Day 15 | Discover Your Destiny...Like Joseph

Discover Your Destiny…Like Joseph

"…when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back the spirit of their father Jacob revived." Genesis 45:27b

Today’s story is about Andrew Singleton. He had an I.Q. of only 55. But his parents dreamed for him. They dreamed that he could somehow enjoy life as a teenager. Although he was enrolled in special need centers for most of his life, when he was 19, his parents put him in regular high school. He attended special classes there and endured a tremendous amount of pressure while adjusting to his new environment. His parents desired that Andy would be accepted and have friends there. Eventually, Andy did so well that he was able to participate in some mainstream classes.

On graduation day when Andrew’s name was called, his parents watched in amazement as the unbelievable happened. All 192 of his classmates rose to their feet and soon the entire crowd of spectators joined them. His classmates began to cheer for him and to call out his name. It was a dream come true.

When we get to heaven we will also celebrate a dream come true. Until then, God will keep us revived. Jacob was living with a spirit of poverty until he saw the wagons. When he saw the riches from Egypt from a son he had thought dead, he was revived.

Prayer Focus: Pray that each and every one of us at Storehouse Church will develop ownership of our God-given dream to find a new location. Ask God to revive the church leaders of this dream as they continue to work toward it – our pastors, the church leaders, and the campaign team leaders. Ask God to revive you in an area of your life that needs it.

Day 14 | Discover Your Destiny...Like Jacob

Discover Your Destiny…Like Jacob

“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it…and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.’”
Genesis 28:16,22

Today we continue our look at Jacob’s encounter with God. Because of this experience, Jacob went from being characterized as a taker, to being known as a giver. It was all due to meeting the living God personally. Look at the God he met:

God is a Dream-Maker (Genesis 28:12). God came to Jacob with a dream for a glorious future. God always puts dreams about the future in our hearts. Jacob awoke to a wonderful truth. Beforehand, he did not know that he was at the house of God and the gate of heaven. God delights in giving us dreams and then seeing them come to pass.

God is a Promise-Keeper (Genesis 28:13). God reveals Himself not with just a generic name for God, but the covenant name of Yahweh. God is a God who makes promises and keeps them. He does what He says He will do.

God is a Work-Giver (Genesis 28:13). He speaks. The verse says, “and He said.” God reveals Himself clearly to His people through the Bible, which are His oral words in written form. Jacob had been stumbling around wondering, until he heard the voice of God.

God is a Living God (Genesis 28:13). God does not identify Himself as, “I was the God of your father Abraham.” But rather He says, “I am the God of your father Abraham.”

Prayer Focus: Take time in prayer to praise and worship God for who He is to you. Love Him back in a real and personal way today.

Day 13 | Discover Your Destiny...Like Jacob

Discover Your Destiny…Like Jacob

"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it…and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.’"
Genesis 28:16, 22

Today’s passage finds Jacob running from the consequences of his actions and falling asleep at a place called Bethel. While he was asleep, God revealed Himself to him in a personal way. It was then that the God of his fathers became his personal God too.

Before we see how this destiny moment changed his perspective about giving, let’s look at the point where God showed up in Jacob’s life.

God reveals Himself when we are at the end of ourselves. Jacob’s scheming and trickery had brought him nothing but failure and rejection. When he stopped running and fell asleep at Bethel, he had nothing. It is when you are at the end of your rope that God reveals Himself to you in a personal way.

God reveals Himself when we are alone. God came to Moses when he was alone with his flocks in Midian. God came to Isaiah while he was alone in the temple praying. God uses the times we are alone to reveal Himself, for usually, that is when He has our undivided attention.

Jacob was forever changed at Bethel. When God became personal to him, he immediately vowed to give God a tenth of everything. This personal encounter with God changed Jacob from a taker in life to a giver. Personal encounters with God result in changed lives.

Prayer Focus: Pray that everyone touched by Storehouse Church will experience a personal relationship with God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ask the Father how the giving of your time, talent, and treasures can reveal your personal faith in Him. If you don’t know God in a personal way, pray and ask Him to meet you at "your Bethel."

