Living Sacrifice Romans 12:1
Today is the first day of your fast. You are stepping into a different experience of feeding your soul, strengthening your spirit, and renewing your body. By entering into this special period of time, you are consecrating yourself (setting yourself apart) to focus more intently on the Lord and His ways.
Our theme for this year is Lord build this church (me) and God cannot build a life that is not offered or consecrated totally to Him. So on our first day, we’re coming to God as a living sacrifice and as our lives are surrendered to the Lord
Romans 12 verse one tells us “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Now, God asks us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living sacrifice. Just as it was in the Old Testament, our sacrifice, once offered, cannot be reclaimed. We belong entirely to Him. We cannot make a partial sacrifice of our lives; our offering must be wholehearted.
Therefore, your life is not your own. On this first day, we will die to self, God asks us to live for Him as a living sacrifice. Today, we offer our lives to Him for His service. We do not come to Him in our spare time or with our leftovers. We start this day by relentlessly pursuing the heart of God and tuning to his voice as we offer to God our full and complete attention.
Additional Reading:
Ephesians 5:2
Hebrews 13:15-16
Prayer:
Dear God, I offer myself as a living sacrifice, I consecrate this time of renewal, of dedication, and time of self-denying to be pleasing to you. Help me to tune in to You. As distractions and temptations come, give me the strength to turn to You. Teach me. Give me eyes and ears to hear Your voice. Open my heart to Your Word. As I’m challenged in the days ahead, please give me what I need to humble myself and honor You. Help me to take time to be holy, to spend time with You in secret, to trust in Your Word. You are the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me according to Your will. Thank You for being a God who I can trust. You are so faithful to me. I am Yours.