7 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2022

Monday, January 10, 2022 – January 16, 2022

It is imperative that we pray at least (3) times daily throughout this week of Prayer & Fasting (Daniel 6:10). It’s not just about abstaining from foods; it’s about developing a “listening ear” through prayer unto God.

We will be praying for our world, our nation, the Church (Body of Christ), lost souls, families and then our own personal relationship with Christ .

Fasting

Fasting is one of the most powerful weapons God has ever given us for our daily lives.

We all go through times when we feel like we are not living up to our full potential. Sometimes we lose our energy and our spiritual sharpness . . . this causes us to lose our edge.

What does it really mean to lose your edge?

When a lumberjack keeps swinging away at the tree without sharpening his ax, the ax will soon become dull and ineffective. In much the same way, that can happen to us.

Going through our daily routines in our own strength wears us down. Little by little, we lose our closeness to God. Without that closeness, we become ineffective for the purposes His has for us.

Fasting can help you get back your passion! It can recharge you!

Although fasting lasts for a short season, it brings long-term results, which sharpens us, enabling us to face the challenges of life in His strength. Through fasting, you can experience spiritual renewal and direction for your life . . . restoration of relationship . . . healing . . . release from bondages . . . and so much more!

We begin year 2022 with 7 days of fasting. Fasting in January is much like praying in the morning to establish the will of God for your entire day. I believe that if we will pray and seek God and give Him our first and best at the beginning of the year, He will honor that sacrifice and bless our ENTIRE year! “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mathew 6:33).

But when you make fasting a way of life, you get even closer to God and grow in your spiritual walk like never before. Making fasting a lifestyle is like a lumberjack who takes time to rest and sharpen his ax periodically to be able to effectively finish the job set before him.

Fasting can help you Recover Your Passion, Recapture Your Dream and Restore Your Joy!

Fasting is a principle that God intended for everyone to practice. It is not a punishment; it is a privilege!

Make fasting a “lifestyle”! Join us, and thousands from around the world, in the Fasting Movement .

What Is Fasting?

Biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose.

Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand,You can pray without fasting. When Prayer and fasting are combined and dedicated to God’s glory they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, wisdom you need and gain a deeper fellowship with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world through prayer and biblical fasting, we can focus better on Christ.

Fasting has always been practiced by true believers.

Fasting helps subject our bodies to our spirits. (I Cor 9:27)

Fasting is disciplining the body, mind, and spirit. (Prov. 25:28)

Fasting is subordinating our flesh-desires to our spirit-desires. (Gal 5:17)

Fasting helps set the priorities in our lives. (Mt 6:33)

Fasting is longing after God. (Ps 63:1-2)

Why Should We Fast?

1.Honor God – Mt 6:16-18, Luke 2:37, Acts 13:2, Mt 5:6

2.Humble Yourself – 2 Chron 7:14-15, Ps 35:13

3.Discerning Healing – I Cor 11:30, James 5:13-18, Isaiah 59:1-2

4.Deliverance from Bondage – Mt 17:21, Is 58:6-9 (loose bands of wickedness)

5.Revelation – God’s vision and will – Dan 9:3, 20-21, Dan 10:2-10, 12-13

6.Revival – personal and corporate – Acts 1:4, 14 / 2:16-21, Joel 2:12-18

7.Repentance – personal failures – Psalm 51: Jer. 29:11-14, James 4:8-10

8.Jesus fasted 40 days before He started His ministry. (Matt 4:12; Lk 4:14)

9.Fasting helps us become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:2)

10.Helping us to deny our own flesh and crucify the carnal mind.

11.Fasting brings spiritual revival. (Dan 9:2,3)

12.Helping us to prevail in prayer and intercession.

13.Fasting is God’s Providence to give us a healthy lifestyle and it cannot be substituted by any other way. It is the privilege of the children of God.

14.To fellowship with God, have intimacy with Him and knowing Him.

15.To be made whole, healed and restored spiritually, physically, emotionally and psychologically. (Hos 6:1-2)

There are several types of Fasting. The one you chose is between you and God. He will honor your best sacrifice.

