Eastwoodtulsa’s Weblog

I am going to be preparing myself and our congregation for a period of Prayer and Fasting by preaching a message on Sunday morning, March 1. Below are some Biblical examples to prepare you for Sunday morning. g
Examples of Biblical purposes for fasting:‎
‎1. After receiving devastating news about yourself, other believers, or God’s work. 1Kings 21:27-29; ‎‎2Chron 20; Neh. 1:1-4; Ezra 9:1-5; Esther 4:3; Daniel 6:18‎

‎2. During a time of personal or corporate confession of sin and repentance. 1Sam. 7:6; Neh. 9:1; Jer. 36:1-‎‎9; Joel 1:14, 2:12; Jonah 3:5‎

‎3. Because of a difficult spiritual task for yourself or others. Exodus 34:28; 2Chron. 20:3 Esther 4:16‎

‎4. To get specific instruction/direction/answer from God. Daniel 10:3; Ezra 8:21-23‎

‎5. When praying, interceding, for the sins of God’s people. Daniel 9:1-20; Joel 2:1-18‎

‎6. When dealing directly with demonic forces. Daniel 10; Mat. 17:21; Mark 9:29‎

‎7. To seek the Lord for any reason. Ex. 34:28; 1Sam. 1:7; 2Sam.2:15; Acts 10:30; 1Cor. 7:5‎

‎8. Before or after choosing/sending spiritual leaders. Acts 13:2-3; Acts 14:21-23‎

‎9. When you are afraid. 2Chronicles 20:3‎

‎10. By doing what is right. Isaiah 58:3-6‎

‎11. During times of grief. Judges 20:26; 1Sam. 20:34; 31:13; 2Sam 1:12; 1Chron. 10:12; Mat. 9:15; Mark ‎‎2:20; Luke 5:35‎

‎12. In suffering for or serving the Lord. Matthew 4:1-2; Luke 2:37; 2Cor. 6:5, 11:27‎

Tomorrow morning we will tackle a tough subject. Sexual immorality is a huge issue in our society and even the church.

Pray for me that the message would transform and not just inform people. We know the problem exists. We need God to get a hold on our hearts in a way that transforms our behavior.

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3 NIV

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I had some feedback from last Sunday’s message on “5 deadly temptations”. They are deadly because they can lead you to your death, not because temptation in and of itself is sinful.

The Bible says that “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” Hebrews 4:15. If it is a sin merely to be tempted then Jesus sinned because He was tempted too, just like we are.

No, being tempted is not a sin; giving in to temptation is sin. The temptations that we are looking at (1Cor. 10:1-13) are examples to us NOT to be lead astray and give in. All sin is deadly, “The wages a sin is death…” Romans 6:23.

A word about THOUGHTS. It is obvious that temptation can begin as a mere thought. The  thought is not sin, but the thought can lead to sin. That is why the Bible says to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” 2Cor. 10:5. In other words, if you have a thought or impulse that you know is off limits or appears sinful on the surface, don’t meditate on it, it is an enemy, a foe. REJECT it.

How long do you have when thoughts intrude for dominance in your mind and heart. Or let me say it this way. When does the look become lust? Jesus said “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” Matthew 5:28. It is the “look to lust” that is sinful and it begins in the mind. I would say that you have no more than a “trinity of seconds” 1001, 1002, 1003. Any more than that and your cooked, fried, done, dead, tempted, tricked, trapped.

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I came across this in my reading today and thought I would share it with you as we prepare to focus our hearts on God in March through prayer and fasting.

In more recent times the evangelical church in South Korea has taught the rest of the world a lesson in prayer and fasting. The first Protestant church was planted in Korea in 1884. One hundred years later there were 30,000 churches. That’s an average of 300 new churches a year for 100 years.  Today evangelicals comprise about 30% of the population. God has used many means to do this great work. One of them is a recovery not just of dynamic prayer, but of fasting-prayer. In the OMS (Overseas Missionary Society) churches alone more than 20,000 people have completed a forty day fast – usually at one of their “prayer houses” in the mountains.

(Wesley Duewel, Mighty Prevailing Prayer, [Grand Rapids: Francis Asbury Press, 1990], p. 192).

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Now, therefore, says the Lord, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Joel 2:12

On March 1,(Sunday a.m.), I will preach a message on prayer and fasting. On March 4, (Wed.) we will observe as a church the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Revival and Spiritual Awakening. I probably shouldn’t have given you advance warning; you may already be planning your excuses to stay home! I hope not. Fasting is not a topic we want to hear, much less practice. But it is the need of the hour and as your pastor I am calling you to do it for God’s glory.

There will be several levels of participation. You can fast your breakfast, lunch, dinner or all three. Make sure you spend time in prayer that you would normally spend eating or preparing food. It can be a fast, not just from food but also a call to us to do what is right (Isaiah 58:6-7). You may need to fast from TV, Internet, the news and newspapers, your own plans, your own “fun”.

How will it work? On Wednesday, March 4, the church auditorium will be open all day if you choose to come to pray in the morning or afternoon. We will have a special service Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. All other activities (choir practice, pastor’s Bible study/prayer, Youth and children’s) will be combined to seek the Lord’s face and call on Him for revival and awakening.

We need to be revived, our hearts need to be made tender again for the things of God. We need a renewed hunger for the word of God. There are so many things competing for our time and loyalty. I hope you will choose to participate at some level. Let God show you; be open to His leading. Invite others to come who have a burden to see God pour out His Spirit again!

Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14

Gordon

Can you raed tihs? Olny srmat poelpe can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig, huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

What an incredible mind God gave us humans – eh? Scientists estimate that the human brain calculates roughly 100 trillion calculations per second! So no wonder we can burn through a paragraph without even needing all the letters. We actually have the mental capacity to ‘fix’ the letters in each word so it ends up sounding right in our minds.

With this great gift comes an obligation to harness our minds for the Glory of God.  Imagine what we can accomplish as our mind is focused on Christ throughout our days. But how can we do this?  Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 that we are to renew our mind through the word of God, the Bible:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

Take time this week to renew your mind with the word of God!!

J