Wednesday devotional

Wednesday Devotional

Preparing for Revival: Why we fast Kings and commoners, priests and prophets, and cities and nations fasted in the Bible. Revivals and renewals are recorded as occurring during or directly after a fast. Paul fasted three days prior to his conversion experience and Cornelius was fasting when an angel appeared to him prior to his conversion. Jesus expected us to fast. He said that his followers would fast when the Bridegroom would no longer be with them and Matthew 6:16 records Him as saying, “When you fast…”

Why do we fast?

First, fasting is a matter of the heart. Joel 2:12 says “return to me with all your heart, with fasting.” This means fasting is an expression of wholeheartedness. It is us telling God we have fully come to him and we are fully committed to him. It is telling making it about God and not about the physical. Fasting is us showing God we have put the Kingdom ahead of our desires, and that his glory supersedes our purpose.

Second, fasting brings focus. Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Fasting helps us temper our desires and get rid of distractions. At the same time, we can be spiritually empowered. Fasting is to help bring spiritual clarity. It removes distractions so we can focus our intentions on prayer and seeking God’s will. Think about it…if you fast you become hungry! The hunger pangs are a reminder for you to turn towards God and give over to him whatever issue you are presenting or seeking. Fasting overshadows all the other distractions in our life and allows us to focus on one thing: seeking his will!

Finally, fasting brings humility. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” By denying the worldly part of eating, we are firmly stating our full faith and trust is in God. As I have said before, we are accustomed to having enough. We cannot imagine being without, and we pridefully take full credit for the blessings in our life. Fasting reminds us that God is almighty, powerful, and the Wonderful Maker. It helps us realize how much he has blessed us.

Be prepared for renewal!

Today’s prayer:

Father God,

You are my provider. You are sufficient for all my needs. It is because of you that I live; you give me life! To know your wonderful riches is beyond my wildest imagination!

Lord of my life – I want to do your will, but so many times I fall short. Please show me how to live my life according to your will and not my own. I ask for wisdom, and I believe you will answer my prayer.

Lord, I want to know your glory! Allow me to worship you with prayer and fasting. I come before you – broken and needy – to know you and to seek your face. Thank you for loving me!

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

Step 5 to fasting: Prepare through knowing why we fast. Read this passage from Isaiah and pray over the reasons listed here:

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

Isaiah 58:6-8, NIV

His grace is enough!

Pastor Michael

Tuesday devotional

This is the devotional we sent out yesterday...it got a little crazy and I did not get it posted. I will post today's devotional later this afternoon...

Preparing for Revival: Spiritual Preparation for Fasting

Preparing for revival is not just about getting dressed and showing up on time. Revival is about change, and we want to change from the inside out. If we truly want to change from the inside out, we must prepare from the inside out.

We are not accustomed to doing without. We live in times of plenty, and there are very few people who experience true hunger. This is the day and age of fast food and credit cards, and that means for most people there is usually a meal just around the next corner. There are those who sometimes do experience hunger and I certainly do not want to ignore their plight. Even this points to our need to rely on God. For the most part, hunger is transient at its worst.

Satan uses our prosperity against us. He has used the very blessings God has given us to distract us from the gaping holes we have in our lives. We have been conditioned to not ever lack for anything, and because of this we forget the hunger we are to have for God. We continue to pour junk into the gaps in our lives, only to realize there is only one thing that can truly fill us.

Fasting – allowing ourselves to feel physical hunger – helps us ignore life’s distractions so we can concentrate on God and his plans. Fasting allows us to let go of the gap-fillers and hold fast to the cross. Fasting brings focus.

In order to honor God through fasting, we must be prepared.

The first step to spiritual preparation is to spend time – devoted, one-on-one time – in prayer with God. Every fast in the Bible was accompanied by prayer. Fasting should never be done as a stand-alone method of worship. Instead, it should be done with a heart properly prepared through prayer.

The second step is to examine your heart and detect any unconfessed sin. Scripture records that God always requires His people to repent of their sins before He will hear their prayers. King David said:

Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me: For I cried to him for help, with praises ready on my tongue. He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins. But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!

