Beginning in February, we are going on a Corporate Fast. It is where we choose a set time to do without certain foods or from eating foods in general for a period of time. For our church, we have chosen to go the whole month of February. Some may even choose to fast from items such as social media platforms. It is praying and asking the Lord to help you to know what it is you can set aside as you seek to get closer to Him. It may be something that is beginning to take a hold of you in manner that consumes you.
I love what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. 12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. God wants to strengthen us and give us the power to overcome anything that sets itself in the way of being all that God has called us to be. The things that we choose to fast from are not bad in themselves, but they can become a distraction from choosing the things that will take us where God wants us to dwell. We need to keep our life in balance and remember that the Lord Himself will sustain us. After Jesus fasted for 40 days, the enemy was right there to tempt Him. Jesus response was recorded in Matthew 4:4 when he said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” God will help us as we fast and pray. He wants to do so many things in the life of our church and our families. The benefits far outweigh the change in pace fasting will create. Fasting increases our spiritual vitality, gives us new and fresh Biblical insights, a new sense of purpose, and increased desire to pray and spend quality time with God, it brings victory over the enemy’s stronghold, it increases awareness of God’s presence in our lives, gives us new power for spiritual warfare, it provides answered prayers and restoration from our past, and it brings powerful renewal and revival to our land. I rest on Ezra 8:23 when it says, “So we fasted and entreated our God for this. And He answered our prayer.” I so desperately want God to move in and through our church. I want to see so many lives transformed in Findlay and Hancock County. Would you join me in this fast? If you are available to join us on Wednesday mornings from 6:30 – 7:30am, I know that you will be blessed for it. Make sure you take the precautions to stay warm on these cold days. Boy am I thankful for coats, gloves, and hats. It is a covering that we need to intentionally put on in order to avoid frostbite. The covering only the Lord can provide during Prayer and Fasting can also protect me from the frostbite of the enemy that promises to take me off course. Pray with me as we enter into this wonderful privilege of covering through Prayer and Fasting. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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