Breaking A Fast
By Guest Blogger, Pastor Chris Hodges, Lead Pastor Church of the Highlands
We’re getting near the end of the 21 Days of Prayer and for those of you who are fasting, it is critical that you break the fast properly.
Here are some random thoughts:
• For those of you who have been total fasting or participating in any food type fasts, end your fast gradually. If you have been off of solid foods for 21 days, you could damage your body seriously by eating too much too fast. Click Here for some basic instructions.
• Even if you’re not breaking a food fast, reintroduce the things that you fasted from slowly.
• Be open to the fact that some of the things you fasted from may never be a part of your life again. Or if they are, maybe not at the same level they were before the fast.
• Don’t stop praying just because the prayer focus is over. In fact, you need to get ready for Satan’s counterattack. Remember Jesus was tempted right after His 40 day fast. I’m sure the enemy will try the same thing with you.
Hope these tips help you. What are some of your own tips or thoughts on breaking a fast?
Chris Hodges
Lead Pastor
Church of the Highlands
Revolutionize Your Prayer Life!
By Stovall Weems
Don’t be worried about whether or not God hears your prayers. He does and He will answer you. However, the real issue is will God answer yes to my prayer? Will He do what I ask or am I asking amiss? (James 4:3)
Can we really pray a prayer and know God will say yes to that specific prayer? I believe we can know that God will answer yes to our prayer if it is lined up with 3 crucial things: (James 5:16-18)
* It is lined up with what the Word of God says (effectual)
* The motive of the prayer is a passion for the glory of God (fervent)
* We have faith and confidence that God hears our prayer because we pray in the name of Jesus. (righteous)
Stovall
This Weekend
By Stovall Weems
This weekend, I’m going to preach one of the most powerful messages I have ever preached in my 10 years of being a pastor. I hope you can make it, because it’s going to be an incredible weekend!
Also, just a reminder – tonight, the sanctuary at our Midtown Campus and our Orange Park Campus will be open for prayer from 7-8pm. There will not be live worship or childcare, but if you’d like some time to just get alone with God, stop by.
As you continue in this season of prayer and fasting, please remember the 4 prayer points for Awakening. We’re asking that all churches and believers participating in Awakening to generally pray for these 4 things on a regular basis:
1. All the churches participating in Awakening – That we would have maximum effectiveness in advancing the Kingdom of God in 2009 and that God would do everything He wants to do in our churches and ministries.
2. Believers in the churches participating in Awakening – We are praying for the believers in your churches and their individual prayer requests.
3. The Body of Christ – That as a whole, the Body of Christ would be all that God wants us to be in 2009.
4. Pastors and Spiritual Leaders – That we would be men and women after God’s own heart and live a life worthy of the Gospel.
Stovall
Join us for Vision Night
By Stovall Weems
h4. Vision Night Reminder
We’ve already heard of incredible testimonies happening in the lives of people through this time of prayer and fasting. I want to remind you that tonight at Midtown and next Wednesday at OP will be important nights in the life of the church.
At these services, I get to share the vision for the direction of Celebration Church in this next season. Don’t miss out as we take this next step in the history of our church. These are exciting times for us and we believe God is going to bless our church in an incredible way in 2009!
h4. Furnace Weekend Recap
By the way, if you missed our first furnace weekend, check out the recap video of this night of worship and prayer.
http://www.vimeo.com/2896251h4. Share With Us
Do you have a testimony you’d like to share about what God has done in your life through Awake21? Or is there a prayer request you’d like for us to pray with you about? We’d love to hear from you.
Stovall
Awakening Prayer and Worship Night
By Stovall Weems
One of the most powerful components of Awake21 is the Prayer and Worship Nights that we have throughout the fast. It’s so refreshing to come together as we’re all fasting and praying and just get into the presence of God. Every time we do these, we get some amazing testimonies of healings, breakthroughs, salvations and people getting fresh vision from God for their lives. It’s just incredible. The services are about an hour long and as we worship together, we spend some time praying corporately, but also allow time in the service for personal prayer and devotion. I encourage you to join us tonight, you really won’t want to miss this.
Awakening Prayer and Worship Night
Tonight, Friday January 16th 7:00pm
At Midtown and Orange Park Campuses
I also wanted to share with you the overall prayer points that we are praying for during Awakening. We’re also asking all churches and believers participating in Awakening to generally pray for these 4 things on a regular basis:
1. All the churches participating in Awakening – That we would have maximum effectiveness in advancing the Kingdom of God in 2009 and that God would do everything He wants to do in our churches and ministries.
