Episodes
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS - Fasting
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS - “FASTING” (series) Nov 26, 2017
Matt. 6:1 Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no REWARD from your Father in heaven...
In the next 8 verses Jesus lists the 3 Christian Displays of Righteousness that GOD REWARDS: Praying, Giving, & Fasting
Jesus didn’t say IF, but WHEN you Give, Pray & Fast
GOD Expects us to Fast because He Plans to reward it.
2Chr. 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall HUMBLE themselves, and pray, and SEEK my face, and TURN from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
There can be no doubt that GOD desires to Forgive the sins of His people and Heal our lands. But there must first be a Humbling, Seeking, and Turning, on our part.
Fasting empowers Humbling, Seeking, and Turning by redirecting our dependence on natural food into desire for greater closeness with the LORD.
Fasting repositions our desire over our dependence
It's simply curbing the appetite of the flesh in order to increase our appetite for the things of GOD.
DANIEL —
In Daniel’s 1st fast (ch 9) he prays with repentance for Israel’s sins, after discovering Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years of captivity is completed. And is visited by the angel Gabriel.
In his 2nd fast (ch 10) Daniel prays 21 days (fasting) for the explanation of a vision. An angel is dispatched with the answer, on day one, but fights the demon of Persia during the 21 days, before breaking through!
How many Answers, Breakthroughs, and Deliverances, have not reached us because we don’t fast, or quit too soon?
In many areas we receive partial blessings without complete victories, because our faith needs to be applied with fasting...
The disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t cast the devil out of a seizure-ridden boy. And He replies...
Matt. 17:20 “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.
Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.
Sometimes the answers from GOD that we seek remain beyond reach, waiting for Faith through Fasting to hit critical mass and vault over the walls of impossibility.
Fasting Is a way of reprioritizing yourself; making the demands of your body subservient to your spirit.
In Jn 4, when the disciples brought food to Jesus, he said, “I have food to eat that you don’t understand. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to complete His tasks.”
Paul writes in Ro 12:1-2, Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God–which is your reasonable service.
Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
GOD has perfect plans for your life, your family, ministry, and job. Don't you want to know what they are and apprehend them?
Fasting is a holy & healthy way for you to make your body a sacrifice to GOD, so that your Mind can be renewed, and you can KNOW THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD.
Fasting...
• Clears plaque from your spiritual arteries,
• Trims the excess weight of guilt from your soul,
• Frees your sluggish mind from the toxin of fear,
• Sharpens spiritual receptivity & restores boldness.
Fasting Targets CLOSENESS, DELIVERANCE, & SUCCESS
CLOSENESS -- Repentance, Drawing Closer, & Receiving Answers from GOD
People who got close to GOD by fasting...
MOSES — Ex 34:27-28 On 40 day fast, receives the 10 Commandments
HANNAH - Fasts in her grief over barrens and GOD gives her the Prophet Samuel for a son
NEHEMIAH — Neh 1:4 Learns of the broken and depressed condition of Jerusalem and the Jews left behind during the exile. He fasts and repents for the nation and GOD gives him favor with Artaxerxes, to go and rebuild the walls.
PAUL — Ac 9:1-9 Fasts and repents for 3 days after his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, and exchanges blindness and error for a relationship with Jesus.
CORNELIUS — Ac 10:30 A Roman Centurion is fasting and seeking GOD when he receives a visitation from an angel, instructing him to send for Peter, which leads to him (and his entire household) becoming the first Gentiles to be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.
DELIVERANCE -- From Satanic Holds, Patterns Of Bondage, & Destruction
ESTHER — Esth 4:14-16 A Jewish wife of Xerxes, king of Medo-Persian empire, learns of a plot to annihilate all the Jews, so she proclaims a 3 day fast that leads to their deliverance and elevation instead.
JEHOSHAPHAT & JUDAH — 2Chr. 20:3-25 Are invaded by a huge Moabite-Ammonite army and threatened with annihilation. After fasting and humbling themselves before the Lord, they send out the Praise Team against the invaders and they all turn on each other. Takes 3 days to gather the spoil!
DANIEL - Escapes the lion’s den as King Darius fasts through the night. Discovering Daniel’s deliverance the next morning, King Darius makes a royal proclamation that the LORD is the true Living GOD and and must be worshipped throughout the empire.
NINEVEH — Jonah ch 3 120K Ninevites (men, women, children, animals) fast and repent 40 days, and are spared from judgment.
