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A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
Search me, O God, and know my heart!Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
-Psalm 139:23-24
I am convinced that one of the primary reasons many of us struggle to draw near to God in an earnest, deeper way is because we know that such a pursuit may initially involve a painful, even excruciating encounter. What misbehaving child seeks out the offended authority figure? How many of us avoid prescribed medical exams and precautionary procedures not only because of the dread of discomfort or humiliation, but also for fear of what the good doctor may find?
Yet to properly seek God requires that we consistently wade through the proverbial muck and mire to truly come clean. The saints of old in the Roman Catholic Jesuit tradition called this kind of daily reflection the Prayer of Examen and various forms of this spiritual exercise remain today[1]. The Latin word means the examining or discerning of conscience, conveying the idea of our ongoing need for an accurate assessment of the true condition of our soul.
Richard Foster, in his attempt to exhume this practice, describes what we might call the ditches on either side of the path
Share. Encourage Others. Be Encouraged. Praise God.
Throughout this initiative, we have asked God to move in the lives of those who participate.If you have participated in a 40 Day Initiative, or are participating in this current season, please let us know what you have learned, how you have grown (or been challenged), and what God has done during or as a result of your fast.
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A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
Colossians 3:1-4 "If then you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul reminds his audience of what God has already done for them in Christ. They have died with Christ to both the penalty and power of sin, and likewise they participate in Jesus' own resurrection life through the indwelling of the Spirit. The old has been done away with; the new creation has arrived!
Yet Paul does not stop there, with the mere announcement of what the Gospel has accomplished objectively for the people of God. He transitions
A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
As we begin our season of fasting together, I want to remind us of God's purpose for us through fasting. Listen to Jesus' words in Mark 7:15 to hear God's purpose for us through fasting: "Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. If anyone has an ear to hear, he should listen!" In verses 20-23, Jesus continues to explain this mystery to His disciples by saying: "...What comes out of a person—that defiles him. For from within, out of people's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, lewdness, stinginess, blasphemy, pride and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person." In our text today, the core problem of defilement is defined as what resides in the heart (things that come out), not things going into a person. Throughout Scripture, the heart refers to the center of one's being, including the mind, emotions, and will.
As you may already know, fasting, in and of itself, is not pretty. It is uncomfortable, it is
A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
Malachi 3:13-18
"Your words have been hard against me,” says the LORD. “But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?' 14 You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? 15And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'"16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. 17 "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”
The prophet Malachi records that God’s people were questioning whether it was really worthwhile to serve the Lord. Life was hard
Devotion
Matthew 26:51-54
51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?"
When the religious leaders came to arrest Jesus, Peter grabbed a sword in defense of his master,
Introducing 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Here is the second of five brief videos by Christian Union President Matt Bennett, who encourages us to join together to seek God through prayer and fasting during this special season (1:40 in length).
