Now that many of you at
Journey Church are full into your second week of the
21-day Fast we called you to - some of you fasting for the very first time, I realize - let me give both some encouragement as well as challenge going forward.
First of all, congratulations for taking a step of Godly discipline and obedience and responding to the call to fast and pray. God will show up in heretofore unrealized ways in all of our lives when we do - and to engage in it corporately adds an extra powerful dimension to our lives as believers who worship and serve within the same local 'family' of God.
"Keep going, gang. You're two-thirds of the way there."
What you're doing right now isn't part of some manmade or human novelty spiritual gag. Our teaching on it has been light, admittedly, and that's why many know little about its use and benefit. But it is super gratifying to see so many take up the challenge. Be blessed.
You know me -- I have to lay it down as simply and unvarnished Level One as I can: If the Bible says to do something, it's pretty much over. We want to do what the Bible instructs us to do and it tells us to fast and pray. No question.
Then we know that prayer combined with fasting gives breakthroughs of all kinds: relational, circumstantial, directional, financial, health-wise, familial, insight, problem-related and emotional.
And I have to say, I need breakthroughs in my life. Don't you? Prayer and fasting bring those into our lives.
Now ... as many of you are on your fasting journey, let me give a more direct word in the way of a challenge. Now that we're 'in it' and 'experiencing' it and acclimating to it, it might be good to take it to the next level, perhaps even strengthening the fast in this final week.
I have a fairly strong belief that fasting is about food - not about stuff. I mentioned this in the
August 31/September 1 weekend message (you can listen at www.ourjourneychurch.com - click 'media').
I hit on that point lightly during that message but let me bear down on it harder here.
The nouns translated 'fast' or 'fasting' in the
Hebrew and
Greek mean 'not to eat' - literally, 'no food.'
As we consider fasting 'stuff' - television, the internet, coffee, your mother-in-law -- and I'm not against depriving ourselves of some things as acts of sacrifice (well, maybe not your mother-in-law, but then again, I don't know her) -- but in the main, I believe fasting has to do with abstaining from the almighty breadstick - the hot sauce taco - the Super Size Combo Meal - in other words, food.
We might say,
"I'm giving up chocolate." OK. Fair enough. Good. You probably should anyway. But the primary purpose of the fast is that you might draw closer to God - gain a spiritual breakthrough - get with Him in prayer - listen more - involve your heart in the matter - discern - get a word from God.
So perhaps, in this final week of the fast, you might consider deepening the sacrifice and deepening the conversation with God at the same time.
My prayers (and fasting) are for you. I'm so proud of you.
And be blessed.