Full Fast

Drink only liquids (you establish the number of days).

The Daniel Fast

Eat no meat, no sweets and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables.

3-Day Fast

This fast can be a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

Partial Fast

A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. You can select from three types of fasting —a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

Relation to Prayer and Reading of the Word:

1 Samuel 1:6-8, 17-18, Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, 20, Joel 2:12, Luke 2:37, Acts 10:30, Acts 13:2

Corporate Fasting:

Examples of Corporate Prayer & Fasting

1 Samuel 7:5-6, Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Joel 2:15-16, Jonah 3:5-10, Acts 27:33-37

1 Samuel 7:5-6 5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader[a] of Israel at Mizpah.

Ezra 8:21-23 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Nehemiah 9:1-3 The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

Joel 2:15-16

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast,call a sacred assembly.16 Gather the people,consecrate the assembly;bring together the elders,gather the children,

those nursing at the breast.Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Jonah 3:5-10 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Acts 27:33-37 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

Remember that it is the attitude of a heart sincerely seeking Him to which God responds with a blessing (Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 14:12, 1 Corinthians 8:8). May God greatly bless you as you fast!

When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. As David stated, “Deep calls unto deep” (Ps. 42:7). David was fasting. His hunger and thirst for God were greater than his natural desire for food. As a result, he reached a place where he could cry out from the depths of his spirit to the depths of God, even in the midst of his trial. Once you’ve experienced even a glimpse of that kind of intimacy with our God—our Father, the holy Creator of the universe—and the countless rewards and blessings that follow, your whole perspective will change. You will soon realize that fasting is a secret source of power this is overlooked by many.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. —Luke 6:40

During the years that Jesus walked this earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the principles of the kingdom of God, principles that conflict with those of this world. In the Beatitudes, specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God. That pattern addressed three specific duties of a Christian: giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus said, “When you give…” and “When you pray…” and “When you fast.” He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as is given to giving and to praying.

Solomon, when writing the books of wisdom for Israel, made the point that a cord, or rope, braided with three strands is not easily broken (Eccles. 4:12). Likewise, when giving, praying, and fasting are practiced together in the life of a believer, it creates a type of threefold cord that is not easily broken. In fact, as I’ll show you in a moment, Jesus took it even further by saying, “Nothing will be impossible” (Matt. 17:20).

Could we be missing our greatest breakthroughs because we fail to fast? Remember the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold return Jesus spoke of (Mark 4:8, 20)? Look at it this way: when you pray, you can release that thirtyfold return, but when both prayer and giving are part of your life, I believe that releases the sixtyfold blessing. But when all three—giving, praying, and fasting—are part of your life, that hundredfold return can be released!

If that’s the case, you have to wonder what blessings are not being released. What answers to prayer are not getting through? What bondages are not being broken because we fail to fast?

Matthew tells the story of a father who had a demon-possessed son. For years he watched helplessly as his son suffered severe convulsions. As he grew older, the attacks became so severe that the boy would often throw himself into an open fire or a trench of water. A suicidal spirit tormented him constantly; the situation became life-threatening.

Having exhausted every attempt to cure the boy—even talking him to the disciples with no avail—the father’s plight seemed impossible. Then he heard that Jesus was near. Going to the Master, he cried, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for often times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him” (Matt. 17:15, KJV).

When the boy was brought to Jesus, the Bible ways He “rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour” (v. 18, KJV). But what made the difference? After all, Matthew 10:1 records that Jesus had already given the disciples power to cast out evil spirits and to heal every disease. So why couldn’t the disciples cast out the demon and cure the boy?

That’s what they wanted to know, too, so later that night, when they were alone with Jesus, they asked Him. Jesus replied, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:20–21, KJV).

Long before this incident, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He spent forty days and forty nights, taking no food. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” For Jesus, casting out that stubborn demon wasn’t impossible.

If Jesus could have accomplished all He came to do without fasting, why would He fast? The Son of God fasted because He knew there were supernatural things that could only be released that way. How much more should fasting be a common practice in our lives?

