MONTH OF CONSECRATION – JANUARY 2021

THEME:   MAINTAINING OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH IN A TIME OF CRISIS

SCRIPTURE:  1 TIMOTHY 4

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

11 These things command and teach.

12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 

AIM

The aim is to seek God, His will and His power in our lives.  The scripture tells us that God responds to those who wholeheartedly, passionately, diligently, humbly and consistently seek Him (Deuteronomy 4:29; 2Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 6:33).  It is hoped that every believer will experience God in a new and fresh way as we commit to Him during this period of consecration.  The primary goal is to draw closer to God, experience His presence, allow him to speak to us individually and as a church as we pray together over  the next four weeks.  As such, throughout the month of January  2021,  we will rededicate ourselves, all systems, programs, and ways of doing things to Jesus Christ so He may direct and instruct us as it pleases Him.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this special consecration are that  the Holy Ghost will rekindle our hearts and awaken in us new desires in the following priority areas:

Unity in the body of Christ

Evangelism

Operating in the miraculous

The outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the unfilled

METHODOLOGY

  1. Conduct a  month of worship, prayer and fast, involving daily individual and family prayer as well as weekly corporate prayer meetings that will consecrate and help us to draw closer to God and experience His power.
  2. Educate believers through four (4) weekly bible teaching sessions and discussion on how we can maintain our spiritual health

3.   Each Tuesday, there will be an organisational prayer meeting

3.   Carry out a 7-day chain fast during the week January 24 to 29, culminating in an all-night prayer service on Friday, January 29, 2021.

4.   Challenge believers to always be obedient to the leading of the Holy Ghost and to endeavour in all things to be led by the Spirit of the Lord.

ACTION PLAN FOR LOCAL CHURCHES

1.  Work out details carefully, hold a pre-consecration briefing service to unveil plans and launch consecration;  pre-consecration briefing service should be held between January 3-5, 2021.

2.   Emphasize the importance of full participation of the total membership of the church.

3.   Encourage individuals to pray for a minimum of half an hour, at least twice daily, preferably morning and evening. Each member will be encouraged to make a prayer list; a prayer partner may be helpful; include family prayer which is to be done at least once per week.

4.   Promote daily praying on available platforms.

5.   Convene an all-night prayer meeting on January 29, 2021

 

INTRODUCTION

The last ten months have been very disruptive and challenging.  The pandemic has brought on so many different things.  Seducing spirits and doctrines of devils are now very rampant.  The pandemic has reshaped our lives in so many different ways.  Parents are faced with the challenge of how to balance work and home school.  Compounding the pain and loss of losing a love one is the inability to grieve as before as well as the inability to physically attend funerals.  The mounting pressures brought on by the loss of income due to the pandemic has been a big challenge for many families.  People around the globe are hoping that with the introduction of a vaccine the pandemic will end soon.

This period requires us to maintain our physical health by following the protocols. However, If we are to survive this time, we must not only maintain our physical health but also our spiritual health and follow biblical protocols.  Maintaining our spiritual health begins with us having a good healthy relationship with God and heeding the word of God.  Amidst the growing pressures that will cause us to want to give up, we must put our trust in God.  He said I’ll never leave you; I’ll never forsake you; I’ll be with you always even to the end of the world.

In the face of any crisis, it is important to stay in God’s presence.  We must stand firmly on the promises of God knowing that God is supreme and all powerful.  We don’t know what tomorrow holds but our ability to navigate tomorrow calls for us to maintain our spiritual health.  It will require us to allow God to shape our hearts, our minds and guide us as we respond to a changing world.  We must yield ourselves to the power of the Holy Ghost.   We must skilfully use the spiritual weapons God has provided to combat the forces of evil arrayed against us.  Technology has opened up a space where all kinds of things are coming at us in this time.  We are called to be watchful, vigilant and not to be carried away by every wind of doctrine.  Bible truths are not negotiable. Now more than ever we must seek to be faithful to the Word of God, allowing it to shape our thinking and mould our behaviour. As children of the living God, we must be models of integrity and morality. Our future will depend on our steadfastness.

 

WEEKLY TEACHING TOPICS AND PRAYER FOCUS

Below is a general outline of the weekly focus topics for teaching and prayer.

