Breakthrough Fast Readings on the Cross

- Pastor Bob Klecan

During the 1720’s Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf visited a Dusseldorf art museum, where he was especially moved by a particular painting of the crucified Jesus.  The painter had painted the picture with the intent of conveying his love for Christ.  Below the picture were the words:

            All this I did for thee,

            What hast thou done for Me?

Zinzendorf’s heart was affected.  Christ’s love as demonstrated in the cross became the constraining power of his life, as 2 Corinthians 5:14 states, “The love of Christ constrains (compels) me.”  “I have,” he exclaimed, “but one passion, tis He and He only.”  It was the dying love of Christ mastering his life that fitted Zinzendorf for the work he had to do.

Zinzendorf returned home to provide spiritual leadership for about three hundred refugees from religious persecution, the majority of which were Moravians, spiritual descendents of the Czech martyr Jon Hus.  The goal of Zinzendorf and the elders was to lead their souls deeper into the love of Christ, into which they had been baptized. 

In August 1727 the community experienced a breakthrough of love and unity during a special Lord’s Supper celebration.  They asked the Lord to “keep us in the saving power of His grace, and not allow a single soul to be drawn away to itself and its own merits from that Blood-and-cross theology, on which our salvation depends. 

Following this experience the Moravian brethren were possessed by a zeal for missions.  The Spirit breathed in power on the young and the old.  People’s hearts were filled with a burning love for the Savior who died for them.  They emphasized Isaiah 53:10-12 as their chief incentive, from which they drew their battle cry, “To win for the Lamb that was slain the reward of His sufferings.”  They started a 24-hour prayer vigil which lasted 100 years.  During the following 25 years they sent out more than 100 missionaries.   It is worth noting that this is before the start of the modern missions movement. 

Some of these Moravian missionaries met John Wesley on a boat bound for America.  In the presence of their sincere and wholehearted devotion to Christ, Wesley realized that his own religiosity was bankrupt.  He was later converted to Christ at a Moravian chapel in London, and became the founder of Methodism and the Great Awakening in England. 

William Carey, the “Father of modern missions,” was also greatly influenced by Moravian missionaries.  Carey went on, against the overwhelming opposition of his church associates, to be the founder of a missions movement that really continues, in many different waves and manifestations, to this day. [1]

Think about this.  One artist painted to communicate his deep love for Jesus. One man’s faith caught fire during this encounter with the suffering Savior and became the spark for a group of three hundred refugees to catch fire with a  “blood and cross” motivation that impacted the entire world for Christ.  Our desire is that of the Moravian leaders, to lead our souls deeper into the death of Christ.  It is certain that, if we go there, we will be changed.  Whether we impact people around the world, in our own homes, or in our communities, we will be people of new impact and power.  Author John Stott says that the cross is “the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough to it for its sparks to fall on us.[2]

This is why we are calling a breakthrough fast to focus on the cross from 7:00 PM Thursday, April 5^th to 7:00 PM Friday, April 6^th.  We’re breaking the fast with a Good Friday communion service at 7:00 PM the 6^th.  We believe that we need to get nearer to the cross, in hope that its sparks will fall on us.  These readings are provided to help us get closer to the cross throughout this coming week.   Whether you participate in the fast or not, we encourage you to spend these days getting nearer to the cross.  Read these passages reflectively and prayerfully, praying for “Holy Spirit sparks” to land on you and ignite a new passion for the cross as you read. 

2 Corinthians 5:13-21

This passage, referenced above in relation to von Zinzendorf’s life-changing experience, describes the impact the cross had on the Apostle Paul’s motivations. 

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

This passage was likewise referenced above, in relation to the Moravian brethren’s missionary motivation.  This is the most detailed and powerful Old Testament prophecy related to the cross of Jesus. 

Matthew 16:21-28

In this passage Jesus looks ahead to the cross and confronts a bewildered Peter, who is having great difficulty embracing the idea of His Lord heading for a cross. 

