FASTING


I think that Christians need to re-education themselves on what FASTING means. FASTING is not just for the Pastors, or Deacons, or the worship leaders, but rather it is for every believer.
FASTING is not to lose weight, or for medical reasons, or to make yourself look "super spiritual", but is a sacrifice/offering unto the Lord. FASTING is so much more than what the average person thinks it is. FASTING is desiring the things of the Spirit MORE than the things of the Flesh. For the Bible says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. FASTING is powerful! When you get serious with wanting the things of God, when you desire what God's got for you more than anything else, when you are HUNGRY for Revival, you will change some things around in your life. We are to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, and then all these other things will be added unto us. It is time we decide what is the most important to us - it is time we FAST! In the Bible we read time and time again how food (physical needs) get in the way of blessings, miracles, healing, etc. Look at the start of mankind, Adam and Eve, they allowed their fleshly desires get in the way of God's plan for their lives, and for the lives of generations to come. We can use Jacob and Esau as an example, and how a bowl of soup changed the courses of their lives forever - all because Esau could not control his fleshly needs/desires, he gave up a life of blessings. Also, there are those who left us amazing examples, those who fasted, those who sacrificed, and those who saw the mighty acts of God! Esther called for a 3-day fast that saved her people. Hannah was barren and she wept and "did not eat" and God saw her sacrifice and she became pregnant with Samuel. Daniel and a few others with him, did a partial fast for 21 days, eating only vegetables and water, but God honored it and answered their prayers. Nehemiah, David, Joshua, and many many others in the Bible fasted, and when they did something supernatural took place because God honors that act of worship. Even Jesus himself fasted for 40 days! The disciples went out and were doing the work of the Lord, and they tried to cast out demons-and they couldn't do it-when they asked Jesus what was wrong, He told them that this can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting. FASTING is the key! When you FAST your Spirit becomes so sensitive to the things of God. Whether you need a healing, if it's a financial need, if there is a lost loved one in need of salvation, if there is a demonic spirit, whatever you are in need of it can happen when you FAST!!!

Father Knows Best


This week's inspiration show is from a long time ago, I'm talking Black and White TV, FATHER KNOWS BEST! One Tuesday morning several months ago, we had just finished with the prayer meeting at church and someone said "FATHER KNOWS BEST" me and my Dad both said at nearly the same time "there's a sermon in that", but I've been pondering on it ever since, and now that Father's Day is upon us, I want to take a moment to reflect not only on my earthly Father, who I must say is a wonderful man, but my Spiritual Father, God Himself. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." That to me sounds like FATHER KNOWS BEST! We can make plans, schedules, organize our agenda, but if it's OUR ideas, and not GOD'S, it definately isn't going to end well. Because God's thoughts are not ours and His ways are much higher. We only see a small pixel, we see the here and now, but He sees the whole picture, He sees from beginning to end, He sees eternity. For those of us that know who God is, we already know that FATHER KNOWS BEST! It's that we get so consumed with the here and the now that we forget there is God who knows all and sees all. We need to remember that, and we need to trust Him.
In Matthew chapter 7 the Word tells us "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Whatever you are going through, whatever opposition you are facing, whatever is standing in your way, remember FATHER KNOWS BEST!

Desperate Households


Today I am going to title my reflection or thought "Desperate Households".
The word "Desperate" has several meanings: reckless or dangerous because of despair; having an urgent need; having no hope. This is the shape we find most of our "Households" in today.

I definitely do not claim to be an expert on this subject - but believe it or not the Bible tells us ALOT about the home.
The word even tells us our roles in the Family:
* Wives are to be submissive to their husbands
• Husbands are to love their wives
• Children should obey their parents
• Parents are not provoke their children, however they are to discipline them

It's sad that over 50% of marriages will end in divorce. It's sad that children have no respect for themselves, not to mention their parents. It's sad when a 12 year old makes all the family decisions. It is sad that the average man spends 15 minutes or less a day helping his child. It is sad that most people have no association with the words - FAMILY TIME.

There are things we can do and should do!

It is important to express LOVE in your household. It's important to treat one another with respect and kindness. It's important to set rules and guidelines. It is important to spend quality time together. It is important to pray together.

Families are an endangered specie, Marriages are an endangered specie, and the only hope for our Households to make it, for them to have hope, is if we get Moms and Dads - Grandmothers and Grandfathers - Husbands and Wives to be like Joshua and say "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"!

Your Home is important - Your Family is important. Realize the stakes. We are all "Desperate Households" without Jesus - He is our only hope.

LOST



Once again, my thought is on a show I have not seen "LOST". But I do see those four letters, on billboards, tv commercials, promos, etc. L O S T?
It has got me thinking alot bout 2 parabales in the Bible, found in Luke chapter 15, if something is lost you go after it, you seek it out, until you find it.
Spiritually there are people who are L O S T, they have been shipwrecked and are just trying to survive . . . hopeing someone will take time to help them and rescue them. God has called us to be "Search & Rescue". We are the ones who need to go out into the rough waters, and into the unmarked territory. God has called ALL of us to go out and find the L O S T! It is the great commission. You have been comissioned by God Almighty to join the Life Saving Station, but will you accept?
For most of us, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for someone who answered the call, someone who joined the rescue team, someone who was used of God to bring you to safety. So, my question to you, Will you reach the L O S T? Will you rescue them NOW, before it is too late?





The Story of the Life-Saving Station:
On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little lifesaving station. The building was no more than a hut, and there was only one boat; but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea. With no thought for themselves, they went out day and night, tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to be associated with the station and give their time, money, and effort to support the work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little lifesaving station grew.
Some of these new members of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those who were saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely because they used it as sort of a club. Fewer members were not interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a memorial lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held.
About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick, and some of them were foreigners. The beautiful new club was in chaos. Immediately, the property committee hired someone to rig up a shower house outside the club, where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities because they felt they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. A small number of members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifesaving station. The small group's members were voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast.
They did.
As the years went by, however, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore.
Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the passengers drown.


My Final Thought:

Let's not focus on the comforts of life and the things we can make, but focus on eternity and the lives that are at stake.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)