Faith In Action Resources and Activities

Keep it simple: just write a thank you. Avoid using a Hallmark card or anything like that. Share your own thoughts. Answer the question what benefit was your dad to you in your life. Think about provision think about protection. Think about wisdom think about what you admired. Think about if they ever signed you up for a team or tried to help you learn a skill, such as playing the piano, join the football team, signed you up for ballet. Did they ever throw you a party? Ever give you a gift, that was a game changer at the moment? Reflect and write about that.

Even if you’re having a hard time thinking of any good thing your father ever did for you. Identify the motivation that has come to your life because of the absence of your father’s encouragement. In such a case it might sound like this, “dad I love you and I want you to know that God has used you in my life to motivate me to become………. (and then you fill in the blank) This is designed to be a letter to honor and say thank you. So whatever you write make sure that is the impact.

It might be very appropriate to purchase a gift again keep it simple just send a gift card to Home Depot Starbucks or his favorite restaurant.

Getting a little more complex you could pamper him and getting him a massage, pedicure, or a pass at the golf course. Getting more extravagant why not send your dad on a vacation.

Have you ever considered sending him to a seminar that you thought he might enjoy help him get signed up for a class at the community center to learn that skill he always wanted to Learn.

The most extravagant gesture is to offer to help him fulfill his dream in anyway, shape or form.

If your father is not present in your life, we suggest you find a father figure:

• Mentor
• Grandparent
• Father in Law
• Father in law to your adult married son or daughter

Someone who invested in your life and offer this Honor to him

I realize that many people this will be your first journey of fasting. What is fasting and why do we do it. Fasting in the most literal sense is fasting from food which means to not eat for a period of time. Most of the time, fasting does not refer to going without water. Do not go without water, however, when you fast do not eat food. A fast has physical benefits to your body as it give your digestive track a chance to rest. But it also has mental and spiritual benefits as well. Fasting can bring mentally clarity of thinking. Reducing sugar from your diet can actually allow your brain to work with greater clarity.

 But what are the Spiritual benefits of fasting? The idea behind fasting, can be summarized this way: we have a tendency to be too plugged into the world and too unplugged from God. Fasting is simply reversing this natural trend, it’s taking our best energy and plugging into God and taking our best energy to unplug from the world. The idea while you fast is not simply to just work harder through breakfast, lunch and dinner, but to actually replace your meal time with a time of seeking the Lord through prayer and scripture reading and also through volunteering to serve those in need.

There are several different fasts listed as assignments for faith in action throughout these 52 weeks. This one is a 24 hour fast. Which means that you would eat dinner tonight, stop eating including no snacks and then you would not eat again until dinner the following night? Once again, might I remind you that your only beverage water.

Probably the most important thing to consider when doing any fasting is to get your reasons in order. You need to answer the question, “why am I fasting.” Isaiah 58 gives you a lot of biblical reason to fast. James chapter 5 gives us an additional reason to fast that is fasting adds fervency to our prayers. God answers fervent prayer. Please understand that some breakthroughs in your spiritual journey will only happen when you fast. You have God Almighty as your father and he has told you to ask in faith. Fasting can help you understand the purposes of God. You’ll get insight into what he is doing in the world. Ask him for insight to what he’s doing. And then pray that his kingdom would come. Fast for a spiritual breakthrough. The work that God wants done is what we want to identify and then through faith ask boldly for God to accomplish his kingdom work with fervency in our prayers through fasting.

Fasting is about asking for insight just as much as it is asking for power. When you’re fasting you are acknowledging that you are weak and incapable on your own. It’s a simple acknowledgment that you need God, that you’re desperate for God and that you acknowledge that the only way things are going to change is because of God. It is a huge acknowledgment that you were not depending on your own strength or your own wisdom but you are surrendering to God.

Thank you for fasting. Your sacrifice is pleasing to God.

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Pick a rock of any size. Use a sharpie or paint to write the word faith on the rock. Of course, you can choose another word. You can write a Bible verse. The address of a Bible verse. God, Jesus, Creator. You can write in large letters or small letters. The key is to place your rock in a familiar place where you’ll see it often. Use it as a reminder that there is a creator and he is responsible for all that exists.

This assignment is to give a pocket guide. Consider who you’d like to give it to, then order it online. Send it direct or have it sent to your house and then deliver it in person. Give it to a friend who shares your faith. Possibilities include the leader of the youth group that you’re in, or perhaps the pastor, class leader, or a dear colleague. If you’re married, give it to your spouse. If you’re a father, give it to your son or daughter. Share it with your parents. The timing is such that you will have already decided that this program is worth sharing. Think of someone with whom you might do the remaining assignments. Do not give these away randomly Give them to someone you think would commit to the challenge of using it, someone you believe is looking for just such a devotional.If you are the leader of a small group, you may want your group to work on it together. Click on the Masters Class mentoring button for more details on a model to use this book with small groups.

