7 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2022

Monday, January 10, 2022 – January 16, 2022

It is imperative that we pray at least (3) times daily throughout this week of Prayer & Fasting (Daniel 6:10). It’s not just about abstaining from foods; it’s about developing a “listening ear” through prayer unto God.

We will be praying for our world, our nation, the Church (Body of Christ), lost souls, families and then our own personal relationship with Christ .

Fasting

Fasting is one of the most powerful weapons God has ever given us for our daily lives.

We all go through times when we feel like we are not living up to our full potential. Sometimes we lose our energy and our spiritual sharpness . . . this causes us to lose our edge.

What does it really mean to lose your edge?

When a lumberjack keeps swinging away at the tree without sharpening his ax, the ax will soon become dull and ineffective. In much the same way, that can happen to us.

Going through our daily routines in our own strength wears us down. Little by little, we lose our closeness to God. Without that closeness, we become ineffective for the purposes His has for us.

Fasting can help you get back your passion! It can recharge you!

Although fasting lasts for a short season, it brings long-term results, which sharpens us, enabling us to face the challenges of life in His strength. Through fasting, you can experience spiritual renewal and direction for your life . . . restoration of relationship . . . healing . . . release from bondages . . . and so much more!

We begin year 2022 with 7 days of fasting. Fasting in January is much like praying in the morning to establish the will of God for your entire day. I believe that if we will pray and seek God and give Him our first and best at the beginning of the year, He will honor that sacrifice and bless our ENTIRE year! “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mathew 6:33).

But when you make fasting a way of life, you get even closer to God and grow in your spiritual walk like never before. Making fasting a lifestyle is like a lumberjack who takes time to rest and sharpen his ax periodically to be able to effectively finish the job set before him.

Fasting can help you Recover Your Passion, Recapture Your Dream and Restore Your Joy!

Fasting is a principle that God intended for everyone to practice. It is not a punishment; it is a privilege!

Make fasting a “lifestyle”! Join us, and thousands from around the world, in the Fasting Movement .

What Is Fasting?

Biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose.

Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand,You can pray without fasting. When Prayer and fasting are combined and dedicated to God’s glory they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, wisdom you need and gain a deeper fellowship with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world through prayer and biblical fasting, we can focus better on Christ.

Fasting has always been practiced by true believers.

Fasting helps subject our bodies to our spirits. (I Cor 9:27)

Fasting is disciplining the body, mind, and spirit. (Prov. 25:28)

Fasting is subordinating our flesh-desires to our spirit-desires. (Gal 5:17)

Fasting helps set the priorities in our lives. (Mt 6:33)

Fasting is longing after God. (Ps 63:1-2)

Why Should We Fast?

1.Honor God – Mt 6:16-18, Luke 2:37, Acts 13:2, Mt 5:6

2.Humble Yourself – 2 Chron 7:14-15, Ps 35:13

3.Discerning Healing – I Cor 11:30, James 5:13-18, Isaiah 59:1-2

4.Deliverance from Bondage – Mt 17:21, Is 58:6-9 (loose bands of wickedness)

5.Revelation – God’s vision and will – Dan 9:3, 20-21, Dan 10:2-10, 12-13

6.Revival – personal and corporate – Acts 1:4, 14 / 2:16-21, Joel 2:12-18

7.Repentance – personal failures – Psalm 51: Jer. 29:11-14, James 4:8-10

8.Jesus fasted 40 days before He started His ministry. (Matt 4:12; Lk 4:14)

9.Fasting helps us become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:2)

10.Helping us to deny our own flesh and crucify the carnal mind.

11.Fasting brings spiritual revival. (Dan 9:2,3)

12.Helping us to prevail in prayer and intercession.

13.Fasting is God’s Providence to give us a healthy lifestyle and it cannot be substituted by any other way. It is the privilege of the children of God.

14.To fellowship with God, have intimacy with Him and knowing Him.

15.To be made whole, healed and restored spiritually, physically, emotionally and psychologically. (Hos 6:1-2)

There are several types of Fasting. The one you chose is between you and God. He will honor your best sacrifice.

Full Fast

Drink only liquids (you establish the number of days).

The Daniel Fast

Eat no meat, no sweets and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables.

