Why I occasionally fast

…I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:14-17

Fasting is a way for me to renew my spiritual hunger and regain my spiritual strength. For me this is key to maintaining victory over Satan and his temptations to love this world more than God. Fasting is how I allow the cravings of my flesh to be disciplined and brought under control. When I fast and pray I get clarity about the things that God wants me to have and release my desires for the things of this world.

The desires of this world anchor down the soul-they oppress the spirit. But pleasing God is truly what pleases me AND it leads to eternal life. Sin leads to death and separation from God. Fasting helps me make that choice clear.

Prayer Warrior

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Dan. 6:10

Today New Community begins three days of training in prayer warfare. We are learning from Daniel how to pray. He often humbled himself and fasted and prayed. God responded to his prayers in big ways. Fasting is to be a part of the life of a disciple of Jesus.

For the next three days we will take only the most basic food and water, turn off our TV's, eliminate all forms of entertainment and find refuge only in God. We will look to Him for everything. We will ask Him to meet with us and cleanse us. We will ask Him to glorify Himself in and through us. We will ask Him for breakthroughs in the lives of those we love.

Join us for three days of prayer and fasting.

NCC building open for prayers at: 6:30 am, noon, 6:30 pm Mon-Wed. Have a great three days.

Assume the position

O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? Habakkuk 1:12-14

Here we see an example of someone who involves himself in a believing confrontation with God. It is not bitter cynicism. The bitter cynic is simple looking for evidence to dismiss a God all together. He would change the above verse to say, ‘See you are not from everlasting. You are not my God and you are certainly not Holy, because a good God would never be involved in any situation like this? You are silent because You are not even really there!”

Habakkuk has passionate faith and passionate questions. He believes that God is good so deeply that He must confront Him about the seeming contradiction in His own character. While in the dip, Habakkuk may believe that if he can get this issue on the table a little longer that God will offer further revelation about why He has chosen this mode of discipline for His people. Perhaps this will clear out the confusion of what he sees with his eyes and what he believes in his head about God’s character.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE IN THE DIP? Learn how to listen

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:1-3

Habakkuk puts himself in a position to hear. He fully expects God to speak in some way but he does not take it for granted. He stands and watches. He stations himself in an advantageous place to optimize his ability to hear and understand what God will say. He fully believes that God will speak and he maximizes hi chances to hear when it comes. That means there is a posture that I am to assume and a place I am to go. What posture do you need to assume today in order to hear His voice? Is it humility? Repentance? Stillness? What place do you need to go? The Park? The Church? The Bible? The prayer closet? While in the did the main need is to listen.

My will/Thy will?

This weekend we heard a message about God's ONE Prayer becoming our ONE prayer. It reminds me of this scripture

Psalms 37:4 (NIV) Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Someone once said, "If all you want is to want what God wants, then what you want is probably what God wants". Think about that. To have my desires become his desires...to love the things that He loves...to care about what He cares about...this is what it means to delight yourself in Him. When you do this, your selfish and often destructive desires are transformed into His disires-He gives you the desires that are enmeshed with His desires. In fact, they are His desires.

In this transformed heart environment, we pray YOUR will be done, YOUR kingdom come. If we were to be honest, some of our prayers are more like MY will be done, MY kingdom come. God knows what is best for us, in fact, he knows what is perfect for us. If we can surrender our hearts and minds He will show us.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Go to God without an agenda today and just rest in His presence. Seek to know His heart. Desire to know HIS will for you. Believe that His will is good, pleasing, and yes PERFECT!

Don't forget to join us for Wednesday Night Live every Wednesday @ 6:30 pm for prayer & fasting. Start fasting on tonight, and we will share a meal Wednesday night.

my twenty minutes...

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What a great scripture to meditate with for a long distracted twenty minutes! Our challenge was to meditate on God for twenty minutes each day until Wednesday. Let me tell you about today:

00: - 04
I'm sitting out back in the garden by the pool relaxing and all is well when I hear the garbage truck out front, "Darn I forgot to put out the trash!"
04:-06
running to put out trash!
06:-10
Being still until I realize the I need to water some shrubs but quickly redirected my mind toward God
10:-14
started thinking about the church after a couple of minutes and caught myself praying about it-not really a bad thing just not truly meditating on God
14:-17 focused meditation until I realized just how many airplanes go by my house and got a little annoyed by it
17:-20 spent the next few minutes laughing at myself and hoping other are doing better than me...
in all I still was able to hear something through the prophet Isaiah...