Create a “faith most wanted” list. Ask yourself, “Who are five people in my sphere of influence who would have an amazing impact on my community if they were to be born again into the family of God?” These can be friends, family or colleagues or even enemies. Put their names down on paper or, better yet, in your Bible.It needs to be written in a place that you will see often. As soon as you write their names down pray your first prayer for this group of people. Ask God to grant them the gift of repentance. to eternal life. Pray that they might see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Ask God to work in your life to Jesus Christ. Ask God to bring people across their path who would testify about him to them. And then continue to pray for these people as you see their names. And then watch and see what God does next. Be patient. Some will begin to experience an encounter with God in the next few days. Some will begin to experience an encounter with God in the next few months. And for still others it may be years. Ask God to accomplish his perfect work in his perfect time.

The assignment here is to pray for leaders in connection with the theme judge and judge not. Let me encourage you to not be an accuser but to be an intercessor. It’s always easy to throw stones, criticize, and judge others.  We must be different. It is hard being a leader. Pleasing everyone is impossible. God calls us to pray for our leaders. This we know is the will of God. So, begin to pray for leaders. Make a list of leaders in your sphere of life. You should think of government leaders, the president, state leaders, governors, city leaders, mayors, principles, teachers, bosses, coaches.

The next step is to actually pray for these leaders. Ask God’s peace to be manifest through their leadership and that their decisions would be based on what is righteous in the eyes of God. That they would get the courage and strength to carry out their leadership responsibilities. Ask God to protect them and give them a spirit of wisdom. Pray that he would comfort their families.

Bonus: You’ve probably made quite a list of leaders. Choose one and write them a note letting them know that you are praying for them.  You might even list the actual prayer that you are praying for them in your note. The idea is to send encouragement, that you appreciate the leadership that they are providing and that you are asking God’s blessing to be upon them.

Bless a pet owner for this assignment. Here are some ideas: take a walk through your neighborhood in the morning or in the evening and bring dog treats with you. Generally, people who are out walking their dogs are very open to conversation. Simply say hello, let the dog owner know that you have a treat and ask permission to share it with

their dog. That’s it! It’s the ministry of being friendly and welcoming to neighbors. If you don’t know your neighbor’s name, ask (and find out the dog’s name, too!) Then you can pray for them later. If the person is someone you are familiar with in your neighborhood it might very well be an appropriate time to see if they have anything that you could be praying for. Go home and pray for him. Or pray with them right then and there. Another alternative is this: Do you have a friend, neighbor or a colleague who owns a pet? How about going to the store and purchasing a gift for their pet? Give them the gift. If they are friends in the faith remind them that we are awaiting Christ return, much like their dog eagerly awaits their return each evening.

Of course, you can send a gift in the mail to your friend who lives out of state. Yes, this is just a wonderful excuse to reach out and share the love. I have one more creative idea about dog therapy ministry. Canines for Christ is a ministry that takes their dogs to nursing homes and hospitals so that people can enjoy the company of a pet and they simply share the incarnational presence of Christ with people who need comfort. Many of them are looking for spiritual help as well so if it’s appropriate you can offer words of encouragement and faith in a prayer. You can go to Canines4Christ.com and make a donation to help someone to become a certified chaplain with the program.

Another opportunity that you might consider. Be aware enough to know when your friends are traveling and may need help caring for their pet. You could offer to care for their pets while they’re on vacation. Bless a pet owner.

What is baptism? It’s an outward symbol of an internal (spiritual) conversion. Much like a wedding ring, is a declaration of ownership/covenant agreement. It is a statement of ownership. I belong to Christ. I declare my allegiance to his kingdom.

The idea here is simply to be a catalyst for those in the family of faith who have never been baptized to pursue baptism. Help them find a way to fulfill this command of Christ. Really, it’s a simple conversation. , “Have you been baptized since you gave your life to Christ?” Listen to their story. Help them find a creative way to be baptized. Encourage them to contact their pastor. Tell them you’ll contact your pastor. Suggest creative alternatives to being baptized at church, such as an ocean, lake, river, or swimming pool. Discuss if they could be baptized by an ordained pastor or another ministry leader.

*This guide does not claim to be authoritative on all the practices of baptism and would encourage you to follow your conscience and honor your heritage of faith tradition.

Things to consider.:
This can be well-planned or spontaneous. The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized immediately after his conversion, so there is precedent for spontaneity. But you might want to consider whom you would want to invite to such an occasion,, such as parents, friends, family. Make this a joyful moment of celebration.

How about you?Have you ever been baptized? Have you ever baptized someone? Could you baptize someone? What qualification does your Christian heritage suggest before baptism? This is a great way to get people connected to their pastors in a deeper way. Strongly consider asking your pastor to do the baptism

.
If someone is eager to be baptized in a more urgent and informal environment, are you prepared to confirm their faith? Ask them these questions: “Do you declare your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and declare your allegiance to his kingdom and accept now his death on the cross for your sins? if you do, say, “I do.”

A word about believer’s baptism and about infant baptism. Some people who were infant baptized would like to be baptized as an adult. No problem. Encourage them to be re-baptized. If someone was baptized as a youth or a child and senses no need to be re-baptized as an adult that’s also fine. At that point it’s really up to the individual. If you are interested in learning more about the authenticity of infant baptism and its practice, please do your own research.

