CU America Events Focus on Christian Leadership, Fasting, Repentance
By Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D.
January 2023 was a busy month of ministry for CU America. The CU National Fast and the CU Fire Retreat led the way for many Christians to start the new year by seeking God earnestly.
CU National Fast
January 2, 2023, began the 21-day fast for Courageous Christian Leadership. By God’s grace, 4,046 Christians from around the country and across denominational lines joined together until January 22, 2023, for a time of seeking God’s face through prayer and fasting.
Fasting, while also living a life pleasing to God (e.g., Isaiah 58), has great sway before God. When His people fast, He intervenes in miraculous ways, as he did for Ezra, Esther, the Ninevites, Paul, and our Lord Jesus, to name a few. Sometimes the Lord works in observable ways during the fast, and other times His work is seen more clearly afterward.
Here are some testimonies from those who joined the fast.
"This has been an amazing time for me. God's word has become more alive both in my heart and as I read. He has answered prayers for deeper repentance and revelation into who He is. We have seen some breakthroughs in gatherings at believers' meetings. I want to join you again when you do this in the fall. Our men's group joined in, nearly all 20+ guys. Thank you."
"Thank you for this opportunity and encouragement to fast and pray. The Lord has convicted me of idols in my life. I have been praying for the church to lay down its idols and serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Pray that the idols of food and man-pleasing will fall for good. I commit to continuing periodic fasting as a discipline. Blessings!"
"Thank you very much for all the devotionals, videos, Bible verses, and the written prayers you have been sending in these 21 days. Through them, I have been encouraged, corrected, and have learned a lot. I marvel at your commitment and your zeal for the Lord. I have by God's grace gained boldness and I can share God's word without fearing what people will say or think. I truly thank God for this opportunity."
"This time of fasting and prayer has propelled me forward in my faith walk with Jesus. It has allowed me time to meditate and pray and to inquire of the Lord as He leads. The teachings and reflections have challenged me to be better, do better, and to love others through the eyes of Christ. I am listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow His voice."
Twenty-four groups with a total of 159 people from New York to California spent January 27, Friday night, 6:00-9:00 pm and January 28, Saturday, 7:00 am-8:00 pm in prayer, Bible reading, repentance, and fasting on Saturday until dinner. When anyone takes that amount of time and effort to draw near to God, the Lord comes close as He promises. 
On top of that, hours of prayer and days of fasting before the retreat appealed to God for His mighty work for each retreat attendee. CU’s 24-Hour Prayer Chain helped accumulate 481 hours of prayer and 70 days of fasting for this CU Fire Retreat. The testimonies from this most recent retreat on “Bold Leadership for Christ” speak for themselves.
"The two retreats I’ve attended so far have been monumental. They have grown my spiritual walk like nothing else!"
"This is the spiritual reset I needed."
"I feel stronger and more equipped to go out and share my faith with the things I learned this weekend."
"I thought the retreat was a really great kick start to the year and getting me into the Word! I feel renewed and excited about what this year will have in store for my relationship with God."
"This is my second CU Fire Retreat. Once again, it was a life-changing experience for me! We ladies (eight of us) had a serious time of repentance before the Lord and rededication to Him and to the Great Commission. We all confessed our lack of love for the lost and poured out our hearts before the Lord, asking for His heart and His burden for the lost. We all agreed that we have to ask the Holy Spirit daily to help us to be witnesses for Him, in our workplaces, with our families and friends, and with our neighbors."
Praise the Lord! He is faithful to empower His people and work through His Spirit, His word, and His body when we seek Him with all our hearts.
CU America’s ministry offerings are rooted in the commitment to seek God as He requires and in the belief that our country is at a low point and has been on the decline for decades. The source of our problem is that we have fallen away from God, and the way to correct that problem is to return to the Lord with all our heart.
The solution is for Christians to change our ways, humble ourselves, repent and seek the Lord earnestly. Christian Union America is taking deliberate steps to be part of this solution through these National Fasts and Fire Retreats. All American Christians are invited to join CU America and thousands of American Christians in drawing near to God in extraordinary ways.
