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.

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!

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!!!!!!!!!!

Fasting together

Here are some practical fasting guidelines:

FASTING GUIDELINES
FOCUS
Fasting is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. Our motive for fasting should always be to deepen our relationship with God and walk in agreement with His plan and purpose for our life. When fasting from food we are substituting our regular food intake with time with God (prayer, journaling, Bible reading, etc.). God uses our time of fasting and prayer to make us more aware of His presence and more sensitive to His leading. Our goal should be to develop a genuine hunger for intimacy with God.

Be specific about why you are fasting.
Begin a fasting journal by recording your reasons for fasting. Is it for breakthrough in you own life or in the life of a loved one? Is it to seek the Lord for physical or emotional healing? Do you need to hear God concerning major decisions to be made? Or, maybe you are seeking deliverance from an addiction or life-controlling problem.

Decide the type of fast.
Fasting is a spiritual commitment to God to abstain from something that is a normal part of your life in order to focus more on connecting with Him. Decide what, when and how long you will fast. For example, Daniel fasted from eating the King’s rich foods and wine (Daniel 1:8) and ate a vegetarian diet. Some people make fasting a part of their lifestyle by fasting one day or one meal each week. Seek God’s direction on how long and the type of fast. If you realize that you’re spending too much time watching TV or playing video games, it would make sense to fast from these activities and spend this time with God or as He directs.

Plan ahead and prepare for your fast.
1) If you are choosing to do a partial food fast or a juice fast, then you will need to make different food choices and make purchases ahead of time. If you are fasting from all food for more than a day, be sure to clear this with your physician. Always take into consideration the condition of your health and how the fast will affect you.

2) Make a commitment of your time and decide how and when you will spend time alone with God. You may want to do a Bible study on a certain topic or book. Journaling is always recommended so that you can record your thoughts and the insights God gives you.

3) Decide the best time to start and how long you will fast. Check your calendar and plan ahead how you will handle social activities and family meal times.

4) Inform only those individuals who need to know; such as, spouse and/or accountability partner. Remember, fasting is between you and God. It is a spiritual commitment to seek God as the most important relationship in your life and your true source of strength, wisdom, peace, healing and joy.

As you fast, spend quality time with God in prayer.
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.

1) 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?

2) 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 your journal). Confess any sins of attitude, behavior or omission that come to mind and ACCEPT GOD’S TOTAL FORGIVENESS.

3) 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.

4) 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.

5) 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.

6) 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)

7) 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.

Yield all results to God.
We don’t always see immediate results during of our fast. However, God is always using this time to prepare us for what lies ahead. Remember, the goal is to know God better and trust Him more. Thank Him in advance for whatever you are desiring from Him. As you end your fast, stand on His promises and the things He has revealed to you during your fast. If you make fasting a regular part of your relationship with God, you’ll be amazed at how deep and rich your time with Him will become.

Fast ends, results begin

Inherent in a fast is a feast. When we fast from food, we feast on prayer and God's bountiful love. When we fast from divisive patterns of relating with others, we feast on the amazing awareness that each face we see is the face of Christ. When we fast from building social, economic, and political walls, we feast on our universal oneness with the One.
- Marilyn Brown Oden
"Wilderness Wanderings"

I hope all enjoyed and profited from our fast, it was challenging, and rewarding for me in a couple of ways. Watch to see how God responds. Many participated and over 100 gathered last night for our final prayer gathering! It was fantastic to see so many involved in prayer for our church. We also had a great feast to end our fast!

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

time for a change of heart

Fasting is a knife that cuts away superficiality, getting to the bone. Effective, because it is able to break up daily patterns upon which you have become so dependent. When those patterns of pleasure are removed, you are left with your own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt, then during fasting, you will come face to face with a vacuum that only God can fill. Turning to Him in this weakness and humility often then releases much needed spiritual resources.

Fasting also applies pressure to the flesh, and, you may be appalled at how much the flesh will squirm. But it is high time that the flesh is removed from the role of God, dethroned and placed under the foot of your will. It is the creativity of a freed will which lifts us above animal instincts and releases us from the cages of empty routine.

Fasting accomplishes two purposes. First, it will reveal how much the flesh has taken control of your emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the flesh’s hold upon the will.

Fasting forces us to face the chaos of addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we are.

During fasting, patterns of living are broken. Fasting can be an oasis of spiritual refreshment in a life that has become a desert of uselessness-a spiritual desert that has been left in the wake of selfish materialism.

True, spiritual fasting smashes religion and draws a distinguishable line in the sand. It is a magnifying glass that allows us to examine our unconscious patterns of living. The driving force of where our life is going. That is why Satan has invested so much energy towards controlling the subconscious patterns of mankind. He will be appalled if you attempt a fast because fasting exposes how much he has been able to infiltrate the destiny of your life.

We can pull the wool over our own eyes but not God's—He sees the heart.God does not respond to the things which we do, He responds to a change of heart, and it is here where we come to the true purpose of spiritual fasting.

Fasting is a tool to help us change our hearts before God.

Fasting is not something which we are offering up to God, but, instead, it assists in offering ourselves up to God (Rom. 12:1-2). Properly motivated fasting purifies and changes a heart that then can be given to God as an offering. Our heart passions are the dish that delights the heart of God.

Today’s passage taken and modified from Freedomyou.com

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.