Day 12 | Discover Your Destiny...Like Rebekah

Discover Your Destiny…Like Rebekah

"‘Drink, my Lord,’ she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, ‘I’ll draw water for your camels too…’"
Genesis 24:18-19

Chapter twenty-four of Genesis details the marvelous narrative of the servant of Abraham who seeks out a bride for Isaac. Most interpreters see a story behind the story in these verses. Abraham appears to be an example of Father God, Isaac is a picture of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the servant who goes on the journey to find the bride corresponds to the Holy Spirit.

This unnamed servant, when looking for a bride for the Father’s son, had one characteristic in mind that she must possess. It was not natural beauty, even though Rebekah was naturally beautiful. It was not strength, even though she was strong. The servant was looking for a person who had the spirit of giving, for a giving person would bless the son, Isaac. When Rebekah gave him a drink and then offered to water his camels (which might take hours, by the way!), he knew that he had found the one for Isaac.

• The Holy Spirit as well waits in the background until He sees the spirit of giving in you. Then He pulls out the riches and gives you revelation of the Father’s plan.
• The Holy Spirit is watching and waiting on your response to the opportunities to give in your life. (Genesis 24:12)
• The Holy Spirit will graciously confront you with the opportunity to give. (Genesis 24:17)
• Rebekah was willing to give. She was going to the well to take care of her needs. It was her water, but she gave it away. (Genesis 24:18)
• Rebekah was willing to go beyond the ordinary. If you are willing to go beyond the ordinary for God, He will go beyond the ordinary for you. (Genesis 24:19)

Prayer Focus: Pray that Storehouse Church possesses a spirit of giving above the ordinary. Ask God to bless you with a giving spirit. Pray for someone you know who struggles in this area.

Day 11 | Discover Your Destiny...Like Abraham

Discover Your Destiny…Like Abraham

"Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
Genesis 14:20b

Chapter fourteen of Genesis records for us a significant event in the pilgrimage of Abraham. This godly man becomes a warrior as he joins in defeating four kings who have united against five kings of the valley. War would not have interested Abraham, except for the fact that Lot, his nephew, was captured and taken into captivity. Today’s text picks up with Abraham returning as a conquering hero. His high esteem, already in the eyes of others, has gone higher. He is now known throughout the land.


At this point in his prosperity, he is faced with a significant choice. In fact, his future destiny hangs in the balance of this choice. This choice is a spiritual battle, and it is a greater battle than the physical one he just fought. Will he become worldly with all these material possessions, or will he become rich in God’s eyes because he is a giver?


Life is all about making the right choices. In this Bible passage, Melchizedek is a picture of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, you can see that Abraham made a wise choice by giving back to God a tenth of what God had given him. In your prosperity, which comes from God, do you give any back to Him? Spiritual growth will result from worshipping the Lord through giving.


Prayer Focus: Pray that our church is a giving church. Pray that we will reach beyond our walls and our members to touch the world with God’s love through our talents, time, and treasures. Ask God to reveal ways that we can grow in our giving. Pray about your personal giving and how you can become more generous.

Day 10 | A Prayer For Direction

A Prayer For Direction

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”
Psalm 119:133

There are at least two essentials to the Spirit-filled life – prayer and the Word of God. As the old song says, “They go together, you can’t have one without the other.” Prayer finds its very foundation in the Scripture. You could not pray with purpose, conviction, or direction without the revelation of God that you find in the Bible. Therefore, you must study the Bible and be a person of prayer.

In Psalm 119, almost every verse refers to the Scriptures. Verse 133 is a prayer for direction. The Psalmist here pleads for guidance from the Word of God.

Have you ever considered that God desires to guide every step you take? He desires to guide not only the big steps in your life, but even the mundane steps you take every day in the kitchen or your workplace. He will also guide you to the friend who needs encouragement, the neighbor who needs Jesus, and the co-worker who needs a witness of God’s love.

Prayer Focus: Thank God for guiding our church through Scripture and prayer to acquire a facility. Ask the Lord to continue to give the pastor and staff the wisdom and discernment needed to accomplish everything He has placed before us. Thank God for His guidance of your steps. Ask Him to continue to guide you by making the Scripture you read become alive and personal to you.

Day 9 | Learning To Trust Him

Learning To Trust Him

“Trust in the Lord…Fear the Lord…Honor the Lord”
Proverbs 3:5-9

In order to receive the blessing of God, we must trust Him. Trusting God is not some mere token confession you make from time to time. Trusting God must be complete, total, daily reliance upon the promises of God. Every day you will face the choice of relying upon your own understanding or trusting Him.