SUCCESS -- Taking Territorial Assignments & Achieving GOD’s Goals in Ministry
JESUS - Repels Satan’s temptation and gains power for ministry
Luke 4:1-3 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God...
(Satan tempts Jesus with the Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eye, and the Pride of Life)...
Luke 4:13-14 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee,...
ANTIOCH ELDERS — Ac 13:1-4 Are fasting and seeking GOD when the Holy Spirit speaks to send Paul out on the ministry he was called to. After more fasting Paul is sent by the power off the Holy Spirit.
Faith Christian Church will be entering 2018 with a 21 Day fast!
We are going to Fast & Pray for...
- Our Closeness with GOD,
- Deliverance from sickness and oppression
- Success in our ministry assignments
I’ve provided a copy of Jentezen Franklin’s book, “FASTING—Opening the door to a deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with GOD” for each of you to begin reading and preparing yourself.
Over the next few weeks I want you to plan out your fasting schedule, and I’m going to create a Fasting Calendar with everyone’s commitment on it, so we can cover the entire 21 day period.
Pick the Frequency & Type of your fast.
Pick the Frequency of Your Fast...
- Full 21 Days
- Certain Days Each Week (3 Weeks)
Pick the Type of Your Fast
- Full Fast - Water Only or Water & Juices Only
- “Daniel Fast” – No Meats. No Sweets. No Bread
- Partial Fast – Sun Up to Sun Down
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS-8 "The Place of Seperation"
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS-8 “THE PLACE OF SEPARATION” (series) Nov 12, 2017
PREPARATION TO PRAY
GOD laid out 10 Requirements with which Aaron was to Prepare himself to enter His Presence in prayer and receive His blessing of Atonement.
Since GOD’s standard of Holiness has not ended, these 10 Requirements remain in place today.
Only, we no longer perform these symbolic rituals, as Aaron did, but we practice their actual fulfillment through our relationship with Jesus.
- APPROPRIATE GOD’S GRACE
- PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS
- PUT ON TRUTH & HONESTY
- BE CLEANSED WITH THE WORD
- WORSHIP GOD
#6 - SEPARATE YOURSELF
Lev. 16:17 Nobody is to be in the Tent of Meeting when Aaron enters to make atonement in the holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
The 6th Requirement in preparation for entering GOD's Presence, is to SEPARATE YOURSELF. When Aaron entered the Most Holy Place to pray he had to be alone, and no one was
allowed to conduct activity or be in the Holy Place until he came out.
When we come to commune with Him, GOD must not have to share our attention with anything else.
You need to get away from distractions that pull your attention from the Lord. That includes...
• people talking
• the TV
• your cell phone
• even listening to music (if you’re getting into it)
Jer. 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with ALL your heart.
Seeking AND Finding GOD when praying requires ALL your heart...
ALL = Mental Attention, not emotional intensity
Lack of Attention is the #1 reason for failing to FIND the answers GOD has set before us.
The greatest threat to prayer for the modern Christian is the inability to give GOD your Undivided Attention...with ALL your heart.
In the modern Culture of Connectivity people are addicted to information. We can barely break away from the digital stream to think independently.
Satan doesn’t have to attack our faith or theology. He simply uses our addiction to the digital stream of the world to enslave our attention, so that we can’t seek and find when we pray.
THE TENT OF MEETING
Nobody is to be in the Tent of Meeting when Aaron enters...
Even when we gather for corporate worship, the term, Tent of Meeting promotes the concept that Prayer is turning aside from your regular activities in order to MEET with GOD.
Sometimes we mistake our faith in GOD’s omnipresence for fellowship. Prayer isn’t based on GOD being with us, but rather us being with Him.
The reason that GOD taught Prayer through the MODEL of The Tent of Meeting, was not to promote the idea that Prayer only works in special holy places. But rather to a safeguard against human spiritualism.
The MODEL of The Tent of Meeting, was meant to instill the reality that Prayer brings US into a Meeting with GOD.
Matt. 11:28 COME to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
COME = Come apart and follow
John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him COME to me and drink.
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever COMES to me shall not hunger,
The PLACE where GOD meets us isn’t in a special building. It isn’t even a place in you. But prayer is a Place in GOD.
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that IN ME you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage–I have conquered the world.”
Sunday Nov 05, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS-7 "Worship & Praise" (Nick Champlin)
Sunday Nov 05, 2017
Sunday Nov 05, 2017
PRAYER THAT CONNECTS-7 “WORSHIP & PRAISE” (series) Nov 5, 2017
Lev. 10:1-2 NADAB and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange and unholy fire before the Lord, as He had not commanded them. And there came forth fire from before the Lord and killed them, and they died before the Lord.