2. Believers in the churches participating in Awakening – We are praying for the believers in your churches and their individual prayer requests.
3. The Body of Christ – That as a whole, the Body of Christ would be all that God wants us to be in 2009.
4. Pastors and Spiritual Leaders – That we would be men and women after God’s own heart and live a life worthy of the Gospel.
Just as a reminder, you can visit the Awake21 website for some great resources and tips on fasting that will help you and your family. You can also submit your testimonies and personal prayer requests on the site as well, we’d love to hear from you.
Stovall
Discipline Part 2
By Stovall Weems
The definition of discipline is: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.
Putting spiritual disciplines into place today literally “train” and prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. No doubt, in life we will face difficulty, but many times we wait until we’re in a crisis to engage spiritual disciplines and we find ourselves unprepared and caught by surprise. If we practiced and exercised them on a regular basis, we would be “spiritually fit” to deal with difficulties in life.
Fasting is one of the most vital, spiritual disciplines we can engage in. I like to call it the “atomic bomb” of our spiritual weapons. Every time I fast, God gives me fresh revelation and vision for the future. I can move forward with a level of confidence and strength that I would have gotten only by fasting and seeking God. After I fast, I look back and think “What if I wouldn’t have fasted?” I would have missed God on so many things.
Today, we’re on day 4 of Awakening: A 21 Day Season of Prayer and Fasting. I want to encourage you to participate. Even if you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late to jump in. Check out the Awakening website for resources and tips on fasting that will help you. Think about 2 or 3 main things in your life that you would like God’s direction on, or that you need help with, and use this season of prayer and fasting to seek God in those areas of your life.
Stovall
Here’s an article that summarizes what Awake21 is all about. Click Here to check it out.
Awake21: Day 2
By Stovall Weems
Today is the 2nd day of our 21 day season of prayer and fasting. Our services this past weekend were absolutely dynamic as we kicked it off. People are seeking God with all their hearts and with a humble spirit. We’ve already received hundreds of prayer requests and we’re believing that as we come into alignment with what God has in store for us this year, He’s going to move in a mighty way.
Remember to checkout our Awakening website at www.awake21.org This website is full of tips on fasting and resources to help you and your family. There you will find the 21 Day Awakening Fasting Calendar (for both adults and kids); recommended daily scripture reading and the Awakening Daily Devotional as well as several other resources and links on fasting. There is also a place for you to submit your prayer requests and testimonies, we’d love to hear from you.
It’s so awesome to think that there are over 300 churches across the nation and around the world that have signed up to join us. If you’re a pastor and would like to participate, it’s not too late! Just log in to www.awake21.org and register your church. As a pastor, you will have access to all the Awakening resources as well as tools and tips on how to establish a culture of prayer and fasting in your church.
Lastly, if you didn’t have a chance to join us this weekend, remember you can still catch this weekend’s entire service on our internet campus. Just log on to www.celebration.org Tuesday night at 9:00pm ET. You won’t want to miss this powerful service as we kicked off our Awakening series and our 21 days of prayer and fasting.
Stovall
Discipline – Part 1
By Stovall Weems
The difference between excellence and mediocrity is discipline. Even the apostle Paul said:
bq. I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
I believe that once a leader has built a solid foundation in their organization or ministry, and they’re experiencing some degree of success, their greatest challenge is not how to manage others, but how to manage their own life. Self management and personal disciplines are keys to health and longevity.
What disciplines are you putting into practice in 2009 to manage your life effectively?
Stovall
Planning My Personal Calendar – Part 3
By Stovall Weems
In my last 2 blog posts, I’ve shared two of the filters I consider when planning. Again, the key to all of these is to seek God’s wisdom and commit to aligning ourselves with His plans. As we do, He gives us clear vision and directs our steps. Here is another filter that helps to make sure I’m letting God have total control:
3. Have I left enough margin?
I am very careful to not plan out every single week of the year. I always allow for margin. This helps me leave enough room for God to move and even interrupt things along the way. Planning and scheduling is great, but it’s there as a support and still requires some room for flexibility.
What filters do you use when planning?
Stovall
Planning My Personal Calendar – Part 2
By Stovall Weems
In my last post, I shared the first of 3 filters I use when planning my personal calendar. Combined with seeking God for guidance these filters really help to make sure the right things end up on my calendar as I make plans for the year. Here’s the second filter I consider:
2. Are the right things getting my power pill?
This is all about effectiveness and not just busyness. The calendar can fill up pretty quick, but is it getting filled up with the right things, and am I building the right relationships in the process? This helps me stay focused and prioritize the things that move the church forward.
What filters do you use when planning?
Stovall
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