3-Day Fast

This fast can be a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

Partial Fast

A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. You can select from three types of fasting —a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

Relation to Prayer and Reading of the Word:

1 Samuel 1:6-8, 17-18, Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, 20, Joel 2:12, Luke 2:37, Acts 10:30, Acts 13:2

Corporate Fasting:

Examples of Corporate Prayer & Fasting

1 Samuel 7:5-6, Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Joel 2:15-16, Jonah 3:5-10, Acts 27:33-37

1 Samuel 7:5-6 5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader[a] of Israel at Mizpah.

Ezra 8:21-23 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Nehemiah 9:1-3 The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

Joel 2:15-16

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast,call a sacred assembly.16 Gather the people,consecrate the assembly;bring together the elders,gather the children,

those nursing at the breast.Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Jonah 3:5-10 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Acts 27:33-37 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

Remember that it is the attitude of a heart sincerely seeking Him to which God responds with a blessing (Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 14:12, 1 Corinthians 8:8). May God greatly bless you as you fast!

When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. As David stated, “Deep calls unto deep” (Ps. 42:7). David was fasting. His hunger and thirst for God were greater than his natural desire for food. As a result, he reached a place where he could cry out from the depths of his spirit to the depths of God, even in the midst of his trial. Once you’ve experienced even a glimpse of that kind of intimacy with our God—our Father, the holy Creator of the universe—and the countless rewards and blessings that follow, your whole perspective will change. You will soon realize that fasting is a secret source of power this is overlooked by many.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. —Luke 6:40

During the years that Jesus walked this earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the principles of the kingdom of God, principles that conflict with those of this world. In the Beatitudes, specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God. That pattern addressed three specific duties of a Christian: giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus said, “When you give…” and “When you pray…” and “When you fast.” He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as is given to giving and to praying.

Solomon, when writing the books of wisdom for Israel, made the point that a cord, or rope, braided with three strands is not easily broken (Eccles. 4:12). Likewise, when giving, praying, and fasting are practiced together in the life of a believer, it creates a type of threefold cord that is not easily broken. In fact, as I’ll show you in a moment, Jesus took it even further by saying, “Nothing will be impossible” (Matt. 17:20).

Could we be missing our greatest breakthroughs because we fail to fast? Remember the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold return Jesus spoke of (Mark 4:8, 20)? Look at it this way: when you pray, you can release that thirtyfold return, but when both prayer and giving are part of your life, I believe that releases the sixtyfold blessing. But when all three—giving, praying, and fasting—are part of your life, that hundredfold return can be released!

If that’s the case, you have to wonder what blessings are not being released. What answers to prayer are not getting through? What bondages are not being broken because we fail to fast?

Matthew tells the story of a father who had a demon-possessed son. For years he watched helplessly as his son suffered severe convulsions. As he grew older, the attacks became so severe that the boy would often throw himself into an open fire or a trench of water. A suicidal spirit tormented him constantly; the situation became life-threatening.

Having exhausted every attempt to cure the boy—even talking him to the disciples with no avail—the father’s plight seemed impossible. Then he heard that Jesus was near. Going to the Master, he cried, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for often times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him” (Matt. 17:15, KJV).

When the boy was brought to Jesus, the Bible ways He “rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour” (v. 18, KJV). But what made the difference? After all, Matthew 10:1 records that Jesus had already given the disciples power to cast out evil spirits and to heal every disease. So why couldn’t the disciples cast out the demon and cure the boy?

That’s what they wanted to know, too, so later that night, when they were alone with Jesus, they asked Him. Jesus replied, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:20–21, KJV).

Long before this incident, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He spent forty days and forty nights, taking no food. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” For Jesus, casting out that stubborn demon wasn’t impossible.

If Jesus could have accomplished all He came to do without fasting, why would He fast? The Son of God fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could only be released that way. How much more should fasting be a common practice in our lives?

Fasting Is for Everyone

Perhaps you’re thinking, “I still don’t know how fasting can really be for me.” According to the words of Jesus, it is the duty of every disciple and every believer to fast. When addressing the Pharisees as to why His disciples did not fast, Jesus replied, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:34–35).

Then they will fast. Jesus didn’t expect His disciples to do something He hadn’t doen as well. Jesus fasted, and according to the words of Peter, Jesus is our example in all things (1 Pet. 2:21).

-Fasting brings rewards.

There’s another vital point that I want you to see in Matthew 6: God delights in giving rewards. Not only that, but He says that when giving, praying and fasting are practiced in your life, He will “reward you openly.”

