We are in the home stretch in our fast only two days left.  I hope we all have grown closer to the Lord during our time of dedication to Lord.  In these last few days remain strong in your commitment God will meet you in your faithfulness.  What has God been impressing you to do to walk in his favor this year, to walk in his double portion this year.  Today we taught to obtain favor here is a brief outline.

I. The first way that favor is unleashed in your life is by, “ you’re desire for wisdom!”                                                       
II. Secondly, Diligence creates favor!                                                                                                                                    
III.Thirdly,An understanding heart attracts favor.                                                             IV. Fourth, appropriate and right words often generate favor from those around you.                                                                                                                                                                                      V. Fifth, Humility generates favor.                                                                                        VI. Sixth, An uncommon skill or anointing often creates favor!                                                                                                  
VII. Repentance brings favor!                                                                                               VIII.  Last, favor increases when you associate with people of integrity!                                                                          

Today we are on day seventeen we are almost ahve there only four days left.  What have you learned about yourself during the fast?  What has God been speaking to you?  Do you you think you have a closer relationship with God? As you have been doing the readings, have the scriptures come alive to you?  Here is an ouline of what we shared in service last night. 

^{PSALM 41:1-3}

¹ Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
² The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
³ The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
⁴ I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

^{1.                The Lord will deliver him in time of  trouble   No one is immune to hard times. But God has promised to deliver us in our greatest hour of need when we live in obedience to his commands.
2.               The Lord Will preserve him  This promise means the Lord will watch over and keep you.  What an assurance that is for us in these uncertain times we live in.
3.               And keep him alive    addition to keeping you alive I believe this also means that God will keep your marriage alive, your family, your hopes and dreams alive.
4.               And He will be blessed on the earth  If you want to be blessed in your finances, on the job, and with your resources consider the poor
5.               You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies  Satan wants to destroy you and your family, but God has promised divine protection to those who reach to those in need
6.               The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness    Imagine God’s strength in your life even as you age God will renew those who are care for the weak
7.               You will sustain him on his sickbed  This is a promise of healing power in our lives when we care for the poor}

 

                                                                         

Today is day thirteen of our spiritual journey into a deeper relationship with God. Do the best you can to keep up with our bible reading.  If you are finding it difficult to do, just start reading the passage for the day and read as much as you can.  Today's reading is Acts 21:29-Romans 6:3.  Yesterday a lot of people were not in church due to illness.  So I thought I would put up an outline for all to see. 
Living In The Favor of The Lord
WHERE DO I BEGIN?  Psalm 92:1-2
If we want to live in the favor of the we need first to change our attitude to one of gratitude.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving. (Psalm 100:4)                                       
1. Begin to keep a record of the Good things in your life.
I often talk to people who think they have nothing to be thankful for, who evaluate their lives only in terms of what they don't have.
Instead, make it a point to itemize every good thing in your life. If you have to start with the most basic things, then start with the most basic things: you have a pulse, you're breathing, you're here today.
2.  Start and close each day with a time of thanksgiving to God.
Pslams 92:1-2  1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night...
3. Express Gratitude to the people you interact with .
First-Living in the Favor of the Lord through Prayer.
Second-Living in the Favor of the Lord through Faith.
Third-Living in the Favor of the Lord through Obedience.
Fourth-Living in the Favor of the Lord through Patience.








 

Today is day 10 we are almost halfway through our journey of faith.  Jentezen Franklin states that one of things things the enemy hates about fasting is persistence.  After we get beyond the first few days of the enemies' lies telling us we will not make it.  The resistance becomes less.  When you are praying and fasting your persistence breaks resistance.  It brings you to a place where you can feel  God move powerfully in your life. Fasting not only positions you to feel God;  but it also positions you for Him to hear your heart's cry.  The passage I would like you to think about is John 15:4-5
 ⁴“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
⁵“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
This passage is teaches us that if we what to have success in or life the kind of success that God what for us if we want God's will and His best for us we must abide in Him. 
This is much more than having a salvation experience the word for abide is the Greek word "meno" it means to dwell with, in a intimate sense, to have a deep abiding communion with Him one that permeates all our life.  A relationship that extends beyond the "Sunday worship experience" it is when we allow Him to dwell with us in all our everyday experiences.
Tomorrow's reading is Acts 1:12-11:6

Today is day seven keep water with you at all time.  Rest and relax as much as possible, continue to pray and meditate and listen Holy Spirit.  How are you dealing with the temptation of hunger, what is the fast teaching you about the strength of your will. What can you learn from the fast that will help you deal with other temptations you in daily life.  If you can learn to resist food something you must have you use the new found strength of will to help you resist the daily temptations we face.  Allow the word of God to nourish your soul and body.

