Day 3: Fasting removes unbelief

Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
—Matthew 17:18–21

When we pray and fast, we don’t do so to change God or His will; by praying and fasting, we are the ones changed. Coming into alignment with God helps us curb our doubts and fears. When we pray and fast, the thing that leaves—the thing that goes out—is our unbelief. It is when we have faith to believe that we can pray with confidence and know that “nothing will be impossible.”

Ask God to strengthen your heart to fully believe Him and His Word. It is okay to recognize and acknowledge if you struggle with unbelief. That’s the first step in allowing God to strengthen your faith and bring you into alignment with His plan for your life.

Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect...“above all that we ask or think.” —Andrew Murray

Prayer Focus: What do you need faith to believe for? Align yourself with God’s Word and will during this fast. Release your unbelief. Pray with confidence, knowing “nothing will be impossible” for you.

Day 2: Tune In

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. —John 10:27

Have you ever tried to tune in a radio station only to be frustrated by finding static rather than music? And when you fiddled with the dial again, suddenly you hear a clear signal. The fact is that clear signal always existed on the airwaves. The difference is that now you have adjusted your tuner to the right frequency.

In our hectic lives, there are so many signals bombarding our senses that it can become difficult to distinguish God’s voice from the deafening static noise of life. Fasting enables us to tune out the world’s distractions and tune in to God. As we fast, we deny our flesh. When we deny our flesh, we become more in tune to the Holy Spirit and can hear God’s voice more clearly. If you truly listen for God’s voice, you will hear it. And when you hear it, your faith will increase.
Fasting enables us to tune out the world’s distractions and tune in to God.

If you desire to tune out the static of life and really tune into the voice of God, come to Him first and foremost with ears willing to listen and a heart ready to obey what He says (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 66:2). The more we practice being in His presence, the clearer and more recognizable His voice becomes.

"Fasting is more important, more important perhaps than many of us have supposed.... When exercised with a pure heart and a right motive, fasting may provide us with a key to unlock doors where others may have failed; a window opening up new horizons in the unseen world, a spiritual weapon of God’s provision, mighty to the pulling down of strongholds." —Arthur Wallis

Prayer Focus: In this time of fasting, what is your mind tuned to? What distractions do you need to remove so that you can focus on God? Prepare your heart to hear the voice of God, and ask Him to help you remove distractions that keep you from focusing on Him and hearing His voice clearly.

Day 1: 21 Day Fast

Return to Me

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12, NIV

If we look at the kind of fasting that took place in the Old Testament, it would be easy to assume that the reason for fasting is to gain forgiveness. In the book of Joel, the Israelites had wandered far from God, and their sinfulness had resulted in famine and pestilence in the land. Through the prophet Joel, God called them to repentance, ordering them to declare a sacrificial fast, which along with mourning and weeping, would show God the sincerity of their repentance. In return the prophet said that perhaps God would “turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing” (verse 14, NIV).

Such a fast of repentance is seen in the Old Testament time and again, because under the Old Covenant, man had to rely on his works and sacrifices to avert the wrath of God. But under the New Covenant, we don’t have to fast for forgiveness. Every wrong we have done and will do was forgiven at the cross, and when we accept Christ, we live under the New Covenant of grace and forgiveness!

First Thessalonians 5:9 tells us that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV). So then, why do we, as people under the New Covenant, devote ourselves to fasting and prayer?

We don’t have to fast for forgiveness. Every wrong we have done and will do was forgiven at the cross.

As we walk with God, there are times that we feel far from Him or disconnected. Joel’s words resonate with us, even if we live in a context of grace: “return to me with all your heart.” There are times we realize that though we have chosen to follow Jesus, the flame of our love for Him has grown cold.

Your time spent in prayer each day of the fast can result in a new richness, a rewarding connection with the Father. No matter where you are on your journey with Jesus, you can always take a step closer toward Him.

I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world. —Bill Bright

Prayer Focus: As we begin this time of prayer and fasting, let’s turn our hearts toward God. Make a commitment to seek Him daily. Pray that your love for Christ will be increased and your passion for Him will be reignited over the next twenty-one days.

Awakening: 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer

At the beginning of each year, we engage in a season of prayer and fasting. This has proven to jump start our new year with huge spiritual momentum that sets the tone for our effectiveness throughout the year.

In years past, we have seen increased salvations, breakthroughs and miracles as we chose to put God first at the onset of the year. I believe with all my heart that for the church to prevail in this next season, a culture of prayer and fasting in our churches is vital.

So we are joining thousands of churches for a season of fasting and prayer from January 10th to January 30th. In addition, we are reading through the bible in one year. If you haven't received one already, you can pick up your bookmark for the chronological bible reading for 2011 at service on Sunday. In just a few minutes a day, we can all read through the Bible...together.

So looking forward to 2011. Prayer, fasting, and reading God's word are the foundation to a phenomenal year in Jesus regardless of our circumstances. It is this very foundation that lets us rise above it all to an amazing year.

God is Great!

God continues to move at Healing Place Church. It's been a little over 2 years since HPC El Paso opened to the public, but it has been a 9-year journey for Esther and I. How our life has changed since we decided to go "all in" for God.

God called us at an altar at HPC Baton Rouge and our prayer was, "If it's Africa, it's Africa, but whatever you call us to do, we will do for the rest of our life." It wasn't Africa, but it was El Paso and Mexico. We cashed out and planted a work with a dedicated launch team in 2008.

What started as a dream is now a reality. We have five campuses in El Paso and Mexico and have served 45,218 hurting people in a little over 2 years. The coolest part is the people, so many Salvations, lives transformed, and ordinary people serving an extraordinary God.

Looking forward to the rest of 2010 and beyond. God willing, we will be on this journey for many years to come!! Praise God.

Scum of the Earth!

Paul writes the following in 1 Corinthians about apostles.

1 Corinthians 4: 12-14

¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

Although I am not an apostle, obviously, I do have the gift of apostleship. So I do identify with Paul. I love this verse! It really ministered to me when I read it a few weeks ago during my quiet time...truly it did!

You see when I wake up thinking I am scum of the earth, the refuse of the world...it gets very hard to be offended or to think to highly of my own abilities. I am the least important person on the planet who serves the greatest God!!!

Amazing God

Our Lord is so faithful and I am amazed that He uses you and I to do His work on this Earth. Although, we will never fully understand all He's doing in us and through us, we can be so grateful that He overcomes so much to use you and I. If you are feeling inadequate today...join the club. The less adequate we are, the more glory He receives!