This can be a wonderful assignment to bring comfort and healing to those who are hurtingMany people are suffering from various health issues all around us. If they are not personally afflicted by infirmity, they often know a family member who is. Be alert. Listen to peoples’ pain. As you listen, you may quickly discover people who have emotional pain and need emotional healing. Ask God to make you a channel of his love, a channel of his peace, and a channel of his healing power. He’s interested in delivering people from sickness and oppression. And we must acknowledge that God is sovereign and sometimes he chooses to heal slowly, sometimes through treatment, and sometimes miraculously. Regardless, all healing comes from God. Make yourself available to God to be his tool. 

*A note about anointing oil. Oil is very simply a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  In the book of James we are told to ask for the elders of the church to come and lay hands on and anoint with oil those who are sick and the prayer of the righteous, offered in faith, will accomplish much. Using anointing oil has biblical support; however, before you anoint anyone ask them for their permission; “May I anoint you as I pray for you?” 

A great way to start your day every day this week is to simply pray,  “ Heavenly Father, I make myself available to you to be a channel of hope and healing.  Use me and direct me to the right people for whom I might pray.” Don’t be surprised if you get to pray more than once. If you pray once you have finished your assignment but be aware the Holy Spirit may want to do more through you. Make yourself available to God and see what happens next.

This assignment is to be a house of prayer. There are three things to consider when you avail yourself to God in this way.  First, consider yourself to be a house of prayer. Second, pray that your church would get involved in a prayer movement. Third, think big and become the catalyst for city-wide prayer. Start by being a catalyst for prayer in your sphere of influence. Consider leading a prayer meeting. Gather your friends together and lead them through one of the prayer indexes in this book. There are 15 prayer indexes in this book. Leader’s guides are available under the prayer tab. You’ll need to register for free for access.  Look through the various prayer index tabs on this website. Use the best practices that are recommended. Decide to lead a meeting, or a prayer workshop for a small group of people. You can become a catalyst for prayer at any time, in any place. Simply ask, “Would you like to join me in a moment of prayer?”  

Ideas for being a prayer catalyst:

1. Start a prayer movement at your church. 
2. Join the prayer movement at your church.
3. Start a prayer group at your workplace. Let people know that you are willing to pray for them. 

4.Send prayers via text messages. 

5.Write your prayer and send them as emails. 

6.Leave a message on somebody’s voicemail. Let your voicemail be a prayer. 

7. Watch YouTube messages on prayer. 
8. Join the Bless Every Home movement. 

9.Join the international House of Prayer movement.

*10. Join this movement and, become a Committed G.A.P. team member.(Great Appeal Partner). Great with God is  recruiting people who will:

• fast the first three days of every month.
• fast in addition to that, one day a week. 
• commit to two hours of prayer on the national prayer clock every month.

Join this movement with Great With God to ensure that there is 24-hour-a-day prayer for this nation and for global evangelization of the nations of the world.

This assignment (to give a book) is connected to “beware of false prophets.” The idea here is not to give a book that answers and corrects the false teaching of false prophets directly, b

The idea here is not necessarily to give this book to a false prophet. But to give a book thoughtfully that answers the question of someone you know who is curious about a particular topic or has a distorted view of the nature of God. Your opportunity is to provide truth from a book, blog, video, etc., that answers their question and addresses what the Bible says about….(men with long hair, women with short hair, tattoos, homosexuality, evolution, drinking alcohol,  premarital sex,  adultery,  do all roads lead to heaven, what is the unpardonable sin, speaking in tongues, can I lose my salvation, what’s the truth about baptism,  what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, where do people go when they die, is abortion wrong, should I pay taxes, why do good people suffer?)  Pick the topic of curiosity and pick your source of truth to share.

The spirit of a Jericho prayer walk is summed up this way: praying on sight with insight. Go to the location where you are praying that the kingdom of God would break through and pray there.

Please note there are several Jericho prayer walks: one for your home, one for your workplace, one for your city, one for your neighborhood. The inspiration of a Jericho prayer walk comes from two Bible stories. The first is from the book of Joshua.God instructed the fighting men and the priests of Israel to walk around the walls of Jericho for six days praying, obeying and asking God for the land.  On the seventh day, the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho came crumbling down.  This is the spirit of the Jericho walk, that God has a purpose for a place, but there is a barrier, problem, obstacle or enemy that stands in opposition to what God has already decreed should be done. The idea is to pray that this spiritually dark impediment would be removed, would crumble away and be replaced with the purpose and power of God. 

The other biblical story that helps us understand this idea is found in the book of Nehemiah. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and the city lay in ruin.  We find Nehemiah walking around the city at night praying, asking that God‘s purpose would be accomplished. Nehemiah faced great opposition, but he did not let that deter him from accomplishing God‘s goal to rebuild Jerusalem. One of the things that we do on a Jericho prayer walk is to allow the places that we walk to inspire and inform our praying. So no matter whether you’re praying at home, in your neighborhood, the workplace or at city hall, ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. Ask him what he wants to accomplish to bring his kingdom to Here is an example of what a prayer walk might look like in your home. You could walk around the exterior of your home. Dedicate this house to God, asking God to put a hedge of protection around your home and defend your home from the enemy. Then you can imagine walking through your home. When you come to a bedroom, pray for the person who lives in that bedroom that God‘s peace and this purpose would be accomplished in and through their life. In the kitchen you might thank God that he is provider of your family. In your living room you might thank God for the fellowship that you share through the spirit. Thank God for your family. Thank God that you have a place of hospitality to share with others. Envision what your house might be like if you hosted a Bible study or a fellowship group or social gathering and made your house into a ministry of hospitality and prayer. 

