Today marks the beginning of a comprehensive prayer and fasting emphasis that involves our entire church! Jeremiah 33:3 states, "Call unto me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know".
In his book "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire", Jim Cymbala wrote, "If we call upon the Lord, He has promised in His Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, to pour out His Spirit among us. If we don't call upon the Lord, He has promised nothing-nothing at all. It's as simple as that. No matter what I preach, or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times of prayer. This is the engine that will drive the church"!
Growing up in Anderson, Indiana which is very near to Indianapolis, the month of May is famous for the Indianapolis 500 Race. The most quoted phrase from that annual race is "Gentleman Start Your Engines"!! Friends I believe it's time for the church to start it's spiritual engines!I I truly believe that God is calling Sunset Chapel to a new level of intimacy with Him. During the next ten days I want to encourage you to "lock your eyes on God". As you spend time with Him and His Spirit you will find your life being elevated to a whole new level!!
Miami is considered one of the most unchurched and unreached in all America! I am truly thankful that Sunset Chapel is grasping God's vision of becoming a change agent in our city! So many people in our city are carrying the weight of anxiety, unfairness of life, health issues, marriages that are struggling, thousands are in financial upheaval, others are without employment. All around us there is an an abundance of hopelessness and discouragement. As a church we cannot turn our backs on these things and pretend that everything is OK. God offers hope and a better future to each one that will surrender their heart and life to Him. I pledge to present the Gospel in my messages each week to these people who desperately need Him to produce life-change in their lives!
Fasting indicates a desperation and determination to "touch the Lord". Today I am desperate for God to provide me with wisdom to lead Sunset Chapel. I need to allow Him to form me into the leader He wants me to become. I need to hear His voice more clearly. And I need and want to spend more alone time with God.
If you have never fasted before and don't know where to begin. Bill Bright has written a helpful guide that will provide you with practical insights on prayer and fasting.
http://downloads.celebration.org/public/awakening/how-to-begin-your-fast.pdf
Other helpful links on fasting are:
www.jentzenfranklin.org/fasting/index.php
http://daniel-fast.com/about.html
daniel.wordpress.com
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