image is from victory.org.ph
Every start of the year our church commits to a 5 day Prayer and Fasting where we corporately consecrate ourselves, our families and ministries to God. I personally do this to start the year right and make my heart and goals in tune to the plans of God in my life. We do this not as tradition but to personally experience God and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Every year I commit what kind of fast I am going to undertake. This year I committed to have two meals only because of my health and weight condition. I also decided tohave a social media fast, meaning no Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Every night we have prayer meetings to attend and this year I attended at Victory Makati because that's nearer at my workplace and apartment.
We also have our devotion booklet for the whole week where we study more about God's words. This year the main theme of our P&F is HONOR GOD. Meaning honoring God in every aspect of our lives may it be in our handling of money, in our own bodies, serving others and our service to God. We must be honoring him in everything that we do as 1 Corinthians 10:31
says, " Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
I am sharing you today some of the verses and words that spoke to my heart during these prayer and fasting week.
35"Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ?"
I am reminded once again how immensely my God is in love with me that neither life nor death can be able to seperate us from Him.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18English Standard Version (ESV)
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
To fix my eyes on Jesus and not on the momentarily things that I see. To focus on Him and His plans with my life that sometimes I neglect because of the wories from this world.
Matthew 6:1English Standard Version (ESV)
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
To serve the Lord and others not to gain praise nor to satisfy my self. To do good things whether someone is looking out for me or nobody's watching. Because God sees what is inside heart. I should do things out of obedience and love for Him and not for praises of men.
Matthew 6:24 English Standard Version (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[a]
To serve God wholeheartedly by honestly giving out my tithes and offerings. To give back what is due to Him for everything that I have is from Him. I know he is speaking to my heart that I should handle my finances well, to give more than I could because God is my provider and I will be not in lack.
18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?…
To honor my body because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. There should not even a hint of sexual impurity in my heart, body and mind. I was also reminded by this verse to take care more of my body to eat the right kind of food and nourished it well because my body is made by God.
"Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
Serving the Lord and others with gladness and to this with my whole being. And to seek God and keep His commands all the days of my life.
What a week Lord! Indeed I gain a lot from the words of God. May I be able to keep the fire the whole year through God's grace and mercy. Bring it on 2015!
