Thursday's Reward

Church Family: Will you please join together every Thursday for the next 53 weeks for a time of fasting and prayer for the purpose of GCT to:

1) Have deep cravings to see God’s power in action.
2) To see God reveal Himself and His reward through answering, moving, directing in the construction of our building.

Why fasting?

We fast to declare our absolute dependence on the Lord.

Nehemiah 1:4-6 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven . . . let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants...”
We fast because we know God listens.

We serve a God of compassion who answers the persistent prayers of His people (Nehemiah 2:1-9). We can approach the throne with great boldness and persistence and know that we are heard by the Almighty God upon whom no prayers are wasted.

Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

We fast because God is greater than all of our needs.

In fasting, we are saying to God, “Our spiritual need is greater than our physical discomfort and the supply for both comes from You alone.” Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
 
We fast to overcome any spiritual status quo.

God told Israel when they were in exile, the reason that they are not hearing from Him is that they were not longing for Him, they were not seeking Him with their whole heart. God says in Jeremiah 29:23, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

We fast because Jesus wants His people to fast.

Matthew 6:16-18 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Fasting is an expectation of the Lord.

We fast because we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Look at the early church of Acts 13:1-4. The burden that drove the church to fast was this: "LORD! Lead us in the power and provision of your Holy Spirit in the direction of Your mission.”

God is calling us to a time of fasting and prayer for God to reveal Himself and His reward. Let us fast and pray for an awakening in the body of Christ; a revival of holiness and joy in prayer and for God’s provision and timeliness in the construction of our new GCT building. We are asking the God of all creation to provide the financial means and donations of work and product and skilled labor to build this building along with the favor and honor at each step with county and state permitting. I believe that if we seek the Lord with prayer and fasting, God will meet our needs in endless different ways with endless different people that we have not even considered.

Seeking God and His reward, Steve