A good example of such open reward can be found in Daniel. While in Babylonian captivity, his fasting—even partial fasting of certain foods—brought about the open reward of God, who blessed Daniel with wisdom beyond that of anyone else in that empire.

Later, in chapter 10, Daniel was grieved and burdened with the revelation he had received for Israel. He ate no choice breads or meats and drank no wine for three weeks. Then he describes the angel that was sent to him—which had been delayed by the prince of Persia for twenty-one days—with the answers Daniel sought. His fast broke the power of the delayer and released the angels of God so that God’s purpose could be revealed and served.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Do you desire to know God’s will for your life, whom you should marry, or what you should do in a critical situation? Fasting brings you to a place of being able to clearly hear God’s will.

Fasting demonstrates repentance.

Joel prophesy of judgment upon unfaithful Israel was followed by a divine call to ward off judgment through a fast of repentance. The Lord beckoned, “Even now,?declares the LORD, Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.? Quote; (See Joel 2:12-13.) Similarly, James exhorts New Testament believers with these words: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (See James 4:8-10.) Fasting demonstrates the brokenness of a heart that is truly repentant for sin.

The Daniel Fast

Step 1: Be Specific
Daniel was not vague in his objection to the Babylonian diet. He defined the problem immediately.

Word of the Day

Posted on Jun 12, 2018 in Devotion, Devotions |

How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity

 

The Israelites complained throughout their Journey from Egypt on their way to the Promised Land.

In fact the complaining stopped them to ever put their feet in the Land flowing with Milk and Honey. Its amazing how complaining rewires our brains.

I came through this material as I was studying the complain filled trip of Gods people.

Research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation. Complaining is tempting because it feels good, but like many other things that are enjoyable—such as smoking or eating a pound of bacon for breakfast—complaining isn’t good for you.

Your brain loves efficiency and doesn’t like to work any harder than it has to. When you repeat a behavior, such as complaining, your neurons branch out to each other to ease the flow of information. This makes it much easier to repeat that behavior in the future—so easy, in fact, that you might not even realize you’re doing it.

You can’t blame your brain. Who’d want to build a temporary bridge every time you need to cross a river? It makes a lot more sense to construct a permanent bridge. So, your neurons grow closer together, and the connections between them become more permanent. Scientists like to describe this process as, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”

Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior, which changes how people perceive you.

And here’s the kicker: complaining damages other areas of your brain as well. Research from Stanford University has shown that complaining shrinks the hippocampus—an area of the brain that’s critical to problem solving and intelligent thought. Damage to the hippocampus is scary, especially when you consider that it’s one of the primary brain areas destroyed by Alzheimer’s.

Complaining Is Also Bad for Your Health

While it’s not an exaggeration to say that complaining leads to brain damage, it doesn’t stop there. When you complain, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol shifts you into fight-or-flight mode, directing oxygen, blood, and energy away from everything but the systems that are essential to immediate survival. One effect of cortisol, for example, is to raise your blood pressure and blood sugar so that you’ll be prepared to either escape or defend yourself.

All the extra cortisol released by frequent complaining impairs your immune system and makes you more susceptible to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It even makes the brain more vulnerable to strokes.

It’s Not Just You…

Since human beings are inherently social, our brains naturally and unconsciously mimic the moods of those around us, particularly people we spend a great deal of time with. This process is called neuronal mirroring, and it’s the basis for our ability to feel empathy. The flip side, however, is that it makes complaining a lot like smoking—you don’t have to do it yourself to suffer the ill effects. You need to be cautious about spending time with people who complain about everything. Complainers want people to join their pity party so that they can feel better about themselves. Think of it this way: If a person were smoking, would you sit there all afternoon inhaling the second-hand smoke? You’d distance yourself, and you should do the same with complainers.

The Solution to Complaining

There are two things you can do when you feel the need to complain. One is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. That is, when you feel like complaining, shift your attention to something that you’re grateful for. Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do; it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood and energy and substantially less anxiety due to lower cortisol levels. Any time you experience negative or pessimistic thoughts, use this as a cue to shift gears and to think about something positive. In time, a positive attitude will become a way of life.

The second thing you can do—and only when you have something that is truly worth complaining about—is to engage in solution-oriented complaining. Think of it as complaining with a purpose. Solution-oriented complaining should do the following:

Have a clear purpose. Before complaining, know what outcome you’re looking for. If you can’t identify a purpose, there’s a good chance you just want to complain for its own sake, and that’s the kind of complaining you should nip in the bud.

