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No, don’t stop fast and pray. 

What do you do to while away your free time?  Our time wasters are often things we don’t even give conscious thought to.  Most of us check out social media, talk or text on the phone, play video games, watch t.v., read, eat, nap, and find other ways to fill space in our days.  Sometimes that space is just a few minutes of down time.  Sometimes it can be hours that get sucked away.

What if you stopped that time sucker for a time?  Just give it up and walk away from it for a short or long period that you determine.  Another way to say this would be to fast from this activity.  Fasting is one of those terms that scares most folks enough that they stop listening  when its mentioned.  Or panic, like I do. 

Fasting is a very old term.  Most of us feel hunger pangs just hearing the word.  But it doesn’t always mean you have to give up food.  It does mean giving something up and replacing it with something more important.  It does mean you have to choose to give up something that is important to you.  So, if social media is what you enjoy spending time doing, that would be what you choose to give up.  Don’t panic.  It’s not forever.  Most fasts are for a set period of time, with a specific goal in mind. 

In this case, the goal of the fast would be to replace the time killer with specific prayer for revival and renewal of Jesus’ church.  Hopefully you already have a prayer time in your day.

Pastor Ann has been teaching on Keys of the Kingdom: forgiveness, humility and prayer.  This week she’ll be bringing us a message about how the Key of fasting works.  Find out what she has to say on Sunday morning at 10:55.  In the meantime, please pray for revival in Jesus’ church.

This week Pastor Ann will continue her series on the Kingdom of God.  She will be expanding on the Key of prayer as she takes us back to 1 John.   As we learn about prayer we discover that there are some basic rules for our prayers to be effective.  Prayer is an extremely powerful tool.  It is one of the keys that can open or shut the door of heaven, as Jesus said in Matt 16:19. 

There are two Keys we need in place to strengthen the Key of prayer.  The first is the Key of forgiveness.  Pastor Ann reminded us of the Lord’s prayer which says in part “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…” Matt. 6:12.  If we are unwilling to forgive others, or to seek forgiveness from others, our Father isn’t going to forgive us. 

The second Key is humility.  This is a difficult one for most of us.  Our culture no longer teaches this attribute as something desirable.  Humility  involves letting go of our pride and giving all the glory to God whenever we win. 

When we have forgiveness in our hearts alongside humility, our prayers become what they were meant to be.  Potent.  Powerful.  Pleasing to God.  They work to impact life on earth as we beg God to do something.  They release our dominion to Him, that “His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt 6:10.

Pastor Ann will be bringing His message at the 10:55 worship service.  Please consider joining us in the sanctuary or on FB live-stream.