Pray for your City

Day 23

There is so much going on today. Egypt is in turmoil, a blizzard is raging in the north, and a Cat 5 cyclone (hurricane) is about to his Australia. I guess all those things put my heart in a state of turmoil. Let us stay focused on praying not only for Pensacola but keep some of these other issues lifted up. I am sure I will have more to say tomorrow. 

Schizophrenia

According to Richard Foster in his book Freedom of Simplicity:

"Fasting helps to give us balance. It makes us more keenly sensitive to the whole of life, so that we do not become obsessed with our consumer mentality. It is something of an inner alarm to help us hold priorities straight, to give us a sense of spiritual sensitivity. Fasting reveals the things that control us. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things but in fasting these things come to the surface."

This statement says more about the raw effects of fasting than any other that I have read. There is something very powerful about denying your body food. You begin to see the craziness of this world we live in. You recognize that there is a subtle schizophrenia that permeates this country. We pursue things that will supposedly make us happy. We want the new house, the new furniture set, the new big screen television. We want the new car and the new clothes to impress people that we don't care about. We run our credit cards up to the top and then work like dogs to pay them back down. It is craziness. Fasting is a powerful tool to bring us back to reality. We won't notice how much we are a part of this world until we step away from it. Fasting helps you to do that. Did you notice that when you fast you can't go to that birthday party and be around the cake? Did you notice that movies have lost their fun because the place smells like popcorn? Even hanging out with the church folk on Sunday at Shoney's will no work for you. You have set yourself apart. If you are really fasting and using the extra time in your life to pray and meditate on God you will find that fasting will give you clarity. You see better, you hear better, you feel better. Everything shifts. As Foster says, Fasting reveals the things that control us. If you endure and break past the personal walls of resistance you will find that life changes. You are different. Do not take this 40 days lightly. I am expecting God will re-align your focus and help you gain clarity on your life's purpose. 

Day 20 Half-Way

We have made it half way through the 40 day fast. Today is day 20. Congratulations. As I have said before we need perseverance to keep focused all the way through. Making a commitment to pray and fast every day or even a few times a week over a long period is not easy but it is life changing. Considering the latest statistics that I have seen, that the average Christian prays for 5 minutes a day, we need to push more into prayer. Do we really pray enough? Do we really fast enough? Is prayer part of our daily culture? Is fasting part of our weekly culture? My prayer for each participant this year is that you don't stop pressing after 40 days but that you learn more about yourself and God over this 40 days and that you find wholeness in a more fasted lifestyle. We will ask you to fast every monday again this year till december. Remember if you fast one day a week for one year you will have fasted 52 days! That is remarkable. If you don't remember why your are fasting re-read Isaiah 58. We want to loosen chains of injustice, remove the heavy burden from the oppressed, set the captive free and break the yoke of sin. Fasting is pro-active warfare. Hey! We are in God's military. It is exciting. 

Today I was on the phone with Miami and Jacksonville. I have been emailing Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale and Lake Mary. Even as I am praying for my city I am working hard to develop the National Day of Prayer in Florida. I am excited when we engage our local political leaders and get them to come and pray for the city and nation. You might want to check out the National Day of Prayer website and see why this day is so important. Prayer is a historical part of our identity as a nation. You can say that we were founded by men and women of prayer. Well tomorrow is Sunday so bless your pastor and make sure he knows that you are praying for him. God bless. 

Hebrews 12:¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Day 15 Breakthrough

Today at my church's prayer meeting we had a remarkable breakthrough. I don't know if I am the only one but I have been struggling with this year's fast. This is the fourth year we are doing the "40 days". The first year was easy. I was very excited that we had 600 people from over 85 churches. The second year it wasn't as easy. The excitement wore off and the fast had become work. The third year wasn't as hard but this year has been the hardest. It doesn't help that my wife and I got into fight on the 2nd day of the fast. (just being real with you) Thank God we made up but it left a mark on me and I have been struggling ever since. Well today God showed up at our prayer meeting and I have left changed, energized and ready to push hard back into the fast. I know that I wasn't the only one changed. God was helping everyone at the prayer meeting to break past their own issues and struggles. 

It is important to remember that fasting is not easy or fun. When Jesus fasted 40 days the devil showed up. When Elijah fasted 40 days he was depressed and ready to die. Fasting is a place of personal death. It is purposeful starvation. We are really trying to kill out bodies. I can only go about 50-60 days on juice before I end up in the hospital. But there is a purpose behind what we do. I don't think I need to re-teach you Isaiah 58. So the point is that not only did I experience breakthrough and refreshing tonight and not only did the people I was with experience breakthrough tonight but I believe that God is wanting to make sure that each of you reading this blog experiences a breakthrough in your personal fast also. So I will pray:

God - I pray for every participant in the fast. I pray you help them to push into the fast and go the extra mile. I pray that they would be encouraged and strengthened to keep going strong. I pray you help them turn off the television and pray more. I pray you help them to skip more meals than they have been skipping. I pray that your they would begin to have spiritual dreams. I pray that you begin to bring them clarity about their own lives and the lives of those that they are around. We know that during fasting we hit walls of resistance and the enemy wants us to quit. I pray for breakthrough in each of their lives. Breakthrough in Jesus name. Amen. 

Vacation is over - Time to Work

After a short rest we are pushing back into building the prayer and fasting ministry of the city called Pensacola. 40 days of fasting is very hard on the mind, spirit and the body. I have been in recovery mode. That is not to say that we have not been praying and seeking God this past month. It just means I have been spending more quite time with Him and in his word. Trying to wait upon Him for new direction. What we have realized is that Pensacola and the surrounding region needs more than a one time shot in the arm of prayer. We need a culture of prayer and fasting. Pensacola and its Christians need to begin to make this area a center of worship. So I will once again begin to write my blog and encourage this city to pray and fast. Please follow us as we begin to move forward once again.