Fasting & Abstinence

Due to a recent turn of events, God is getting ready to do something big in the life of my family and perhaps yours in the near future. Unfortunately (according to our flesh), this exteme makeover may involve a painful remodeling, purifying process which no one welcomes, but if we're in Christ know, that it will be for our good and His glory. As the circumstances unfold and you hit your face and knees, fasting and prayer are excellent resources that God makes available to us to weather the storms and as we seek His kingdom.

In fact, Over 300 churches are hoping to make a tremendous impact on the body of Christ and throughout the world through 21 days of prayer and fasting this month. According to a Christian Post story, The prayer and fasting campaign, dubbed Awake 21, kicked off on Jan. 11 and organizers have made available a website with resources on the different types of fasts, daily devotionals, and messages from renowned Christian leaders such as the late Bill Bright.

For 21 days, thousands will be going without food, certain meals, television, Internet or "anything that feeds your flesh-man." "It’s really not about the food. It’s about denying your flesh-man the things that feed it," Chris Hodges of Church of the Highlands Birmingham, Ala., stressed. Jesus said ... 'some things only change through prayer and fasting.' As we heard at the recent church Concert of Prayer, though God may not immediately change or upgrade our circumstances in a given trial, He does promise spiritual resources like grace, to strenghten us in our weakness. Abstain from some things, hit your prayer closet and watch and see what happens...

FYI: speaking of abstaining, as follow-up to last Saturday night's message ('Sex, Truth or Conesquences'), according to a news report, sexually spread diseases, for years on the decline, are on the rise, with reported chlamydia cases setting a record, government health officials said this week. Florida's rate jumped up even more dramatically than the national average, with the state reporting 58,528 cases of chlamydia in 2007, up 20 percent. Additionally, to the cheers of social scientists, Britain has just been named the most promiscuous major industrial nation based on the "international sociosexuality index," which measures attitudes toward one-night stands, casual sex and numbers of partners (The U.S. finished sixth).

Britain is fast becoming the abortion capital of the world too. Government statistics show abortions in 2007 increased by 2.5 percent; the number performed on girls under 16 jumped 10 percent. Its abortion rate is No. 1 in Europe and No. 3 in the world, behind only the America and Australia, where rates have been falling steadily for years.The teen-pregnancy rate is soaring and is the second highest in the world behind the U.S., a UNICEF study found. The spike is occurring even though the government has spent more than $100 million in the last three years to cut the rate in half by 2010. This folks, is a moral and spiritual issue.

Sexual purity - non-fornication, is not just a good and safe idea as per the above news, but as we said together, it's God's command and best for us, because in Him we have greater pleasure than such fleeting moments as jumping out of the plane without a chute.