LAUNCHING SERVICE:  Sunday, January 3, 2021 (or a day suggested by local pastor)

TEACHING TOPIC:  Maintaining our Spiritual Health in a Time of Crisis

SCRIPTURE:   1 Timothy 4:1-16

 

 

 

PRAYER FOCUS:

●Pray that we will have a posture of humility before God (Colossians 3:12;       James 4:10)

●Ask God to search our hearts to see if there are any evil ways within us

and purge us of any areas in our lives where we are not living in victory over sin (Psalm 139:23; Jeremiah 17:10; Galatians 5:16-26)

●Pray that we will have a growing hunger and thirst for God and His presence (Psalm 42:2; Psalm 143:6; Matthew 5:6; John 4:13-14)

●Pray that we will be sensitive to God’s voice and the leading of the Holy Ghost (John 10:27; Hebrews 2:1)

●Pray that we will submit our will and plans to God (Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 15:22: Proverbs 19:21: James 4:7)

ACTIONS OF FAITH

●We will humble ourselves before God

●We will live victorious lives

●We will have a growing hunger and thirst for God’s presence

●We will be sensitive to God’s voice and His leading

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK 1:  JANUARY 4-9, 2021

TEACHING TOPIC:    KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON WHAT WE DO

SCRIPTURE:  1 Timothy 4:6-16                                 

FASTING AND PRAYER FOCUS

●Pray that we will serve God with a true and pure heart (Matthew 5:8)

●Pray that we will give ourselves diligently to prayer and fasting and the study of the word (Matthew 17:21; 2 Timothy 2:15)

● Pray that a powerful anointing, wisdom, and strength will rest upon our leaders as they proclaim God’s Word and lead (2 Timothy 4:2; Acts 20:28)

●Pray that a fresh wind of the Holy Ghost will sweep across our church and the nation refilling us and filling the unfilled (Joel 2: 28-29)

●Pray that we will operate in the gifts of the Spirit (1 Timothy 4:14;                              1 Corinthians 12:7) 

●Pray that signs and wonders will accompany the proclamation of God’s Word   (Mark 16:17)

●Pray for strong marriages and family relationships (Ephesians 5:21-25;                      1 Peter 3:1-22)

●Pray for the Women’s, Men’s and Youth Ministries on the local, district, and national levels (Colossians 3:12-17; Hebrews 13:18)

●Pray for unity in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10)

●Pray for a powerful anointing upon the musicians and worship leaders

 

 

ACTIONS OF FAITH

●We will serve God with a true and pure heart

●A strong anointing will rest upon our leaders and ministries of our church

●Our marriages will be successful and grow from strength to strength

●We will see the gifts of the Spirit operating in our assemblies.

●Signs and wonders will accompany the ministry of the Word.

 

WEEK 2:  JANUARY 10-16, 2021 

TEACHING TOPIC: COMBATING THE SPIRIT OF DECEPTION

SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 4: 1-16

PRAYER AND FASTING FOCUS:

● Pray that we will be able to rightly divide the word of God and recognize untruths (2 Timothy 2:15)

●Pray that our national leaders will look to God for wisdom and guidance in decisions that impact the nation (1Timothy 2:1-2; Jeremiah 29:7)

● Pray for the healing of broken families (Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 6:14-15; 1 Peter 4:8)

●Pray that our men will be godly husbands and fathers (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:25-28; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7)

●Pray that men will be leaders in worship (Exodus 18:21; Ephesians 5:23)

●Ask God to help us to invest in   and empower the next generation (Psalm 71:18; Psalm 78:4-6; Psalm 145:4).

●Pray for the protection of children against many harmful influences conveyed through the electronic media and other means (Psalm 91:1; Isaiah 54:13)

●Pray that the new converts will be firmly rooted and grow steadily in Christ (Hebrews 6:1;  Colossians 1:9-10; Colossians 2:6-7; 1 Peter 2:2-3)

●Pray for those who are bound by addiction (Matthew 11:28-29; Titus 2:11-12)

●Pray that as God’s Word is taught it will come alive in the lives of believers (Proverbs 22:17; 1 Timothy 4:16; Philippians 4:9; 2 Peter 1:10)

 

ACTIONS OF FAITH

● We will endeavour to study the word of God so that we can rightly divide the word of truth

●Our national leaders will seek true wisdom that only comes from above

●Our men will take up their rightful position in the home and in the church

●Our new converts will remain in Christ and grow from strength to strength

●The bound and the oppressed will be set free

●We will become mature Christians applying God’s Words to our everyday lives

●There will be harmonious relationship within families

●We will pass on a Godly heritage to the next generation

 

 WEEK 3:  JANUARY 17-23, 2020

TEACHING TOPIC:  STANDING ON GOD’S PROMISES

SCRIPTURE:  1 Timothy 4:16

PRAYER AND FASTING FOCUS:

●Pray that we will learn to persevere in prayer when faced with great challenges (Psalm 102:17; Jeremiah 29:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

●Pray against fear, doubt and unbelief (Joshua 1:9, Philippians 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:7)

●Pray for God’s special comfort upon those who have lost loved ones last year (Matthew 5:4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Revelation 21:4)

●Pray that we will not miss God’s plan and purpose for our lives (Psalm 138:8; Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 19:21; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Corinthians 2:9)

●Pray that we embrace God’s Words as we go through difficulties (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

●Pray for physical healing for those who are sick (James 5: 15-17; Jeremiah 30:17)

