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.

Clean Vessels

-Marge Montgomery


 I’M EXCITED
I have attended church all of my life.  I was saved at age 10 (a long time ago) but I have never fasted even once.  So I’m excited to fast so I can learn more about the Lord and how I can serve Him better.

The Lord goes ahead of us and gets us ready to do His will.  I have been reading several books lately and they all seem to point to sins that we don’t think we are doing or some that we know for certain we are doing.  Now I realize what the Lord was doing.  He was preparing me for the fast by showing me my sins and putting them under the blood.  We cannot expect much from our fast if we are bogged down with unconfessed sin.  We need to be clean vessels.  Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments"
(John 14:15).   

As you pray to the Lord remind Him of the verse in I John 1:9.  His word says, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteous”.

I am going to give this fast everything I have.  I so want to please the Lord and have Him draw near to me.  That takes obedience on my part.

We need to pray scripture concerning our needs and to trust scripture that if God said it, and it is true.  For instance, I John 1:9 tells how to be cleansed but we have to believe it and accept forgiveness and get on with our life and live the life God has planned for us.  God cannot use us if we are dragging our guilt around with us for the rest of our lives.  We need to break free from Satan’s influence

My Fasting Testimony

 -Pastor Bob Klecan

Fasting is one of my fondest memories of my days as a very young Christian.  While I have continued to fast up until the present day, I am sorry to say that I have not given fasting the place it deserves as a spiritual discipline, a means of growing closer to our Heavenly Father.  And I have not shared the benefit of fasting congregation-wide, for which I am sorry.  Now the Lord has blown the doors wide open!  Well, here’s my story. 

First of all, I accepted Jesus in the midst of a three-day fast during Holy Week 1984.  I was 19 and seeking the meaning of life, and was reading through the Gospel of Matthew.  When I came to the place where Jesus talked about fasting (6:16-18) I decided that I should fast if I was seeking spiritual truth.  I was pleased to know that Christianity affirmed fasting, because I was already positively inclined toward the practice due to my dabblings in Hinduism.  As we talked about last Sunday, those who fast should not feel spiritually superior to those who don’t.  Least of all me…I started fasting because of Hinduism!  J  Anyway, during the second day of fasting, in the evening, I read for the first time “Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).  I prayed “That’s it!  Jesus, be with me always!”  Not exactly the four spiritual laws, but the Lord hears the heart.  I fasted through Saturday and then feasted some on Easter. 

My original church had a weekly evangelistic service, much like a mini-Billy Graham crusade every Thursday night.  Because of this I started fasting every Thursday until after this service.  During the day this reminded me to pray, because I have always been prone to notice when my stomach is empty.  I couldn’t escape the reminder.  It also intensified my prayers because feeling this physical discomfort, especially when I was doing hard physical work (landscaping), caused me to be much more intent on seeking my Father.  Instead of eating during lunch hour I would spend this time praying and reading.  I was less prone to distraction and more prone to keep priorities straight during a day of fasting.

When I arrived at the service during this day of fasting I remained in a state of heightened prayer intensity for the entire time.  At the end I would usually counsel somebody at the altar and pray with them to accept Christ.  I was always sharp and ready for ministry because of the focused intensity fasting helped me experience all day along. 

Then came a really cool weekly tradition: there was a Taco Bell just down the road, and after the service my friends and I would go and eat.  I was usually not the only one fasting, so it was like a party!  And sometimes we would be accompanied by those we counseled at the altar!  Believe me, a burrito supreme in that atmosphere is like a gourmet feast!  It was a Thursday habit of fasting and prayer and ministry ending in feasting!  What could be better! 

Those are great memories.  And now it’s time to make new memories of experiencing God through fasting!  Can’t wait.  

Expect and Surrender!

-John Brydon

Do you ever enter prayer feeling weak?  There is certainly nothing wrong with that because, even as the children’s song suggests, “we are weak and He is strong”.  Nonetheless, there are times when I have found my weakness crippling my ability to pray.  I know I don’t have the ability or the authority to effectively change a situation and somehow I assume because I don’t, God doesn’t either.  Obviously, that is a serious mistake. 

When you pray, please remember who you are praying to.  Almighty God: 

¨ Has every possible resource available to Him.

¨ Loves you and those you care about even more than you do.

¨ Understands the situation you are in even better than you do.

It also helps to remember, that no one, anywhere in all creation, wants better for you than Almighty God.

