Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Fasting Tips


Somebody asked a question about fasting last week, and I was glad he did. Fasting, as Kyle taught, is a great way to choke off the flesh, and throw fuel onto the Spirit's fire. Couple it with praying in the spirit, and you're really cooking. Anyhow, the question was about what exactly fasting does...

In fasting, we are saying, “My body’s desires will not rule over me (Romans 13:14, 6:12-13, and I Corinthians 6:12, 9:27). In my life, the spirit supercedes the flesh.”

Is there a right way or a wrong way to do it? Yes.

Are there lots of verses about fasting that I can look up to get a good Biblical overview?

Um, yeah.
II Samuel 12:21-23 Daniel 9:3
Psalm 35:13 Acts 14:23
Jeremiah 14:12
Joel 1:14 Matthew 4:2
Psalm 109:24 Luke 18:12
Jeremiah 36:6
Judges 20:26 I Kings 21:9, 12, 27
I Samuel 7:6, 31:13 I Chronicles 10:12
II Chronicles 20:3 Ezra 8:21, 23
Nehemiah 1:4 Esther 4:16
Jonah 3:5 Mark 2:19/ Luke 5:33-34
Matthew 17:21/ Mark 9:29
Acts 13:2

OTHER FACTS: Fasting helps to keep us from pride and “haughtiness”—an exalted view of ourselves—we’ll see real quick how needy we are when we avoid food.
Fasting always aids prayer.
Fasting is useless if there is unconfessed sin in my life.

Always remember this most compelling of truths: Jesus saw fasting as a necessary thing in His own life!

I would also recommend this fascinating book on the topic, with miraculous anecdotes that will blow your mind:
The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting, by Mahesh Chavda
This is a more practical, step-by-step instructional (including other disciplines like prayer, giving, silence, etc.)
Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

But you don't need to read anything to do it, Just stop eating for a day or more and just start crying out to God!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Class of 2010, sound off!

Class of 2010 makes it sound weird. But we only do one class a year. And your year is 2010. I really can't avoid any of this.

But here you are, checking out the blog, just like you were asked. GOD BLESS YOUR FACE AND PANTS.

Look around, comment if you want, and please bookmark this page. It will be referred to many times over in your future.

Nice to see you fellas! Enjoy your whatever!

Monday, November 16, 2009

How About A Little Resurrection?

Yes, please.

This report is from Tim Senff, who wrote:

You gotta read this, from one of my best friends, Dave Milroy. He partners with a pastor in Uganda named Aloysius. Freaking amazing. This dude Aloysius has stayed in his home multiple times. . Any doubt the Enemy would want to sow by reading 2nd- & 3rd-hand stories is obliterated by knowing people who tell stories like this.

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begin forwarded message
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My brothers ans sisters in Christ,

As I write this email I am still trying to examine some of the recents miracles which happened here in Gulu through our simple ministry programs...

Last Monday I was asked to go pray for someone. I agreed and asked several people to join me. Little did I know that the person in question had died already! Reaching the village, we found a group of 13 mourners who had spent two days at the home of the deceased woman. At this point, I introduced myself and the team to the mourners and asked the people to bring the sick person to us so that we could pray.

The mourners told me that that was impossible, as she'd been dead 3 days. I ordered the people to lift the person and bring her outside the hut because it too dark inside. Instead of leading a funeral service I read a scripture in James 5:6-13 and told the mourners that we love Jesus, who gave us power to pray and heal the sick. I challenged everyone to have faith in God and we started praising God in songs and later prayed.

At the end of a serious prayer I started calling the name of the woman in Jesus name and the woman started responding! There were mixed reactions at first from the villagers doubting wheather it was the dead woman, Esther, responding or someone else. I took another step of thanking God for the miracle and asked the woman to get up, I asked relatives to bring water and give the woman; the woman opened her mouth and drank! We glorified God as the woman begun to open her eyes for the first time after three days and she was able to talk with me. There was a spiritual drama, as a would-be funeral service turned into a deliverance and miracle service.

We left the home late around 9:00pm and I promised the people that the Lord was going completely heal the woman. Before we left the woman answered a salvation prayer and four other people responded to an altar call.

The following morning we recieved a report that the villagers did not go back to their homes all night trying to wait and prove whether the woman would died again or whether she was completely healed.

Thursday was our baptism class and after teachingg the class I briefly shared the testimony to the people around. Imediately two women who recieved Christ on that night of prayer stood up to confirm that the woman had died but she resurrected after our prayers. One said, "I have never seen such a miracle because we were going for burial shortly before the pastor arrived and instead prayed for the woman" Another woman said, "Even the local leader of our village had confirmed that the woman was dead."

Tthis Sunday the woman who was healed from death will be in our Church at Koro and we expect over 60 villagers and the local leader to come and share this testimony and miracle.

Some of the moving stories around this miracle are: how the woman managed to stand up, pick up a basin, and bathe herself (this was shortly after we left). Then she woke the next morning and did her domestic work while the people who had come for her burial were monitoring her steps.

Esther also shared her spiritual nightmare to the relatives and how she managed to escape from the devil.....

Healing Is Real, Too

My daughter has come down with a skin virus related to chicken pox. Itchy warts spread all over the place when they're touched… just like chicken pox (except this virus can live on any surface for 48 hours). It’s called Molluscum Contagiosum (sounds like a Harry Potter spell to me). According to dermatologists, there's no cure. The outbreak can last a couple of months to a couple of years. So wait… my beautiful little girl could have warts and open soars on her face for 2 years and there is no cure??? That's their story and they’re sticking to it.

While praying over our daughter one night, I got the sense from Spirit this was about obedience and not about a virus. Since then we noticed the bumps have spread to Nathan (our 1 year old). He had a festering sore on his back at his neckline. After praying over Nathan as well, we decided to put band-aids on the bumps in an effort to minimize the spread. Later, looking Nathan over (to find the bump so I could band-aid it), I couldn’t find anything! No bump… no wart… no swelling… no hole or scratch marks. Just clean and pure baby skin!

When Nathan ran off to play, Kayleigh exclaimed, “No fair… why did God heal Nathan and not me?”

Two things… I love that she recognized this as God’s work. Second, in the days to come we can work on obedience in full knowledge of a God that reflects Psalm 103:3 who forgives all your sins and heals ALL your diseases. That day is coming!

-from Dave Shay

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Adam, Verses Machine

Verses!!! Print out or email these to yourself so you can just look over these as you're bored during the week:

Psalm 27:1-2 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Psalms 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

Colossons 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Religion Discussion Questions

As always, these are meant to get you started and just prime the pump. Confess and repent with freedom (and gusto!) and don't be limited by these questions.

When are you tempted to compare your spiritual life (Bible knowledge, time spent in prayer or study, good works) to others?
When’s the last time you made a significant, spiritual decision based on input you received from others?
When’s the last time you were corrected and it went well?
Have you ever felt controlled or used by a religious organization?
Have you ever confused your relationship with God with your relationship with an institution?
Can you remember a time when you did something, nobody noticed, and it was a problem for you?
Does emotionalism gross you out? OR Do you think it’s not God unless there’s emotion thrown in there?
How do you react to new movements of God? What about immaturity you see in the Body? Does that offend you?
Have you ever felt that if you didn’t attend meetings on Sunday morning that God was disappointed in you?

Thursday, July 2, 2009