Friday, January 3, 2014

Prepare to Begin Your Fast


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Friday, January 3, 2014   Jeff Lampl


“So, I turned to the Lord and pleaded with Him in prayer and fasting”
 Daniel 9:3
 

We begin our fourth annual fast sundown on Sunday, January 5!  

How to Begin     It is helpful to start with a goal. Do you need direction, healing, a new job, restoration of marriage or family issues? Are you facing financial difficulties? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Pray daily and read the Bible (see yesterday’s blog for suggestions)  

Prepare   Confess your sins to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of weakness. Forgive all who have offended you and ask forgiveness from those you may have offended (Mark 11 :25; Luke 11 :4; 17:3-4)  

Decide What to Fast from   The type of fasting you choose is up to you. You could go on a full fast in which you only drink liquids, or you may desire to fast like Daniel, who abstained from sweets and meats, and the only liquid he drank was water. Some may choose to fast from TV, the Internet, Facebook, etc. as well. Eliminate or restrict one of your idols (those things that are, at any given moment, more important to you than God)  

What to Expect   When you fast from food your body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from your system. This can cause mild discomfort such as headaches and irritability during withdrawal from caffeine and sugars. And naturally, you will have hunger pains. Limit your activity and exercise moderately. Pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractions as much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God.  Many people experience only hunger and find themselves actually unaware of God.   Yet this experience might be the valuable of all.   If God enables you to do without something for His sake even while He seems absent, you will have come far in actual connection to Him.  

We will break the fast on Sunday Morning January 26th!   We’ll all attend the 9:00 worship service where those who feel led by God to do so can recommit  to the Lord, to the CLC family and renew their baptism, after which we’ll browse “RE-Group” where we’ll connect with our place of spiritual growth for 2014

 

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