●Pray that we will have unwavering faith; that God will make a pathway where there is hardship (Mark 11:24; Hebrews 11:1; 1 John 5:14-15)

●Pray that we will be patient as we wait on God (Psalm 27:14; Psalm 46:10)

 

ACTIONS OF FAITH

●We will preserve in prayer

●We will not allow fear, doubt and unbelief to control us

●Those that mourn will find comfort in the Lord Jesus

●We will embrace God’s Words with unwavering faith as we go through difficulty

●The Lord will restore and renew those who are not well

●We will be patient while we wait on the Lord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK 4:  JANUARY 24-29, 2021

TOPIC:   UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY IN THIS SEASON OF CRISIS

SCRIPTURE:  1 Timothy 4:11-16

PRAYER AND FASTING FOCUS:

●Pray for Bishop Brown and the NMC members that God will give them new vision, inspire, equip and strengthen them as they lead the organization ( 1 Chronicles 28:11-19; Proverbs 29:18; Habakkuk 2:2

●Pray that members will grasp the vision and take collective steps to achieve it (1 Chronicles 28:21)

●Pray that we will be WILLING labourers (Luke 10:1-2; Colossians 3:23)

●Pray for the teaching ministry – Our pastors, Sunday school teachers and everyone who is entrusted with the task of teaching the  Word of God (Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:11-16;Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 4:10)

●Pray that God will give us eyes to see things as He sees them –  people who are lost and in need of salvation (Luke 4:18; Acts 26:18)

●Pray that as a church we will continually strive to fulfil Christ’s Commission to the Church to reach the lost (Matthew 4:19; Matthew 9:37-38; Mark 16:15-16).

●Pray for the unsaved and backsliders (Acts 26:18; 2 Timothy 2:26: Ezekiel 36:26)

●Pray that we will have a spirit of boldness to confidently share God’s Words with others (Deuteronomy 31:6; Acts 28:31; 2 Timothy 1:7)

●Pray that we will make use of the opportunities that this time presented to reach others (Ephesians 5:16-17)

●Pray that as we share the Word of God with others that it will take root and there will be a harvest of souls like never before (Joshua 24:15; Romans 12;1-2; 2 Peter 3:9)

●Pray that everyone who join our services will have a life changing experience (Psalm 25:4; Isaiah 43:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

ACTIONS OF FAITH

●Our leaders will have new vision and inspiration

●As members we will run with the vision as given by the Lord Jesus to our leaders

●The unsaved will come to the Lord Jesus and backsliders will be reclaimed

●Our teaching ministry will be impactful

●We will be soul winners

 

Note: The entire month of consecration should be focused on intense prayer backed by fasting.  All members of the congregation should be involved and focus carefully maintained.

NOTES FOR LEADERS

GENERAL

  1. The entire month should include intense praying and fasting, involving the full membership of the church
  2. In carrying out the consecration, plan thoroughly in order to achieve objectives
  3. Hold a pre-consecration briefing service to unveil plans and allow for a launching service
  4. Provide information on praying and fasting
  5. Establish a schedule for prayer and fasting
  6. LEADERS should establish a  time for  all officers to engage  in prayers  at least once weekly

 

 

FASTING

  1. Encourage and promote the fast as a chain for the entire month; overlap to avoid breaking the chain.
  2. For a 12-hr link – two to four persons minimum should be on fasting during each 24 hours.
  3. Encourage those who do not like to fast to try; skipping a meal, then two, and so on

PRAYER

  1. Reinforce the need for each member to commit to pray for at least half an hour, minimum twice daily
  2. Encourage each member to make a list of unsaved family members and friends they would like to see saved along with a list of backsliders known to them and pray earnestly for their salvation and return to the Lord
  3. Encourage family prayer sessions

 

BIBLE TEACHING

  1. Conduct at least one weekly teaching or bible study, allowing for discussion on designated topics
  2. Bible teaching should allow adequate time for prayer; strive for a balance between both
  3. Allow time for questions; interaction with the audience can generate much interest.

 

FASTING AND PRAYER SERVICES

  1. Conduct at least one fasting service per week
  2. Conduct a seven-hour all-night prayer meeting to conclude the month of consecration.
  3. Hold a post consecration testimony and praise service (possibly) on the Sunday night of January 31 or any of the service nights in the following week.

 

SUGGESTED FASTING SCHEDULE

To ensure an un-broken fast from January 3 to January 29, 2020, the following is recommended:

January 3 to 9, 2021

Each believer should engage in at least one day-link (6am - 6pm) and at least one evening-link (6am-6pm)

January 10 to 16, 2021

Each believer should engage in at least one day-link (6am - 6pm) and at least two evening-links (6pm to 6am)

January 17 to 23, 2021

Each believer should engage in three day-links (6am - 6pm) and three evening-links (6pm-6am)

January 24 to 29, 2021

Each believer should engage in three day-links (6am - 6pm) and three evening-links (6pm-6am)