One of the great weapons to using during a prayer walk is to pray Scripture over the territories in which you will walk. Ask God to give you this ground. Ask him for deliverance from evil. Ask him to establish his kingdom rule. To fulfill this assignment, you simply have to do the prayer walk once this week. I have a friend who arrives to work early every single day of the week to prayer walk and ask for the peace of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to come into her place of work. She anoints every door in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, inviting the Holy Spirit and the peace of God to come and be manifest at her place of work.

You can also do a Jericho walk in the spirit of defense, asking God to protect you, your business, your family, your home, and your neighborhood from wickedness. Or you can choose to play offense.  Identify the obstacle that needs to be removed so that the kingdom of God might be advanced.  Go on location and pray as you walk around that obstacle. Ask God to remove that obstacle and cause those walls to come crumbling down. If you want to know the will of God, check out the mission of Christ prayer index. Christ tells you exactly why he came, so look for the mission of Christ prayer stairs and use that prayer index to help you pray. Note that there is a “how to pray for a city” index prayer” listed in the sevenfold spirit of God section.

As believers, we have an opportunity to obey Christ’s command to lay up treasures in heaven instead of on earth. The question is,  how do you lay up treasures in heaven? Giving money generously to the work of the kingdom, which is helping others in the name of God, is one way to have treasure in heaven. The Scriptures are clear on this:you will be compensated in heaven for the financial gifts that you do give on earth. But that’s not the only way to lay up treasures in heaven that will remain for all eternity. There are also rewards for children of God for the good deeds that they have done.

There are many things that we might do to have treasures in heaven. For this particular exercise, we are focusing in on this one opportunity: to financially contribute to the advance of the kingdom of heaven on earth. 

First, of course, ask God where he would want you to give. Then, Identify ministries that are doing the work of the kingdom, perhaps something as simple as giving water. Jesus said that whoever gives a cup of water to a little one, or a cup of water to another believer in Jesus’ name, will receive a reward. Your assignment is to choose a ministry that touches your heart and that is in alignment with your calling. Do the research. And then give a monetary gift. Don’t tell anybody; this is to be a secret between you and God. He promises to reward this kind of giving. The idea is to support Christian ministry beyond the local church. Make sure that your gift is made and done to advance the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ. 

If you’re still not certain where you might give, consider International Cooperating Ministries. Go to ICM.org to check it out If it catches your attention, click the donate button and make your gift. This is truly one of the single most efficient and effective ministries spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ on the planet. 100% of your donated dollar goes to the project. Very few ministries can claim that. They are making wise use of their gifts.  They’re building houses of prayer and churches all around the world. Your gift would be helping a third-world congregation receive a permanent place of worship. It would be an answer to prayer for so many of them. 

If you would like more help in determining which charity to give to based on good data, let me encourage you to use the help HELPP diagram below.  it will help you to evaluate the effectiveness of any ministry and make a better decision on which charity to give to. God expects us to be good stewards of our giving.  

For more information on becoming a generous giver please visit.

National Christian Foundation.com and generousgiving.com or read the book, “The God Pocket” by Bruce Wilkinson.

This assignment is to take communion. Jesus instituted this holy sacrament when he offered his life as a sacrifice and then told his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Think of how the idea of a deliverer is tied to communion. Jesus was fulfilling the Jewish festival of Passover (commemorating the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery to Egypt) when he instituted this sacrament for believers. Now, his death as the Lamb of God gives us spiritual deliverance from bondage to sin.

Be sure to honor the tradition of your specific church. For some, that means you should take communion from your pastor. Let me encourage you to do so this week if possible. Or you may choose to fulfill this assignment by bringing communion to your small group. Fathers may consider serving communion to their families as the priest of their household. Regardless of your traditions, do your best to participate in holy communion this week.

The idea here is simple: take initiative in your home and find a way to be a blessing to another member of your family. This could be your spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother, grandparent. I recommend that you try and take initiative and do something without being asked. (Of course, if not asking permission would cause offense, by all means, ask first). Whatever you do, it needs to be experienced and felt as a blessing. Examples of things that can be done are vacuum the house, sweep the floors, do the laundry, fold the laundry, collect the laundry, hang the laundry on hangers, wash the car, vacuum the car. Prepare a meal. Set the table. Clean the dishes. Feed the dog. Walk the dog. Make your bed. Clean your room. Clean the kitchen counters. Make your own lunch. Make someone else’s lunch. Make someone else in the family’s bed, etc. Maybe it means running an errand to the grocery store. Maybe for your house it means that you will pick up the kids from school or maybe it means that you drive your brother a sister to school. Maybe it means taking care of a loved one who is sick and needs help.

If the person you’re trying to help is very particular, you may very well need to ask permission. If that’s the case, then simply ask, “What could I do to help you?”.