Matthew 9:14-17

This passage relates to fasting.  Jesus tells us that fasting was inappropriate for His disciples while He was with them on earth, but when He goes away His followers will fast.   His going away is referring to His death, resurrection, and ascension, the era between His two appearances on earth.  That’s when we live!  We fast looking back to the cross and resurrection, we fast to help us live in Christ NOW through the Holy Spirit and His present intercessory ministry, and we fast looking ahead to His Second Coming.  The events of the gospel define our lives.  We fast to put ourselves aside and intensify our focus, asking the Lord to make the gospel work of Christ more and more the true defining center of our lives. 

Luke 22:39-23:56

Here is the basic account of the cross from Luke’s gospel.

---

[1] This story is summarized from several sources, most significantly From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker and Come to the Lord’s Table by Claude King.  

[2] From What Christ Thinks of the Church by John Stott

What's Next?

-Pastor Bob Klecan

Wow!  What an amazing time our Breakthough Fasting and Prayer Emphasis has been!  I'm very, very encouraged by the incredible response of the FBNE family.  The participation was really good and enthusiastic to the fast, to the 24-hour prayer vigil, and to tonight's service and dinner!  The service was packed with songs of praise and testimonies.  The testimonies were not only abundant but they were amazing!  They encouraged, convicted, inspired, taught, and also contained a lot of humor!   Wow what a service!  The hour went by in what seemed like 15 minutes!  And what a feast we had afterwards!  My only regret is that I have but one stomach.  But I think I did eat enough for 2! 

 

Thank you FBNE family!  I'm wowed by your desire to seek more of the Father through this time.  Many of you have shared how much this time has meant to you.  Thank you for telling me!  To the Breakthrough Team, you are amazing, you provided terrific inspiration, education and leadership.  John Brydon led the service tonight, thank you so much!  To all who worked in the service and the dinner, thank you so much! 

 

What's next?  I don't have a specific answer, but one thing is for sure; we will be doing corporate fasting and prayer again.  And now we need to incorporate fasting into our regular lives more.  I so appreciated Teresa's testimony tonight on how she and Matthew are going to fast select lunches.  That's great!  The Breakthrough Team isn't finished yet, we'll be meeting in the next few weeks to ponder what's next.  We'll be asking for feedback on this experience soon, so please share your insights with us. But you don't have to wait. If you have a God-story to tell please respond to this post and let us know.  I know that we ran out of time before we ran out of testimonies tonight, and I also know that not everybody who participated was able to be there tonight. 

 

I'm out of words for this blog.  But the Lord has one more thing to say to you, FBNE family:

 

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

 

For Him,

 

Bob

My Heart's Desire

-Marge Montgomery 

To my many friends at FBC,

I am so proud of all of you!! When I went to church on Sunday, I was thrilled to hear all the good responses of the ones who have never fasted before but were willing to try it.  I am sure the Lord is excited about you willingness to try fasting.  I heard from one who was fasting TV time, one was fasting sweets and some were on the Daniel fast.  All of you were excited about your first attempt to please the Lord by fasting.  I can hardly wait to hear how much the Lord has done for all of you. 

I had fasted one day last week to practice but this week it was the real thing.  The first day was certainly the easiest, no problem, I can do this.  The second day was much the same until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.  I got quite sick and decided I needed a little more food in my stomach to take care of the medicine I had taken in the morning.  I had some chicken noodle soup and two crackers.  Guess what?  The Lord was not angry with me.  He just said it is ok just keep trying, I love you!  The next day we started on the Daniel fast with the fruits and vegetables.  Oh, they tasted good.  It has been fun trying new recipes from friends such as spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup with no meat and v8 juice in between.  As you know from my last blog, I am a snacker.  God knows that too and He understands.

We are learning things about fasting that we never knew before.  One thing was when you do not eat meat you body gets cold.  Lack of protein was the problem.  The solution was some peanut butter.  We also know that almost everything has sugar in it, so you have to read labels.  The greatest thing we have learned is that we can do it!!  We have decided that fasting is going to be a regular part of our life from now on.  Why do we wait so long to be obedient?  Actually, with God we can do anything.

