Day 24: Go and Proclaim
40 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Prayer Focus: Boldness to Carry the Gospel
“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Matthew 10:7 ESV
Yesterday our prayer was:
“Lord, give me Your heart for people.”
Today we take the next step:
“Lord, send me into the harvest.”
In Matthew 9, Jesus looks at the crowds with compassion. He sees people who are hurting and without a shepherd. He tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful and instructs them to pray for laborers.
Then Matthew 10 begins.
Jesus calls the twelve, gives them authority, and sends them.
The people who were praying for laborers became the very people Jesus sent into the harvest.
We Are Sent
Jesus didn't call His disciples simply to gather around Him.
He called them to go.
Matthew 10:7 says:
“Proclaim as you go…”
The Greek word for proclaim is kēryssō. It carries the idea of a herald publicly announcing the message of a king.
The disciples were carrying a message:
The King has come. His kingdom is near.
The Gospel was never intended to remain inside the walls of a church.
We carry it wherever we go.
The Kingdom Was Demonstrated
Jesus didn't only tell them to proclaim.
He told them to:
Heal the sick.
Raise the dead.
Cleanse lepers.
Cast out demons.
Matthew 10:8
And Matthew 10:1 tells us that Jesus had given them authority — exousia — over unclean spirits and to heal disease and affliction.
The pattern is powerful:
See the harvest.
Pray for laborers.
Receive authority.
Go.
Proclaim the Kingdom.
Jesus sent His disciples to carry the message of the Kingdom and minister to people in His name.
Freely You Have Received
Jesus finishes His instruction with:
“You received without paying; give without pay.”
Matthew 10:8 ESV
Everything we have received from Jesus came by grace.
Forgiveness.
Salvation.
Mercy.
Hope.
The Holy Spirit.
We freely received.
Now we freely give.
There are people around us who desperately need what Christ has entrusted to us.
Today's Prayer Focus
Give Me Boldness
Help me speak about Jesus without fear.
Give Me Compassion
Never let ministry become disconnected from genuine love for people.
Use Me
Give me opportunities to pray, serve, encourage, and share the Gospel.
Send Me
Make me willing to go wherever You place the harvest before me.
Today's Prayer
Father, thank You for everything I have freely received through Jesus.
Give me courage to carry the Gospel to others.
Open my eyes to the harvest around me and give me boldness to proclaim Jesus.
Use my words, my hands, my testimony, and my life to point people toward Christ.
I don't want merely to pray for laborers.
Lord, make me one.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Additional Scriptures
Matthew 9:35–38
Matthew 10:1, 7–8
John 4:35
Romans 10:13–15
Acts 1:8
Today's Challenge
Ask God:
“Who can I intentionally minister to today?”
Then don't only pray about it.
Go.
Encourage someone. Pray for someone. Serve someone. Share your testimony. Tell someone about Jesus.
Freely you have received.
Freely give.
Day 23: Lord, give me Your heart for people.
Day 24: Lord, send me into the harvest.