I'll try again tomorrow

Spirit filled church

Sometimes I hear people speak about Spirit-filled churches. They usually describe things like music, someone speaking in tongues, or some other experience having to do with public displays of this or that. While I do not deny this is a way to describe spirit-filled worship, I would like to present another way of thinking about it.

As you pull in the parking lot someone shows you kindness and gives up a parking spot to you. Someone else sees you park and walks over to greet you and hands you a cold bottle of water showing hospitality. Next one of your friends gives you a big hug and reports that she has been faithfully praying for you this past week. A well-prepared children's worker checks in your kids where a gifted-teacher will teach today's focus truth while kids have fun. For the next hour your children are loved in practical ways and are introduced to Jesus.

Meanwhile you are in the audtorium worshipping God with others who have come for that same purpose. Challenging Truth is presented in engaging and creative ways. Love for God is expressed as people give offerings of grattitude so others can be reached for Christ. God's Spirit convicts you that you need to make changed in order to become more like Jesus. You surrender to God's promptings.

You leave the experience changed, uplifted, and inspired to go out and live differently this week. You are choosing to be filled by God's Spirit and you intentionally choose to touch others all week long until you recieve a recharge at church next week at your Spitit-filled church.

See you tonight @ 6:30 pm for a time of filling and renewal. Chilcare provided. Today's fasting focus is "Lord make us full of Your Holy Spirit". Bring food for or pot-luck dinner right after our prayer time.

fasting teaches me...

Every time I fast I regain focus, perspective, and closeness to God. During a fast, I totally get reminded of what is most important and and sometimes what is not. Denying myself every type of natural or physical fulfillment clears out all distractions and opens my spirit to connect with God. I find it extremely helpful in keeping my fire burning. Rather than weakening me it strengthens me. I recommend fasting as a regular practice to anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with God.

New Community Church is challenged to fast after dinner tuesday until dinner Wednesday after our Prayer gathering at 6:30 pm. Dinner is a pot-luck and childcare is provided.

Our fasting focus is that our church would be filled with the fire and passion of God's Spirit!

miracles-do you believe?

Once a man had a demon possessed child. The demon did great harm to the boy. The man asked Jesus that "if He could" to miraculously heal his son. Jesus said, "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Overcoming unbelief can be a challenge. Even Jesus disciples did not have the faith to cast out the demon. There are times when our faith is weak. Maybe we have dealt with something for a long time and we feel stuck with it-it is NEVER going to change the enemy tells us. Or it just seems so big and we just feel ovewhelmed by it.

Someone wrote yesterday that our prayers reflect what we believe about God. I thought about that for quite a while. If that is true then how should that affect my personal prayers?

I have some miracles that I am asking God for. Two have to do with others and one has to do with a personal desire. I struggle with belief for my personal desire. May God grant me the faith to believe in His power to do over and above what I think is possible.

HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF!

By the way cure to unbelief is found a little later in our story. The disciples asked Jesus why they could not heal and He said that "this kind of demon only comes out by prayer and fasting".

If you need a miracle and you struggle sometimes to have faith, fast and pray with us today and then join us tonight at 6:30 as we pray for miracles. We will have a pot-luck meal at the end of our prayer time.

Prayer time: Wednesday 6:30
Childcare provided
Potluck meal

faithful in prayer

Prayer can definitely be a challenge to stay faithful in. I know that I can experience challenges staying focused. Once again I return to love as the fuel. When you love someone you desire to communicate...to hear thier heart...to know what they want and do it. I almost always dial Michelle when I get in the car because I just want to talk to her. I love her.

So it is with prayer. Don't really need a reason other than I love God. I used to think I needed to pray a long time and it produced guilt during prayer rather tha joy. Now I just pray short prayers whenever about whatever. I also have alarms that go off on my phone to remind me at certain times to pray about certain things. I want to be faithful.

Please pray for our church to be faithful in prayer. We are pressing in more right now with special meetings on Wednesday night @ 6:30 as we fast and pray from dinner Tuesday until dinner Wednesday. Join us as we fast and pray for miracles!

GOD, WILL YOU DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?

Matthew 19:26 (NLT)

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible."