You and I must choose to trust God. When you come to those places in life where the line is drawn and the question is “Can I trust God?” your answer determines whether you grow beautifully or shrivel spiritually. The issue is, “Which am I going to choose?” When God told Noah to build the ark, it had never rained. Noah chose to trust God. Abraham left everything behind because he chose to trust God. Joshua was faced with a decision, and he said, “Choose today whom you will serve…but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Do you have this kind of trust in the Lord?

You can prove your trust in Him. Trusting Him is real when you acknowledge Him, when you depart from evil, and when you honor the Lord with your time, talent, and treasures.

Prayer Focus: Claim the following Scripture today and personalize it for Storehouse Church and for yourself: Hebrews 10:35-39, “Do not let this happy trust in the Lord die away, no matter what happens. Remember your reward! You need to keep on patiently doing God’s will if you want Him to do for you all that He has promised. His coming will not be delayed much longer. And those whose faith has made them good in God’s sight must live by faith, trusting Him in everything. Otherwise, if they shrink back, God will have no pleasure in them. But we have never turned our backs on God and sealed our fate. No, our faith in Him assures our soul’s salvation.”

Day 8 | A God You Can Trust

A God You Can Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

God expects His people to trust Him, and He is a trustworthy God! We were created to live our lives in dependence upon Him. Our knowledge is incomplete, our wisdom is inadequate, our power is ineffective; thus, we need our Creator. Sin in its very essence is failing to trust God. These verses in Proverbs tell us how we are to trust Him.

• We are to trust Him entirely (verse 5). God wants us to trust Him “ with all of our heart.” That means everything from our salvation to physical, mental, and social needs. That includes trusting Him with our families, marriages, jobs, relationships, finances, abilities, weaknesses, health, accomplishments, and failures.

• We are to trust him exclusively (verse 5). God commands us not to depend on our own understanding. Why? Because it is fundamentally flawed with an infection of sin. God is truly omniscient. He knows it all from beginning to end. He even knows the number of hairs on your head. So follow His leading from His Word, prayer, and Godly counsel. He is on your side, so trust Him!

• We are to trust Him uniformly (verse 6). In all we do, in every decision we make, we are to trust His wisdom, not just with big things, but also with the little things.

Prayer Focus: Pray that Storehouse Church will be fully convinced of His trustworthiness. Take time to praise Him today for who He is and what He does. Take time to thank Him today for His direction of your church’s path. Thank Him for His direction of your path.

Day 7 | Can You Trust God

Can You Trust God?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

There are two ways people live their lives as they pass through this world – either remembering God or forgetting Him. They either acknowledge His presence and live their lives in dependence on Him, or they pay no attention to His claims on them and live a life on the basis of their own understanding and abilities. The worst tragedy and cruelest deception is the man who says feebly with his lips, “I trust God,” but an examination of his calendar and checkbook shows no difference between him and the man who does not even make that claim. The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Do we trust God?”

The very nature of this question produces two possible meanings: First – “Can you ‘trust’ God?” That is, is He trustworthy? Can He handle the decisions and the problems in your life? Secondly – “Can ‘you’ trust God?” That is, do you have the ability to trust Him?

These verses reveal some important things about trusting God:

• The matter of trust is an all or nothing thing. Notice how many times the word “all” is used.

• The command to trust precedes the promise. Blessing comes after trust is expressed.

• The promise is conditional. Unlike many of the unconditional promises in the Bible, this promise of direction is given only to those who exercise trust in God.

Prayer Focus: Pray that our congregation’s faith and trust in God will grow. Pray that we will allow God to be in control and that we will utterly depend on Him and desire that His will be done. Pray that the fruits of our deepened trust in Him will result in guidance from Him. Ask God to identify an area of your life where you need to yield to Him. Give it to Him and then look for His direction.

Day 6 | Don’t Stop Short Of Your Dreams

Don’t Stop Short Of Your Dreams

“The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Genesis 39:2a

In 1930, two young brothers named Dick and Maurice McDonald moved from New Hampshire to California to pursue the American dream of being successful. After a few failed ventures, they struck gold when they opened a small drive-in restaurant. By the mid-1950’s, their annual revenue was $350,000, and the brothers split $100,000 in profits.

