Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Journey Begins

Today is a special day in my life and the life of our church at Bridges of Hope Fellowship.  Today, we begin our annual 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting to clear our minds and bodies so that we can have a greater awareness of God's presence and greater clarity in hearing His voice.  Also, I'll be kicking off our message series from Joshua 10:12-14, "Sun Stand Still."  If you live in or around McMinnville, Tennessee, I hope you'll join us on Sundays at 9:30 or 11 a.m.  You choose!

This year, we are calling it the "Sun Stand Still" fast as we are asking people to believe God to do the impossible in their lives and in the life of our church.  What might it look like if we were to dare to ask God for the impossible?  People would be healed, souls rescued from the destruction of hell and their sin, marriages restored, financial doors opened, and so on.  It literally could start a revolution of audacious faith in our church and the body of Christ!

In beginning my fast, I want to focus on one Scripture this morning,
“Search me O God and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts.
See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24

F. B. Meyer was one of the greatest Christian writers of the centuries. As a pastor, Meyer was successful, but not as he ought to have been. He had two friends, Charles Studd and Hudson Taylor, great men in the history of the church. They seemed to have victory day by day—joy and power in their lives. Meyer watched them. One day he went to Studd and said, “You have joy in your life that I don’t have.” Studd said, “There is nothing I have that you can’t have. Have you given everything to God?” 

Meyer went back to his room that night and began to pray. In his heart there had been something he did not want to yield to the Lord. It seemed like a small thing, but it was standing between him and victory. He wrestled with God that night until finally he came to the place where he had to do something. He took a bunch of keys out of his pocket and said, “Lord here it is. This key ring represents my life. I give it over to you.” And he said, “It seemed as if the Lord said to me, ‘Are all the keys there?’  ‘Yes Lord, they’re all there except one small key, a key to a little cupboard. But it’s just one little key.’ The Lord handed the keys back and started to walk out the door. I said, ‘Wait Lord. Don’t go. Here’s that key. I don’t believe I can give it to you, but I will hold it out. Please take it.’ The Lord took those keys, every one of them, and went into that cupboard and began to do a work, and my life was transformed.’”

So I have to ask myself and you a few questions in regard to this passage.  Is there some little key like that in your life or mine?  Some little cupboard where we say, “Lord, you can be Lord of all—except this.” Have we yielded?

I want to invite you to take this 21 Day Journey of Prayer & Fasting with me and watch God move in your life in 2013.  Usually, the first 3 days we ONLY have water and fruit juices.  The remaining 18 days is the Daniel Fast, which means no meats, breads, sweets, or dairy.  Basically, you eat all fruits and vegetables on the Daniel Fast.  If you'd like some tips or more information, visit http://www.gethope.info/ministries/fasting/index.html 

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