Please see the previous section about fasting (Faith In Action #3). For this section, I want to list the medical benefits to fasting such as detoxification of the body, cleansing the colon, longevity of life.  This particular assignment is a 36-hour fast and is the hardest of all the fasting assignments. If you can do this one, then all the other fasts will be so much easier. For 36 hours, eat no food (make sure to drink water, however). Allow this time to sharpen your focus on the Lord as you deny your own desires. Spend significant time in prayer, seeking the Lord.

This assignment is meant simply to encourage you to seek reconciliation in a relationship. Are you aware of people whom you have offended or mistreated? Perhaps the best way to bring reconciliation in a damaged relationship is for you to identify what you may have done to contribute to the falling out. Has the Holy Spirit convicted you of a harsh attitude? Or maybe the Holy Spirit convicted you of lying, stealing, cheating, exaggerating, slandering, gossiping, or not keeping a promise. Let me encourage you to re-read the command of Christ to “be reconciled”. Take this as a command from the Lord Jesus. Then immediately take action to reconcile your differences. This is so important because the people that we love the most, dear friends and family, are often the people we hurt the most. There are plenty of opportunities for misunderstanding. However, when we have done something wrong, Christ commands us to admit it, ask forgiveness and take whatever steps are needed for restitution. We need to initiate in this and seek reconciliation. Make a list. There might be more than one person on it, but whomever the Holy Spirit reveals to you, make up your mind right now that before this week is over you are going to seek reconciliation. Ask God to go before you and prepare the way. If you’re looking for the right wording, you might try something like this: “The Holy Spirit has convicted me of how wrong I was when I (fill in the blank). I really don’t deserve your forgiveness. But would you forgive me?” 

Ask God to help you do this. This is going to be hard. But the healing that occurs is worth it.

See Faith In Action #14 for more information about doing Jericho walks. The key is to pray on site with insight. For this home Jericho prayer walk, you could walk around the exterior of your home, giving it to God, asking God to put a hedge of protection around your home and defend your home from the enemy. Then, walk through the interior of the home. As you come to a bedroom, pray for the person who lives in that bedroom that God‘s peace and purpose would be accomplished in and through their life. In the kitchen you might thank God that he is provider of your family. In your living room you might thank God for the fellowship that you share through the Spirit. Thank God for your family. Thank God that you have a place of hospitality to share with others. Envision what your house might be like if you hosted a Bible study or a fellowship group and made your house into a ministry of hospitality and prayer. 

One of the great weapons of prayer walking is using Scripture to pray and declare over the territories in which you walk. Ask God to give you this ground. Learn to pray for a hedge of protection around those who live and work in these areas. Ask God to deliver from evil and establish his kingdom rule. To fill this assignment you simply have to do the prayer walk once this week.

This can be one of the more exciting assignments you will do. I want you to think of this as yet another prayer index. Jesus said that the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few and he instructed his disciples to pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest. This is  the only prayer request that he makes of his followers.. How eager do you think he is to answer this prayer? We can be certain that when we pray this way, we are in exact harmony with his will. 

So how can you use this action assignment as an index? Look at a map and think of it as a geographic guide for where to ask the Lord to send laborers. 

Make this a two-part prayer. First, pray that God would send laborers to a certain field. This could be a specific school, a neighborhood, a state, a country. Second, ask God to raise up laborers from within the community. For example, pray that laborers would be raised up from your own church or small group. The big idea is to ask God to send laborers to your city and to send people from your city to other fields near and far.

Jesus divided the world into four geographical regions. Acts 1:8 speaks of his followers being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost ends of the earth. A culturally relevant translation of Acts 1:8 would be: “You will receive power to be witnesses in ______ (your city),  ______ (your state), ______ (your nation) and the uttermost ends of the earth.” 

One additional consideration: If you ask God to raise up laborers, consider the bold prayer of saying, “Yes, Lord. Here I am, send me. Cause me to be a fruitful laborer. I present myself available to you. Where you send me, I will go.”

This assignment will take some forethought. Think of someone you know who is shining the love of Christ brightly in this world and then find an opportunity to publicly or privately speak words of exhortation while launching a lantern in their honor. You may say something like this: “Tonight, we launch this lantern in recognition of Sylvia Smith, who has been the light of the world by ___________.” Specifically identify the attitude that is excellent, the fruits of the Spirit that have been observed, or the acts of service rendered by this person.

Choose your moment wisely. I like to look for an existing gathering and then make it more special by closing the time with the lantern launch.

Lanterns are available on Amazon – enter the search term “Chinese sky lantern.” You can also use a water lantern by placing a tea light inside of an ordinary brown paper bag and setting it on the surface of a body of water.

If you are unable to launch a lantern, you may light a candle in the house, in the church sanctuary, or at the dinner table.

As with many of the faith in action assignments, the idea behind this one is to serve in such a way that you make people ask, “Why?” That’s when you need to have your answer ready. Simply be ready to say, “I just wanted you to know that God loves you, with no strings attached.”

There are many “sweet breads” you could use for this assignment: donuts, breads, cakes, brownies, cookies. You can go small or large. Just giving a donut to a colleague is enough. But if you want to go big, think about bringing a dozen or more donuts to a group gathering. If it’s a surprise, someone will inevitably ask, “Why?” Be ready with a kind remark, giving the glory to God.