Mission impossible for me has always been to move to this city where we knew practically no one, with practically no money or formal training in church planting and plant this church. Our vision was to be in the interior of Vegas, not on the outer edges where the more affluent people almost always live. Our first several months we met in a hotel meeting room near paradise & twain. If you look at most thriving churches they normally go to the suburbs of the city to where new growth is taking place and wealthier families go to escape the brokeness that often accompanies life closer the to center of town. Our dream was to go into it not away from it. We have faced every kind of challenge along the way-spiritual attack, physical exhaustion, relational heartache, and financial hardship. Each time God has seen us through. So you would think that now I am totally filled with faith to face any challenge right? Not exactly!

If I were honest with you, I would admit that I have wrestled with doubt a lot lately. Once again our church has come upon very hard financial times. 4 straight weeks of deficit giving has left us at the breaking point. I have seen this several times before but this current financial climate in our country has turned this challenge into "my mountain" or my "mission impossible". I know how hard many of our people are struggling right now.

Just yesterday I was speaking with a man in our church who manages a fine dining restraunt in Vegas and he told me in tough times the first thing to go in people's budgets is eating out. Just then I could almost hear they voice of they enemy saying, "No. It is not eating out, it is giving. Your church isn't going to make it this time". He wants me to believe that people don't care about God's church. He wants me to believe that people will lose faith, that they will get nervous and hold tightly to what they think is thiers. He wants me to think that we will have to close the doors. Will I believe these lies and allow a sense of defeat to settle in on me? NO!

God will somehow get us through. Last night about 40 people gathered and prayed for unity in our body. I am praying that God will give us "one heart" in our giving. I am asking you to believe God for the "impossible" in this journey as we continue to build a church where many said it could not be done. It was impossible ten years ago when we started and it is still impossible now.

GOD, WILL YOU DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?

Today is dedicated to the Lord

Today we practice unity by devoting the entire day to Him. We fast and pray until tonight. We gather at 6:30 for prayer and heart-felt worship unto God. I am looking forward to seeing you. Is anybody hungry yet? Jesus said that peaople are blessed when they hunger and thirst for God...they shall be filled. May you be filled with His Holy Spirit all day today and may tonight be a time of refreshing and renewal for all of us as we learn even more what it means to seek God together. Bring some food too!!!!!!!!!!

Make us one

I don't know about you but I have never seen so much need, so much hurt and so much uncertainty in the world at one time. I am sure that there have been much worse times but I sense something is coming on the horizon. I am concerned about the strength of the church during times like these. We are so divided. A hundred different denominations and a thousand different ideas about the actual mission that Jesus gave us leaves us weakened as a church at best. Think of all the resources the church has...People, property, money, talent, passion...I could go on and on. Much of it is difused. If we could somehow come together we could completely change the world. Maybe there are times just ahead that will force us to drop the differences and rally together and be what Jesus prayed for us to be.

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23

I have often had discussions with other pastors about he possibilty of partnership between churches but inevitably issues of territory and ownership get in the way. Recently I heard someone say that Satan wants churches to compete with each other but God wants churches to complete each other. The church I pastor does some things very well but there are other things we will probably never do well. I suspect the same is true of every church. What if we could just be one? Share everything with each other. What could be possible? How many could be reached? How many churches would move from one level of effectiveness to another?

I have often said that I would join our church with another church in a second if the real opportunity were to arise so we could reach & disciple more people. I mean that is the goal is it not? I long for unity in the church and hope for the opportunity to bring it about. For the next several weeks we are joining with over one thousand churches to do a message series called "One Prayer". It will be a significant time for us to stand together with others in prayer and ask God do great things. This week we pray for unity. Don't miss even one week and pray with me.
Lord, Make us one!

Day three...

Ok so today is day three. I actually feel pretty good today. I had a rough afternoon yesterday, but a pretty good evening. I think the gatherings in the evening for prayer really help. I'm seeking to come to a greater place of surrender and be filled once again with God's Spirit. I am desiring a personal revival of sorts. I guess it all boils down to me being sick of me and wanting to be more like Jesus. Jesus fasted and prayed a lot. I don't claim to know exactly what to expect from this fast, but one thing I know-I want my spirit to rule over my flesh and this fast is certainly putting my sinful nature to death. As for closeness to God, I hope to experience more of that today. I'm going to press in harder todayand into the night.

Don't miss tonight as we gather @ 6:00 for the end of our fast. We are seeking God tonight for financial blessing on the people of our church. If you have financial need come tonight for prayer. Bring food for yourself and another as we will share a meal together.

Chris

When you fast...

Today begins three days of prayer and fasting for our church. Each day I will write helpful fasting guidelines, teachings and experiences.