Remember in Daniel 10, that Daniel saw a vision of the Lord, heard His voice, fell into a deep sleep, and an angel touched him and he fell on his hands and knees.  There was no strength in him. The angel said “stand up for I have been sent to you”.  There is much more to the story but the angel said to him “do not be afraid for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

I thank Him so much for the weeks of soul searching I went through before the fast.

Oh, to be a Daniel.  My heart’s desire is to please God and to follow in the path He originally set out for me!

God bless!

Day Seven!

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough schedule): Daniel fast; water, vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Galatians 5:13-17

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Prayer emphasis: Oh, Lord, allow the Holy Spirit to give me a tremendous love for others!

What I've Learned So Far

-Marcie Gribbin

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12: 9-10, NIV).

Since the beginning of this fast, the phrase “My grace is sufficient” (from II Corinthians 12: 9) has been following me around everywhere. It reigns in my thoughts morning, noon, and night. At first I didn’t understand why; I mean, of course I KNOW His grace is sufficient for me. It gives me life, breath, and keeps me going when nothing else can. But I am just beginning, I think, to realize why this phrase is besieging me. See, after I fail (or, more aptly put, FALL)—and I am made aware of my failure—I have the tendency to overdo it a bit on the “good works” end. I do this not to do “penance” or to find favor with God, because I know His grace covers all of me, and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more than He already does. No, instead, I tend to not be able to forgive myself, so I am constantly trying to find favor with myself.  During this fast, the one thing that I am being taught (although sometimes I am not a quick-minded student) is that His power is indeed made perfect in my weakness. Instead of trying to somehow “make up” for my shortcomings, I am to lean on His grace, to boast of my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me, reign in me and through me, since I am His and He is mine.

Here are just a few other things I have learned so far this week:

1.)  Knowing that others are going through the same experience I am does indeed give encouragement to “finish the race” of fasting. Truly, this like-mindedness in our church body has blessed me more than I can say.

2.) Having a fasting buddy is the best! J You know who you are, and I am so grateful for you! Somehow you always knew just when to text me some encouragement! 

3.) I lean on caffeine and sugar (and food in general) to sustain me far too often. Nourishment from the Word and a zip of energy from praising my Savior far surpasses any energy I get from a Diet Coke.

4.) Concentrating on praying for the needs of others blesses me beyond words. I am humbled by the privilege of discovering and praying for the specific needs of my church family.

5.)  After nearly three days with no food, that communion cracker on Sunday morning was THE BEST communion cracker I have ever tasted! I savored it! And it reminded me, as Psalm 38: 8 urges, to “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

I hope you will join us in our prayer vigil at church Wednesday and Thursday, and then, also, Thursday evening as we celebrate Breakthrough together with a potluck dinner and a time of worship and testimony starting at 6:00 pm! Come taste and see that the Lord is good!

Day Six

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough schedule): Daniel fast; water vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

           Psalm 16: 1-2

           Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my      

           Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

1 Peter 2

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Prayer emphasis: Create in me a clean heart, Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

Spiritual Warfare: Guarding Our Hearts

-John Brydon

I pray we don’t loose sight of the fact that fasting and spiritual warfare are fastened at the hip.  We really cannot separate them.  Our goal in fasting is:

¨ To be obedient and surrendered to our Lord

¨ To gain a new and increased intimacy with Him

¨ To be better equipped to love and serve Him

That will put us in conflict with Satan, who won't want any of those goals to happen.  Thus, our fasting necessarily involves spiritual warfare. 

We need to be prepared! The following Scriptures will help.  Can you think of, and perhaps share any others? 