Blessed be God who didn't turn away when I was praying, and didn't refuse me his kindness and love. (Psalm 66:16-20)

In your prayers, confess not only obvious sins, but less obvious ones as well. Remember there are two kinds of sin: the sins of commission (things we do against God’s will), and sin of omission (things we fail to do to that are God’s will). Our sin is usually part and parcel with worldly-mindedness, self-centeredness, spiritual indifference, and unwillingness to share your faith in Christ with others. Sin can also be failing to spend sufficient time in God's Word and in prayer, a poor relationship with your spouse, your children, your pastor, or other members of your church. Confess these things and commit to turning away from them and towards God.

Be prepared for renewal!

Today’s prayer:

Father God,

Your grace and beauty are beyond my comprehension! I cannot fathom the depth of your love, and I cannot begin to measure how much you love me. I desperately want to please you and honor you.

Lord, I need your forgiveness. I want to experience change in my life and I know sin can block revival. There are so many ways in which I fall short of your glory. I confess these things before you now, and I seek your help in turning away from them. Thank you for dying for me, and thank you for forgiving me.

Lord Jesus, I am ready for change. Help me prepare to receive your direction in my life. I ask for your inspiration as I seek you through fasting and prayer. Thank you for blessing me.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

Step 3 to fasting: Pray

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Step 4 to fasting: Confess and seek forgiveness

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Tomorrow: Why we fast.

His grace is enough!

Pastor Michael

Monday Devotional: Preparing for Revival

We all share a deep desire to be more intimate and more devoted to God. Like I mentioned yesterday, I believe we all love God, but we sometimes are not experiencing being in love with him. It often seems like there is something that gets in the way of that kind of heart-felt, devotional love. We all have the desire to give our hearts to Him, but this desire is often shared with desires for a lot of other stuff. As John Piper puts it, our decreased hunger for God is not because He is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with other things. In other words, we are so full of food, entertainment, work, play, kids, school, friends, and life that we have no appetite left for God.

There is nothing wrong with all those things. It is not the big things that rob us of our hunger for God. It is the constant nibbling at the table of the world that leaves us so full that we have no appetite left for him! I run into this problem every Thanksgiving. I get excited about the family and the fellowship, but I really like the meal. All day long, I nibble and snack and when the main meal comes, I don’t really enjoy it.

In our lives, we are nibbling on work, family, computers, investing, TV, internet, gaming, sports, school, shopping, exercising, talking on the phone, home repair, and even our Christian walk. While all these are fine, taken together they can leave us so full that we have nothing left for God. Wouldn’t it be great to be so full of God we didn’t have room for the rest? Oh, to experience such fullness!

What a great reason to fast!

As we enter the final days before Revival, begin your preparation by being before God. Pray that God will remove barriers to your personal revival. Make a list of the changes you need in your life and pray over these tonight before you go to bed and again tomorrow when you wake up. Begin preparing for your fast on Friday by studying God’s word on fasting. I have included several Scriptures for you to read and a couple of points on getting ready for a fast. Tomorrow I will send out more devotional material aimed at helping each of us prepare for fasting and revival.

Today’s prayer:

Father God,

You are overwhelming and mighty. I cannot fathom the fullness of you. I know I have many things wrong in my life, and I need your forgiveness for so many things. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me, and thank you for your forgiveness.

Lord, I want to be empty before you. I want to experience a hunger for you like I have never experienced before. Jesus, I ask you to help me remove the distractions from my life so I can fully focus on your plan and your will for me.

Lord, I ask you to prepare my heart for you. I ask that you provide clear direction for me. Father, I want to honor you with fasting this Friday. Reveal your will to me in this. Help me seek your and experience your revelation and direction. I want to know you more, and I ask that you bless me as I prepare to be changed by you.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

Step 1 to fasting: Believe fasting and prayer work.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

Step 2 to fasting: Identify your inspiration and write your specific reason down on a piece of paper. Pray over it and meditate on it. Allow God to convict you.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

“There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.” Ezra 8:21

Tomorrow: Spiritual preparation for fasting.

His grace is enough!

Pastor Michael

Are You Excited?

This is awesome! This is the 3D rendering of our planned new building. I can't wait to see the work God will do in getting us ready. We must place our faith in Him and get excited by the prospect of doing God's work.

We serve an awesome God!

In Him,

Michael

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