Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
If you missed last Sunday, I announced our church initiative to take part in 21-days of fasting and prayer to begin our year, from January 10-30. If you're new to fasting, you're not alone. Here's some helpful info to guide us as we determine how we'll engage in this:
WHAT IS FASTING?
Fasting is a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, in which we voluntarily reduce or eliminate our intake of food (or some other thing) for a specific time and purpose.
WHY SHOULD I FAST?
There is no specific Biblical mandate for Christians to fast. God does not require it or demand it from believers. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial.
The Bible teaches that there is an unmistakable connection between the spirit, soul, and body. Disciplining our body to stay away from certain things opens up space for our spirits to more closely align with the Father.
Fasting gives us more time for prayer. It creates space to hear from God more clearly. It can be done as an act of repentance, or as a response to a significant event in your life. And it oftentimes precedes the miraculous power of God in our world!
It's also important to note that we don't fast to "earn" anything from God. God hears us and answers our prayers out of sheer grace. Fasting simply prepares us to hear His answer.
WHO FASTED IN THE BIBLE?
- Moses fasted before he received the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 34:28)
- The Israelites fasted before a miraculous victory. (2 Chronicles 20:2-3)
- Daniel fasted in order to receive guidance from God. (Daniel 9:3, 21-22)
- Nehemiah fasted before beginning a major building project. (Nehemiah 1:4)
- Jesus fasted during His victory over temptation. (Luke 4:2)
- The early church fasted during important decision-making times. (Acts 13:2-3)
WHAT KIND OF FASTS ARE THERE?
There are many different types of fasts, and all can be easily customized to fit your specific direction from the Lord.
Complete Fast: eating nothing at all, only drinking water.
If you have no experience with fasting, this might not be the best place to start, as it might put undue stress on your physical body to go from eating lots of sugars and complex carbs to nothing at all. Remember, 1st-century diets were significantly different than ours today, so adjustments need to be made for our health and wholeness. However, nothing aligns our souls with the Father quite like a complete fast. It's a total abandonment to the things of God.
Partial Fast: eating and removing specific foods.
Obviously, there are endless possibilities for the partial fast. A popular option is the "Daniel Fast" (as found in Daniel 1:8-15): eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and water. Another option is a 'meatless fast', a 'sugar fast', or a 'fresh-foods only fast' (nothing packaged or processed). Any of these work, so remember: think less about the method of fasting and more about the heart behind it!
Just-as-Hard Fast: removing a part of your life that takes up your attention.
This can be anything: caffeine, television, social media, your iPhone, Netflix, network news, etc. While it's not food, it's the same concept: removing something as a way to connect more closely to God.
DO I FAST THE WHOLE 21-DAYS?
This is your call! Seek the Lord on how He wants you to approach this. You can do the same thing the entire 21 days, or you can do a "ramp up" approach. For example: I fast a non-food item for the first week, then I add a specific food item for the second week, then a broader food fast for the third week. Or, you can fast for only a portion of the 21 days, while following the daily prayer guide the entire time. Again, the method is far less important than the heart behind it.
WANT MORE INFO TO HELP GUIDE YOU?
Check out this awesome podcast from the folks at Bible Project. It's a succinct, 43-minute episode that gives a Biblical foundation and directive.
Seek the Lord this week about how you'd like to engage in this. I believe that our church, our families, and us individually need something like this and would benefit greatly from it, especially after such a difficult and distracting couple of years.
Remember, sign up at FoursquarePrayer.org to get daily prayer points via email during this 21-day. There's more resources and even material for kids to engage with this as well.
Our entire Foursquare global movement will be praying and fasting together, following the same prayer points and direction. What an awesome time to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, as well as join arm-in-arm within Meadows to seek God's face for this year.
The challenge is extended, Meadows. Let's do this!
I love this church!
If you missed last Sunday, I announced our church initiative to take part in 21-days of fasting and prayer to begin our year, from January 10-30. If you're new to fasting, you're not alone. Here's some helpful info to guide us as we determine how we'll engage in this:
WHAT IS FASTING?
Fasting is a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, in which we voluntarily reduce or eliminate our intake of food (or some other thing) for a specific time and purpose.
WHY SHOULD I FAST?
There is no specific Biblical mandate for Christians to fast. God does not require it or demand it from believers. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial.
The Bible teaches that there is an unmistakable connection between the spirit, soul, and body. Disciplining our body to stay away from certain things opens up space for our spirits to more closely align with the Father.
Fasting gives us more time for prayer. It creates space to hear from God more clearly. It can be done as an act of repentance, or as a response to a significant event in your life. And it oftentimes precedes the miraculous power of God in our world!
