So You’re Fasting…

If you are like us and are recognising this Lenten period with a time of fasting, congratulations! Lent is halfway finished and we truly hope that this has been a time of self-discovery, God discovery and growth in your walk. If you are not fasting right now but you have before or you want to, then we pray that whenever your time of sacrifice comes, it will be fruitful and pleasing to the Lord. We pray that your fasting will be effective and not empty rituals.

 

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

One of the reasons that we fast is in an effort to work towards holiness and growth in God. We deny ourselves things of this world and sacrifice things that we like in favour of time with God. It is a declaration that, while we can survive for a time without food, earthly pleasures, sleep and even water, we cannot survive without God!

Psalm 63: 5 says, “You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” Nothing that we ever have in this world compares to God and His wonders. By relying on Him, we teach ourselves, and possibly others, that He is the first priority and I can survive as long as He leads me.

Unfortunately, there are times when, while we are proud of how well we are surviving without whatever we gave up, God is still not pleased with us and our fast is ineffective. This is because while we are pleased with our action, God looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

So whenever you chose to fast or deny yourself, think about these things:

*Has God been placed at the forefront of this period?

While God is supposed to always be the priority of our lives, we admit that sometimes the world invades and other things demand our attention. However, a fast is a wonderful way to realign your priorities. During a fast, are you spending more time with God than you were before? Are you relying on Him to sustain you?

The enemy often tries to ruin our fasts by presenting something else to take the place of whatever we gave up and we often don’t notice. For example, we give up food and now find ourselves watching more television, spending more time online, more time on the phone. We enter a fast and all of a sudden, work becomes more demanding. We think that since we have not eaten, then our fast is working, but all we have done is replace one activity with another secular one and God is given no more attention than before.

Therefore be alert for the tricks and temptations from the enemy. He is crafty and won’t always try to deceive you by tempting you with whatever you gave up (although he will try that too!). Sometimes he will just ensure that you get nothing from the fast because you have not spent any time with God.

*How have I changed during and after my fast?

Have you ever heard someone say, “I would tell you something but we’re at church.” Or “Don’t curse; it’s Sunday.” While it’s good for us to have reverence for the church and Sundays, if on every other day and in every other place we do the things that are displeasing to Him, then He disregards our attempts! In the same way, if we put away the actions that are displeasing to God during our fast, only to take them up again once the fast is over, then our period of denial would have been in vain. In Isaiah 58, God addresses this same issue. Vs. 5 says, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?”

If we are giving up something only to still be doing evil in His eyes, then the focus is not on Him and He is not pleased. Our fasting should run in tandem with a life, and with actions, that are pleasing to God.

Therefore, how have you been responding differently during your fast? How have you changed? In Matthew 6, Jesus implores us to make fasting a private matter, “Then no one will know that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (vs. 18) Therefore, people should be surprised if they hear that you’ve been fasting because you look so good and healthy! They should not be surprised because you have been doing the same evil things that are not consistent with someone who is purified in Christ!

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”

Sacrificing for God is a good thing so let us ensure that our fast is always FOR God and that our lives, actions and words reflect someone who has benefitted from time WITH God.

Dear God…

Dear God,

The week that You just brought me and Ab through has definitely not been the easiest. You called us to minister in the midst of rejection, disappointment and disunity. And it was no wonder that emotions ran high. There were times when we questioned You and the call You gave us; there were times when we disappointed You and shied away from tasks that seemed too difficult; there were times when we were disobedient and faithless. And while no two persons are in the same exact situation, I’m sure that those who are reading this prayer can relate to some of our experiences this past week.

God, where we lost sight of You, we are sorry. Please forgive us for seemingly forgetting the God whom we serve, if only for a moment, and allowing the problems of this world to deter us from the call You have given us.

But even when we turned away, You were still right there and for that, we say thank you so much. We are so grateful that You, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, love us so much and are so merciful and compassionate that even when we don’t deserve it, You are working things out for our favour. Thank You for the things that did work out over the course of this week and the amazing moments You provided in the midst of the heartache.

Omniscient God, You knew how this week would go before time began, just like how You know exactly how next week will go and what will be our peaks and where we will stumble while in our valleys. Help us to not take your mercy for granted because You are also a just God. Instead, give us the courage and the strength not to make the same mistakes twice, or three times, or even four.

While this week for us all might not have gone according to our plans, we pray that they went according to Yours and we thank You for the miracle that was today, for the silver linings on every storm cloud and for the persons that You have blessed through us, the ones we knew about and the ones we didn’t.

Help us to remain available to You and strengthen us for the next task that You are setting up for us. Give us an obedient and willing spirit so that You can have Your way.

In the matchless and holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray,

Amen.

We’re Back!

The Lord has been using Kat and I the last few days to minister to girls in our school, and boy isn’t doing His will along with everything else in your life quite tiring?! Well, we’ve been praying that God will strengthen us in whatever we do because we’re doing this all for Him and His glory. Some of the information we’ve been sharing and learning during this period of ministry we will be sharing with you next week so watch out for that.

You see, God reveals things to us that we as humans just can’t perceive if we don’t open up our spiritual eyes and ears and become sensitive to what God acknowledges and recognizes. Every one of you that comes to know Christ, God rejoices over. He gathers up all His angels and everyone in heaven and focuses on that one person…that ONE person. So we’ve come to appreciate even more that fact that in our line of ministry, quality is much much better than quantity. Evangelising doesn’t bring everyone to Jesus at once, but as long as what we’re sharing is the truth that John 8:32 talk about, we can be certain that a process must be active and progress should be taking place within our hearts.

