Scripture Readings

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33

“Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” – Luke 10:39-40

Reflection

We live in a culture consumed with urgency. There is always more to do, more to manage, more to keep up with. Yet, as Jesus taught in the story of Mary and Martha, what matters most is not the endless tasks but sitting at His feet, making room for Him.

Stephen Covey describes the principle of “big rocks first” – the idea that if you put the most important things into your schedule first (the big rocks), everything else will fit around them. If you start with the small stuff, the big priorities get crowded out.

In our spiritual lives, Jesus must be the big rock. Yet so often, He gets crowded out by the tyranny of the urgent. We fill our calendars with meetings, obligations, and endless activity—only to find our souls depleted, distracted, and spiritually dry.

Making room for God means creating intentional space in our lives to be with Him. It means saying no to lesser things so we can say yes to the most important thing. It means being more like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, rather than Martha, busy and distracted.

January is a time we often reconfigure out patterns, rhythms, and schedules and so it presents us a natural opportunity to carve out space for Jesus in our lives. Let’s not miss this opportunity in 2025.

Today’s Invitation:

Identify the big rocks in your life this week. For extra credit, look ahead in January. For extra extra credit, look a few months out. Where do you need to carve out intentional space for Jesus? Begin with a commitment to daily time in Scripture and prayer. Consider practical ways to protect that space—whether it’s turning off your phone, canceling a non-essential meeting, or waking up earlier.

Ask yourself: What needs to shift in my schedule so that seeking God’s presence is not an afterthought but the foundation?

Ask God: “What areas of my life have become cluttered with the urgent but not the important?” Confess areas where you have prioritized busyness over intimacy with God. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal ways to re-center your life around Jesus.

Closing Prayer

“Jesus, I confess that I have often let the urgent crowd out the important. I want You to be my first priority. Help me make space for You today. Teach me to live like Mary, choosing what is better, sitting at Your feet, and finding rest in Your presence. Amen.”

Prayer Rooms this week:

• Today – Noon | on Zoom

Scripture Readings

“This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting.” – Mark 9:29

“When you fast…” – Matthew 6:16

“Man does not live by bread alone…” – Matthew 4:4

Reflection

Jesus fasted. Jesus assumed his followers would fast also. 

Even so…fasting has been lost as a common spiritual practice in much of the church of 21st Century America. There is a need to recover it and rediscover it. There are, it turns out, certain kinds of change and spiritual breakthroughs that only come through prayer and fasting. 

When we fast, we set aside something (traditionally food) that takes up space in our mind, body, or spirit to make room for God. We take hold of the hunger created and redirect it toward God. 

Ashley knew God was calling her to give up alcohol for a season. At first, she was afraid to do it because of the fear of missing out (FOMO). Her biggest barrier to fasting from alcohol was fear she’d miss out on fun moments with friends, but God spoke clearly: “You’re worried about missing out by not drinking, but what you should really worry about is missing out on Me.” God was inviting Ashley to step out of unholy FOMO and into holy FOMO. When she did finally obey the Lord, giving up alcohol, God did some deep and transformative work in her life. 

Many of us are nervous about fasting, whether from food, or alcohol, or social media, or whatever…but the reality is that by NOT fasting, we are actually missing out on an opportunity to go deeper with God and in our journey of being transformed into his image.

This month is a great time to hit restart on a discipline of fasting. Wednesday is a traditional day for fasting in church tradition. Let’s refresh that rhythm now and see what God does as we redirect our hunger to him. 

*if you’re part of Sanctuary Church click here to learn more about fasting during First Seek

Today’s Invitation:
Join us in fasting on Wednesdays this month. If you are able, we encourage you to begin by fasting from food. But you may want to consider other pathways of consecration in addition, such as giving up screens, or abstaining from something else such as alcohol, coffee, or social media. As you do, let the hunger pangs redirect you into deeper prayer. Remember, fasting without prayer is just a diet. The power comes when we set aside time during our fast to seek the Lord. 

Purpose is also important during a fast. Just as important as what we are fasting FROM, is the question of what we are fasting FOR. It is the holy purpose we carry with us into the fast, that gets supercharged by our physical hunger when we pray during our fast. 

Today’s Prayer Assignment:

• Ask God: What am I fasting for this season?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where you need breakthrough.
• Pray for spiritual hunger to replace complacency.

Simple Prayer:
“God, I want to make space for You today. I confess how often I fill my life with things that leave no room for You. As I fast, meet me in the emptiness. Redirect my hunger toward You. Help me remember I’m not giving something up—I’m drawing closer to the only One who truly satisfies. Amen.”

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Prayer Rooms this week:

• Today – 7:30am | 12 Bassett Street
• Wednesday – Noon | on Zoom

“And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God… The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.” — 1 Samuel 23:16-18

“Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ Proverbs 27:17

Most of us know we can’t follow Jesus alone and yet that is what many of us try to do. Ours is an age of isolation, atomization…a world where we are more connected than ever by technology, and yet lonelier than ever in our souls. The reality is that many Christians lack deep spiritual friendships, even if we all long for them. 

Friendships that go to the depths of our souls don’t happen by accident. They require courage, honesty, and commitment—as we see above with David and Jonathan, who made a covenant with each other around their spiritual friendship. It is a model that is rare and desperately needed. As someone has said, “spiritually, you are the product of your five closest friends.” As we contend for renewal in our own lives, churches, and region…one of the most practical things we can do is to level up our friendships. Friendship is an overlooked but essential element of revival. As Dr. David Thomas from Asbury likes to say: “revival moves at the pace of friendship.”

Today, let’s seek God for spiritual friendships, in our own lives, and in the church.

For Prayer:

Ask God to show you a next step toward spiritual friendship this year. Many of us don’t need better friends…but we do need to become intentional in initiating spiritually with friends we already have. Ask God for the courage to repurpose our current friendships. Some of us may need to just ask God boldly and in faith to provide a spiritual friend for us – someone who can mutually encourage us in our walk with Jesus. 

Next Steps:

• Ask God: Who am I meant to walk with spiritually this year?
• If a name comes to mind, reach out. Share your desire to be intentional and support one another in seeking God.
• If you’re unsure, keep praying. Ask God to open doors and deepen connections in His timing.

Simple Prayer:
“God, I don’t want to follow You alone. I need people who will help me find strength in You—friends who will sharpen me and call me higher in my walk with you. Show me who I’m meant to journey with more closely this season. Give me the courage to take a next step in spiritual friendship. Amen.”