Fasting Is for Everyone

Perhaps you’re thinking, “I still don’t know how fasting can really be for me.” According to the words of Jesus, it is the duty of every disciple and every believer to fast. When addressing the Pharisees as to why His disciples did not fast, Jesus replied, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:34–35).

Then they will fast. Jesus didn’t expect His disciples to do something He hadn’t doen as well. Jesus fasted, and according to the words of Peter, Jesus is our example in all things (1 Pet. 2:21).

-Fasting brings rewards.

There’s another vital point that I want you to see in Matthew 6: God delights in giving rewards. Not only that, but He says that when giving, praying and fasting are practiced in your life, He will “reward you openly.”

A good example of such open reward can be found in Daniel. While in Babylonian captivity, his fasting—even partial fasting of certain foods—brought about the open reward of God, who blessed Daniel with wisdom beyond that of anyone else in that empire.

Later, in chapter 10, Daniel was grieved and burdened with the revelation he had received for Israel. He ate no choice breads or meats and drank no wine for three weeks. Then he describes the angel that was sent to him—which had been delayed by the prince of Persia for twenty-one days—with the answers Daniel sought. His fast broke the power of the delayer and released the angels of God so that God’s purpose could be revealed and served.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Do you desire to know God’s will for your life, whom you should marry, or what you should do in a critical situation? Fasting brings you to a place of being able to clearly hear God’s will.

Fasting demonstrates repentance.

Joel prophesy of judgment upon unfaithful Israel was followed by a divine call to ward off judgment through a fast of repentance. The Lord beckoned, “Even now,?declares the LORD, Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.? Quote; (See Joel 2:12-13.) Similarly, James exhorts New Testament believers with these words: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (See James 4:8-10.) Fasting demonstrates the brokenness of a heart that is truly repentant for sin.

The Daniel Fast

Step 1: Be Specific
Daniel was not vague in his objection to the Babylonian diet. He defined the problem immediately.

Word of the Day

Posted on Dec 11, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

The first Adam was a man who tried to play God; the second Adam was God who became man. 

 

 Genesis 3 records the story of Adam, the first human being created by God, who tried to “be like God” (verse 5). By attempting to become God, Adam sinned, and as a result every single one of us became condemned by God as a sinner: “one trespass [the sin committed by Adam] resulted in condemnation for all people” (Romans 5:18). In essence, Adam was our representative before God. He sinned, and his sin was imputed (i.e., attributed, given) to us. Adam’s sin was counted against us such that we became an enemy of God.

 

Fortunately for us, God did not leave us hopelessly in our sin condemned justly by his wrath; instead, he demonstrated his unfailing love for us by sending his son, the second person of the Trinity, to die for our sins offering a way for us to escape his wrath (Romans 5:8). God, himself, became man (Philippians 2:6-8), and bore all our sins. Paul puts it like this: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Just as through Adam’s disobedience his sin is imputed to us, so also through Christ’s obedience his righteousness is imputed to us.

 

The first Adam tried to become like God, and, in so doing, every human being became an enemy of God. The second Adam, Jesus Christ, is God who became man, and, in so doing, he opened the door for every other human being to be reborn as a friend of God

---

7 days of Prayer and Fasting 2022, Jan 10th -Jan 16th

Posted on Dec 6, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions, Events |

Share this:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google
• Twitter
• Print

---

Word of the Day

Posted on Oct 4, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

Serving allows us to experience miracles.

In John 2, Jesus was at a wedding and the couple was running out of wine for its guests. He tells the servants to fill several big jars to the brim. When they served the water to the guests, it was wine! The guests never knew what happened; the servants were the ones who witnessed the miracle. The same is true for us when we serve.

We cannot do everything but we can do something. Find something you can do and make sure you do it for the right reasons.

---

Word of the Day

Posted on Oct 3, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions, General Blog, Social Media Blog |

Benefits Of Serving God

There are significant benefits to serving God and serving others. One is the sheer joy found in hearing the still small voice in your heart saying “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

8 Blessings We Experience By Serving Others:

1. Serving allows us to discover and develop our spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12 compares the church to a human body. Just like our bodies are made of many parts serving specific functions, the church is made up of people with different skills and abilities. Alone these pieces aren’t very useful, but together we create something beautiful.

