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SZN 1 — 2019JOURNALfor sucha timeas thisX X X XBOOK OF ESTHERVOUS CHURCHX X X X01
This journal belongs to:Full NameIf found, please return toVOUS CHURCH
REFERENCEhow to S.O.A.PItems needed for each day:1. Bible2. Pen3. JournalS — SCRIPTUREWhich verse stood out to you?Open your Bible to your readingfor the day. Take time reading andallow God to speak to you. Whenyou are done, look for a verse thatparticularly spoke to you that day,and write it in your journal.O — OBSERVATIONWhat is God saying to you?What do you feel God is sayingto you in this scripture? Ask theHoly Spirit to teach you and revealJesus to you.A — APPLICATIONHow can you apply it today?Personalize what you have read,by asking yourself how it appliesto your life right now. Perhaps itis instruction, encouragement, anew promise, or corrections for aparticular area of your life. Writehow this scripture can apply toyou today.P — PRAYERThis can be as simple asasking God to help you use thisscripture, or even a prayer for agreater insight on what He maybe revealing to you. Remember,prayer is a two-way conversation,so be sure to listen to what God hasto say! Now, write it out.002Ask God to help you use what you’ve learned.
REFERENCEhow to PRAYThe ACTS ModelA — ADORATIONTell God how much you appreciate him.This is a great way to begin yourprayer time. Tell God how muchyou appreciate him. Express yourlove for him. Praise his power andmajesty. You should never run outof praise.C — CONFESSIONTell God where you have fallen shortTell God where you have fallenshort. Be specific. Thank him forthe forgiveness you have in Christand ask for help and strength toturn away from future temptations.T — THANKSGIVINGExpress gratitude for what he’s doing in your life.We have so much to be thankfulfor. Thank God for his love, hisfaithfulness, his patience. Expressgratitude for what he’s doing inyour life.S — SUPPLICATIONShare your desires with God.Share your desires with God, nomatter how big or small they mayseem. Nothing is too big or toosmall for God. He cares aboutevery detail of your life. Pray foryour own needs and for the needsof others.003
REFERENCEVOUSCHURCH.COM/PRAYFIRSThow to FASTHOW TO BEGINStart with a clear goal. Be specific. Why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing,restoration of marriage or family issues? Are you facing financial difficulties? Ask theHoly Spirit for guidance. Pray daily and read the Bible.PREPARING SPIRITUALLYBe honest with God. Let him know where you need help. Ask the Holy Spirit to revealareas of weakness. Invite him to challenge and change you over the course of yourfast. Watch as he expands your vision and strengthens your faith.DECIDING WHAT TO FASTFasting is about giving something up for a time in order to seek God in a deeper way.It’s not about losing weight, it’s about gaining vision! The type of fast you choose isup to you. Whether you choose to follow biblical examples and give up food or applythe same principle to other areas of life like TV or social media, we believe that as youremove distractions you will hear from God in a clearer way.DECIDING HOW LONGTwice a year at VOUS, we set aside 21 days to fast and pray together. You’re invitedto come on the journey! Feel free to adapt the period of time to what is healthy foryou. Fasting is not an obligation, it’s an opportunity to go deeper in our walk with God.Use wisdom and pray for guidance. If it’s your first time fasting, decide what you cancommit to and go for it!WHAT TO EXPECTWhen you fast your body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from your system. This cancause mild discomfort such as headaches and irritability during withdrawal fromcaffeine and sugars. And naturally, you will have hunger pains. Limit your activity andexercise moderately. Take time to rest. Fasting brings about miraculous results. You arefollowing Jesus’ example when you fast. Spend time listening to praise and worship.Pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractionsas much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God.Adapted from https://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fastingtips004
REFERENCEEsther:THE PROVIDENCE OF GODEsther1Es 1:1-22Esther2Es 2:1-23Esther3Es 3:1-15Esther4Es 4:1-17Esther5Es 5:1-14Esther6Es 6:1-14Esther7Es 7:1-10Esther8Es 8:1-17Esther9Es 9:1-32Esther10Es 10:1-3Esther’sExaltationHaman’sCunning PotHaman’sHumiliationMordecai’sExaltationFeast ofAshasuerusFeast ofMordecaiwFeast ofEstherFeast tionJewish eatto JewsFeast ofAshasuerusJewsSparedInfluence ofJewessDeliveranceof JewsA JewExaltedFeast ofEsther and Purim005
21 DAYS OF PRAYER & FASTING BEGINS MONDAY, JANUARY 7WEEK01
WEEK 01ESTHER 2:15And Esther wonthe favor ofeveryone whosaw her.008
WEEKDAY:SERMON TITLE:Sunday, 06DATE:SPEAKER:SERMON NOTES:009
WEEK 01WEEKDAY:Monday, 07DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER010DAY 01 #PRAYFIRSTTODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 1:1-12Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
DAY 02 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Tuesday, 08DATE:WEEK 01TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 1:13-22Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER011
WEEK 01WEEKDAY:Wednesday, 09DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER012DAY 03 #PRAYFIRSTTODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 2:1-9SEE YOU AT PRAY FIRST TONIGHT!