Lev. 16:1 AFTER THE death of Aaron’s two sons, when they drew near before the Lord [offered false fire] and died,
Lev. 16:2 The Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron your brother he must not come at all times into the Holy of Holies within the veil before the mercy seat upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.
Lev. 16:3 But Aaron shall come into the holy Place in this way...(read the whole chapter)
PREPARATION TO PRAY
Connection w/ GOD is based on being ACCOUNTABILE to Him for our lives. Therefore GOD has laid out a WAY for us to Prepare to enter His Presence. Because if we pray based on our convenience rather than GOD’s requirements, we risk disrespecting His honor. Both Casualness and Religiosity toward GOD kill prayer.
Therefore GOD laid out 10 Steps of Preparation for Aaron to enter His Presence and receive His blessing.
Since GOD’s requirement for Holiness has not ended, these 10 Preparations remain in place today.
Only, we no longer perform these symbolic rituals, as Aaron did, but we practice their actual fulfillment through our relationship with Jesus.
#5 - WORSHIP & PRAISE
The 5th preparation for entering GOD's Presence, is WORSHIP & PRAISE. This was symbolized as a censor full of GOD’s fire from the Brazen Altar and 2 handfuls of finely ground sweet incense.
Lev. 16:12-13 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten (very) small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
Aaron entered the Holy of Holies with the censor in one hand the incense, piled on a plate, in the other. Laying the burning coals out on the floor between him and The Ark of the Covenant (GOD) and poured the incense on the coals, which would create a thin smokey vail between him and GOD, through which they would commune. Selah!
Aaron represented Jesus, our Eternal High Priest, entering the Holy of Holies in Heaven as our Redeemer. And the Fire & Incense represents His Intercession for us.
Heb. 9:11-12, 24 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption... For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands—the representation of the true sanctuary–but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.
Simultaneously, the Incense and Fire also represents Our Worship AGREEING with the INTERCESSION Jesus is Offering for us!
Truth-based sincere Worship is what overlays our prayers with His Intercession. In 4:23-24
The Incense — two handfuls of sweet incense...His Hands are filled with our needs as He enters Heaven for us. Jesus' Worship is filled with His intercession for us!
And so correspondingly, we must come filled with worship, carrying nothing else, as we enter His Presence!
...beaten small...Jesus’ intercession for us is not in chunks of generality, but is finely beaten into minute specificity, addressing the smallest details of our lives.
The Fire Of GOD — a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD... This fire (which fell from Heaven) signifies GOD’s total acceptance of Jesus’ suffering on our behalf.
Our worship is Accepted when it’s Praising the Acceptance of His atoning sacrifice!
So our Worship must CORRESPOND with Jesus’ Sacrifice for us in order to bring us into the Presence of GOD.
Faith & Praise
The difference between Worship and Song-singing. Your Beliefs become Faith, and an Act of Communion between you and the Father, when you Praise Him for Jesus’ Atonement, directly out loud.
A Practical Example: (Ask the congregation)
- Do love the person next to you?
- Yes.
- Then turn to them now and say so.
Notice the hesitation? The tension? That’s because you’re moving from Private Feelings to the Courage of Confrontation. From Believing to Giving.
Don’t come Empty Handed!
By GIVING your Worship you are CONNECTING with Jesus, YOUR Savior, and positioning yourself to receive exactly what you’re Praising Him for!!
To come into GOD’s Presence when you pray, begin by Worshipping the Atoning Lamb of GOD.
Our Father in Heaven, holy is your name...
WHY Must I Worship OUT LOUD?
Why isn’t correct thinking and a clean heart of affection for GOD enough to bring me into His Presence? If He knows my mind and heart, why must I be vocal about it?
GOD’s Presence isn’t a place of CORRECTNESS but COMMUNION.
GOD is relational and has designed us the same way...
• Having correct Belief and Affection is communing with yourself.
• Expressing it in Worship is communing with GOD.
For the same reason that you must express your Love and not just harbor private sentiments in order for your marriage to prosper.
Rev. 8:1-5 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Rev. 8:1-5 reveals a Heavenly vision of the miraculous synergy between our Worship and Prayer and Jesus’ intercession. When your Worship is in heartfelt agreement with Jesus Atoning Intercession, they blend in Divine Acceptance and Response!