2. Serving allows us to experience miracles.

In John 2, Jesus was at a wedding and the couple was running out of wine for its guests. He tells the servants to fill several big jars to the brim. When they served the water to the guests, it was wine! The guests never knew what happened; the servants were the ones who witnessed the miracle. The same is true for us when we serve.

3. Serving allows us to experience the joy and peace that comes from obedience.

1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms… so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” Serving is a form of worship, a way to express gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, and to share the love and grace we’ve been given.

4. Serving helps us to be more like Jesus.

We shift our focus off of ourselves onto others through serving. We begin to see others as Jesus sees them. And we see Jesus IN others (Matthew 25:40).

5. Serving surrounds us with other Christians who can help us follow Jesus.

When we’re working side by side with other people, a bond inevitably forms. This was part of God’s plan for how the church is supposed to work. That’s why Hebrews 10:24-25 instructs us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”

6. Serving increases our faith.

As we move out of our comfort zones, God increases our faith by revealing new potential — in ourselves and in His Church. When we see what He can do when His power is at work within us, we begin looking for the doors He’s opening rather than pushing our way through the one’s He’s closed (Ephesians 3:20).

7. Serving allows us to experience God’s presence in new ways.

Encouragement and healing go hand in hand. As we encourage others and they find healing, we’re encouraged. It’s the reason so many people who go on mission trips say they came home feeling like they got more than they gave.

8. Serving is good for your soul.

Studies have shown that volunteering is so good for the mind and body that it can ease symptoms of stress and depression. Tapping into our gifts and passions builds self-confidence, energy, and strength. Serving others can also be the best distraction from our own worries.

We make all sorts of rational explanations for not serving.

 

---

Word of the day

Posted on Jul 27, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

Every problem is an opportunity to trust God.

We all experience difficulties, problems, and trials throughout life. Usually, we also look for ways to solve those problems. All of the various solutions basically ask one of these two questions: “What can I do to solve this?” Or, “What can God do to solve this?” In other words, we either try to solve the problem on our own, or we let God solve it. Obviously, it is much wiser to give your problems to God. Therefore, in the midst of your problem, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

 

Trust God to solve your problems. 

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4). During your trials you should frequently quote Psalm 91:2: I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Furthermore, when you’re truly trusting in God, there is nothing to worry about. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:1). Make this your cry: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God“(Psalm 20:7).

 

Trust the Lord God Almighty in every area of your life, even during problems, because every problem gives you an opportunity to trust God.

 

---

Word of the Day

Posted on Jul 16, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

When you forgive, the debt doesn’t just go away. You absorb the debt. That’s why forgiveness is so hard.

Say you lend a person one thousand dollars, but suppose that when the time comes for the loan to be repaid that person is unable to repay you. If you forgive that person of his debt, then that person no longer owes you anything. By forgiving, you forfeited the money—you absorbed the debt. How is it that God is able to forgive our sins against him? He absorbed them by sending his son to suffer the penalty for our debts (sins).

Christ absorbed the penalty of death so that we don’t have to. When God forgave us, he said, “There’s no need to repay me.” (We couldn’t repay God even if we tried, but now we’re freed from the burden of trying.) When you forgive someone, you absorb their debt. That’s why forgiveness is so hard. In Luke 7, Jesus tells this parable to Simon: “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Forgiveness is a sign of love. To forgive someone of a massive debt (in this case, five hundred denarii) is a sign of massive love.

 

How is forgiveness a sign of love? Because if you forgive much, then you must absorb much debt (pain, suffering, loss, etc.). Our sin against God is the biggest possible debt we could have; so for God to absorb that is a sign of his endless, measureless love.

---

The Power of Vision

Posted on Jun 28, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

Vision is a conception that is inspired by God in the heart of a human.

The greatest gift God ever gave to humanity is not sight but VISION.

-Sight is the function of the eyes,

-VISION is the function of the heart.

-You can have sight but no Vision.

Vision is seeing the future before it comes into being.

---

Word of the day

Posted on Jun 28, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

Love is the visible attribute of an invisible God.

