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FOLLOW ME:
21 Days of Prayer for a Disciple-Making District – NWIL
Prayer Challenge – March 1 – 22, 2026
WEEK ONE: THE CALL TO BE WITH JESUS

Focus: Personal surrender and intimacy with the Savior.

Day 1 — THE CALL THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

Scripture: Matthew 4:19 — "Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Today’s Devotional: When Jesus walked the shoreline of Galilee, His call was an invitation to a total life-interruption. He didn't ask the fishermen for a weekend commitment or a casual interest; He called them into a new identity. Before they were "fishers of men," they had to be "followers of Jesus." We often want the mission without the relationship, or the fruit without the following. But the power to reach our district doesn't come from our strategies; it comes from our proximity to the Savior. To follow Him means to let Him set the pace, the direction, and the destination of our lives. Today, we don't just pray for a plan; we pray for our deepening relationship with the Person of Jesus!

Response & Prayer Guide:

  • For Your Heart: Are you following Jesus, or are you asking Him to follow your plans? Spend a moment in total surrender.
  • For Our District: Pray for a spirit of "First Love" to return to our churches. Pray that we would be more driven to Jesus than with our own programs.

Church Prayer List:

  • Bloomington First – Pastor Linsy Stockham
  • Bloomington Grace – Pastor Mike Stipp

The Challenge & Next Steps:

  1. Commit: Set a specific time and place where you will meet with God for the next 21 days. Consistency is the soil of transformation.
  2. Meditate: Read Matthew 4:18-22 three times today. Imagine yourself on that shore. What would you have to leave behind to step toward Him?
  3. Worship: Listen to "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" by Elevation Worship and make it your personal vow today.
  4. Pray Boldly for a district wide call to Follow Jesus.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we hear Your voice calling to us from the shores of our busy lives, and today we choose to stop and listen. Forgive us for the times we have prioritized our own plans over Your presence and grant us the grace to surrender our identity to Your transforming hand. May our local church and our entire district become a people whose first and highest love is simply being with You.