Ephesians 6:11-13   Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Ephesians 1:17-21   I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength  he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Colossians 1:10-14   So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 2:10    And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

II Timothy 1:7   For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

II Corinthians 10:3-5     For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Day Five

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough fast schedule): Daniel fast; water, vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Psalm 16: 1-2

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

Psalm 107: 1-9

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Prayer emphasis: Give me a teachable spirit and a grateful heart that gives thanks in everything.

A Radiant Light

-Heather Weismiller 

Is there something you desire so much that you pray it every day?  It may be about an unsaved family member or friend, about your marriage, health issues, your children, etc.  But what do you pray God will do to change you for His glory?

Here is what John Piper says his life prayer is (from desiringgod.org

 

):

"Make my life a means of people coming to reverence Your name and love Your name and praise and honor and cherish and treasure and glorify Your name."

Here is one from John Piper on George Mueller:

"Help me to choose a strategy of ministry and style of life that puts the reality and trustworthiness and beauty of God on display.  Let me be visible proof of the unchangeable faithfulness of the Lord."

I pray every day, among other things, "Help us (my family and me) to be a joy and a blessing to You and to everyone around us.  Begin a new work of love in me and help my love to overflow more and more!"

In Exodus 33:16, Moses says, "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people?  Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other peole who are upon the face of the earth?"  God never meant us to blend in with the world, in fact we should stick out.  Do people sense the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts?  See the joy of the Lord in our countenance?  Do they see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven?

Pray earnestly and unceasingly for the change you desire for God to make in you and trust Him to answer.  Be the radiant light you were meant to be in this world!

May your light increase more and more...

Day Four

Type of fast (if following the Breakthrough schedule): "Daniel fast"; water, vegetables, fruits.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Psalm 63:1-5

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Psalm 16:8

                     I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not
           be shaken.

Prayer emphasis: Work in me, giving me the desire and the power to do what pleases You!

Preparing for Change

-Marge Montgomery

As I look to our time of fasting on March 1st to March 8^th I am preparing for a change in my life.  I want more of God and less of this world.

Since I had never fasted before I decided to try one day and see how it would be.  I have to take some medicine so I thought the best thing to do was take the medicine with some oatmeal for breakfast.  I would then skip lunch and dinner.  I forgot to prepare for a couple of days before the fast by not eating so much sugar and not eating between meals.  The morning went by with no problems but then it was time to prepare for the noon meal.  "Oh, I forgot I was fasting, no food."  I went to prayer and enjoyed the company of the Lord.  All afternoon I would think, “What I should have for dinner? No need, I am fasting.”  Going without food was not my biggest problem, instead, it was what to do with all the time I always spent on preparation, cooking, eating and cleaning up.  More time for prayer.  Dave and I prayed together.  We had no trouble knowing what to pray.  God seems to go before us and show us what to pray for.

One thing God has taught me is that I go through the kitchen too often.  Every time I go through I grab something to eat, maybe a cookie, a piece of candy, an apple or anything else in sight. 

I intend to fast again and listen for the Lord’s leading.  I feel He has something great in store for Dave and me as we live out our lives for Him.  I can’t wait for the outcome.

The verse that was on my lips for the day of fasting is “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory according to Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).    

Day Three

Type of fast (If following the Breakthrough fast schedule): Water and juice only.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Luke 18:9-14

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Prayer emphasis: Lord, empty me of all pride and selfishness and put in me a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

The Strength To Sustain

-John Brydon

Hopefully you will be encouraged, repeatedly, to make sure that your fast doesn’t consist simply of not eating or restricted eating.  That is not really a fast.  We are encouraging everyone (including ourselves) to deliberately modify our schedules to fit in specific times for Bible reading, prayer, and meditation.  If that doesn’t happen, then the primary purpose of the fast isn’t achieved. 