So ask God to give you the insight that you’ve been longing for. Plead to Him, ask Him for His view on salvation and you will realise that you enjoy evangelsing or witnessing more. Of course it becomes hard to be happy and grateful when there are only 2-10 people coming out or being receptive to your message but remember it’s all about His will, not our carnal desires.

Take care, and don’t forget to check next week for a taste of what goes on in our school’s Christian context. Also, we challenge you to take advantage of the opportunities that you have to tell others about Christ.

Bless

Give Me Your Eyes, Lord

God, so often I’m tempted to judge success by the world’s standards. I focus on quantity instead of quality, outward appearance instead of the heart. Maybe that is why it’s so easy for me to become discouraged because I can’t see what You see.

I am not able to see how that one person’s heart is slowly being changed by my actions and words or how every time I do Your will, no matter how hard or how easy, I am growing stronger in my faith and closer to You.

But that is how I want to see life Lord because that is when life will be all the more fulfilling! Please give me eyes that see the heart behind someone’s actions, that see the victories within every perceived ‘failure.’

I want Your eyes God. Exchange my limited, worldly eyes for Yours.  In this way I won’t be discouraged when I can’t see change in my life or the lives of others right away. Instead I will see the growth and development that is so hard to see and I will be more able to praise and thank you in every situation.

Give me Your eyes Lord.

Titus 2: 12-14 NLT

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Prayer: Take It Away

Lord there are so many times when I find it difficult to surrender

Not because I don’t want to give up my own will, but I’m just too lazy

So strength, Lord,  is what I call for

I need You to resupply me so I can throw this all on You

I know You want my burden and You want to sustain me (Psalm 55:22)

But God I have nothing left

Discipline me Lord, let me feel what You feel

I trade this fleshly burden for Your burden of compassion

Make me right and reveal to me Your plans for me

For I know they are many

Use me Lord, for I know I must have a purpose

And God,

Take this laziness AWAY

Take my slumber AWAY

Take my weariness AWAY

Take me AWAY

Take it AWAY

And draw nigh,

Encouraging me, sustaining me, strengthening me,

Equipping me for your service and for your will to be done

I’m ready Lord, so take it away.

 

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

Friendship

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

What was the name of the first friend you ever made? What drew you to them in the first place? Is that person still in your life?

For most people, the answer to that last question is no. In fact, chances are, some of you found it absurd that you would even be asked to recall someone from so long ago when you’re not even friends with the same people from last year! The truth is that friendships aren’t what they used to be. The word ‘friend’ and even ‘love’ is thrown around so casually that someone can be rewarded with those honours one day and by the next, they are practically strangers. A friend seems to be a temporary position given to anyone that is appealing in the moment, without careful thought or hesitation.

But is that how God ordained it? By the examples of friendship in the Bible, we can be sure that this bond was meant to be something powerful and even life saving:

  1. Ruth and Naomi: a friendship that stood the test of loss and depression. Ruth loyally stood by Naomi even though she was not obligated to because she understood that a friend is loyal and loving at all times, especially in times of adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
  2. Abram and Lot: a friendship of sacrifice and generosity, on the part of Abram. (Genesis 14:14) Abram knew that even though he and Lot had parted ways, he could never forsake his friend. (Proverbs 27:10)
  3. Jonathan and David: a friendship that thrived amidst the looming danger of David’s persecution at the hands of Jonathan’s father, Saul. (1 Samuel 18). Jonathan will later be responsible for saving David’s life, because he loved David as he loved himself. (1 Samuel 20:17).
  4. Jesus and His disciples: a friendship that required commitment and obedience. (Matthew 10). And in the greatest illustration of friendship, Jesus laid down his life to save the lives his friends, and everyone. (John 15:13-14)

So we understand that this friendship thing is not something to be taken lightly. As Ecclesiastes says, it is better to have a friend in times of trouble that to be by yourself. It is important, not only to us, but to God.

What? God cares about my friendships?

He absolutely does! Just like how a loving father cares about who his child associates with, God has an interest in who your friends are. Why?

“Walk with the wise and become wise, associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20

Whether we like it or not, the friends that we have influence us. Wise friends can persuade a person, especially one who is new to the faith, to make wise decisions. In the same way, foolish friends can be a hindrance in one’s walk with Christ. This is why the Lord wants us to keep good influences so that when we lose sight of the truth and lose sight of Him there is someone there to help us get back on track.

This does not mean that all our friends have to be Christians. Absolutely not! Even Jesus associated with persons who had questionable pasts (Matthew 9:9-10). In fact, you could end up being the only light in the life of someone who is still living in spiritual darkness.

Therefore, every decision to become friends with someone should be handled individually and with wisdom. As Proverbs 12:26 says “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” So we know that God doesn’t call us to be friends with everyone, but He does give us some advice on what is important in a friendship.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17

Friends should push each other to do better, to be better. Friends should be willing to pray for each other, be honest to each other and be accountable to each other. (James 5:16) A friend should encourage and be supportive without condoning sin or being partial. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

If your friend pressures you to do wrong, or if you do not do the right thing for fear of criticism, this friend is bad company and will corrupt you. Move on!

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Do not ruin good friendships by holding a grudge. Forgive quickly with the knowledge that no friend or friendship will be perfect and all will take work.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honour come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.” Psalm 62:5-8

And possibly the best advice is that no matter how valuable friendship is, God will always be more important! Our hope should first and foremost be in the One who can never and will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6)! He will be there when no one else is, as our first and best friend. So count on the Lord and He will come through for you, showing you who will make a good friend as you walk with Him and helping you let go of those that will hinder you.