WEEK 01DAY 04 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Thursday, 10DATE:TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 2:10-18Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER013
DAY 05 #PRAYFIRSTWEEK 01WEEKDAY:Friday, 11DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER014TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 2:19-22Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
WEEK 01DAY 06 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:THOUGHTS:Saturday, 12DATE:The Book of EstherIt seems odd that the awareness of God, or evenof the people of God, brings out the worst insome people. God, the source of all goodnessand blessing and joy, at times becomes theoccasion for nearly unimaginable acts of cruelty,atrocity, and evil.to speak the final and definitive word: You can’teliminate God’s people. No matter how many ofthem you kill, you can’t get rid of the communitiesof God-honoring, God-serving, God-worshipingpeople scattered all over the earth. This is still thefinal and definitive word.There is a long history of killing men and womensimply because they are perceived as remindersor representatives of the living God, as if killingpeople who worship God gets ride of Godhimself. We’ve recently completed a centurymarked by an extraordinary frenzy of such “god”killings. To no one’s surprise, God is still alive andpresent.From: This unknown Persian Jew probably livedsometime within 150 years of the events. That is,he probably lived while Persia was still in chargeof the Middle East, before Alexander the Greattook over.The book of Esther opens a window on this worldof violence directed, whether openly or covertly,against God and God’s people. The perspective itprovides transcends the occasion that provokedit, a nasty scheme to massacre all the exiled Jewswho lived in the vast expanse of fifth-centuryB.C. Persia. Three characters shape the plot.Mordecai, identified simply as “the Jew,“ anchorsthe story. He is solid, faithful, sane, godly. Hisgoodness is more than matched by the evil andarrogant vanity of Haman, who masterminds theplanned massacre. Mordecai’s young, orphaned,and ravishing cousin, Esther, whom he has raised,emerges from the shadows of the royal harem totake on the title role.It turns out that no God-representing men andwomen get killed in this story—in a dramaticturnaround, the plot fails. But millions beforeand after Esther have been and, no doubt, willcontinue to be killed. There is hardly a cultureor century that doesn’t eventually find a Hamandetermined to rid the world of evidence andreminders of God. Meanwhile, Esther continuesCitation: The Message: remix / 636-637 / Eugene H. PetersonTo: Haman wasn’t the only one in the vast PersianEmpire (or the Greek empire that followed it)who hated Jews. Jews refused to say that theirGod was only one among many options, andfor that they endured social put-downs, jobdiscrimination, and sometimes violence.Re: About 483-478 B.C. After the Persian kingXerxes dethroned Queen Vashti, he took a150,000-man army and a 600-ship navy toavenge his father’s defeat by the Greeks. Hebeat the Greeks in one great battle, but a yearlater they skunked him badly. His army and navylimped home. That was when he started havinggirls rounded up in the villages in his hunt for anew queen.A generation or two before Esther becamequeen, a few thousand Jews returned to Judahfrom Babylon and began trying to recreatesome kind of Jewish homeland. Despite severechallenges, they had managed to rebuild a smalltemple, but in Esther’s time Jerusalem was stilla shabby settlement without defensive walls.The walls were finally restored during the timeof Xerxes’ son, Artaxerxes I.015015
WEEK02
WEEK 02ESTHER 4:14And who knowsbut that you havecome to yourroyal position forsuch a time asthis?018
WEEK 02DAY 07 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:SERMON TITLE:Sunday, 13DATE:SPEAKER:SERMON NOTES:019
DAY 08 #PRAYFIRSTWEEK 02WEEKDAY:Monday, 14DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER020TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 3:1-6Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
DAY 09 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Tuesday, 15DATE:WEEK 02TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 3:7-15Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER021
DAY 10 #PRAYFIRSTWEEK 02WEEKDAY:Wednesday, 16DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER022TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 4:1-17SEE YOU AT PRAY FIRST TONIGHT!