Turning to Bible reading, Jack Hayford (from Spirit Filled, with Jack Hayford) provided the idea that follows.  It certainly applies to me and perhaps will be of use to you.  I will read my Bible and a day or two later not be able to remember what I read.  That has bothered me, but Hayford related a story of someone who made the same complaint.  That person’s mother asked them, “Do you remember what you had for supper three weeks ago Tuesday?”  Of course, the person couldn’t remember.  Her mother then asked, “Did you get nourishment from that food, even if you can't remember what you ate?”   Of course, the answer was yes.  The same is true of our Bible reading.  It nourishes us as we read; we grow from it as we read.  Hayford says, “Just keep reading the Bible.  You may not remember everything, but the Word is flowing into your spirit, and as it does, it is giving abiding strength to sustain you as you simply obey – and read.” 

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

That is truly our “daily bread”. 

Day Two

Type of fast (if following Breakthrough schedule): Water and juice only.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Luke 6:21

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

John 6:32-35

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Prayer emphasis: Oh, Lord, take away all desires that are not of Your will for me or that are not pleasing to You and replace them with Your desires.

What If I "Fail?"

 -Pastor Bob Klecan

I suspect that more than a few of us are approaching this upcoming fast with one particular fear:  "What If I start it and can't make it?" Or, "What if I can't make three days without food," or "what if I mess up and eat the wrong things in the final four days"..."what if I...fail?"

I like the answer John Brydon gave Sunday in his message.  He compared it to learning to ride a bike.  When you're learning to ride, you will fall. You will fail. Get up, get back on, and keep riding! Truth is, there is actually no"fail" in this fast. We're not doing it to prove anything to anybody or get anything from anybody, including the Lord. We've been suggesting all along that some of us will not be able to fast food for health reasons, or that you might want to modify the fast and do just part of it.  That is great!  That's not failure!  Fast for part of it, fast something other than food, those are not failures but successes!  What if I only make it one day, or even just part of a day?  Did you spend that time in fellowship with the Lord?  Then great!  What if I alternate days, fast one day, skip a day then fast again?  Yay! What if I just fast lunch every day?  You rock! What if I fast only one day in the next week but make it an ongoing practice from now on?  You go girl (or guy)!  That would be best of all! 

One of the most common testmonies people give after fasts is that they are more aware than ever of their weaknesses, more aware of their failures,  and less attached to worldly distractions.  I don't know about you, but normally the Lord shows me my weaknesses through failures.  So... if I "fail" to fast as long as I had planned... that might be one of His teaching tools.  When I used to fast on Thursdays there were times I got impatient and cranky because I was hungry.  Those were failures, and they were teaching times.  There were days when I would not succeed in fasting the whole day, for a particular reason. Once again, these were teaching times.  Sometimes the lesson was as simple as "know thyself."  Sometimes it was more like, "Use the brain I gave you and don't try to fast a whole day when it's 95 degrees out or when you're doing especially heavy labor."

One more thing:  What if you don't seem to experience anything, or what if you have a bad experience with this fast?  It will likely happen to some of us.  Know that up front.   The goal of fasting is to grow our relationship with our Heavenly Father, to detach from things of earth, including false expectations.  

Sometimes we think that if we fast really well there is some great God-candy reward at the end.  Not so.  That is worldly thinking, anti-gospel thinking, one of the very things that the Lord wants to clean out of my life.  Lesson learned!  God wants to use our physical hunger to make us hungry for Jesus, the Bread of Life.  That isn't always easy to experience or define, and it isn't always pretty!

What if I fail?  The only failure in the next week will be to not seek to know our Heavenly Father in a more intimate way.  To not pray for breakthrough for our church family.

Day One

Type of Fast (If following the Breakthrough fast schedule): Water only.

Scriptures to meditate on:

Romans 14:6
Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Luke 12:23 For life is more than food, and the body 
            more than clothes.

Psalm 62:2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Prayer emphasis: Forgive my lack of desire for you, my God.  I want to want You; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.  Help me to hunger and thirst for You, Lord.  May hunger for all else fall away.

            

Almost There!

