Living Water Church

If I posed these questions to you, how would you answer?  Do you desire more of God in your life?  Do you long to hear His voice?  Do you ever feel spiritually dull?  Are there areas in your life where you need God to intervene?  Are you in need a spiritual breakthrough?

If you answered yes to one of these questions (or perhaps you are like me and answered yes to all of them) then one avenue of pursuing change is through fasting.  If you are anything like me, the word fasting stirs up grumbling and dread.  It’s an easy Christian exercise to overlook.  But, God calls His people to fast.  It is through fasting that our spirits open up to new things of God.   It is through fasting that we can experience breakthrough and blessing in our lives that God ordains.

David wrote, “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24.  In fasting, we are offering ourselves to the Lord in a sacrificial way.   Fasting hurts.  It costs me something.  But, I want to be serious in my pursuit of God.  Pastor Ken has called us to 3 week fast, Jan 13 – Feb. 2.  As we fast together, let’s determine to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous, and all these things will be added unto us.”  Matt 6:33.

Last week, I spoke about the power of the Word – Jesus is the Word.  And I encouraged you to ask the Word for a word.  Lord, speak to us this year.  Lord, give me a word about myself for myself.  In the same way, one of things that I have been praying for our church is the word expectation.  I want us to have an expectation that God is going to move in our midst.  Specifically, Steve Sampson is coming next week.  So, let’s expect God to do something that only God can do.  Let’s ask God to speak to us, heal us, and refresh us.  Let’s ask with expectation and belief.

Having a sense of expectation should be one of the manifestations of our faith.  If our faith in God is solid and growing, then it is right that we expect God to perform His word.  Having expectation is a daunting task because we struggle with the fear of false hope.  But God wants us to trust Him, believe His word, and have a sense of expectation… because He is faithful to His promises!  So believe and expect great things from God.

Happy New Year.  If you’re anything like me, you like a time for new beginnings.  Many Americans make New Year’s resolutions – things in their behavior, characteristics, or lifestyle that they want to change and improve.  I wonder if we took a survey, how many people would actually say that making a New Year’s resolution actually made a difference in their lives?  It is so easy to be motivated for a day or even a few weeks.  But as the mundane reality of life kicks in, do we easily just return to our old habits and patterns?

The only person that can really change us is Jesus.  Since He is the author and the creator of life, He has the ability to take our lives, like clay, and mold and shape us into who He wants us to be.  Instead of making a bunch of resolutions this year, consider doing this instead.  Ask God what He wants you to work on and change.  Pray about it and seek His will, His direction.  And as He reveals His thoughts to you, ask Him to empower to you to change things in your life that need improvement.

A few years ago we felt like the Lord gave us a mandate to teach and study various books of the Bible on Sunday mornings.  One reason for this is that in our culture, Bible illiteracy is the norm.  Lord, let this not be true for us.  The Bible is full of truth.  It’s the only place that always has the right answer for everything!

Last week we announced that starting in January 2012,we will begin to study the Gospel of John.  My desire is that as we examine Jesus’ ministry together, we will learn to become more like Him.  A popular phrase a few years ago was, “What would Jesus Do?”  I encourage you to read this book on your own.  Consider reading  it from a different translation, like NLT or The Message.  And as you read it, consider how Jesus responded to people and to life events, so that you know what Jesus would do.  “Uncover my eyes so that I may see miraculous things in Your teachings.”  Ps. 119:18 GWT.