You are invited to join us for The Propel Fast! Please review Propelled To The Next Level and other words for the reasons behind the fast as well as daily encouragement!
As week 3 begins, remember to stay focused on Jesus and His Kingdom. The longer the fast continues, the more the enemy will try to take your focus from Him and turn it toward yourself. As long as you are focused on yourself, the enemy has an opportunity to make you stumble. Continuously look to Jesus, and receive all the strength, hope, and life that He has for you!
If you have not come to know this already, we are all very weak and fleshly creatures. A little matter of giving up some food and sleep for just over a month should not be that big of a deal. However, we are truly creatures of comfort from our very birth. We want what we want, and it becomes a big problem when we cannot have it. Suddenly, our small things become huge, and minor irritations become major problems.
For years, we have strengthened our flesh by giving it whatever it wants. It is like a spoiled little child used to getting whatever it asks for. When one simple comfort is removed, it becomes the worst issue imaginable. Even people around you that do not know you are fasting may notice a change. You may become quicker to lose your temper or react negatively to minor inconveniences especially at the beginning of a fast. By the beginning of the fast, I mean the first 39 days of The 40, if you are me. These the times we discover our true need for Jesus.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
We need the strength of Jesus not the strength of self. He did the hard part so we would not have to. No matter how strong you may think that you are, Jesus proved Himself to be stronger. Jesus easily defeated hell, death, and the grave. We should be so close to Jesus at this time, because we are walking in His strength and not our own. It is okay for me to be weak because, now, He can show Himself strong in me. I rest in the fact that if Jesus is my strength when I am weak, He can use me no matter how I feel.
Several years ago, God allowed me to travel to Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, India. Here, God privileged me to minister in different ways to the Tamil people of the region. My friend Sage and I stayed in a building above a church and orphanage. While here, we were asked to do a program for the boys that lived in the building that were between the ages of 4 and 12. As we prayed on what we were to do, my friend heard Holy Spirit say that we were supposed to teach on and pray to break off generational curses. I was very unsure about that. I have helped my mother minister to children many times and that was not something we had ever done before. Frankly, most adults would not even be comfortable receiving such a teaching.
One of my gifts is teaching and speaking the word so I agreed to teach on this and let my friend lead the ministry, prayer, and application of the word, more his specialty. What proceeded was what seemed to be one of the most difficult, dry, devoid of Holy Spirit teachings I have ever given in my life. It felt like a very forced, difficult struggle that was going nowhere. As I taught, I had the thought that if I was sitting there, I would have probably fallen asleep. After I had finished the teaching, Sage began to pray and minister breaking off generational curses. Suddenly, something happened that is caught on video.
God comes and pours himself out upon these young orphans. Almost every one of them falls under the power of God’s freedom.
When they begin to awaken, they are praying for God to be their mother and father and for Him to touch them. They are speaking the wonderful works of God.
By this time, probably an hour and a half from when Sage started praying for them, the ladies had come and were trying to awaken them and get them up to go eat dinner. This is about 45 minutes after they have been directed to go eat that they are staying and crying out to God to continue to do what He is doing. The entire time this is taking place, I am completely astounded because I do not feel The Holy Spirit moving in the slightest way. I am seeing an astounding move of Holy Spirit with my very eyes, not the least of which is young boys refusing to eat just so they can get more of what God has to offer, and i am still feeling completely nothing. To this day, all I know is that we were obedient, and God did the work. I had nothing to do with it. All glory goes to Him and Him alone.
Jesus, I thank you that Your power is made manifest through me as I yield my weak, lowly, humble frame to You. Use me for Your glory and Your purpose for of myself, I can do nothing.
Practical –
- Acknowledge your weakness
- Ask Holy Spirit to minister God’s strength to you in your weakness
- Yield yourself to be used by Him, even in your weakness
- Be obedient to whatever He calls you to do
Be blessed to know your need for God and place yourself in His hands. May you be used no matter how weak or insignificant you may feel.
Jeremiah, Man on Fire!!!
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