One group of students brought 120 donuts to give away before school as the students and teachers arrived. 112 people took a donut, said, “Thanks,” and walked on. Eight students bothered to ask, “What’s up?” They were told, “We just wanted you to know that God loves you, no strings attached.” That morning and all day people talked about the donuts, and the eight students shared the explanation they’d been given. The students did this three more times in two months, and then the school newsletter had the headline, “God’s Minions Deliver Donuts.” And the story was told.

This assignment is the same thing as #23 (Sweet Bread) except instead of a sweet bread you will give something to drink.

One group went big with this idea and brought three coolers full or bottled water and soft drinks to a street corner. They had business cards printed with their message of God’s kindness. They gave away drinks and cards to drivers and passengers for two hours at a busy stop sign and blessed over 150 people. You could go big or keep it simple and buy someone a latte from your favorite coffee shop.

Strangers can come in two flavors: 1) Someone like you, but new to an environment, or; 2) Someone very unlike you in any environment. Develop an eye for new people. Consider yourself God’s personal assistant and a volunteer member of his welcoming committee. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Say hello.
• Shake a hand
• Introduce yourself.
• Ask good questions: Do they need help? How did they find out about the gathering? Who invited them? Where are they from?
• Be the host. Ask, “Can I get you something to drink? Can I take your coat/purse? Would you like to sit with me?”
• Say, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Bottom line, take initiative and show yourself friendly. One man appointed himself as the welcoming committee at his church for any person or family from a different ethnic background. He figured that most members of a church are either not comfortable or not trained to interact with someone from a completely different background, but he gets it done with a heart of compassion.

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This assignment is self-explanatory. Use this list to expand your creative care for those who are ill:

• Bring gifts
• Offer to care for pets
• Mow the yard
• Bring a meal to care for the family of those who have a loved one in the hospital
• Create a care package with goodies to be enjoyed by visitors
• Create a ministry gift basket for patients to minister to care givers as they share their faith in God. Include things such as Bibles, gospel pamphlets, bracelets, candy, thank you cards for doctors or nurses
•  Pray for healing; anoint with oil
• Minister to needs; listen
• Bring a favorite book (and offer to read it aloud)
• Bring a pet with you on a visit (check first)

This assignment may require some research. Perhaps you will need to ask around at your church; someone there may already be involved in a prison visitation ministry or may be able to point you to one in your area. You may need to check online. Or, you may discover there is an unmet need in this area; perhaps you could start a prison ministry yourself. 

Once you identify a ministry, offer to go to the prison with an existing team. Ask the ministry leaders who go to the prison what they need. Find a way to get it to them. In the event none of this is possible, consider supporting a mission that does prison visitations. If all else fails, you can participate with a national ministry called Prison Fellowship (prisonfellowship.org). Send them a financial gift so they can continue their ministry throughout the world.

This assignment is similar to assignment #2: Honor Your Father. 

Keep it simple: just write your mom a thank you. Avoid using a store-bought card. Simply share your own thoughts. Answer the question, “What benefit was your mom to you in your life?” Think about care, sacrifice, and love. Think about what you admired about your mom. Think about if she signed you up for a sports team or music lessons. Did she ever throw you a party? Ever give you a gift?

 Even if you struggle to think of any good thing your mom ever did for you, identify the motivation that has come to your life because of the absence of her encouragement. In such a case it might sound like this: “Mom, I love you and I want you to know that God has used you in my life to motivate me to become…” and then you fill in the blank. This is supposed to be a letter to show honor and to say thank you. So, whatever you write, make sure that this is the goal.

 It might be very appropriate to purchase a gift as well. Again, keep it simple. Just send a gift card to a favorite store, Starbucks or her favorite restaurant. If you want to do a little more, consider getting her a massage or a pedicure. You could even send her on a vacation!

 Consider sending her to a seminar or conference you think she might enjoy or help her get signed up for a class at the community center to learn that skill she always wanted to learn. Help her fulfill a dream in any way that you can. 

 If your mother is not present in your life, try to find a mother figure such as:

• A mentor 
• Grandparent 
• Mother-in-law
• Someone who has invested in your life 

 and offer this honor to her.

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When you are eating at a restaurant and the waiter or waitress delivers your food, normally they will ask, “Is there anything else I can help you with?” This is the moment when I like to reply, “It is our custom to pray before each meal. Is there anything we can pray for you about?” If your server tells you something, make sure you pray about it!

If you do this before the meal, be prepared to be generous after the meal. Tipping generously is crucial. You’ve identified yourself as a Christian; make sure they have reason to think well of believers. Tip 20% – 30%. One man I know asked his waitress this question and she replied, “Yeah, I could use an extra $100.” He left a $100 bill for her. We were in the parking lot finishing our conversation when the waitress came out to meet my friend with tears of thanksgiving.

There’s not much to add to this one. You can visit the at-home initiative for more ideas, but cleaning and organizing the break room and/or refrigerator is usually a hit (just make sure not to throw anything away without permission!).  Just make an effort to show kindness in some way at your place of work.

Once you have done something to show kindness, post what you did on this website along with the response, if any. These posts will then become the idea platform. Try to take initiative without asking but be wise and ask permission if it seems warranted. Please also be willing to share what didn’t work out so well. Learning from mistakes is half of all learning!

