2018 Fast - Hard Hearts

Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.   (Mark 3:4-5a) 

Life is full of situations where we will be criticized.  if you have ever lead any group of people you know the realities of criticism. We also know it because in each of us there is a critic that comes out from time to time to share our insights with others. Jesus also faced critics who didn't believe He was the Son of God or anything good at all.  

Jesus asked his critics if the Sabbath law meant people could not do good on the Sabbath.  Seems like an obvious question.  Jesus was revealing the lack of common sense that the Law of the Jews had come to at this point in history.  A good command of God had become a restriction on even doing good or saving a life.  Good had become evil.  

This broke Jesus' heart because He was able to see the hard heartes of the his critics.  Criticism and hard hearts often go hand in hand.  When we find ourselves being overly critical of others we need to check our hearts and our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit of God.  I break the heart of God when I am hard hearted and critical of others.  When I lack the grace that is needed to deal with other people in a compassionate way I need to pause and check my heart.  

Fasting, Sabbath rest, and all other religious activities can be greatly helpful for our spiritual journey and our connection with God if done with the right heart.  

2018 Fast - New

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”  Mark 2:22 

When Jesus was asked why his disciples didn't fast like the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples, Jesus answered there is coming a day when they will fast!  It is a given that we as followers of Jesus will fast!  We will get to a place of desperation for God that we will seek Him through fasting.  For Jesus the question was not will we fast but how will we fast.

One of the ways he taught us about fasting was this simple verse about wine and wineskins.  Jesus was saying that the Good News of the Gospel was so amazingly new that it would no longer fit in the old structure of religion that was in place.  The way of the Pharisees and the way of even John the Baptist would not be enough to contain the new Spirit of God that will be poured out in our lives.   The Spirit will burst the old systems and so we need to start fresh with the new spiritual life from God.  

I have been humored by reading the ways people have tried to define the Daniel Fast for today.  There is a list of things you should eat and shouldn't eat.  If you are really spiritual you will do the Daniel Fast in this way!  I think we need to remember that the Spirit of God is our director of fasting!  Ask the Lord for guidance and He will direct your path into a new way to fast and connect with His Spirit through fasting.  It is okay to get some suggestions and advise from others, but then determine in your heart what you will do and be faithful to do it.  

Fasting is so much more about prayer and connecting with God and His Holy Spirit in our lives than any regulation or rule.  God wants to connect with you and sometimes if you change your rountine to pursue Him you will find some great moments - "God Times!"   

2018 Fast - Isolated Places

Mark 1:35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 

Isolated places are separated from the normal noise of our lives.  We tend to like keeping busy and keeping our lives full of noise, but there are times when we need to escape from the normal routine and find an isolated place.  Isolated places are quiet.  A place where your phone won't interrupt your time with God in prayer.  A place where you can set aside the schedule and the agenda of the day and focus on God.  

We have to work to find time for isolated places.  Jesus knew he would have to get up early and sneak away to find a quiet place.  I don't think we have to be legalistic about early morning prayer, but we need to realize if we don't give God some time in the morning we may give him the leftovers of our day.  We may find ourselves asking for God's forgiveness for our day instead of asking for God to lead us in our day.  Mornings are a good time for isolated places, but they are not the only time.  Your morning time may just be a moment of surrender and it maybe lunch time, afternoon, or evening before you find a place for isolated prayer.  It won't come naturally at first so you will have to make it happen.  

Isolated places help us to listen to God and learn to hear His voice.  No other skill is more needed in our journey with God than to learn to hear His voice in our prayer time.  It is easy in prayer to get so busy with our agenda we forget to take time to listen to God's agenda. God longs to communicate with everyone if we will only find isolate places to spend time hearing His voice.   

2018 Fast - Speak

And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.  Ephesians 6:19

Paul asked for the church to pray for him!

1. To give him the right words - sometime we lack in our own ability to have the right words to speak and God can give us words when others are praying for us.  This doesn't diminish the role of reading God's word and preparing by practicing, but our efforts will always fall short without the power of God behind our word.  Fancy words and memorized speeches will not always be "right" and definately won't be as powerful or affective as the word from the Holy Spirit.  

2. Boldness - sometimes it takes a boldness to speak up at the right time.  We need to have a wisdom to know the moment to speak and then a boldness to follow through when the Spirit leads us!  We can be an example as much as we want but sooner or later we must boldly speak the message of the Good News.

 
3. Ability to explain God's mysterious plan - people are at so many different places in their journey with God.  It can be dificult to know what words need to be used in which situation.  Some people struggle with their doubts, some struggle with their past, some don't think they are good enough to ever be forgiven... With out prayer and God's leading we will never be able to explain God's mysterious plan for different people in different places. 

4. Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike - we need to remember that God's Good News is for EVERYONE!  

Pray for each other to  boldly speak and tell our story of what God has done for us!  