When you pray through this time of fasting, remind yourself who you are and who He is.  Enter into His presence, at once expectant and surrendered.  Look again at the three bulleted thoughts above, and rejoice. 

One Last Grape

-Marcie Gribbin

(Adapted from John 15:1-11, and John 18, 19, &20.)

Imagine for a few minutes that you are one of the twelve disciples of Christ. You are relaxed, eating a meal with your best friends, and your Teacher begins speaking about vines and branches. Maybe He even picks up a cluster of grapes and plucks one, rolling it in His hand as He illustrates His point.

"Abide in me," He keeps saying, and though you are listening you don't quite understand what His point is. But you are having a good time, nonetheless. "Abide in me," He says again.

Someone passes the dish of grapes and you pick a cluster out, pull one grape off, and pop it into your mouth. You smile. Grapes are your favorite comfort food. They remind you of home. You recline a little and pop a few more grapes into your mouth. They are juicy and sweet and even quench the thirst you have been feeling.

"Abide in my love," the Teacher says, and you smile.

Of course I will, you think to yourself. I always will.

The Teacher says, "These things I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

You wrinkle your brow slightly as you pop another grape in. "How can I feel any more joy than I do right now?" you say to yourself. The Teacher continues and makes many intriguing points and you are captivated, as usual, by His wisdom.

But then, a few nightmarish days pass. In those few painful days you witness your Teacher being betrayed, tried, beaten, whipped, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a Roman cross. Then, He cried out and died. They buried Him in a stranger's tomb. And now you are together with your best friends again, in a locked room because you fear what your own people will do to you because you are a follower of the Teacher.

But this time everyone is quiet. No one knows what to say. Some are crying. Some are praying, but you are sitting quietly staring off at nothing.

Until you spot it-

That pretentious little bowl of grapes at the end of the table.

"Abide in me," you hear, and it sounds to you as if the Teacher was speaking into your ear. "Abide in me."

You stand and head to the grapes. You feel heat rising within you, passion born of helplessness and confusion. You know you are going to throw those deceiving clusters across the room. You pick up the bowl and are about to pitch it when a grape drops into your hand. On instinct, you cup your hand and pop it into your mouth. It tastes sweet and juicy and once again it quenches your thirst.

"Abide in me," you hear again.

And you cradle the bowl to your chest. You sit down and weep over it. It is the first time you have allowed yourself to weep in these last few wretched days. The tears flood like a river, but no one comes to comfort you. They are all weeping with you now. And you can feel the emptiness in the marrow of your bones, and you know they all feel it too. But you remember your Teacher saying something about joy. What was it?

These things I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

"But How will I EVER feel joy AGAIN?" you cry out. No one argues with you, or even looks at you. You know they are wondering the same thing.

"Abide in Me," you hear, though no one is speaking.

"I don't understand! You are gone! You are dead! I thought you were the Messiah! But they killed you!"

"Abide in Me."

"How can I abide in You? I can't even see You!" Your words cause some of the others to bury themselves further into their hands to silence their sobs.

And then there is a panicked knock at the door. You hear Mary Magdalene's voice, begging to enter. Someone opens the door and you look up. She stares right at you and says, "I have seen the Lord!"

You jump to your feet.

Mary explains that she saw Him at the tomb. You sit back down and wonder at her words. Your hand touches the bowl of fruit.

"Abide in Me," you hear again. And you think, maybe, you are on the verge of understanding. And then evening comes.

The doors are shut and locked, the windows closed. You are picking at the last cluster of grapes, occasionally tasting. You don't know what else to do with yourself. The others are still talking about Mary's testimony and you are sitting quietly, listening to them wonder aloud.

And then you hear.

"Peace be with you!" a voice says, so kind, so compelling.

You jump to your feet until you realize it is Him. Then you fall to your knees. He looks right at you, with eyes that show He knows you, every part of you. And you know He loves you, even still. And you see His scarred hands and feet.

And you KNOW…

Apart from Him you can do nothing.

You must always abide in Him.

He is the vine that gives nourishment—that quenches thirst, that gives life. And now you must bear fruit. And no matter what happens, from this day forward, you know that as you abide in Him, your joy will break through—and be made full.

Accelerate Your Destiny

-Heather Weismiller

In his book, The Fasting Edge, Jentezen Franklin says, "When you fast, pray for God to define His plans and direction for your life. God can do more in one moment than you or I can do in a lifetime...I truly believe that fasting often accelerates your destiny."

