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
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1 comment:
Great to see a post on your blog, thought it was a goner. Super devotional, looking forward to the fast.
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