Start with something positive. It may seem counter intuitive to start a complaint with a compliment, but starting with a positive helps keep the other person from getting defensive. For example, before launching into a complaint about poor customer service, you could say something like, “I’ve been a customer for a very long time and have always been thrilled with your service…”

Be specific. When you’re complaining it’s not a good time to dredge up every minor annoyance from the past 20 years. Just address the current situation and be as specific as possible. Instead of saying, “Your employee was rude to me,” describe specifically what the employee did that seemed rude.

End on a positive. If you end your complaint with, “I’m never shopping here again,” the person who’s listening has no motivation to act on your complaint. In that case, you’re just venting, or complaining with no purpose other than to complain. Instead, restate your purpose, as well as your hope that the desired result can be achieved, for example, “I’d like to work this out so that we can keep our business relationship intact.”
Bringing It All Together

Just like smoking, drinking too much, and lying on the couch watching TV all day, complaining is bad for you. by Travis Bradberry, Ph.D.

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Word of the Day

Posted on May 12, 2018 in Devotion, Devotions |

The influence of Godly Mothers.

The influence of Godly Mothers.

-What you do as Parent has the power to affect your offspring for generations -either Positive or Negative

-Your Faith will affect your Children
-How you treat others will affect your Children
-How you help others will affect your Children
-Your Integrity will affect your Children
-How you speak and honor others will affect your Children

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GOC Fatherhood Project

Posted on Apr 25, 2018 in Announcements, Devotion, Devotions, Fun Page |

 

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WORD OF THE DAY

Posted on Apr 15, 2018 in Devotion, Devotions |

A delay is not a denial from God

Habakkuk 2:3  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it^[a] will certainly come and will not delay.

The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time yet?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.”

Contrary to popular book titles, there are no Easy Steps to Maturity or Secrets of Instant Sainthood. When God wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he want to make a mushroom, he does it overnight. Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. James advised, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.” (James 1:4, Msg)

Don’t get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn’t think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3, LB)

Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. Be Patient , God isn’t finished with you, so keep moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

 

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Word of the Day

Posted on Apr 14, 2018 in Devotion, Devotions |

Bringing Out the Best in People

When conversing with people, we have an opportunity to bring out the best in them. To do so, we must act toward them as if we expect the best.    

The Pygmalion Effect    

When we act toward people as if we expect outstanding behavior from them, we are applying a principle known as the Pygmalion Effect. Widely validated by social science research, this principle says that as we communicate our expectations of people with various cues, they tend to respond to our cues by adjusting their behavior to match  them.    

Example of the principle applied    

A stunning example of this principle at work shows up in the research of Rosenthal and Jacobson (1971) who randomly labeled two groups of elementary students as `potential achievers` and `non-achievers,` then shared that information with their teachers. As a consequence, the teachers acted toward the `achievers` differently, such as spending more time with them, being more encouraging and supportive with a `you can do it` attitude. From these students the teachers expected `dramatic intellectual growth.`    

 

And they got it. When Rosenthal and Jacobson returned a few months later and re-tested the children, they found that the students labeled as having potential improved their IQ scores significantly, whereas the `non-achievers` had not.    

Similar results have been demonstrated in the supervisor-employee relationship. In both civilian and military settings, when supervisors acted toward their subordinates in ways that suggested high expectations of productivity, the higher productivity resulted.    

A Related Principle of Dale Carnegie    

Long before this research was done, human relations guru Dale Carnegie wrote, `Become genuinely interested in other people.` When we are genuinely interested in others, really curious about them, they feel respected and valued. Implied in our interest is the suggestion that they have a lot to offer. As we show our interest, they tend to become more interesting, more creative, and more capable.    

Many of the cues we communicate to others are expressed during conversation but are non-verbal. For example, our facial expressions of interest and our level of enthusiasm as shown by body and voice. Still others are verbal, such as asking questions to draw out a person’s ideas and by offering praise and encouragement.    

Bi-Focal Vision    

Many high achieving people have reported that along the way of their lives, some person has seen potential in them even when it was not obvious to others. That is, a teacher or coach or mentor had a sense of their potential, even if that potential was not readily apparent. For example, a young student from a poor background and education may be seen by a teacher to have a certain giftedness when others have written them off. Thus encouraged and supported, the student begins to excel. (The famous case of deaf and blind Helen Keller  working with her teacher Annie Sullivan is such an example.)    