2018 Fast - Imitate

Jesus has many lovers of his heavenly kingdom but few bearers of his cross.  He has many seekers of comfort but few willing to face troubles and trial.  He finds many companions at his table but few with him fasting.  Many desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to undergo adversity for his sake.  Many follow Jesus that they may eat of his bread, but few are willing to drink of the cup of his passion.  Many astonished at his miracles, but few follow after the shame of his cross.  Many love Jesus so long as no troubles happen to them.  Many praise him and bless him, so long as they receive comforts from him.  But if Jesus hides himself and seems to withdraw from them for even a little while, they immediately begin complaining or feeling a great sense of dejection. (Thomas A Kempis - Imitation of Christ)

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. (Ephesians 5:1) 

2018 Fast - Truth

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. (Ephesians 4:15) 

Truthfulness and honesty are a foundation to faith in Jesus and to unity in the Body of Christ!  
- without honesty there is no trust in God or others
- without honesty there is no depth to our sharing and relationships remain shallow
- without honesty we lose our testimony of love to our community 

Paul give us a key component to truth and that is that it must be accompanied by love!  Spoken truth can sometimes be harsh and will most likely not be received very well by people if it is not accompanied by love.  Love allows someone to hear that the truth you are speaking and be able to place it in their lives.  When I know someone loves me and they speak truth I need to hear, I receive it.  When someone doesn't care about me or ever act in love toward me and they speak the truth into my life, I tend to reject that truth and say, "consider the source!"  

If we want to grow more and more like Jesus we have to learn to put this into practice in our lives!
1. Learning to speak to others people truth even when it is difficult 
2. Learn to pray for enough love to speak to someone in truth 
3. Learn to receive the truth from others and let the truth do its work in our lives to become more like Jesus 

When are we tempted to be deceptive?  
When are we tempted to sugar coat the truth so not to offend? 
Do we believe the truth is powerful enough to speak it? 

2018 Fast - United

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) 

Paul reminds us that we can ALWAYS be humble and gentle!  Today humility and gentle spirits are so identified with weakness that we fail to see the value in these characteristics.  We don't get rewarded for them and we probably seldom get complimented for these qualities.  But that doesn't change the reality we are called to live humble and gentle lives in the context of our calling of God.  The "always" doesn't leave us too many exceptions for harsh or prideful behavior. 

Paul then goes on to call us to be patient with each other and to overlook other people's faults because of our love.  When we truly love others we can overlook their faults.  When we truly understand that God loves us even in our faults we can find the patience to deal with other people.  When I think about the long journey with God and His incredible patience with me through the years:  it helps me to have more patience for others.  Am I or will we ever be perfect in loving others and being patient with others?  No -most likely this is a lifetime journey of growth toward the completed goal.  

So Paul reminds us that we need to make every effort to keep ourselves unified with the Spirit of God.  The only way for us to be humble, gentle, patient and forgiving is to work hard at staying unified with the Holy Spirit of God.  It is not about making a New Year's Resolution to be humble, gentle, patient and forgiving because then we believe we can do it in our own strength!  We must spend our effort on staying connected to the powerful Spirit of God and He will help us increase in living in peace with each other.  

2018 Fast - Power

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Strength and power are the keys to these verses from Paul's heart to the church.  Did you notice?  
1. God will empower us
2. Inner strength
3. Roots will grow
4. Power to understand God's love
5. Experience the love
6. Fullness of power from God

I often feel weak and limited.  In those times I need to remind myself that when I am weak, God is strong!  He can display His strength and love in me when I am weak.  

I often struggle to trust in God's power instead of doing things in my own ability.  God has blessed us with many gifts and so I am not saying we can't trust ourselves or believe in ourselves, but we must do things through prayer and asking God for empowerment.  When I get in trouble is when I end up telling God I can do this without Him by not doing my work with prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit to work beyond my abilities.  

God has all the power we need!  He wants to empower us with inner strength, growth and love!  Will we seek His power today?   

2018 Fast - Citizenship

Ephesians 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

There is something powerful about belonging or conversely not belonging.  It is an amazing feeling to be connected to a group and to know your place and role in that group.  Peace and comfort are easy to find when we are connected!  However there may be no worse feeling then being isolated.  Belonging is one of the basic human needs.  We often try and believe we don't need it but it is just a lie of the enemy when we say we don't need other people.  We are create to live in community and in harmony with other people. 

Paul reminds the Gentiles that there status with God is one of belonging and they are no longer to see themselves as strangers or foreigners.  God in his plan to develop a people for Himself, the chosen people of Israel, had always desired His people to be a blessing to the world.  Instead the chosen people often chose to create an "us and them" mentality.  We are God's chosen people - everyone else is a Gentile heathen.  Paul reminds us that Jesus through the cross has broken down that separation and has made ONE Body of Christ of all who believe.  

Now we all have the opportunity to be citizens of God's family!  Citizenship has it rights and it has its obligations.  We have certain rights and freedoms as citizens of a nation but we have obligations like taxes and following the laws of the land.  As citizens of God's family there are incredible rights of prayer, spiritual power, forgiveness, peace, joy... As citizens we are asked to represent the family well!  Most of all as citizens of God's family we belong!