40 Days of Prayer & Fasting
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:5 ESV
Harvest family, I believe we are entering an important season in the life of our church.
The Lord is leading us into new territory. As we prepare for what is ahead, including the launch of Harvest Revival Center in Englewood and our Miracle & Healing Service on October 25, I don't want us simply to make plans and ask God to bless them. I want us to seek Him. I want us to hear His voice, follow His presence, and move together as a church family.
Beginning Tuesday, September 15, we are entering 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting, concluding on Saturday, October 24.
These 40 days are about consecrating ourselves before the Lord and preparing our hearts for what He wants to do next.
The Morning Watch | Every Morning at 6:00 AM
For all 40 days, I will personally lead a prayer call every morning at 6:00 AM.
I know 6:00 AM is early, but I want to challenge us to begin our days by seeking the Lord together.
You will have two ways to participate.
Watch the livestream:
The Morning Watch will be livestreamed each morning so you can watch and pray with us wherever you are.
Join the prayer call through Microsoft Teams:
If you would like to participate more directly and have the opportunity to pray with us, you can join the Morning Watch through our Teams prayer call.
Prayer Call Link:
Morning Watch: 40 Days of Prayer | Join meeting in Teams | Microsoft Teams
You do not have to pray publicly to join through Teams. You are welcome simply to listen and pray in agreement. But throughout these 40 days, I also want to give people opportunities to pray and seek the Lord together.
Every Wednesday We Fast Together
During these 40 days, I encourage you to ask the Lord what He may be calling you personally to fast or lay aside.
Some may feel led to fast additional meals or days. Others may feel led to give up certain foods, entertainment, social media, or something else that allows them to intentionally turn their attention toward the Lord.
If you feel led to challenge yourself beyond what we are doing together, I encourage you to follow the Lord's leading.
But every Wednesday, I am asking the entire Harvest family to fast together.
From sunup to sundown, we will participate in a liquids-only fast.
Whatever else we may be doing individually during these 40 days, Wednesdays will be our opportunity to come before the Lord together with one heart and one purpose.
If you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant, or have another circumstance that makes fasting from food unwise, please use wisdom and participate in a way that is appropriate for you.
Our 40-Day Journey
I don't want these to be 40 disconnected days of prayer. We are going on a journey together.
Each week will have a specific prayer focus that moves us toward what we believe God is calling Harvest into.
Week 1 | Consecrate Yourselves
We begin with ourselves. Before asking God to change circumstances around us, we will invite Him to search our hearts. We will pray about repentance, surrender, holiness, obedience, and a renewed hunger for His presence.
Week 2 | Hear What the Spirit Is Saying
We will pray for spiritual ears to hear what the Lord is saying to us individually and as a church. We will ask for wisdom, discernment, clarity, and unity.
Week 3 | Follow His Presence
As God leads Harvest into new territory, our prayer will be simple: Lord, we want to follow You. We will pray for courage to move when He moves, patience when He says wait, and faith to follow His presence even when we cannot see everything ahead.
Week 4 | Prepare the Territory
Our attention will turn specifically toward Englewood and the territory God is placing before us. We will pray over the location, the surrounding communities, open doors, provision, favor, ministry needs, leadership, volunteers, and every detail necessary to accomplish what God has called us to do.
But we aren't simply praying for a building. We are praying for people.
We will pray for the families, children, teenagers, hurting people, prodigals, and those who do not yet know Jesus throughout Englewood and the surrounding communities.
Week 5 | Prepare the Harvest
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” We will pray for the lost, for salvations, for families to be restored, for prodigals to come home, and for God to raise up laborers.
We will also ask the Lord a personal question: Who have You called me to reach?
Final Days | Prepare the Way
During our final days, we will turn our attention toward Sunday, October 25.
We will pray with expectation for salvation, healing, deliverance, restoration, and miracles.
We aren't trying to manufacture a moment. We are preparing our hearts, building our faith upon the Word of God, and asking the Holy Spirit to have His way.
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Follow Along Every Day
Every day during the 40 days, I will post that day's prayer focus, Scripture, and encouragement so that our entire church can remain focused together.
Even if you cannot join the 6:00 AM Morning Watch live, I encourage you to follow along each day and set aside time to pray.
Each morning, I will post the day’s prayer focus on our social media pages and website. Follow along with us, and I encourage you to share these daily posts with others. Let’s invite our families, friends, and community to join us as we seek the Lord together over these 40 days.
Invite someone to join the Morning Watch. Share the livestream. Send the prayer focus to a friend. Invite another believer to fast with you.
This doesn't have to be limited to the people who attend Harvest. If someone wants to seek the Lord with us, invite them into the journey.
We're Crossing Together
When Israel prepared to cross the Jordan into territory they had never occupied before, Joshua told the people:
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:5 ESV
They didn't know every detail of what was ahead. But they knew who was leading them.
That's where I believe we are.
God is leading Harvest into new territory. We don't need to have every answer before we move forward. We need His presence.
For 40 days, we're going to seek Him together.
We're going to pray together.
We're going to fast together.
We're going to listen together.
And when He moves, we're going to follow Him together.
I'll see you at 6:00 AM for the Morning Watch.
Pastor Niel