You might think, yes, the rest is history. But you may be surprised to know the rest of the story. In 1954, a man by the name of Ray Kroc came into the picture. Ray Kroc saw potential that the brothers did not see. In 1961, Kroc bought the exclusive rights to McDonald’s for the sum of $2.7 million – now with 21,000+ restaurants worldwide, the rest of the story is history indeed.

The lessons learned from this story are:

• Don’t pull up short of your God-given dream.

• Don’t allow someone to out-dream you.

• Don’t allow someone else to finish your dream.

Christians look to Joseph as the role model for dreaming big. Genesis 39 holds important lessons for all dreamers. Some lessons in this chapter that can keep us from stopping short of our dreams are:

• Know that God is with us (verses 2, 21, & 23).

• Know that God is aware of our actions (verse 9).

• Know that God can make the bitter things in life sweet (verses 21-23).

Prayer Focus: Pray that Storehouse Church will pursue our God-given dream to the fullest potential. Pray that through the achievement of this dream will come more and better Christ followers for the kingdom of God. Ask God to show you ways in which you have stopped short of His best for you.

Day 5 | When Your Dream Is Delayed

When Your Dream Is Delayed

“‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other. ‘Come now,
let’s kill him…Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.’”
Genesis 37:19-20

Joseph found out what every dreamer finds out – not everyone is happy about your dream. Joseph found out that people would envy your dream, conspire against it, speak against it, and even attack your God-given dream. Joseph’s brothers put him in a pit and then sold him as a slave to go to Egypt. Don’t you imagine that at that time, Joseph wondered just what in the world God was doing and if his dream would become a reality?

Remember that every God-given dream must die a human death. That is, every dream from God will come to a place where it is impossible to accomplish the dream in human ability alone. God is sovereign and his timing is perfect. Remember Habakkuk 2:3b, “It (our plan to acquire a facility) will certainly come and will not delay.” Therefore, when we run out of resources and get to a place where we realize that the dream cannot happen unless God steps in, then God alone will get the glory when the dream is accomplished. His ways are not our ways, and He does not delay a single day.

Prayer Focus: Pray that Storehouse Church will continue to strive forward with our God-sized dream of acquiring a facility. Pray that God will give us the endurance and stamina needed to face any temporary setbacks. Pray that all involved will experience joy on this journey of faith. Ask God to strengthen you also as you continue to pursue your lifelong goals despite delays.

Day 4 | What A Great Dream Looks Like

What A Great Dream Looks Like

“He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had.’”
Genesis 37:6

In 1989, a movie called “Field of Dreams” was released. Kevin Costner played Ray Kincella, a 37 year-old man who had never done a crazy thing in his life until he heard a voice one day that said, “Build it and he will come.” You see, Ray had had a stormy relationship with his dad. As a rebellious child of the 60’s, he scorned his dad who loved baseball, refusing even to play catch with him. His father died before he could make things right. When he plowed his cornfield over and made a baseball field, everyone said he was crazy for following his dream, but through the magic of the movie he could be reunited with his father as a young man. The theology is certainly not correct, and the plot is nowhere near reality, but that is what makes the movies, the movies.

One thing is for certain; people will come to a place where their dreams can be fulfilled. God’s field of dreams is not in Iowa, but rather in the hearts of His people. How do we know what a dream looks like? This list below gives us a good description of what a God-given dream looks like:

• A God-given dream will stir your passion.

• A God-given dream will be humanly impossible to accomplish.

• A God-given dream will make an impression on you for a lifetime.

• A God-given dream will cause you to exercise strong faith.

• The enemy of our soul will attack a God-given dream.

Prayer Focus: Pray that Storehouse Church will be a true “field of dreams” where people can find and fulfill their dreams. Pray that the whole congregation will be united in our dream to acquire a facility. Pray that we can be one so that the world can be won. Pray for church leaders to have discernment for decisions that affect this dream. Ask God to protect our dream from the enemy.

