Big Idea: Jesus was the greatest model of private devotion. As we read the scripture below we can see how our giving, prayer, and fasting done in private will be the manifestation of God's power evident in our lives in public. Our greatest desire should be to have a close relationship with the Lord that no one knows about. 

Key Scriptures:

• Matthew 6:1-4
• Matthew 6:5-8
• Matthew 6:16-18

Jesus gave us three weapons to build our private devotion.

Weapon #1 Giving

When we give something of ourselves that holds great value or costs us something it is an act of worship before the Lord. Proverbs 11:30 says the seed of good deeds becomes a tree of life. When we give from a heart that simply desires to please God there is an unspeakable joy that we encounter! 

Question: Can you share a time in your life when the Lord asked you to give something of great value to you? What was the outcome? 

Weapon #2 Prayer

Jesus taught us that our prayer life doesn’t have to be complicated. God is longing for us to come to him and have a relationship with him through prayer. Our prayer life should be the least complicated piece of our Christian life. Much like a young toddler who is fully confident that his or her parent will meet their needs, we can come to our heavenly Father fully confident in Him. Our faith is made evident by the time we spend in private prayer with the Lord. 

Question: What are some simple ways that you practice a life of prayer throughout your day? 

Weapon #3 Fasting

While prayer draws us closer to God, fasting is the catalyst for separating us from the things of this world. We learned that while fasting is about food it is also about breaking away from carnal things that hinder us from drawing closer to God. Fasting will always bring clarity and anointing. 

Question: What are some ways that we can fast? 

Action Steps

Give, Pray, and Fast from a heart that desires to know and please God and God alone. God has only ever been after our hearts.