-Marcie Gribbin

Well here we are, one day before the official start of the Breakthrough fast.  Today my prayers are with everyone participating, that our hearts will be open to what God is teaching us during this time. I also pray that we will keep our minds and hearts on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. I know without Him, I am nothing, and all my strivings for anything good are in vain. I pray that we remember that God’s grace (not our willpower) is sufficient for us in all other areas of our lives, so especially, as we strive to fast and pray and seek breakthrough in our lives, His grace is sufficient in our weaknesses.

If you have not had chance to pick up a Breakthrough booklet, take heart, the devotionals from the booklet will be posted each morning on this blog, starting tomorrow. Encouraging posts from the Breakthrough team will also continue throughout the week. A Breakthrough prayer list, including prayer requests made by our church family, are available through the church office.

We encourage you not to overeat today, even if the temptation may be to do so.  And, if possible, it might be best if we, today, finish purchasing food for the “Daniel fast” days, which will be days 4-7 (if you are following the Breakthrough fast schedule). 

As a reminder, if you are interested in following the suggested Breakthrough fast, Day 1 will be (starting Thursday, March 1 at 6:00 PM) a “true” water only fast. Days 2-3 (Friday, March 2 at 6:00 PM to Sunday, March 3 at 5:59 PM), water and juice only. Days 4-7 (Sunday, March 3, at 6:00 PM to Thursday, March 8^th at 6:00 PM), will be a type of “Daniel fast,” which includes water, vegetables, and fruit.

Of course, if you are medically unable to follow this fasting schedule, please contact your physician to find out what you may be able to participate in, if anything. If you are taking medications that require you to eat with the meds, please eat with your meds! If you cannot follow the fast due to medical concerns, we welcome you to fast from other things such as media, etc…, and we encourage you to pray with us and for us!

If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or contact the church office.

Blessings!

^“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Ephesians 1:15-17, NIV).

Fasting-- The Italics of Spiritual Formation

 -Pastor Bob Klecan

I have found Douglas Rumford’s perspective in Soul Shaping to be very helpful in understanding the role of fasting in the Christian life.  He writes:

Fasting could be called the italics of the spiritual life; it adds emphasis to other activities we may already be pursuing, such as prayer or repentance or discerning God’s purpose for us.  It brings a sense of urgency and earnestness to anything else we are undertaking.[i]

Think about what Jesus said in Matthew chapter six. He was very clear that fasting was to be done not as a show before other men, but as a way to increase our fellowship with our heavenly Father and seek His reward (Matthew 6:16-18).  For over twenty years now one of the central messages I have been seeking to help God’s people realize is the reality of who they are as Children of God in Christ (i.e. 1 John 3:1; Romans 8:15-16).  I often wonder why it doesn’t always “take.”  Could it be that this type of breakthrough comes by prayer and fasting?  Not as a magic formula, but simply as a way to bring spiritual truth to life, to putting it into Technicolor for the discoverer! 

Think about why the Antioch church fasted before sending out Paul and Barnabas as missionaries (Acts 13:3).  Think about why Paul and Silas fasted and prayed as they  appointed elders in every church they were planting (Acts 14:23).  The reason is not that fasting is a magic wand that moves God’s hand.  The reason is that fasting brings earnestness and urgency to prayer.  If we need a time of concentrated and focused prayer fasting is in order! 

I certainly have experienced this.  When I used to fast every Thursday to pray for our church’s weekly evangelistic service my passion for the Lord, to reach the lost, and for prayer was intensified and focused like few other times I can remember.  This is why I look forward to seeing how the Father is going to form us as practice prayer and fasting!  Let’s be sure not to leave out the italics! 

---

[i] Douglas Rumford, Soulshaping, pg. 287

Waiting to Be Found

-Heather Weismiller


Jentezen Franklin said in his book, The Fasting Edge, "People may think those who fast, pray and seek God's face are fanatics but it's not nutty to go without food for a set portion of time to know God better.  What's nutty is settling instead for a mediocre, lukewarm relationship with Jesus."

