2022: Fasting Day 2 – Praying for those who need to know Jesus Christ

GCF Family,

As we press into day 2 of fasting, we as a leadership want to let you know how incredibly proud we are of you for pressing into God these three days. Fasting is no joke… it requires dying to personal pleasure and putting aside physical needs to be formed more like Christ. As we pray for God to cleanse us and put aside comforts, you are probably experiencing an array of emotions. I read this yesterday in Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, and I hope it encourages you to feast on all the goodness of God today.

‘We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things [emotions, reactions} surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David writes, “I humbled my soul with fasting” (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger; then we will realize that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ. Fasting reminds us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us. In Christ, “All things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Therefore, in experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting! …Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow nonessentials to take precedence in our lives. How quickly we crave things we do not need until we are enslaved by them.’

Today our focus turns from INWARD to OUTWARD. There is an entire world that needs to know Jesus. They don’t need to be “churched” – they need to be confronted with the saving power and presence of our King. On Sunday, we wrote down names of people who we know that need Jesus. Today, let your heart cry out for their salvation. Let your prayers rise like incense to the throne on behalf of those who don’t know him yet.

If there is someone that you are praying for, would you put their name in the box below? I would love to join you in praying for them today. Let’s shake the earth today with the power of God as we bring His life to others.