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This could include a pastor, priest, church staff, worship leader, small group leader, mission director or mentor. You choose. 

That’s the who, but what? Here are some ideas:

• Gift cards
• Restaurants
• Coffee shops
• Grocery stores
• Meal subscription services
• Practical service
• Mow their yard
• Wash their car
• Babysit
• Care for a pet

 You can think of more ideas; just remember to say thank you to them and to thank God for them.

This is the same assignment as the “Bless A Minister” assignment earlier, except here you will target the local fire station. This is more of a group blessing rather than an individual one. Bless a group of local fireman and women with donuts, cookies, or something else that you can use to show your appreciation for the work that they do to keep your community safe.

Make sure that along with your gift you also speak words of blessing purposefully to the group of your choice. You could say something like this: “Thank you for being quick to respond to the cries for help throughout this district. God is using you to save lives. I would like to say thank you in a practical way, so here’s a little snack /gift. I wanted to be a blessing to the team. Risking your lives to save lives is Christlike. I can never say thank you enough.”

This assignment is easy to understand, but hard to do. The idea is to fast for one meal per day (and all snacks) for one week. For example, eat breakfast and then don’t eat anything again until supper. The key here is what you do with the time you would normally spend eating. Replace it with a devotional time where you will intentionally plug in to God. Us the fasting index on the next page to help you know what it is that God considers an acceptable fast. There are seven different reasons given in Scripture for fasting. Please look these over and decide what you are fasting for. It takes real skill to make a modern-day application but ask God to reveal it to you.  Do you need to fast for a breakthrough? 

Once you have identified the reason, write it down. Pray. One of the real benefits of fasting is that it adds fervency to your prayers. James 5:16 says that the fervent prayer of the righteous can accomplish much.

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This project is similar to “Give Wisdom,” but the strategy is very different. Too many times, books are given to others and never read. If you want a better chance of engaging your friend in a meaningful conversation about God, lend them a DVD with a specified return date. One week is generally a good rule of thumb. 

When you lend the DVD, let your friend know that you thought they would be interested in it because of other conversations you’ve had, but that you would like it back and you look forward to discussing it with them when they return it.

The nature of this assignment is important to consider. You are not trying to bring back a rebel; you are trying to encourage someone who desires to grow closer to God. Identify someone who is hungry for more of God, perhaps someone who is already a member of God’s family but is eager to grow in their faith.

Making a vow is an awesome and serious responsibility. It is a way of calling on the power of the Holy Spirit because we are desperate for his help. Read Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 soberly, because God will hold you accountable for the promises you make. Be prepared to fulfill them.

I have used vows to motivate myself because I have learned that I can’t trust myself to always do the right thing apart from making a vow. Sometimes there are hard things in our lives that we simply can’t find the strength to do. Making a thoughtful vow can help you fulfill the deepest desires of your heart.

I like to encourage people to make a short-term vow. For example, you might vow to read your Bible every day for five minutes for one month, rather than vowing to do it every day for the rest of your life. Other vows might involve a one-time event or action that you find it difficult to do, such as making an apology to someone. Or it might be a vow to do something courageous. By making a vow, you are asking for the power of God Almighty to rain down to help you accomplish this very important, God-honoring vow.

This sounds like a simple assignment, but a little preparation can go a long way. Prayerfully make a list of people that you’d like to invite to church. Make the invitation in person; don’t just send a text or email. Look them in the eye and invite them to join you at church this coming Sunday. If the first person you ask is not available, you have two options. You can see if they would come another week, or you can invite someone else this week.

Alternatives to inviting someone to church could include inviting them to a Bible study or fellowship group. Perhaps you could invite someone to a church function, such as a men’s outing or a women’s lunch gathering. To fulfill the assignment, you’re not done until someone comes. If you do invite them to church, offer to pick them up and/or invite them to your house afterwards for lunch. Be prepared to educate your friend on what they can expect to happen, especially if they have never been to church. Offer information such as what is the usual attire, will there be a Bible available if they don’t have one, etc. Reassure them that they will not be expected to give any money in the offering. Explain what will happen if your church takes communion. Prepare them as much as you can, and then pray and let God work in their heart.

There are many ways to complete this assignment. Many options are listed in the book, but many others are possible. You may choose to give a physical Bible, or you may opt for an electronic version or even a Bible app. 

The real challenge behind this assignment is that even if you give someone a Bible, it doesn’t guarantee the person will actually read it. So, ask yourself what are some things that you can do to increase the likelihood that your friend will open the Bible and begin to read? This would be a great opportunity for you to leave a comment or review of what you did and how it worked right on this website. I would love your help to create a bank of ideas for people to use.

Also give active consideration to this:  if you give a Bible, you should be prepared to help your friend understand what’s in it. Don’t just hand someone a Bible. Take time to explain what is in the Bible, what makes it unique, why it was written, and why it is important to read it. You might even offer to read or even to study it together.

This is a personal assignment of self-evaluation that should be done with the goal of giving first place in your life to the Lord. What distractions have you allowed to take your focus off of God?