You may not have a very good Christian walk right now or you may think it is going really well, but from experience I can tell you it will be even better if you fast.  When you fast you are choosing God over food for a set period of time.  The whole time you are fasting is like a time of worship to God even though you may not be "worshipping" every minute.  Also, you should try to choose God over other free time activities.  Every time you choose Him, it honors Him.  "Them that honour Me I will honour," said God once to a priest of Israel.  And then Jesus said in the New Testament, "If any man serve Me, him will My Father honour."  And thus He tied in the old with the new and reavealed the essential unity of His ways with men. (Tozer)

If there is even a fluttering of interest in your heart to fast, I am praying that you will do it.  Don't let the fear of being seen as "nutty" turn you away.  Seek Him again, and again, and again.  He is waiting to be found by you.

It's About the Focus

- Dave Montgomery

What does it mean to "devote yourselves to prayer?"  Are we to walk around all day praying?  Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that we are to pray continually.  How do we do that? 

I think that for me it means that I am to have God on my mind continually.  How would He want me to do the things I am doing right now?  I know that God is interested in every aspect of my life, not just the big things, but everything.

As we go through life, we develop personal relationship with others.  If we are around them enough we get to know how they think, what to expect of them, how they might react to a situation, what they expect of me, etc...   I want to be continually developing a deeper relationship with God, not only through my times of prayer, but also as I study His word and meditate on it.  I want to be better at listening to Him and allowing Him to give meaning and direction to my life.  I need to spend more time with Him.

 

As I go through this time of fasting and my old nature cries out to be satisfied and my new nature cries out to keep me from giving in, I will have to concentrate on drawing close to God.  It is not about the food, it is about the focus.  If I concentrate on what I am giving up (food) and not on what I am gaining (time to focus on my relationship with God), I might as well not do the fast. 

Daniel Fast Recipes!

Here are a few delicious recipes that can be used during the "Daniel Fast" portion of Breakthrough (days 4-7) !

-Claudia Brydon

Rosemary Potato Wedges

1¾ lb. red potatoes

1 T. olive oil

1 t. rosemary

¼ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

·  Preheat oven to 450°.

·  Cut each potato lengthwise into 6 wedges.  Pat dry with paper towels; place in an 11x7-inch baking dish.  Drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with rosemary and remaining ingredients; toss well.

· Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.                                                                 ¾ hr.

Melanie’s Garden-Tomato Soup

2 t. olive oil

¾ C. chopped onion

1 T. chopped fresh oregano

2 garlic

2 lb. diced tomato

1½ C. water

2½ T. tomato paste

¼ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

1.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, oregano, thyme, and garlic; cook 4 minutes stirring frequently.  Stir in tomato and next 5 ingredients (tomato through pepper).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes.  Blend until smooth.       ½ hr.

Pommes Frites with Chives

¾ lb. gold or red potatoes, cut into 3x¼-inch sticks

2 t. olive oil

2 t. chopped fresh or ½ t. dried thyme

¼ t. garlic salt

cooking spray

1 T. chopped fresh chives

·         Preheat oven to 450°.

·         Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 450° for 30 minutes, turning once.  Toss with chives.                                                      ¾ hr.

Vegetarian Chili

Cooking spray

2 C. chopped onion

¾ C. chopped red bell pepper

¾ C. chopped green bell pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T. chili powder

1 t. Italian seasoning

16 oz. Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

15 oz. Tomato sauce

15 oz. Kidney beans, rinsed and drained

15 oz. Black beans, rinsed and drained

14.5 oz. Diced tomatoes

§  Place a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot.  Add onion and peppers, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.  Add chili powder and next 6 ingredients (chili powder through tomatoes); bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Ladle into soup bowls.       ½ hr.

Spicy Hash Browns

2 T. olive oil

1 t. paprika

¾ t. chili powder

½ t. salt

¼ t. cayenne pepper

1/8 t. black pepper

6½ C. diced baking potato (about 2½ lb.)

Cooking spray

·         Preheat oven to 400°.

·         Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well.  Add potatoes; stir well to coat.  Place potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until browned.                             45 min.