FOOD!!!

Who in their right mind would go without food, especially voluntary? It must be people that want more than what food provides. Food provides allot, it’s more than just sustenance, the source of energy (Genesis 1:30 & 9:3). Food was given by God for enjoyment (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, 5:18). The variety of food found in creation is no accident. God meant for us to enjoy food, so praise God with a pizza and lift on high mountains what is dew His name!(pun intended) Which leads me to the next reason why God gave us food, for worship! Yep, all of God’s gifts are meant for us to worship Him with in some way, including food. The Apostle Paul tells us that every bit of food "should be received with thanksgiving" (1 Timothy 4:3). Hence, every meal becomes an occasion for thanksgiving. When we put food to our mouths at the beginning of the meal (Acts 27:35) and when we sit back in our chair with satisfaction (Deuteronomy 8:10), our natural reaction should be Godward gratitude. According to the Bible food was created to be a source of thanksgiving and worship. Finally, food is fellowship (Genesis 18:1-8). One of the reasons we take communion is more than a solemn ceremony on Sunday. It’s also for fellowship. Some of my best memories as a kid are from the dinner table. The family meal is a focal point for conversation, communication, discussion and teaching in our households. That's the way God intended it.
So why give up all these benefits? It must be only because a person wants more than what food provides. It must be their hunger goes beyond a natural hunger. They are still thirsty even after all the water one would want. They still desire something down deep, something profound, something powerful. As you continue to seek God this final week of the “21 days”, ask Him to touch you deeply and profoundly, with His power so that you will never thirst again.

“Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. … (John 4:13-14)

May your thirst only be satisfied by Him!

Believe

If you have been around church much you most likely heard this scripture about prayer,

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

No doubt that is a great prayer, but is that a safe prayer or one of high risk? You be the judge, but I know in my life the riskiest prayers where ones I prayed like this:

“God I realize that I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me of that sin. I understand that the results of my sin can be taken away and I ask now that you remove me from all the consequences of my actions, BUT I believe you are just and I accept (if You choose) to allow those consequences to take hold.”

These are prayers of exposure, now that is risky! You are saying to God I trust You, I believe You have my best interest at heart even if that means I am exposed for what I have done. Pray like David prayed in which he asked God to find any offensive way in him and expose it, remove it and make a holy person from the process. So, how risky are your prayers? If you are ready pray Jeremiah’s prayer today!
Jeremiah's Prayer
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. Correct me, LORD, but only with justice— not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing. (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

Fasting?

You are right at the beginning of your 21 days of prayer and fasting. You are joining hundreds of other churches and tens of thousands of other Christians at the same time, all focused on the same thing; hunger for God. When God’s people unite breakthroughs follow.

Over the next few weeks you participation can take various forms. As a church we are fasting on two days of the week, Wednesdays and Friday’s. We are highlighting those days with Bible study on Wednesday night and a prayer/worship service on Friday night.

Here a few tips on how you can fast, first your length is voluntary. You can fast for one day, two, three, seven or the full twenty-one days. Second there are three types of fasts you can engage in.

1. The Normal Fast (This is where you restrict food from sun up to sun down)
2. The Partial Fast (This is where you restrict a part of your diet for the length of your fast)
3. The Radical Fast (This is where you refrain from all foods and most liquids for the entire length of your fast)

Fasting should always be incorporated with prayer, Bible Study and worship. The Greek word for fasting is “nesteia” -- the basic root meaning of the word simply means "not to eat." But Leviticus 16:29 gives us some insight into the Hebrew mindset. They viewed the “afflicting of one’s body” as synonymous with “afflicting one’s soul”.

In other words, fasting in the Hebrew mind is something my soul participates in. So it’s not just a physical effort, it is primarily spiritual. Fasting is much more than denying oneself of food. Much more!

Fasting is denying one’s whole self. It is denying not only my own body, but also my own wants.
It is a way of saying that food and my desires are secondary to something else. So make sure to replace what you leave out with more of God, not more of this world.

I encourage you all to seek God more! During our season of 21 days, don’t be satisfied with what you already know. Spend some quality time with your LORD, use your fasting time to in a way, “go on a date with Him.”

“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:35)