70 Days of Heart Searching

✒ Dᴀʏ Fɪғᴛʏ-ғᴏᴜʀ

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So let’s begin!
Choose your target. Before you start praying, you need to know what your target is—that is, you need to know exactly what you are trying to overcome! This is why 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to “examine ourselves.” Taking time for a thorough heart evaluation is not only important but crucial to achieving spiritual victory.
As you think about your battle target, write down whatever God
brings to your mind. It may be a breach I mentioned in the previous
chapter, or you may need to pray and ask God to show you your specific
weak spots. Remember that sometimes even good things can become a breach if we allow them to stand between us and God, so what may look innocent to others may be an actual breach in your life.

This list is just for you and God. You may share it with your spouse
or prayer partner if you wish, but the main purpose is for you to know
where to begin in Bible study and prayer.

Pick up your sword. Standing on the promises of God’s Word by faith
through prayer will be your most effective approach in achieving spiritual fortification. Once you know where the breaches are in your spiritual wall, it’s time to pick up your sword! “The soul must be barricaded by prayer and study of the Scriptures. Armed with these weapons, Jesus encountered our wily foe on the field of battle, and overcame him.”2 You
will be able to pray with increased confidence and faith when you can
take the Bible in your hands and hold it up to God, saying, “Here’s Your
promise. I claim it for this specific breach in my life! You do not lie, and
I will not let go until You fulfill Your Word.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh Protestant minister from the early
1940s, when speaking on how important it is to claim God’s Word in prayer, wrote,

“ ‘Pester Him, as it were, with His own promises. Tell Him what He said He is going to do. Quote the Scripture to Him. . . . It pleases Him. . . . God is our Father, and He loves us, and He likes to hear us pleading His own promises, quoting His own words to Him,
and saying, “In light of this, can You refrain?” It delights the heart of
God.’ ”3

Yes! God loves to have us pray like this! He wants us to ask big things
of Him. And we are told that when we come to Him confessing our sinfulness and unworthiness, He will answer.

Here are a few powerful promises to get you started. But remember,
we don’t just pray and claim Bible promises; we must also act on our
prayers. These prayers God will answer, and deliverance will come.
Victory for those who confess their sins—1 John 1:9; Hebrews 7:25. No
sin is too great for God to handle. He sent His Son that we might find
deliverance and victory. No matter what we’ve done, if we desire to be
forgiven and set free, the gift is ours. We just have to claim it! When
we confess our sins, it’s also important that we actively turn away from those sins and seek to walk a new way. We cannot do this in our own strength, but God will help us when we lean on Him.
Victory over idols—Ezekiel 36:25–27; Jeremiah 24:7.

It’s important to remember that if we want victory over “idols” in our lives, we don’t wean ourselves away from them gradually. We have to destroy them—remove them completely from our lives so they have no more access to our hearts—just like the young King Josiah did when he came to power in the days of ancient Israel (see 2 Chronicles 34).

Victory over addictions—Luke 18:27; Psalm 55:16–18. Addictions
are difficult to break, but it’s best if we just go cold turkey and walk 180
degrees in the opposite direction!
If you are addicted to worldly music, movies, magazines, sports
icons, something in the occult world, or even some type of unhealthy
food or substance, it might be time to clean house and have a bonfire
party with just you and God. You’ll be amazed at the peace and strength
you will feel afterwards as you decidedly walk a new way.
In Acts 19, when the gospel of Christ was preached, the people came
and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced
sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them.