Before Day One

We are partnering with over 900 churches around the world during our 21 days of fasting and prayer. Below is a devotional from a great friend of Healing Place Church, pastor Stovall Weems.

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

If one were to 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 that along with mourning and weeping, would show God the sincerity of their repentance. In return, the prophet said, perhaps God would, “turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing.”

Such a fast of repentance is seen under the Old Covenant 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 walk under a New Covenant of grace and forgiveness! We don’t have to fast, weep and mourn to convince God of our sincere repentance or to avert His wrath. I Thessalonians 5:9 tells us that, “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So then, why do we, as people under a New Covenant, need to set aside special times devoted to fasting and prayer?

As we walk with God, there are times that we feel far from Him or disconnected. Joel’s words resonate with us who 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. It is during these times we can return to God with our whole heart, put aside the distractions of the world and focus solely on loving Him. 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 towards Him.

As we begin this time of prayer and fasting, let’s turn our hearts toward God. Make a commitment to seek God daily. Pray that your love for Christ will be increased and your passion for Him will be reignited over the next 21 days.

21 Days of Fasting and Prayer

So excited that you are taking the journey to fast and pray for the next 21 days. Over the next three weeks, I will use this blog as a way to talk to you about fasting and prayer, reveal thoughts that God is placing on my heart, provide resources, and to encourage you along this incredible journey.

Today's tip, "Don't get hung up." Don't get all worked up on what exactly you will do. Just get quiet and still for awhile. After some genuine quiet either at home alone, maybe outside, or in your "prayer closet"; ask God what he wants you to put down. Remember the point of fasting is to put something aside, deny yourself, in order to get closer to God. The goal of these 21 days is to get closer to Him.

There are different types of fasts that I will tell you about in the next few days, but today just get quiet and spend time one-on-one time with your heavenly Father.

Remember this is a season of fasting. You may do different things during these 21 days. However the point is to deny yourself, something, so you can focus more clearly on God.

Currently, I am at home by myself. No one is here, no noise, no tv. Just me and God having a talk. :)

Amazing God

We serve an amazing God. To allow us the privilege to serve The Kingdom. Thank you God for the grace you have shown me. Thank you for rescuing me from a life serving myself to a life sacrificing for others. Painful, but oh so worth it!

Tough Times

Many of us want to think life will always go well for us. Although it sounds romantic to have a carefree easy life, it's not supported by scripture. Even Jesus, for a moment, felt that God had forsaken him on the cross. However, that was God's shining moment, the moment he redeemed all of humanity. If only humanity would believe that...

Even though we may feel He is distant at times of difficulty in our life, He is not. Jesus says, "I will be with you always even until the end of the age."

What many of us need to realize is that there is a real enemy out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) Sometimes, when we are "attacked" by our enemy our natural response is to blame God. As believers, we know that all things happen for the good for those that love Christ Jesus and are called to His purposes. In fact, in the "dark times" are periods in our life, however painful, that we can grow the most if we continue to trust God and search for Him.

Read and believe Isaiah 43:1-2 and let that encourage you if you are going through a difficult season in your life.

Epic

Hung out with Epic last night and shared some Jesus-style compassion with the next generation.

One Year

It has been almost one year since we planted HPC El Paso. What an amazing year it has been. Great relationships, wonderful moments, transformed lives, and pretty good church. God has done so much. Thank you God!! 364 Salvations, over 10,000 hurting people served, and five campuses in two countries...Unbelievable!

Looking forward to another year of God's amazing grace and the power of the Holy Spirit expressed through His people planted in His house.

Thank you all so much for what you are doing. Never underestimate the impact we can have for the Kingdom when we unite together for the cause of Christ.

Still Serving

Still serving El Paso and Mexico...Great job HPC team! You are making an impact for Christ by meeting the needs of hurting people and sharing the Gospel. Over 300 salvations and thousands of people served in the name of Jesus!