The February Fast Begins This Monday

“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?”  Isaiah 58:6

“This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”  Mark 9:29

During the month of February, we will fast as a church. It is a corporate and individual fast all rolled up in one. It is corporate in that we are all going on it together and agreeing that we want to see God move in powerful ways. It is individual in the sense that each one is to seek the heart of God and pray for a plan that fits where you are being led by the Holy Spirit. On Sunday, there will be an insert in the bulletin explaining how you can lay out your fasting plan.

To understand the purpose of fasting more, look at a segment of the book, Spiritual Disciplines 101: “Fasting is important in Christian experience because it deepens within the whole self a sense of one’s dependence upon the strength of God. Fasting is more than an act of abstinence. It is an affirmative act; it is a way of waiting on God; it is an act of surrender. Fasting tends to induce within us an awareness of the spiritual dimension of life. Fasting is not a renunciation of life; it is a means by which new life is released within us. Fasting is not done to denigrate the flesh or subject it to torture as if it were an unworthy part of the self. Every part of the self is essential; no part is alien. Fasting helps us to grapple directly with any resistance from troublesome aspects of the self – the body, for instance — making us come to terms with such pressuring concerns by a spirit of discipline and trust.

Fasting expands the consciousness, permitting us to learn from wider dimensions of life as God knows and wills it for us. Certain areas of understanding and experience lie beyond our usual awareness; fasting is a calculated attempt to release ourselves into a sensitive awareness of those areas. Fasting sensitizes. Fasting strengthens. Fasting confirms a positive openness to God. Fasting allows a kind of self-death and resurrection.” - James Earl Massey in Spiritual Disciplines 101.

This Sunday I will conclude my series, “Living Life God’s Way” by looking at the concept of First Fruits. What did God mean when He said to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse? In Proverbs it says to honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.

Also don’t forget that Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. will be our Ministry Launch. We are going to explain a new way of looking at our small group ministry and how you can be a part of it. You will be able to come and enjoy many different kinds of out-of-this-world chili from a variety of master chefs in our congregation. This is in preparation to support cancer services in Findlay. Bring your family and enjoy this great night of fun.

Looking forward to a great Sunday together.

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike