Day 4: The Importance of Community
Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Commentary:
Community is essential for spiritual growth and perseverance. The author of Hebrews emphasizes the importance of gathering together to encourage, support, and spur one another toward love and good works, especially as we face the trials of life.
Reflection Questions:
How has your church community helped you in your walk with Christ?
Are there ways you can be more engaged or supportive within your church family?
How can you encourage others to remain faithful, especially in challenging times?
Prayer Focus:
Pray for your church community. Ask God to help you be an encouraging and supportive member. Pray for unity, love, and perseverance within your church family.
Day 5: Total Surrender
Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Commentary: Paul urges believers to offer themselves fully to God as living sacrifices, breaking away from worldly patterns and being transformed by the renewal of the mind. This total surrender is our true and proper worship and enables us to discern God’s will.
Reflection Questions:
What areas of your life have you not fully surrendered to God?
How can renewing your mind help you discern God’s will?
In what practical ways can you live out being a living sacrifice daily?
Prayer Focus: Pray for a heart of total surrender. Ask God to transform and renew your mind so that you can understand and follow His will. Commit to living each day as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him.
WE’RE ABOUT GLORIFYING GOD BY BRIDGING PEOPLE TO HIM THROUGH THE GOSPEL AND GROWING HEALTHY DISCIPLES.