After today, we have made it through the first week, and the whole focus has been simple: Get connected to the Source.We’ve talked about coming back to God and reconnecting, depending on His power because He is our source, being still long enough to hear Him, charging our minds with His Word, and allowing prayer to realign us. But here's the thing: the goal was never just to have a good spiritual week. The goal is to learn how to live connected to God every day.

We all know what happens when our phone gets unplugged. It may be fully charged in the morning, but if you never connect it again, eventually the battery starts dropping. And Church, that's a picture of our spiritual lives too. We can't live off yesterday's prayer, last Sunday's worship or last month's encounter with God. We need a daily connection with Him. God doesn't want to be an occasional part of our lives. He wants to be the source we live from.

That's why David says, “My soul thirsts for you.” He was talking about his need for a relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. David knew full well what happens when he gets unplugged! He knew he needed God like he needed water! And that's what I want us to develop during these 21 days: a hunger for God's presence. Not just a desire for what God can give us, but a desire for God Himself. Honestly, that’s when you know you’re on your way to spiritual maturity, is when you desire God’s presence more than his presents.

Living connected to God doesn't mean we have to spend every minute of every day in a prayer closet. It means we learn to bring God into every part of our day. We talk to Him while we're driving. We listen for Him when we're making decisions. We turn to His Word when we don't know what to do. We invite Him into our conversations, our work, our families and our struggles. We stop treating God's presence like an appointment and start recognizing that He is with us wherever we go.

As we finish this first week, don't measure your success by how perfectly you completed the fast. Ask yourself a better question: “Am I more connected to God than I was seven days ago?” If the answer is yes, then something important is happening. But don't unplug when this week is over. Keep the connection going. Because the strength we need for everything else in these 21 days will come from the connection we build with Him.

Next week we're going to start cleaning things out. We're going to look at the things that take up space, steal our time and drain our spiritual battery. But before we can purge the clutter, we have to know what it feels like to be connected to the Source.

Stay connected. Stay hungry. Stay close to Jesus.

Today, do me a favor and whisper a special prayer for our services tomorrow!

Today’s Prayer

Lord, thank You for meeting me during this first week. Help me not to treat these 21 days as something temporary, but as the beginning of a deeper connection with You. Give me a hunger for Your presence and help me learn to recognize You throughout my everyday life. Keep me connected when life gets overwhelming and frustrating, when I'm tired, and when distractions compete for my attention. I want to live my life more connected to You. 

In Jesus' name, Amen.