When I was reading that for the first time, I thought, "Yeah right."  But then when I thought back to what God has accomplished in me in the last year I thought, "Wow".  I would have never thought about it as God accelerating my destiny, but I guess that is what He has been doing. I have learned more about God and the Christian walk in the last year that I have in the last ten years!  And He has given me a whole new direction for my life.  Pray that He will empty you of all that is not pleasing to Him and humbly ask Him to fill you with the desires He has for you.  I can't wait to hear what He is accomplishing in your life!

Seek Me and Find Me

-Dave Montgomery


I have never been successful at fasting.  I think it’s because in the past, for me, it’s been all about giving up food, not about seeking God.  This time I think it will be different.  I want to be continually drawing closer to God and understanding His will for me.

In Jeremiah 29:13, God says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  What an encouraging promise this is.  If we truly seek Him he will hear us and reveal Himself to us. God is incomprehensible, that is we have nothing on earth to compare Him to.

A.W. Tozser writes, in The Knowledge of the Holy, "The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the Incomprehensible, to touch and taste the Unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man.  Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its Source.  How can this be realized? The answer of the Bible is simply “through Jesus Christ our Lord”. In Christ and by Christ, God effects complete self-disclosure, although He shows Himself not to reason but to faith and love.  Faith is an organ of knowledge, and love an organ of experience.  God came to us in the incarnation; in atonement He reconciled us to Himself, and by faith and love we enter and lay hold on Him."

Praise God that He sent Jesus Christ to redeem us and help us understand more about Him.  I hope that we will all individually and corporately grow in our understanding of God and His will for our lives through this week of fasting and prayer.

Welcome to Breakthrough!

We are so excited to be embarking on this journey of fasting and prayer together! Breakthrough, which is what we are calling our dedicated time of fasting and prayer as a church body, will begin Thursday, March 1, 2012, and end Thursday, March 8, 2012. We hope this blog will be a helpful aid in this journey!

What is fasting and why should we fast?

Fasting, which should always be done hand-in-hand with dedicated times of prayer, is an act of obedience, a spiritual discipline, a sacrifice to God, and a humble act of worship. Typically, fasting means abstaining from food.

There are many Scriptural examples of fasting. Moses fasted and received a covenant-- The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). He fasted again when he cried for mercy for his people (Deuteronomy 9:13-20). David fasted for repentance and for prayer for the welfare of his child (II Samuel 12). Nehemiah fasted and prayed for the safety of his people in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1). Daniel fasted in confession for himself and his people (Daniel 9). The church in Antioch fasted and prayed for Paul and Barnabas as they were sent off to preach the Gospel (Acts 13). Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed as they appointed elders for various churches (Acts 14). And of course, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4). We cannot begin to imagine the prayers of love, mercy, grief, and blessing our Savior prayed as He fasted there.

In all of these instances, fasting and prayer were done in communication with the Lord. And in all of these instances--and more--a breakthrough was sought, and the Lord answered.

We are emphasizing the word "breakthrough" because, through this concentrated time of fasting and prayer, we seek breakthrough--or direction from the Lord--for our church family, our individual families, our community, and ourselves. We long to see spiritual growth in our church and surrender to God. We long for the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual condition. And we long for repentance and transformation.


Who should not fast?

Everyone, of course can set aside this time in dedicated prayer. However, if you have a medical condition in which fasting could interfere with your physical health, we recommend consulting your physician, and possibly refraining from fasting if necessary.

How to prepare for a fast: Spiritually and Physically:

Spiritually, we should prepare for the fast by being in prayer and studying the Word of God. We should come into this time humbly, seeking no accolades or acknowledgement. We should enter this time simply for communication with the Lord.

Physically, we can prepare for the fast by eating a healthy diet of vegetables and protein in the days preceding the fast, and limiting sugar, white flour, white rice, starchy foods, and other forms of simple carbohydrates which our bodies burn up quickly for fuel.

Types of fasting:

We are encouraging a graduated fast, beginning with a "water only" day, followed by two days of water and juice only, and ending with a "water, vegetable, and fruit only" fast. However, other fasting options are available and may be more suitable to your needs. For example, fasting can be done for one meal only, or you could choose to follow the days 4-7 fast the entire week.

Keep checking in daily for encouragement and tips!!

God bless!