Sorry, I din't get a post up yesterday but with Church and a ministry meeting with Aposle Tony I Got in late.  Yesterday our reading was Marl 11:21-Luke 3:14 if there are any questions just let me know.  I would suggest that you take a look at the healing of Bartimaeus when he needed a touch from Jesus he wouldn't let anyone or anything come between him and his encounter with Jesus. To often we allow life or people or circumstances to come between us and our encounter with Jesus. 
Today is day 6 remember to spend time in prayer and meditaion, as your body continues to detoxify you will begin to notice your senses begin to heighten in the natural.  In the spiritual you should begin to notice a greater ability to preceive the voice of the Holy Spirit and His gentle prodding in your daily life. Today the passage I would like to highlight is Luke 6:46-49  ⁴⁶“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Take note of the words of Jesus why do you call me Lord and do not things I say.  What Jesus' is saying here that giving Him mere lip service not good enough.  If we truly believe He is our savior and Lord, And that He is who said He was and fail to do what He has instucted us to do in His word and by His Spirit the at best we are decieved at worse we are fools.  Let us all as endeavor to draw near to Jesus in the next 21 days remember that Jesus is more concerned about what we do than what we say.  I am not saying that we should not watch what we say.  Remember the words of the psalmist in psalm 19:14   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Today is day four our our fast in the natural you may feel hunger pangs and be a little more tired than usual.  Make sure you drink plenty of water and be sensitive to what your body is saying to you.  It may me necessary to curtail your physical activity a little.  On the spiritual side you may begin to notice an increased sesitivy to the Holy Spirit in your daily activities.  Make sure to spend ample time in the word and in meditation, as this will not only draw you closer to God, it can become a source of sustance.  Today I would like us to meditate on the passage found in Mark 4:35-41
³⁵On that day, when evening came, He said^* to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶Leaving the crowd, they took^* Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. ³⁷And there arose^* a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
³⁸Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke^* Him and said^* to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. ⁴⁰And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” ⁴¹They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
The lesson for us to learn from this passage is that it does not matter how great or severe the storm of life is that we are facing, it is not beyond the scope of Jesus's power and authority.  We must only come to him in faith and ask for his help.

Today is day three of our journey into a closer relationship wiyh God.  This is typically the most difficult day of the fast.  Hang in there the benifits far outweigh the momentary discomfort.  Remeber that fasting is continual prayer each time you feel hungry remember that your purpose is to is to get Closer to God and just take that moment to meditaite on Him.  As you experience temporary hunger in the flesh for natural food as the Holy Spirit to increase your hunger for Him, also ask the lord to give you a new vision for the coming year. Remember just because something is hard does not mean you should give up, remember no pain to gain.  The passage form our reading today that I would like us to consider is Matthew 18:7-11  ⁷“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! ⁸“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
⁹“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.
¹⁰“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
¹¹“^£For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
The passage teaches us that we need to go to what length necessay to ensure our right relationship with God and our ultimate reward of  spending eternity in heave with Him.  We must also guard our hearts,our testimony, and mouth that we do not become a stumbling block to others.  I don't think we should take it lighty that Jesus said "woe to man who causes a stumbling block." 

Good Morning, sorry I didn't get this up yesterday as with all of us life sent me a curve ball and I had to take care of some unexpected things yesterday.  Yesterday was day two of our fast the second and the third day can be the most challenging because your body starts to burn fat for energy.  Mild physical discomfort is to be expected if you experience something more speak to someone.  The Passage from our reading I want us to think about is Matthew 12:33-37  ³³“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. ³⁵“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. ³⁶“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. ³⁷“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The KJV uses the phrase you Will e judged by every idle word.  As we endeavor to draw closer to God during our fast I think we should consider what kind of fruit comes out of our mouths, are our words justifying us or are they condemning us.  I will post later today the post for today.

As we embark on this spiritual journey for the next 21 one days remember that our purpose is to develop a closer more intimate relationship with God.  We will increase in wisdom understanding and favor with God as we read, fast and pray.  Remember Ecclesiastes says that a cord of three strands is not easily broken.  We will strengthen our relationship with God as we practice these spiritual disciplines for a season of focused and concentrated time with the Lord.  The first thing I believe that we should be praying for and believing God for is lost souls. First in a broad sense paying for the lost of the world then in a more personal sense, that we pay for those we know and those close to us for their salvation.  I would suggest you make a list of those you are praying for and pray for them daily asking God to move in their Life.  This being the first day of our fast you may experience some physical discomfort as your body begins to detox. from sugar caffeine and other things we consume on a daily basis.  I encourage you to hang in there to push through your discomfort and remember that the benefits of a closer relationship with God far outweigh our momentary discomfort. 

Here are a few tips tom help get the most out of this time.  Decide to watch less TV play less video games, spend less time on facebook and spend that time with God. Play praise and worship music in place of other noise distractions and don't just sit and listen to the music participate in it it will bless God and yourself. On the more practical side drink plenty of water at least 8 8oz glasses or more a day.  Headaches and hunger pangs are normal and you can make it through them cravings for food are to be expected we just need to exercise our will and remind ourselves it is only a short time and it is for a greater purpose.  We are reading Matthew 1-12:34 today, I am looking forward to your insights, comments and questions about our passages each day.  Tomorrow we will be reading Matthew 12:35-22:30

Happy New Year to all.  As we look forward to the coming year I am believing God to make this year a  year of double portion.  I am filled with anticipation faith for what God is going to do this year those who are faithful to Him.  Maybe 2012 was not the year you had hoped it would be,  maybe you didn't get that job or the promotion you had hoped for, maybe you experienced a significant loss of some kind. Believe God to give you a better year this year than last, put the failings, mistakes and shortcomings of last year behind you and believe that 2013 will not only be a year of double portion but your best year yet. Paul said in Philipians 4:13 "... but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.", in 2 Corinthians 5:17  He said "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. " Let us leave 2012 behind us and move forward with great expectations as to what God can and will do for us all this year.  As we begin our fast tomorrow pray for one another that God will strengthen us all.  Tomorrow our reading is Matthew 1:1 - 12:34   on Thursday and each following day I will open the blog with thoughts and comments on the previous days reading.