Quiet Times Search

What is fasting? - voluntary abstinence from food in order to draw near to God

Fasting - frequently practiced by those who have walked closely with God:

• Moses - fasted for 40 days as he received the law (Exodus 34:28)
• David - fasted for the life of his newborn (2 Samuel 12:15-22)
• King Jehoshaphat - declared a national fast under a miltary emerency (2 Chronicles 20)
• Esther - called for God's people to fast during a extermination attempt (Esther 4)
• Daniel - fasted to confess his and God's people sin (Daniel 9)
• Nehemaih - fasted for the condition of Jerusalem to improve (Nehemiah 1)
• Jesus - fasted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry (Matthew 4:2)
• Antioch church leaders - fasted for to bless their ministry efforts (Acts 13:1-3)
• Paul and Barnabas - dedicating newly appointed elders (Acts 14:23-24)

 Jesus warned about the mere appearance of fasting - Matthew 6:16-18

Advice

• Decide how long before hand
• Begin  with shorter fasts
• Be care with those taking medication or those with a background of anorexia or bulimia
• Do not indulge in a large meal immediately after a fast

A "world fast" is an idea to remove yourself from movies, sports, television, newpaper, other outside info

 Reason to fast:

• Humble ourselves
• Show our dependance on him
• To devote time and focus to our spiritual lives
• To ask for God' guidance
• To ask for God's help
• To overcome spiritual lukewarmness
• To pray for a particular need
• To express gratitude and thanksgiving
• Breakthrough in our faith

• Pattern, not a formula - not meant to be recited, rebuked by Jesus
  
• May seem awkward at first - stick with it
  
• Be prepared to spend more time in prayer when you use this prayer - wider range of subjects
  
• The structure reveals the genius of God - Begin looking to God; then deal with ourselves; once again focus on God
  
• Notice the use of "us" - personal, but not self-centered

• Too focused on positional goals in the church
• Excel at work or school - not working for the Lord but working for self - Colossians 3:23
• Too much pressure for a child to succeed - Train a child in the way he should go - Proverbs 22:6
• Allowing secondary motivation become the primary motivation

This life is preparation for the next - realizing this will help you live differently

• Place a higher premium on relationships
• Use your time and money more wisely
• Your priorities will become reordered

God has planted eternity in the human heart - Ecclesiastes 3:11

The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears

The most damging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking
Only time most people think about eternity is at a funeral

This world is not our home - Hebrews 13:14
Every moment in this body is time spent away from our eternal home - 2 Corinthians 5:6

Life is a temporary assignment

It is descriped as a mist, a fast runner, a breath, a wisp of smoke

Compared to eternity, life is extremely brief
Earth is only a temporary residence
Christians should carry spiritual green cards

With this understanding. worries lost their grip on our lives

In order to keep us from getting too attached God allows us to feel much discontentment and dissatisfaction in life
It is a fatal mistake to assume God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success

• Paul was faithful - ended up in prison
• John the Baptist was faithful - was beheaded

Some would consider them foolish and lost everything but they gained everything - God and heaven

In heaven we will ask ourselves:

• Why did I place so much importance things so temporary?
• What was I thinking?
• Why did I waste so much time on thing that will not last?

1. We are slow learners - Israelites are a great example of this
2. We have a lot to unlearn (bad habits) - Taking off the old self and putting on the new self - Romans 13:12 

• We can not grow without a humble, teachable attitude

3. Growth is often painful and scary

• There is no growth without change
• There is no change without fear or loss
• There is no loss without pain
• Must let go of old ways in order to experience the new way

4. Habits take time to develop - Practice and devote yourself to growth - 1 Timothy 4:15
   

• Satan would be destroying himself
• Or He was telling the truth

John 1:42

Usually when you meet someone, you introduce yourself - Jesus knew Peter and changed his name!

Jesus looked at people differently than they look at themself

Jesus knew he would fail but he never gave up on Peter.

What name might Jesus give you?

1. We must admit that we are sinful
2. We must realize Jesus has called us to follow him and be righteous
3. Humbly commit to change
4. We must change

God is faithful. He will meet all our needs
Based on the extent to which we focus on the Father and his will - extent to which God moves in our lives

He desires to meet our every need - to the point of sacrificing his own son - Romans 8:32
Does our knowledge of him transform us?
Does it propel us forward in capturing God's heart of sacrificing for the needs of other?

In Philippi, church sacrificed financially to support Paul (only church to do so) - Philippians 4:14-18
God will meet all your needs - Philippians 4:19
Those who are giving to others and giving to God can be assured that God will give to what they need - Luke 6:38

The more we are focused on his will, the more our needs will be richly met

What must be true in our lives in order for us to claim the promise that God will meet all our needs?

