Walking for the Kingdom
Fast
Choose any fast from earlier this week and extend it until dinner, letting today’s hunger deepen your longing for God’s Kingdom and glory.
Matthew 6:13
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.”
Jesus teaches us how to pray, not just with words, but with a posture of the heart. All week we have looked at what it means to follow Him into deeper places of prayer and fasting. Today, we finish with the reminder that everything we seek, everything we surrender, and everything we long for finds its fulfillment in God’s kingdom, God’s power, and God’s glory.In Matthew 6, Jesus calls His followers to choose invisible power over visible praise. The religious leaders prayed loudly, publicly, and performatively. But Jesus quietly slipped away to be alone with His Father. His strength came from solitude, not applause.
A.W. Tozer once wrote that God’s leaders “spend more time on their knees than at their desk.” Intimacy with God always comes before influence for God. Like a married couple whose relationship is strengthened not by the crowd but by a quiet date night, our spiritual life grows through private connection, not public display.
Jesus then gives us the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer that meets every need we carry: provision, forgiveness, protection, and deliverance. When we forgive others, as Jesus commands, our vertical relationship with God begins to reshape our horizontal relationships with people.
Finally, Jesus teaches us the gift of fasting. Fasting is not a diet, nor a punishment, nor a performance. It is letting go of a physical need for a spiritual plea. Hunger aches become prayer aches. Cravings become conversations with God. For centuries, followers like Moses, Esther, Daniel, and Paul fasted so they could hear the Lord more clearly. When we fast, we declare that our deepest needs are not earthly but heavenly.
As you break your fast tonight, lift your hands and your heart:
- Yours is the kingdom.
- Yours is the glory.
- Yours is the power.
- Forever.
With you on the journey until the Kingdom comes,
Gregg Matte
Senior Pastor
Houston’s First Baptist Church
Prayer Guide
- Praise God that His kingdom, power, and glory are greater than every earthly struggle we face.
- Ask God to form a deeper hunger for His presence as you pray and complete your fast today.
- Pray that Jesus would be glorified in our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and throughout Houston.
Action Step
As you break your fast, conclude the week with gratitude. Thank God for what He has shown you, how He has met you, and how His kingdom continues to move in your life and in our church.
Prayer Practice
Take a simple prayer walk through your neighborhood. Pray over homes, families, schools, and those who do not yet know Jesus.