DAY 11 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Thursday, 17DATE:WEEK 02TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 5:1-7Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER023
DAY 12 #PRAYFIRSTWEEK 02WEEKDAY:Friday, 18DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER024TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 5:8-14Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
DAY 13 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:WEEK 02THOUGHTS:Saturday, 19DATE:The History BooksThe twelve biblical books stretching from Joshuato Esther are conventionally designated “thehistory books.“ But the word “history” doesn’ttell the whole story, for this is history attentive tothe conditions in which people encounter andexperience God. The Hebrew people were intenton observing and participating in what happenedin and around them because they believed thatGod was personally alive and active in the world,in their community, and in them.Life could not be accounted for by somethingless than the life of God, no matter howimpressive and mysterious their experiencewas, whether an eclipse of the sun, spots onthe liver of a goat, or the hiss of steam from afissure in the earth. God could not be reducedto astronomical, physiological, geological, orpsychological phenomena; God was alive,always and everywhere working his will,challenging people with his call, evoking faith andobedience, shaping a worshiping community,showing his love and compassion, and workingout judgments on sin. And none of this “ingeneral“ or “at large,“ but at particular times, inspecific places, with named persons: history.For biblical people, God is not an idea forphilosophers to discuss or a force for prieststo manipulate. God is not a part of creation thatcan be studied and observed and managed.God is person—a person to be worshiped ordefied, believed or rejected, loved or hated,in time and place. That is why these booksimmerse us in dates and events, in personsand circumstances—in history. God meets usin the ordinary and extraordinary occurrencesthat make up the stuff of our daily lives. Itnever seemed to have occurred to our biblicalancestors that they could deal better with Godby escaping from history, “getting away from itall” as we say. History is the medium in whichGod works salvation, just as paint and canvas isthe medium in which Rembrandt made createdCitation: The Message: remix / 281-282 / Eugene H. Petersonworks of art. We cannot get closer to God bydistancing ourselves from the mess of history.This deeply pervasive sense of history—thedignity of their place in history, the presence ofGod in history—accounts for the way in whichthe Hebrew people talked and wrote. They didnot, as was the fashion in the ancient world, makeup and embellish fanciful stories. Their writingsdid not entertain or explain; they revealed theways of God with men and women in the world.They gave narrative shape to actual people andcircumstances in their dealings with God, and inGod’s dealings with them.But for the Hebrews there simply was no secularhistory. None. Everything that happened,happened in a world penetrated by God.Since they do not talk a lot about God in theirstorytelling, it is easy to forget that God isalways the invisible and mostly silent presencein everything that is taking place. But if weforget for very long, we will understand neitherwhat is written nor the way it is written. God isnever absent from these narratives and neverperipheral to them. As far as these writers wereconcerned, the only reason for paying attentionto people and events was to stay alert to God.This is a difficult mindset for us to acquire, forwe are used to getting our history from so-calledhistorians, scholars, and journalists for whomGod is not involved or present in what they studyand write. We are thoroughly trained by ourschools, daily newspapers, and telecasts to readhistory solely in terms of politics and economics,human interest and environmental conditions.If we have a mind for it, we can go ahead andfit God in somewhere or other. These historicalbooks—Joshua through Esther—are radicallyrefreshing and different. They pull us into a wayof reading history that involves us and everyonearound us in all the operations of God.025025
WEEK03
WEEK 03ESTHER 5:6Now what is yourpetition? It willbe given you.And what is yourrequest? Evenup to half thekingdom, it willbe granted.028
WEEK 03DAY 14 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:SERMON TITLE:Sunday, 20DATE:SPEAKER:SERMON NOTES:029
DAY 15 #PRAYFIRSTWEEK 03WEEKDAY:Monday, 21DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER030TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 6:1-14Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
DAY 16 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Tuesday, 22DATE:WEEK 03TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 7:1-10Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER031
WEEK 03WEEKDAY:Wednesday, 23DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER032DAY 17 #PRAYFIRSTTODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 8:1-8SEE YOU AT HEART & SOUL TONIGHT!
