With All Your Heart

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

(Deuteronomy 4:29)

On this last day of the year, as we prepare our resolutions for the New Year (and remember to write “2013” instead of “2012”), let’s take a moment to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord. What an incredible promise we are given in Deuteronomy, that we will find Him if we seek Him with all of our hearts!

In his devotional book, In His Presence, Charles Stanley offers some practical helps for seeking the Lord. Stanley writes:

Seek God out of your need but be willing to accept His solution.  Many of the psalms are the heart cries of God's people in deep distress.  Their persecution, loneliness, anxiety, fears, and troubles have led them to a point of desperation. God often uses extremity to press you to Himself.  You seek Him because you are in arduous straits.

Be careful not to seek the quick or easy way out of your dilemma. That would lessen your pain, but it may not be God's way of escape.  Don't let the urgency of your need obscure God's wise and loving answer.

Seek counsel from others.  Seeking God first and foremost is about knowing who He is.  However, realize that He frequently reveals Himself through the counsel of others.  When you seek God, you are receptive to the means He chooses to help and comfort you, including the loving touch of a friend, pastor, or counselor.  Be alert to His leadership as you read Christian material and converse with other believers

.

Try fasting as part of the seeking process. Fasting can be helpful on occasions, especially when your need is crucial. Skip a meal or two---or more as God directs-and you will find your focus on Christ even sharper. Fasting indicates you mean serious business with God.

As we enter into this time of Great Beginnings, let’s take the time to seek the Lord and to encourage one another in seeking Him.

Happy New Year, and have a blessed Great Beginning! 

Teach Me to Number My Days

Never before in the history of the world has it been so feasible that the end times are upon us.  I am no Biblical scholar, but when we look at the exponential increase in knowledge the last 30 years, that people are running to and fro with ease (see Dan 12:4) we can see that we are approaching the last days.

We are so connected that when some catastrophe happens across the world we know in minutes.  It is not difficult to see that a one world government could be put in place. Mountains and rivers and oceans used to be a natural barrier to invading armies, but now all we need is the threat of nuclear, biological or chemical warfare to bring a country to its knees. 

All countries have now been penetrated with the gospel and nearly all language groups.  As I type, the You Version of the Bible has been downloaded nearly 74 million times in hundreds of languages. (See Matt 24:14)

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like in Noah's day where people are marrying and working right up until the time of His return.  The days of Noah are also described as a time of violence.  How many mass killings have we seen in the last couple of years and other violence against each other?

Russia and Iran have never been friends in the history of the world, as far as I know, until now.  They are two of the nations that are predicted in the Bible to come against Israel in the last days.

No one knows the day or time when these things will happen except the Father.  But Jesus warns us to be on guard! Stay alert! "You too must keep watch!  For you don't know when the master of the household will return - in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.  Don't let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning.  I say to you what I say to everyone:  Watch for Him!" (Mark 13:35-37)  But even if you don't believe the return of Christ is going to occur soon, we must always remember that our works, as Christians, will one day be tried by fire.  And I know that I don't want to be left kneeling before Him with nothing to show for my days here.

So almost two years ago I started to pray, "Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom."  Since then God has put an urgency in my heart for his kingdom.  This did two things for me.  First, it helped me to eliminate things that weren't important to Him and not waste my time.  Second, it made me more grateful for every day and what blessings He's given me.  God put this urgency in my heart.  I didn't have to feel like I was working to feel this way.

I hope that as we give this first 21 days to God as a tithe of our time, fasting and praying and reading His Word, we will pray this prayer together as a church, and He will answer in a mighty and powerful way to stop treating this world as our home and seeking Him and His will continually.

-Heather Weismiller

Welcome To Great Beginnings!

We are so excited to be embarking on this journey of fasting and prayer together! Great Beginnings, which is what we are calling our dedicated time of fasting and prayer as a church body, will begin Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 6:00 pm, and end Tuesday, January 21, 2013. 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—the Lord was sought, and the Lord answered.

            We are emphasizing this time as a time of “Great Beginnings" because, through this concentrated time of fasting and prayer, we seek to begin our new year, and each new day, with knowing that His mercies are new every morning. We are asking God, as it says in Psalm 90:12, to teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We long to see spiritual growth in our church and surrender our days to God. We long for the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual condition. And we long for repentance and transformation.


Who should not fast from food?

             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. Fasting from things such as internet, television, or any other thing that turns our hearts from spending time in the Word and in prayer is a good alternative for those who wish to participate but who cannot fast from food, and also is a great source of additional fasting for those who can fast from food. God knows our hearts towards Him!

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 recommend setting goals ahead of time for the type of fast you plan to do. If you choose to do a Daniel fast, which restricts the diet to vegetables, fruit, and water (and there are variations of this fast), we suggest planning your menus ahead so that your time is not consumed with preparing new ways to cook fruits and vegetables. This would defeat the purpose of setting aside the time we usually spend in food preparation for times of prayer.

           You may choose to do a juice-only fast, or a water only fast. You could also choose to graduate your fast from one type to the next, week by week. Or, you could choose to fast a meal only every day. This is between you and God.

           As always, if there are medical concerns, consult a physician.

Journaling: 

          We recommend writing down specific prayer requests you have at the beginning of the fasting period, and continuing to write down daily the things the Lord is teaching you, the things you may be struggling with during this fast, and prayerfully, how the Lord is answering you. Sometimes our prayers are being answered when we do not know it, and we may recognize this process long past the fasting period, and sometimes our prayers are answered after the fasting period has ended, so it will be good to be able to reflect on how and what you specifically prayed for. Some space is provided in the booklet (which you can obtain at First Baptist Church of North East) for personal reflection on the daily devotionals, but we also recommend keeping a separate journal for specific prayers.

The Greatest Beginning

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

     He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

    The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 

    Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

    The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

-John 1:1-14 (NIV)