Deuteronomy 6:4–9 NIV
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Why do we go to church? Pray before meals? Have to clean my room?

When it comes to our Faith Practices, maybe you feel like you know the ‘why’ …and ‘why’ may start you but it’s answering the question of WHO that will sustain you.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

• according to research on habits that last: Understanding ’why’ I should do things will start me, but understanding ‘Who’ I am will sustain me
• Most of us will start with outcomes at this time of year:

Read more, workout more, eat better…same with our faith practices

PROBLEM: If we don’t understand WHO we are, when the stress comes or circumstances change our WHY won’t be strong enough keep us
consistent. So when it comes to my faith practices…

• Why Gets me Started
• Who Get’s keeps me Going

My God Identity will take me where my Good Intentions can’t

God reveals my Identity before He shapes my Behavior

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Identity Statements:

• God is one…Israel belongs to Him…
• They are a people ordered around LOVE
• They are a people PRIORITY
• They are SET APART

God Shapes my Behavior in order to reinforce my Identity

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 ESV

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

WE DON’T JUST ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS, WE LIVE OUR IDENTITY

SO WHY DO WE PRAY AND FAST?

• Because conversation with God in prayer connects us with God’s heart and agenda. It helps us encounter His love and see His glory and beauty.
• Because fasting hits a reset in our soul, removes distraction and invites to feast on God’s presence

WHO WE ARE AT NEW HOPE HAWAII KAI

• We are a people who love God passionately and our worship reflects it
• We are a people who value being spirit led not programmatically efficient
• We are a people who pray…because we want to be the kind of church that values conversation and connection with Jesus
• We are a people who fast because we are & want to be the kind of people that remove distractions so that we can enjoy how good God is.

MAIN TO-DOs

1. Practice Being in His Presence this week

• Morning time with Jesus
• Have your kids read the Prayer Guide on your commute
• Take 10 Minutes at lunch to pray
• Pray as a Family before bed
• Fast a meal this week or one day this week
• JOIN US ON FRIDAY AT 7PM!

2. Pass it on

• We are Great Commandment People who love the Great Commission
• Ask God who you can spend time with sharing what you’ve learned with
• VS.7 — Impress these commands on your children
• VS.20 — Someday your kids are going to ask why we do this…