Obviously, you must first destroy anything that is used to indulge in sin. Then, ask the Holy Spirit if there is anything in your life that grieves him. Listen, and make corrections. This can include many things but may require adjusting your priorities so that you spend less time watching TV, looking at your phone, etc. and more time in the Word of God or with your family.

See the previous fasting assignments for more general information on fasting. This assignment involves a partial “Daniel” fast for five days. In the book of Daniel, we learn that Daniel and his friends ate no meat or any of the “king’s delicacies.” Daniel challenges the king’s steward to provide them with only vegetables, and then to judge whether or not they remained strong. So, for this partial Daniel fast, choose your diet. You might emulate Daniel and eat only vegetables and drink only water. Decide what you will and won’t eat for five days. Write it down. 

Remember to read Isaiah 58 and decide what you would like to see happen as a result of your fast. What would you like to see changed in your community? What might God’s kingdom look like manifested in your city? Where is the social injustice? What is the oppression? Identify it as that which breaks your heart. Then make that your point of fasting.

This assignment can be easily completed simply by handing a gospel tract to anyone. If you want to get more strategic, plan to whom you intend to give it. It is good to read through the tract yourself to become familiar with it. Of course, the best course of action is to actually go through the tract with the person to whom you give it.

I want to encourage you to target people who are interested in hearing about spiritual things. Perhaps there is someone at your office, or someone in your neighborhood with whom you have discussed things of a spiritual nature. Reach out to them and share the gospel and let the Holy Spirit work to draw them to Christ.

This could be the most exciting assignment you will do. 222 is a reminder of 2 Timothy 2:2, which says, “The things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.” In short, pay it forward; that is, pay God’s love forward. The idea is to do a random act of kindness, done in such a way that you actually cause people to ask, “Why are you doing this?” In reply, you just need to say, “I have been so blessed in my life that I want to pay it forward and so today I’m sharing that blessing with you.”

There is a caveat on this assignment: pay it forward before the day is out, today. I’m trying to create a movement of kindness in our workplaces and at our schools. I think it could be contagious – would you help?

You can be as creative with this as you want. Give gifts, open doors, do some courteous gesture. It could be a financial or other type of gift to bless someone. Just do it today.

See Faith In Action #14 for more information about doing Jericho walks. The key is to pray on site with insight. Use the location as a type of prayer index. I suggest that you do this city Jericho walk downtown, at City Hall. Other strategic locations could also be used, such as an airport, university, stadium, etc. Perhaps there are locations known for evil and sin which could be targeted for prayer.

Of course, you can do this walk by yourself, but I encourage you that whenever you do a Jericho walk, do it with other members of the family of faith. Grab some friends who are prayer warriors, choose your location, and come prepared to declare God’s truth from the Scriptures.

The war on lust is a war that is growing. Here is one strategy to get victory in this area:

1. Decide that you are willing to do whatever it takes to overcome the lust of the flesh.
2. Find an accountability partner.
3. Share your struggle with your accountability partner. Sin’s power comes from darkness. When you tell your secret sins to another, they lost much of their power over you from being brought into the light.
4. Commit to memorizing the Scriptures in this chapter.
5. Cry out to God for the power of the Holy Spirit. Accept that you have no power to overcome this problem on your own.
6. Cry out to God for deliverance. The Scriptures say, “’Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you if you will please me,’ says the Lord.”
7. Recognize that this battle will continue for your entire life. Walking in victory is cultivated daily. It is not a “one-and-done” affair. Stay vigilant.

The neighborhood Jericho prayer walk is brought to you in partnership with Bless Every Home. Your assignment is to go online and register at blesseveryhome.com. You will then receive a map with the names of your 100 closest neighbors. Your job is to begin praying for those neighbors on a regular basis. Just follow Bless Every Home’s simple plan of praying for five neighbors per week.

This is one of the simplest assignments in this entire book. Simply wear a cross necklace, or perhaps attach a cross to your keychain. You could even wear a cross lapel pin. This is to be a reminder to yourself and others that you belong to Christ. This is the outward symbol for the AAA commitment to God: I’ll do anything, at anytime, anywhere, at any price.

Find a way to bless your boss. This could be the owner of a business, but it could also be a supervisor, manager, coach, or teacher. Let this person know you are praying for them. Make an appointment with them to say, “Hello, I’m praying for you. Is there anything I can pray specifically for you?” You can show your appreciation with a simple gift, but the focus of this assignment is to pray. If the opportunity presents itself, why not pray with your boss right there in the office?

This last assignment just may be the most difficult of all. Identify the person who is your enemy, your competitor, or your archrival. This is the person who gets under your skin, the one you can’t stand to be with. It may be someone who actually persecutes you.

The first step is to identify this person and ask God to soften their heart to receive your kindness. Second, devise a plan to add value to that person. The Scriptures teach us to love our enemies and bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. A place to start is to just quietly begin to pray for this person. The next level is to be a blessing to your enemy. Say a kind, affirming, praiseworthy thought to your enemy. You could write a note listing any positive qualities you know of or things other people appreciate about them. You could even do this along with a small gift. The idea is to bless.

It may be that your enemy will not receive or return your kind gesture. Remember, their response does not matter. But your obedience to the command of Christ will be pleasing to the Lord.

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