I took sometime yesterday and today to fast and pray for the upcoming ministry to Burundi.
This is a powerful discipline that I have grown to appreciate whenever I am entering a season of intense ministry or tremendous personal life changes. It allows me to hear God more clearly, draw great strength and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and focus on the mission at hand.
I need all these at the moment as I prepare the messages for the thousands of people we will minister to in Africa.
I had also invited our ministry leadership and travelling teams to fast and pray alongside as they are able. Over the years we have found this to be a critical piece in team preparation as we are unified in our purpose and mission.
I got thinking about Jesus' encounter with the demoniac and his response to the disciples' inquiry as to why they could not cast out the demon. The story is in Matthew 17:14-22.
In the story, Jesus and his disciples are surrounded by a crowd. Then a man comes falling at Jesus feet pleading for him to cure his demon possessed son. He also informs Jesus that His disciples were unable to cure the youngman. Jesus proceeds to cure him.
While it is common throughout the gospel of Matthew for Jesus to rebuke his disciples for their lack of faith as he does in this instance, he does however add something else. In verse 21 He says, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Of course some translations point out that this verse does not appear in the earliest manuscripts. Some biblical scholars do therefore argue that it is possible it was added later by a zealous scribe. But is it not true that fasting and prayer bring with them tremendous break-through?
One point of praise: Yesterday I shared with you that we need to raise $ 19,000 over the next few days to meet our budgetary needs for Burundi. I did declair my faith and confidence that God was going to provide in time. Well, today my faith continues to be affirmed. Provisions are coming in and now what we need is $ 13,000.
As I shared with you, faith is trust that the invisible hand of God that beckoned you to follow will also provide and sustain you with its in-exhaustible resources. I know that God's hand beckoning us toward this work will supply and sustain us until it is completed. Glory to God!
You wanto to help reach out to the people of Burundi? Visit our secure website @ http://www.swimministry.org/.
It is the Christmas season 2009. Like Joseph and Mary 2000 years ago, a young couple are on the virge of the birth of their first baby boy. Although they are doing everything to prepare for the big day, it still catches them by surprise. Instead of the regular 40 weeks, the baby is arriving six weeks early. Because they are not expecting it this early, their bags are not packed nor is the nursery fully furnished. Safe for an early morning warning in a dream to the father to prepare to be in a delivery room and with assurance (from the Lord) that it would be o.k, the day started off as any other day. At 6:00 AM, the couple prays together for about 40 minutes in their home in Victoria. They take showers. At about 7:30 AM, the husband goes to work briefly from his home office while the wife prepares something for their breakfast together. Within a couple hours they will have a routine prenatal doctor's appointment. Later in the evening the wife's sister and her two beau
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