06 Jan Church-wide Fast This Week!

Hi all and Happy New Year to you!

After being off last week, I am excited to be back and experience all that God has in store for us this year.

To begin the New Year in the appropriate heart posture, we are doing what we do every year, and that is to start off the year (more or less!) with a 3 day fast this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.

If you’ve never fasted before, fasting is a way of physically denying the body in some way (primarily through the lack of food) to open up our lives spiritually to what our Father God wants to speak and say to us.

Fasting looses things that are bound up (Isaiah 58), shows a desperation for God to act (Esther 4), and is presumed to be a regular part of the Christian’s life (Matthew 6).

In short, it is a means by which we consecrate, or set ourselves apart, for the work of God in our lives.

Yes, it can be painful. Yes, it slows us down. And yes, by the end you may even find yourself longing for just a piece of celery to eat—but what a good kind of pain, and slowness and longing it is!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, Jesus said, for they will be filled!

Feel free to pray and believe God for whatever personal breakthrough you are trusting him for, but along with that, you can use this as a rough guide for the next few days (and I’ll be posting this on social media as well):

Day 1 (Wednesday): Pray for our Nation
– for repentance and humility to be our posture as people, and that out of that would come unity and God’s hand of protection
– for our leaders, that they would walk in the fear of the Lord, knowing they will answer to a higher court than the American people
– for our armed forces and their families who serve around the world

Day 2: Pray for our City
– for our elected officials, that they would walk in the fear of the Lord, knowing they will answer to a higher court than the people of Austin
– for our law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders, that they would serve with integrity and skill
– for the people of Austin to turn from themselves and place their faith in the One True God through Jesus Christ

Day 3: Pray for our Church
– that we (and the body of Christ in Austin) would love the Lord our God with all we have
– that we would boldly proclaim the Gospel, as we ought
– that we would serve and love the city in meaningful ways
– that our internal ministries (Next Generation, TGA, Grow, Community Groups, etc…) would prosper
– that above all, God’s presence would be in our midst and hold us together on mission

Please consider participating in at least some way, and for those of you with children old enough, consider having a conversation with your child about a way in which he or she could participate as well (fasting from media, sugar, etc.)

Finally, there are two opportunities to pray together as a church body:

1. This Friday morning, as we return to our regularly scheduled Friday morning prayer meetings at 7 am in Elevate
2. This Friday afternoon at 6 pm, also in Elevate, as our worship team joins us to help lead our hearts toward seeking God corporately. Childcare is available that evening.

We hope to see you then! Let’s seek God together! Who knows what great thing might happen?

Morgan