I am excited that our Church is fasting in the month of February. I have heard many different ways people are going to fast from giving up social media to television, from fasting a particular day to fasting several days, from giving up certain groups of foods to eating certain types of food. It is exciting to see the excitement and anticipation beginning to build.
One of the main reasons we fast is to open doors we thought were closed — because when we fast and pray, it is like opening a door. It can be in the form of a stronghold that is present in your life and you didn’t realize it until you changed your routine and sought the heart of God in a desperate way. Another opened door could be new life in your walk with Christ. Things have just become stale as you go through your life. One of the doors you open may be one that reveals how self-sufficient you have become.
When our pattern resembles the world, then life becomes out of balance. We get over-committed and so full of blind activity that we become too busy and too tired to pray. As P.T. Forsyth warns, “The inability to pray is the punishment for the refusal to pray.” Bottom line, life becomes mundane; mediocre at best.
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!” -- Isaiah 30:15-16
Flight is a good image of the kind of activity that dominates prayerless people and prayerless churches. We get caught up in going without being sent. We go places that have nothing to do with Kingdom living. We are to come together and join with each other in our prayers in order to unleash God in our lives. Most of what the Bible says about prayer is addressed to groups or churches. It is about coming together to pray corporately.
“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” Acts 1:14
All throughout the book of Acts you see prayer meetings breaking out where the believers came together to pray. So let me invite you to pray and fast with us. What spiritual breakthrough do you need this month? I know that I am praying for an anointing to fall fresh on our church. We want to continue to be a beacon of hope in our community.
So let me encourage you to commit to fasting along with us. If you weren’t able to pick up a fasting brochure, get one the next time you are by the church or this Sunday coming up. Let me also encourage you to be accountable and pray with a few others along this spiritual journey. We are better together.
My Fasting Vow: I believe God is the answer to my request and that prayer without fasting is not enough to get an answer to my need. Therefore, by faith I am fasting because I need God to work in this matter. God being my strength and grace being my basis, I commit myself to fasting and praying for the month of February.
I am looking forward to worshipping together on Sunday as we begin a new series, “Unstoppable.”
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
P.S. Don’t forget to pray for our Chinese Worship Service beginning this Sunday at 4 p.m.
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