Bi-focal vision is a term that denotes our ability to see both the actual behavior and a person’s potential within. When we act toward persons as if they are more than theyappear to be on the surface, the potential within tends to emerge.    

Conversational Behavior Flows from Our Attitudes    

The simplest way to bring out the best in people is to hold an attitude of positive expectations. Instead of looking for what’s missing, or what’s wrong with a person, we can re-frame our expectations to look for what’s positive. The management phrase, `Catch employees doing something right` captures the sense of this attitude.    

Try Out The Principle    

If you make a conscious choice to expect the best from others, you will tend to get it, from friends, family members, colleagues, and service people. Your behavior toward them, genuinely expressed, will begin to create the self-fulfilling prophecy that people are often more than they seem.   

 

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Word of the day

Posted on Feb 18, 2018 in Devotions |

Four Principles of Biblical Stewardship

1. The principle of ownership. 

The psalmist begins the 24^th psalm with,

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

In the beginning of Genesis, God creates everything and puts Adam in the Garden to work it and to take care of it. It is clear that man was created to work and that work is the stewardship of all of the creation that God has given him.

This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God owns everything, we are simply managers or administrators acting on his behalf.

Therefore, stewardship expresses our obedience regarding the administration of everything God has placed under our control, which is all encompassing. Stewardship is the commitment of one’s self and possessions to God’s service, recognizing that we do not have the right of control over our property or ourselves.    

Echoing Deuteronomy 8:17, we might say: “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But Deuteronomy 8:18 counsels us to think otherwise:

Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. 

2. The principle of responsibility. 

In explaining responsibility, Peel writes,

Although God gives us “all things richly to enjoy,” nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we’re responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, What about your responsibilities? Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities.

We are called as God’s stewards to manage that which belongs to God. While God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything he owns as his stewards, we are responsible to manage his holdings well and according to his desires and purposes.

3. The principle of accountability.

A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and one day each one of us will be called to give an account for how we have managed what the Master has given us.

This is the maxim taught by the Parable of the Talents. God has entrusted authority over the creation to us and we are not allowed to rule over it as we see fit. We are called to exercise our dominion under the watchful eye of the Creator managing his creation in accord with the principles he has established.

Like the servants in the Parable of the Talents, we will be called to give an account of how we have administered everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority.

We will all give account to the rightful owner as to how well we managed the things he has entrusted to us.

4. The principle of reward. 

In Colossians 3:23-24 Paul writes:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

The Bible shows us in the parables of the Kingdom that faithful stewards who do the master’s will with the master’s resources can expect to be rewarded incompletely in this life, but fully in the next.

We all should long to hear the master say what he exclaims in Matthew 25:21:

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

As Christians in the 21^st century, we need to embrace this larger biblical view of stewardship, which goes beyond church budgets or building projects, though important; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world.

We need to be faithful stewards of all God has given us within the opportunities presented through his providence to glorify him, serve the common good and further his Kingdom. 

 

 

 

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Word of the day

Posted on Feb 17, 2018 in Devotions |

How much?

 

1 Timothy 6:10-11 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Most western worlders don’t like to talk about their finances but it never ceases to amaze me how open Israelis are about them. It’s commonplace to ask someone how much they make or how much they paid for their house or car. People do it all the time, even total strangers! So I’m gonna jump on the band wagon and be bold because the subject has been on my heart lately.

At some point, New York City’s Mayor David N. Dinkins, who served as the 106th Mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993, when urged by Manhattan officials to buy some property thought to be an “extraordinary opportunity for the city,” said: “If they’re selling elephants two for a quarter, that’s a great bargain. But only if you have a quarter–and only if you need elephants.”

How many of us are guilty of spending unwisely – and not allowing the Lord to reign over our spending habits? While God doesn’t condemn the possession of goods and money, He does speak against hoarding, coveting, selfishness, stealing, dishonesty, and even mismanagement of finances.

I believe the Lord wants to pour out a financial blessing upon us today. But have we shown Him that we are trustworthy to use it in a manner pleasing to Him?

Let’s put our finances and spending before the Lord today and ask Him to be Lord over them all. God has great plans for us ahead if we will only lay ourselves down!