Day 3 | The Birth Of A Dream

The Birth Of A Dream

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.”
Genesis 30:22

Rachel was Jacob’s dream wife. They were very much in love. Like most married couples, they desired to have a child so their love could walk upon the earth. God listened to Rachel’s dream for a child, and He answered her prayer by giving them a son. Their dream became a reality named Joseph.

It is impossible to overestimate the power and role of dreams in human existence. Dreams have brought us lifesaving medical breakthroughs and soul-stirring revival movements. Some of our greatest athletic achievements are the result of a personal dream. The United States of America is the result of a dream of real democratic government by a group of patriots. Martin Luther King changed the course of a nation because he had a dream. Your world and “the” world can be changed because of the dream inside you.

These dreams are your daytime dreams – your vision, your hopes, your aspirations, and your desires. A God-given dream won’t go away. Search your heart and mind to get in touch with the dream God has put inside you. Then pray about it and take action! Storehouse’s dream to acquire a facility began in Habakkuk 2:3, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false: Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

Prayer Focus: Pray that our church’s vision will become a reality in God’s perfect timing. Pray that our dreams of saving friends and family through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will come about because of our new building. Ask God to reveal or clarify your personal dream that is His will for your life and direct you in acting on it.

Day 2 | Don't Let The Fire Go Out!

Don’t Let The Fire Go Out!

“Why is the house of God neglected? Then I called
them together and stationed them at their posts.”
Nehemiah 13:11b

When the Olympics came to America several years ago, part of the experience was to see the Olympic flame. For every Olympics, a flame is lit from the eternal Olympic flame in Greece and then carried to wherever the Olympic games are being held. The flame made its way to Atlanta for the opening ceremonies by traveling all over America first.

Volunteers and heroes from all over America carried torches holding the flame from place to place. While the flame was passing through Tacoma, Washington, Harley Sheffield had the honor of carrying it on his bicycle. As he was crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the expansion grates on the bridge blew a tire out on his bike. The torch popped out of its holder, fell onto the bridge, and broke into pieces. The Olympic flame was extinguished.

Sheffield was horrified. They would have to go all the way back to Greece and start over again! He would go down in history as the man who allowed the flame to go out! His panic was unnecessary because a “mother flame” was present in a trailing van as well as a replacement torch. Thus he could resume his duty, and the Olympic flame traveled onward.

This story provides a great illustration of our walk with God. Too many times we stumble and allow our flame to go out. If your flame has been doused, there is not a “mother flame” to restore it. But there is a “Father flame” who stands ready to light your torch today, and He will keep it lit.

Prayer Focus: Pray that God will light our spiritual torches with the oil of the Holy Spirit. Pray that Storehouse Church will always be on fire for the Lord. Ask God to make your spiritual flame burn brighter (increase your faith). Our Scripture today tells how God enabled Nehemiah to restore the priests to their duties. Ask Him how He can enable you to restore, rekindle, or resume something for Him that will give Him glory.

Day 1 | Direction In Prayer

Direction In Prayer

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:13

Jesus taught us much about prayer in example and in word. “The Lord’s Prayer,” or as it could be known, “The Disciple’s Prayer” is a part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. It is the model prayer, and it gives us an outline of the subjects we should pray over.

At the close of the prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray for the Father’s direction for our day. It includes a healthy understanding of our enemy and his ability to deceive us away from the Father’s will for our lives. Satan loves to bring the child of God into the place of temptation and ultimately, after we have surrendered to temptation, to the place of bondage.

We should pray every day for God to lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Pray that He will give us daily deliverance from the enemy’s power and deceit. Yesterday’s deliverance was great, but we must depend on the Father to lead us daily. The enemy never ceases his relentless attacks. He plans and schemes to control us constantly. Therefore, prayer should be a vital part of our daily life.

Of course, we have opportunity for complete victory over all of the enemy’s attacks. As believers in Jesus Christ, we know who is the King of the Kingdom. It is His kingdom to which we belong, and after prayer, we are refocused on kingdom priorities. We know that it is His power, which is able to accomplish all of these things and also know that it is all about His glory.

Prayer Focus: Pray that God will give the people of Storehouse Church a spirit of prayer. Pray that He will clearly direct us and protect us from the evil one. Take time to focus on God’s greatness and thank Him for the vision that He has given our church. Pray that during these forty days, He will reveal to you how you can use your time, talents, and treasures to further this vision for His glory.