1 John 4:12 says, No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. In other words, even though no person has ever actually seen God the Father, we are able to see God’s character as we love one another. Remember that God is love (1 John 4:8); so, when we walk in love, we are like God. Thus, although we can’t actually see God, we can see his character in our love for each other (and in his love for us). Indeed, Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Furthermore, Jesus said that we, his disciples, will be known by our fruit: By their fruit you will recognize them(Matthew 7:16, 20). Galatians 5:22 tells us what that fruit is: The fruit of the Spirit is love. Thus, we are known by our love—love for one another and love for God.

It is so important to walk in love, because love is the visible attribute of an invisible God.

---

Word of the Day

Posted on May 8, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

TEN ATTITUDES TO AVOID IN THE CHURCH

1. Rebellious Attitude: This kind of attitude leads people to be unteachable, critical of leadership, defensive to correction, and prideful when dealing with.
2. Socially-Weirdy Attitude: A weirdy is someone that cannot have a normal conversation without others feeling awkward. Sometimes it manifests in “over-sensitive emotions,” talking to much about one’s self, long periods of silence, and desire for “clingy-co-dependent-friendships.”
3. Perverted Attitude: Everything turns into a sexually slanted conversation. Guys mostly struggle with this, but this could also be seen with a woman who may think that every guy in the church is trying to hit on her.
4. False Prophet Attitude: This person believes that everything they “feel” God tells them is always to obeyed by others (including leadership) without question. They think they are above rebuke and correction because they believe those who don’t see things the way they do is because others are not as “spiritual” as them.
5. Know-It-All Attitude: The know it all always has to let everyone know what they know. They have to have the last word in every conversation, make the most comments in small group, and take forever to convince they need to learn something new.
6. Controlling Attitude: This person is not happy unless everything in the church is done their way. They can’t compromise or remain silent when they disagree with something. They need to remain in control and let everyone around them know if they’re not happy.
7. Victim Attitude: The victim believes that what the church is doing for everyone else will not work for them because they are too messed up. They think that their past, current problems, or issues always need special attention because unless they have everyone’s attention they think nobody loves them.
8. Quitting Attitude: The quitter cannot stick with discipleship or the church because every time things get hard they quit and blame it on someone or something else.
9. Self-Centered Attitude: This person cannot serve, make sacrifices, or think about what’s going on in the big picture of the church. Everything in the church is about them, their family, and needs.
10. Luke Warm Attitude: They don’t want to be challenged or expected to grow. They just want to be left alone and made to feel comfortable with their current walk with God.

---

WORD OF THE DAY

Posted on Apr 5, 2019 in Devotion, Devotions |

To Bear Fruit, Get Connected

Right before Jesus goes to the cross, he gives his last minute instructions to his followers: “Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me” (John 15:4 GW).

Jesus says that being spiritually connected is like being attached to a vine. You’re not going to have any fruitfulness or productivity in your life if you’re out there on your own. You’ve got to stay connected.

In plants, a disconnected branch can’t bear fruit. Not only do you lack support and start to wither and die, but you also don’t have any productivity in your life if you’re not spiritually connected.

I grow a lot of vegetables and fruit every spring. If I cut off a branch, those branches aren’t going to produce any tomatoes or anything else. They’ve got to be connected in order to produce fruit.

What kind of fruit should you produce when you are connected to the Body of Christ? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23a NIV).

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be more loving. I’d like to be more joyful. I’d like to be more at peace, no matter what happens to the economy. I’d like to be more kind to people who are mean to me. I’d like to be a good person. I want to be faithful, not unfaithful. I want to keep my promises. I’d like to be gentle with people who are not very gentle. And I’d like to have more self-control.

That’s called the fruit of the Spirit, and it’s the evidence that you are spiritually connected. If you are not seeing yourself grow in all these things, guess what? It means you’re not spiritually connected.

He’s saying this is so important that not only do you need the support like in a building, and not only do you need the life blood like being in a body—he’s saying you’re not going to have any fruitfulness or any productivity in your life if you’re out there on your own. You’ve got to stay connected. And the Good News is that God wants you to be connected! God is for you!

---

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Older Posts »