 

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Word of the day

Posted on Feb 16, 2018 in Devotions |

Invest in Eternity!

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

The great pyramids of Egypt have become objects of fascination for many involved in the New Age teching. Some think they were built by aliens from outer space. Others say they are containers of cosmic power. All of them are trying to find the great “secret” of the pyramids. What they are, really, are structures of death, exaggerated tombstones, coffins. The pyramids were made for death. They were built to house a dead body, along with the useless riches of it’s rotting corpse.

The pyramid holds an important lesson for our lives, however. All the works of our flesh and self-glorification end in waste, destruction, futility and death. Our accomplishments in the flesh might be grand, exalted, and elaborate — but they’re really just a monument to ourselves that have no life within them. If we want death, let’s look to the flesh and all the glories of man — look to the pyramids. But if we want life, we’ll only find it by abandoning the flesh, walking in purity and putting our faith in Yeshua (Jesus), the one who gives us abundant life!

Investments in eternity neither rust nor rot, so let’s become wise investors — investing in the Kingdom! There’s so much work to be done!

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Word of the day

Posted on Feb 15, 2018 in Devotions |

Stewardship

A Biblical definition of stewardship is

“having dominion over the works of God.” The definition of stewardship can be broken down into four components, the Four Ts of Stewardship: time, talent, temple, and treasure. God has given us our life and our time to manage as part of us being his steward. The definition of stewardship includes caring for all things that God has given us. This includes our bodies. The definition of stewardship also includes the making use of the talents and abilities that God had given us. As God’s chosen representatives, his stewards, God has also given us material things to faithfully administer for his glory. See below for Biblical commentary concerning the definition of the four T’s of stewardship.

The Four T’s of Stewardship:Time, Temple, Talent, and Treasure

1. Time – Redeeming the Time That God Has Given You.

God has given us our life and our time to manage as part of us being his steward. As good stewards, he expects us to manage our time, our life, according to his will. We are to redeem the time that God has provided us. Ephesians 5:16 advises us to redeem our time for God’s glory.

2. Temple – Care For Your Body, the Temple of the Holy Ghost.

The definition of stewardship includes caring for all things that God has given us. This includes our bodies. As Christians, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost. If our bodies are to be temples of the Holy Ghost, then it goes without saying that we should not defile our bodies with sin. 1st Corinthians 6:19 advises us that our bodies are the not ours, but the temple of the Holy Ghost.

3. Talents – Use Our Given Talents For Good Works.

The definition of stewardship also includes the making use of the talents and abilities that God had given us. God has given each us unique talents and he desires us to put our talents to good use. As Christians, we can even say that God has ordained us with our unique talents to do his good works. : Ephesians 2:10 advises us that we are ordained with unique talents and that we should walk in them.

4. Treasure – Being Accountable For God’s Treasure.

A key definition of stewardship is being accountable for God’s treasures. The Bible tells us that all things are created by God and all things are God’s. As God’s chosen representatives, his stewards, God has given us material things to faithfully administer for his glory.

 

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Word of the day

Posted on Feb 13, 2018 in Devotions |

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

“You have great faith! Your request is granted.” Mt 15:28 

Matthew records: “A Canaanite woman … came to him, crying out,
‘Lord … My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession’ …
He answered, ‘I was sent only to … Israel … It is not right to take
the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said,
‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’

Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request
is granted’” (vv. 22-28 NIV).

This Gentile woman was an outsider, yet she pushed through and
got what comfortable insiders often miss. Talk about hurdles! First,
Jesus refused to answer her. Next, He said, “What I have is only for
the Jews.” Finally, He said, “It wouldn’t be right to give the children’s
bread to dogs.” Most of us would have walked away offended. Not
her! She cried, “Have mercy on me.” She wasn’t asking for what she
deserved, she was crying out for what she needed! As a result,
Jesus removed every obstacle and answered her prayer. And if you
persist, He will do the same for you too.

In reality, this woman told Jesus, “Let the children have the bread,
all I need are the crumbs.” Church folks become so complacent that
they neglect the bread, waste the bread, complain about the bread,
and sometimes don’t even come to church to get the bread. But
desperate people pick up the crumbs and find life! They know that if
there’s power in the loaf, there’s power in the crumb. And when a
crumb is all you can get, a crumb is all you need. So what do you
need from God today?

How badly do you want it?

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