Fasting Day 6

Today: READ Acts 4

Victorious Christian Harvesters Bible Institute in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

 As we draw nearer to the end of our fasting time, focus in prayer on telling God all you are thankful for. Focus on all the blessing in your life, and then recognize they are nothing in comparison to God. Take time to just praise our triune God for who He is! Focus on Creation. Focus on His Incarnation. Focus on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Focus on the Holy Spirit.

 This has been on my heart a lot. In the chaos of planning a trip, preparing for a baby, working full time, fasting, and trying to get a whole other list of stuff done- I am finding that I am definitely displaying my dependance on God, to give me strength and energy to do all this, but for a time this week, I wasn’t giving praise to God. True praise. If that makes any sense and that is you at all, please take the time to truly give Him praise today. For me sometimes true dependence is just stopping everything and trusting God to bring it all together without my constant effort.

Acts 4:23-31
Prayer for Boldness
23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God and said, “Master, You are the One who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David Your servant:[a] Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers assembled together against the Lord and against His Messiah.[b] 27 “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people[c] of Israel, assembled together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, 30 while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

[a] Acts 4:25 Other mss read through the mouth of David Your servant
[b] Acts 4:26 Ps 2:1-2
[c] Acts 4:27 Lit peoples

Talk about a good way to summarize my prayers for our group and the way we are to operate down there! With boldness! Let us transit the Gospel message with clarity that can only come from the Spirit’s empowering! We may not know the language, but you are going to see God use you in amazing ways! Be bold, for we do not go by our own power but His!

I have never battled threats or persucution either here or in other countries where I have been, but remember, that we are priveledged to be doing what we are doing in a country that welcomes it! We aren’t at risk of the government locking us up! We should praise God for this and pray for our brothers and sisters in the worldwide Church who have so many more obstacles in front of them to share the Gospel.

The area around the institute as seen from the balcony

Do you ever just feel dry? Dry in terms of that initial Holy Spirit spark you once felt? I got a very relevant devotional in my email today by C.S. Lewis I thought I would share:

 It is quite right that you should feel that “something terrific” has happened to you (It has) and be “all glowy.” Accept these sensations with thankfulness as birthday cards from God, but remember that they are only greetings, not the real gift. I mean, it is not the sensations that are the real thing. The real thing is the gift of the Holy Spirit which can’t usually be- perhaps not ever- experienced as a sensation or emotion. The sensations are merely the response of your nervous system. Don’t depend on them. Otherwise when they go and you once more emotionally flat (as you certainly will be quite soon), you might think that the real thing had gone too. But it won’t. It will be there when you can’t feel it. May even be most operative when you feel it least. 

This is such a great reminder! You will physically feel the Holy Spirit in your body moving next week in Mexico, or at different times in our lives, but don’t think that the Spirit has left when that feeling dissipates. He is always with you, giving you strength, conviction when needed, empowering the words you speak, and even working after you are fast asleep.

 Lord, grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. Work ahead of us in the places where the people will assemble and may each one be shaken by the power of Your Gospel. Let them each be filled with the Holy Spirit and in turn began to speak God’s message with boldness, and continue to extend your kingdom to the ends of the earth! Lord, help us to know Your Holy Spirit is at work in our lives every day even when that feeling isn’t always tangible! We thank you and praise you for all You have done in our lives and all that you are going to do in Mexico, and all that you will do long after we are back in the comforts of our homes!