February Prayer & Fasting Day 5

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Welcome to day five of our 21 days of prayer and fasting here at Perth Hills Church.

We’ve been following the fasting devotional, and day five is called A Clean Heart. It comes from Psalm 51, where David prays an incredible prayer to God after a very difficult season when sin in his life was exposed. He prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” and also, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

Something inside David needed to come out.

When I go into a sauna, I sweat and toxins are released through my skin. The sauna doesn’t create what comes out — it only reveals what was already there. In heat and pressure, what’s inside comes out.

Prayer and fasting often work the same way. During this season, you may notice a greater sensitivity to God’s Word in your life. There may be things He is rearranging, shifting, and convicting you about. Like David, there may be a need to repent.

Repentance is not an ugly church word. It simply means to change the way you think and, in doing so, change the direction of your life. It’s actually a beautiful thing.

I remember years ago driving down south with my wife Skye. We were heading to a destination, but it was taking much longer than it should have. She asked the words no husband wants to hear: “Do you know where we are?”

I said, “Of course I do.” But we were lost.

She reached under the passenger seat and pulled out something the next generation may not recognise — a road map. She found our location and said, “Brad, we’re lost. We’re going in the wrong direction. You need to turn around.”

I could have ignored the map and kept going my own way, but repentance is doing a 180-degree turn and changing direction to the correct path. Repentance is saying, “God, not my way anymore — I want Your way.” And God’s way is always better than ours.

During this season of prayer and fasting, if God is highlighting areas of your life or prompting you to turn in a new direction, it is for your good. Repentance is a beautiful thing that leads to revival and restores the joy of our salvation.

Praise God that He has given us the gift of hearing His voice. Through prayer and fasting we become more attentive to what He is saying.

Father, I pray that as things are exposed and brought to the surface that need dealing with, You would give us sensitivity and the strength to obey and turn in the direction You have for our lives, because You desire to give us life and life to the full.

God bless you.