Each time you are hungry or long for the thing that you have given up, turn your heart to God and relate to Him instead. Remind yourself that your real hunger is to know God and depend on Him to sustain and satisfy you.

Be real with God. Tell Him whatever is going on inside you that you can identify. Be honest about how you are experiencing God right then. Do you see Him as a vending machine, a frowning father, a distant, cold force? Or, as a gloriously strong and intimate friend?

Remove hindrances. Ask God to reveal anything that would hinder your fully connecting with Him. Put into words whatever makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed when you are real with God (write this in a journal). Confess any sins of attitude, behavior or omission that
come to mind and ACCEPT GOD’S TOTAL FORGIVENESS.

Approach God as the “first thing” in your life;. Seek Him as your most treasured and needed relationship; the person you want to know more than anyone else. Acknowledge that you have placed other people and things above Him and that you long to desire God more than anything else on earth.

Worship God for who He is and not just His earthly blessings. Worship is surrendering all that we are to Him so that He can express His life through us. It is desiring that God’s will be done on earth (in you) as it is in heaven.

Seek God’s vision and purpose for your life. Ask God to put His desires in your heart for all that He has planned for your life. Let go of selfish expectations and agendas.

Spend time meditating on God’s Word. Ask God to build your faith on His Word instead of on your circumstances and/or feelings. Try personalizing and praying scripture. The Psalms can be very helpful in expressing your deep feelings, needs and trust in God. (see Psalm 16, 23,
25, 27,34, 37, 51, 62, 103, 145)

Pray for yourself and others. While fasting, it is easier to hear God and pray according to His will instead of our own understanding. Be available to intercede for others as God brings people to mind. This is also a great time to take authority over the schemes of the evil one and
reclaim any areas that you have, knowingly or unknowingly, given-over to him.

A Prayer for a Fresh Start

In many ways this week feels like a fresh start for me-a beginning of a new decade. In my morning reading I came across this prayer:

Dear heavenly father,
Thank you for new beginnings! Infuse me today with a fresh dose of your Holy Spirit, and fill me with thoughts that strengthen my character and cause me to grow fully into the image you intended for me when you brought me into this world. Help me preoccupy my mind with thoughts of you, with thoughts that are pure, true, lovely, and worthy of praise. Heighten my awareness so that my thinking doesn’t unconsciously drift into the negative, limiting, and counterproductive patterns that ensnare so many.

Protect me from the temptation to complain, condemn, or focus on what’s wrong with things. Instead, elevate my thinking and open my eyes so that I see your presence in all situations. I want to appreciate the abundance that surrounds me and activate the joy that is hiding within me.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Does God hear your prayers?

“2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:2 (NIV)

Do you ever wonder if God is listening to you? Are there times when He listens and times when He doesn’t? If so, why?

“14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

Alright, so “if” we pray according to His will He hears, so how do I know His will? Without getting into all the ways different people discern God’s voice or will in their lives, I just want to say that if anyone sincerely desires to know God’s will, God can and will show them. And He will show us in a way we can be clear about it. Someone might say I have been asking God about this or that and He has not replied. It could be that Jesus’ brother has counsel for us:

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” James 4:3

Sometimes we are not really seeking His will but trying to get Him in on ours. Instead of thy kingdom come, thy will be done, it is my kingdom, my will. If we really want to know what He wants, we will know because He will show us. How He does that is always up to Him. But make no mistake, He can get that done.

Jonah, in the depths of God’s loving discipline, cried out to God and God heard him. What happened? Could it be that Jonah had a change of heart? Of course, you might say, who wouldn’t? This is exactly what I mean though. The other day I was talking to a friend as he confessed that it seemed like when he really hears from God is when he gets desperate. I have come to believe that my heart condition is a major key to an audience with God. Another one of God’s prophets wrote:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

These words are written to people who were anything but wholehearted. So God designed a season of captivity to get their hearts recalibrated. God knows when we are serious. He also knows when we are half-hearted and distracted by the world and its desires. Jonah had the pull of the idolatrous city of Tarshish and all its trappings on his heart. He turned away from God to his own way. It happens to all of us from time to time.

Could it be that only the heart that is pure or sincere in a matter gets God’s attention? Could it be that God sometimes lovingly creates those conditions for us if we will not? Maybe to get an audience with God, you have to be somewhat passionate about it. Maybe He has to be first in our lives after all. It is no coincidence that as soon as Jonah starts talking about making sacrifices and repaying vows the fish spits him up on the beach with a whole new course setting.