|
|
Brampton Blog - Entries written by Chris Shipley
FriFridayAugAugust12th2011
FASTING Before the Throne
Fasting is the discipline of humbly and prayerfully seeking
God by abstaining from all or certain foods for a period of time. Throughout
the Bible, we see God’s people pray and fast, Jesus being the greatest example
(Matt.3:17-4:2). And as Jesus’ disciples, He instructs us to follow in His
footsteps (Matt.6:17-18; 9:15). The Scriptures point to fasting for forgiveness
of sin, rescue from enemies, for wisdom and direction, or just to draw nearer
to God in worship. Fasting expresses our humility and faith in our almighty
God, seeking Him and declaring that with God, all things are possible. Fasting
also reveals the things that control us. Our heart is tested and exposed
through fasting, and we find out what we truly love, trust and hope in most
(Deut.8:2-3).
How Do I Fast?
During the Week of Prayer, we encourage you to follow our
Saviour’s example and join the generations of God’s people who sought the Lord
through fasting.
1. Prepare your Heart - review Isaiah 55:6-7 and 1 Peter
5:6-7. Ask the Lord what kind and length of fast He would have you do. Does He
want you to go completely without food, consuming only water? Or water and
juices? Is He asking you to fast one meal a day, one day a week, or several
days at a time?
2. Set an Objective - use Harvest’s Prayer Booklet to guide
you in praying for the church. Ask God to show you areas in your own heart that
need to change.
3. Make a Plan - commit to a specific time when you will
fast and pray. Proactively think of a location where you will have the most
freedom to pray (e.g. walk outside, office, home, etc.)
4. Know your Body - limit your physical activity as much as
your schedule will permit. During your fast you may experience side effects
such as headaches, stomach aches, nausea, or a foul taste in your mouth. This
is all normal; the body is taking advantage of the fast to clean itself (NOTE:
if you are pregnant or have a medical condition, please consult your physician
to work out a suitable plan before fasting).
SatSaturdayMarMarch27th2010
Amazing Prayers (Part 4) - Daniel 9:1-19
After the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, and 70 years of exile in Babylon, Daniel was zealous for God to fulfill His promise (Jeremiah 29:10) to bring Israel back to their land and for God to dwell among them once more by His presence. This time, however, it wouldn't be in a temple built with human hands, but in the incarnate Son of Man, Jesus Christ, in whom His glorious presence and truth would be seen (John 1:14 & John 2:19-22).
Daniel 9:1-19
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."
FriFridayMarMarch26th2010
Amazing Prayers (Part 3) - 2 Chronicles 20:1-12
2 Chronicles 20:1-12
After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
ThuThursdayMarMarch25th2010
Amazing Prayers (Part 2) - 2 Chronicles 6
Watch for how often Solomon quotes God's promises and asks God to fulfill His Word. Also keep an eye out for how significant the temple, namely God's presence, is to God's people and prayers. We'll see how Jesus, David's descendant, fulfills this later.
2 Chronicles 6:1-17
Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. But I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever." Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. And he said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel; but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.' Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.' Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with the people of Israel."
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.' Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David."
WedWednesdayMarMarch24th2010
Amazing Prayers (Part 1) - Isaiah 37:15-20
Reading and listening to how God's people have voiced their prayers to God in the past is both encouraging and essential in helping us learn how to pray today. I hope to post a few such prayers over the next couple of days. Look up the context of why they were praying, listen to their prayers, and let us learn from their example.
Isaiah 37:15-20
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD."
SunSundayMarMarch21st2010
My Top 5 Bible Verses when the Winds of Opposition Blow
Here are 5 passages that I’ve found personally helpful in reminding me of the truth about God when life is hard. They are like ballast in my boat when the storms of this life rage:
Ephesians 1:11 – God is totally sovereign
Psalm 136:1 – God is totally good and loving
Romans 8:28 – God works all things for good for His children
Psalm 23 – God is our Shepherd who ordains only goodness & mercy for us all our days
Matthew 28:20 – God will never leave us
|
|