WEEK 03DAY 18 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:Thursday, 24DATE:TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 8:9-14Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER033
WEEK 03WEEKDAY:Friday, 25DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER034DAY 19 #PRAYFIRSTTODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 8:15-17Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
WEEK 03DAY 20 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:THOUGHTS:Saturday, 26DATE:The Example of EstherEsther’s example of bold faith in the face ofopposition is inspiring. As Christians, it isimportant for us not only to walk away from ourtime in prayer and God’s Word inspired, but alsoto ask ourselves what we can do differently inlight of what we have learned. As you read thesesix lessons from the life of Esther, consider howyou can apply these insights to your own life.3. We must stand with courage1. God has a plan for our livesGod is not mentioned in the Book of Esther evenonce. But Esther was clear that in this particularsituation, a heavenly response was needed foran earthly situation. Esther needed direction.When we need God’s grace, fasting and prayeropen the portals for spiritual growth, removedistractions, and place us on a path to humility.Mordecai nailed it when he said, “For if youremain silent at this time, relief and deliverancefor the Jews will arise from another place, butyou and your father’s family will perish. And whoknows but that you have come to the royal palacefor such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 NIV). Godloved the Jewish people. And he didn’t createEsther’s beauty and finesse for her and her alone.Esther was placed in a royal position to assist inthe delivery of God’s divine plan.2. We are given divine moments to altercircumstancesAs believers, there are no such things asaccidents or coincidences. God’s timingis providential. Esther’s divine moment ofprovidence came by accepting her responsibilityto go to the king. However, Mordecai was clearwhen he said to Esther that she could be the onewho saved the people, or not. God will use youonly if you’re ready—or he will find someone else.“I will go to the king, even though it is against thelaw. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16 NIV).Esther was willing to die to save her people.Sometimes we must stand in courage, even whenit is not popular to do so, and risk it all.4. Fasting and prayer bring clarity and hope fordeliverance5. God demands obedienceEsther’s obedience saved God’s people fromgenocide. The reality is that Esther didn’t knowwhat would happen when she approached theking. She acted in obedience and by doing soshe saved a nation and stepped into the destinyGod had for her.6. God uses everything and everyone for hisdivine purposeNo part of our lives is untouched. God is in controlof every aspect, whether we want him to be ornot, and there is nothing that is not subject to him(Hebrews 2:8 NIV). The best thing we can do forour lives is to search for and surrender to his will.NOTES:Citation: Adapted from ife-lessons-from-the-book-of-esther.html035035
WEEK04
WEEK 04ESTHER 7:3Then QueenEsther answered,‘If I have foundfavor with you,Your Majesty,and if it pleasesyou, grant memy life—thisis my petition.And spare mypeople—this ismy request.038
WEEK 04DAY 21 #PRAYFIRSTWEEKDAY:SERMON TITLE:Sunday, 27DATE:SPEAKER:SERMON NOTES:039
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:Monday, 28DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER040TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 9:1-10Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:Tuesday, 29DATE:TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 9:11-19Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER041
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:Wednesday, 30DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER042TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 9:20-28Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:Thursday, 31DATE:TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 9:29-32Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER043
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:Friday, 01DATE:S — SCRIPTUREO — OBSERVATIONA — APPLICATIONP — PRAYER044TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:Esther 10:1-3Grab your Bible and read today’s scripture.Write down the verses that stand out to you the most.
WEEK 04WEEKDAY:THOUGHTS:Saturday, 02DATE:HOW LONG WAS YOUR FAST?WHAT DID YOU FAST FROM?WHAT WAS MOST CHALLENGING?WHAT WAS MOST REWARDING?WHAT DID GOD SPEAK TO YOU?045045
WEEK05
WEEK 05ESTHER 9:28These daysshould berememberedand observed inevery generationby every family,and in everyprovince and inevery city.048
WEEK 05WEEKDAY:SERMON TITLE:Sunday, 03DATE:SPEAKER:SERMON NOTES:049
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005 REFERENCE Esther 1 Es 1:1-22 Esther 2 Es 2:1-23 Esther 3 Es 3:1-15 Esther 4 Es 4:1-17 Esther 5 Es 5:1-14