It's also important to note that we don't fast to "earn" anything from God. God hears us and answers our prayers out of sheer grace. Fasting simply prepares us to hear His answer.
WHO FASTED IN THE BIBLE?
- Moses fasted before he received the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 34:28)
- The Israelites fasted before a miraculous victory. (2 Chronicles 20:2-3)
- Daniel fasted in order to receive guidance from God. (Daniel 9:3, 21-22)
- Nehemiah fasted before beginning a major building project. (Nehemiah 1:4)
- Jesus fasted during His victory over temptation. (Luke 4:2)
- The early church fasted during important decision-making times. (Acts 13:2-3)
WHAT KIND OF FASTS ARE THERE?
There are many different types of fasts, and all can be easily customized to fit your specific direction from the Lord.
Complete Fast: eating nothing at all, only drinking water.
If you have no experience with fasting, this might not be the best place to start, as it might put undue stress on your physical body to go from eating lots of sugars and complex carbs to nothing at all. Remember, 1st-century diets were significantly different than ours today, so adjustments need to be made for our health and wholeness. However, nothing aligns our souls with the Father quite like a complete fast. It's a total abandonment to the things of God.
Partial Fast: eating and removing specific foods.
Obviously, there are endless possibilities for the partial fast. A popular option is the "Daniel Fast" (as found in Daniel 1:8-15): eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and water. Another option is a 'meatless fast', a 'sugar fast', or a 'fresh-foods only fast' (nothing packaged or processed). Any of these work, so remember: think less about the method of fasting and more about the heart behind it!
Just-as-Hard Fast: removing a part of your life that takes up your attention.
This can be anything: caffeine, television, social media, your iPhone, Netflix, network news, etc. While it's not food, it's the same concept: removing something as a way to connect more closely to God.
DO I FAST THE WHOLE 21-DAYS?
This is your call! Seek the Lord on how He wants you to approach this. You can do the same thing the entire 21 days, or you can do a "ramp up" approach. For example: I fast a non-food item for the first week, then I add a specific food item for the second week, then a broader food fast for the third week. Or, you can fast for only a portion of the 21 days, while following the daily prayer guide the entire time. Again, the method is far less important than the heart behind it.
WANT MORE INFO TO HELP GUIDE YOU?
Check out this awesome podcast from the folks at Bible Project. It's a succinct, 43-minute episode that gives a Biblical foundation and directive.
Seek the Lord this week about how you'd like to engage in this. I believe that our church, our families, and us individually need something like this and would benefit greatly from it, especially after such a difficult and distracting couple of years.
Remember, sign up at FoursquarePrayer.org to get daily prayer points via email during this 21-day. There's more resources and even material for kids to engage with this as well.
Our entire Foursquare global movement will be praying and fasting together, following the same prayer points and direction. What an awesome time to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, as well as join arm-in-arm within Meadows to seek God's face for this year.
The challenge is extended, Meadows. Let's do this!
I love this church!
________________________________________________
February 11-13: Youth Winter Camp!
Camp Cedar Crest is coming! All Jr. and Sr. High students are invited to join MYG for an awesome in the mountains. Deadline to register is Sunday, January 16. Click HERE for more info and to register.
Camp Cedar Crest is coming! All Jr. and Sr. High students are invited to join MYG for an awesome in the mountains. Deadline to register is Sunday, January 16. Click HERE for more info and to register.
________________________________________________
Every week at Meadows:
- Prayer Gathering on Mondays at 10 AM
- MYG and Connect on Wednesdays at 7 PM
- Prayer Gathering on Mondays at 10 AM
- MYG and Connect on Wednesdays at 7 PM
________________________________________________
This Sunday, we'll continue our January series: FIRST LOVE.
Jesus wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus, in which He commended their efforts and work, and then told them they had "forsaken the love they had at first", then implored them to "do the things they did at first". It's a haunting letter.
It makes you wonder, what actually happened to get the Ephesian church to this point? And what were the things they did at first? It would be helpful if we knew what Jesus was actually referring. The good news? Scripture actually tells us. Come this weekend and we'll dive in together.
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - What Happened?
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
Jesus wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus, in which He commended their efforts and work, and then told them they had "forsaken the love they had at first", then implored them to "do the things they did at first". It's a haunting letter.
It makes you wonder, what actually happened to get the Ephesian church to this point? And what were the things they did at first? It would be helpful if we knew what Jesus was actually referring. The good news? Scripture actually tells us. Come this weekend and we'll dive in together.
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - What Happened?
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
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