Gentleness

Mark 1:29-34

• At times we need to raise our voices and push in order to get things done.
• At the same time using gentle tone and pitching in to help will accomplish far more good.

Fueling

Mark 1:35-39

• People who love sleep don’t usually change the world
• Jesus slept when he had the time
• Jesus was extremely eager to pray
• Most of us live with only a vague idea of purpose
• Our personal ministries – can be tempted to lose the fire, to settle down, and get comfortable
• We laugh and patronize at younger friends who are “idealist, zealots, and radicals

Discipliner

Mark 3:31-35

• Jesus cared about their souls more than their feelings
• God is willing that people suffer in order to learn something for their own greater good.
• Do you allow sentimentality to rule in our relationships?

Discernment

• Jesus saw people either for him or against him.
• They were either movers for God or still needed to be moved by God.

Sounding the Alarm

Mark 7:1-13

• Living by traditions = living in vain, a waste of time.
• Jesus was not afraid to rebuke people, to “lay it out” when it was necessary.
• When stirring up things, some people wake up to discover a true relationship with God or they will become furious
• People of impact do not hesitate to raise their voices in order to shake people out of their slumber.
• They are not afraid on how people react when they are disturbed from their sleep.
• It is wrong to be silent and leave people comfortable in their false sense of security

Protectiveness

• He stood up for his followers.
• Jesus took responsibility for his disciple’s actions
• When a leader stands up for and protects his followers, a strong loyalty is forged

Caterer

Mark 8:1-10

• He had no warm-up band, laser light show, not even a sound system
• He was dynamic and charismatic.
• The crowd was not there for his benefit; he was there for the benefit of the crowd.
• He wasn’t performing but serving.

Delegator

• The art of delegation is essential in order to free a leader’s time to do more important tasks.
• Do not mean dumping unwanted chores.
• Effective delegation: communication of expectations, thoughtful assessment, performance, and constructive criticism.

Prudence

Mark 8:11-13

• Sometimes Jesus simply did not bother to deal with his adversaries – he just up and left.
• Sometimes we need to be able to determine when the best thing to do is walk away.
• Sometimes arguing is just a waste of time – shake the dust off your feet.

Moving On

• Farmer – plants across the fields not just around the farmhouse
• If we focus all our attention on one problem one goal, or one person’s needs - lose sight of the field
• Jesus kept moving on in order to keep his and work fresh vibrant and spontaneous.
• Momentum is an invisible yet critical element in any type of movement

Tough love

Mark 10:17-31

• This young man was secure in his own material goods.
• Are we willing to lay such tough, “make or break” challenges before people? Even when it puts your relationship on the line?
• Are you willing to let people walk away? · Allow people to make their own decisions?
• If we compromise our standards, our standards are meaningless.

Reassurance - Leaders need to first overcome his own negative thoughts and feelings in order to help his followers avoid becoming discouraged.

Cockiness

Mark 12:18-27

• Every one of these phrases cut like a knife:
  • Are you not in error?
  • You do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
  • Have you not read?
• He comfort the disturbed, he also made it his goal to disturbed the comfortable.
• He was not afraid to rock the boat.
• In order to have lasting impact it is necessary to be willing to challenge our opponents to their face.

• One on who be independent choose not to / he emptied himself and became a slave - Philippians 2
• We are do be devoted to one another - philostorgos = like family - Romans 12:10

• who brings into his circle of friends - John 15:13-15
• who adopts us into his family - Hebrews 2:11
• who vows he will never leave or forsake us - Hebrews 13:5

1. Ignore the problem
2. Gossip about it to other
3. Blast a person with the truth

Conviction and Acceptance

How we blend conviction with an equally deep level of acceptance?

We need to understand that some convictions can be disputable matters
Paul does not get into a discussion what is right and wrong

Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1

Accept one another in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:7

Example: It is OK to treat one day more special to worship God than another day - Romans 14:5-6

Even if the conviction is misguided - we sin if go against it

Great questions in these verses:

• Who are you to judge some else's servant? - Romans 14:4
  
• Why do you judge your brother? - Romans 14:10
• Why do you look down on your brother? - Romans 14:10

• No "I'm right" or "Your wrong" on that day
• Rightness will be perfectly obvious to all

1. Have you made a recent decision to change something in your life?
2. Why is it more comfortable to make changes on your own terms? What changes do you seek to make?
3. How well do you respond to reproof – from the Bible and from fellow Christians?
4. Have you ever changed a fellowship, that is, church membership, to avoid a call to repentance?