God, We thank You for Your wisdom and instruction. We trust Your voice. We trust Your direction even when our natural minds do not understand. Isaiah 46:10 tells us that You see the end from the beginning. You know which way is the right way for us to go. You know what steps need to be taken next. We trust You and we thank You for revealing it to us! In Jesus's Name, Amen!
God, we thank You for the vision and direction You are guiding Forgiven Church in 2023. We are going to do just as Your Word says in Philippians 4:6-7, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." We are not going to be anxious about 2023. We trust You. We know You are Faithful. We seek after You and follow You and where You're leading us. Because we put You first, everything else is worked out for our good. We choose to walk in Your peace as we follow You. We trust You with our future. We trust You with the direction You want us to go in 2023. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Thank You, God, that we continue to focus on You and Your ways of doing things. Thank You, for revealing Your plans for Forgiven Church to Pastor Scott, on our behalf. We seek Your will. We seek Your way of doing things, and because of that, You make plain to us Your plans. Our spiritual ears and eyes are open to Your voice - we are listening intently to what You tell us. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Heavenly Father, We seek YOU first, above all things, just as it says in Matthew 6:33, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." We want what YOU want. We desire what YOU desire. Our focus is You and Your Word. Our focus is building Your Kingdom and staying focused on Kingdom things. We put aside all the cares and worries this life throws at us because we know that as we seek You and Your ways, You will take care of everything else for us. We love You! In Jesus' name, Amen!
God, we thank You for a covenant relationship with You. We thank You, that we can come to You boldly, without fear, knowing full well that You desire to talk with us. We thank You, for Your Word and all Your promises. God, You say in Jeremiah 33:3, that if we simply ask You of what's to come then You will tell us. So we ask You for direction and what's to come for Forgiven Church and we thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word, that You will reveal those things to us. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God, You promise to lead and guide us in the best direction for us in Psalm 32:8. We thank You, right now, that You are guiding us in the best direction for Forgiven Church in 2023. Thank You, for revealing to us what our focus needs to be, both individually and corporately as a church family. Our desire is to follow where You lead us. Holy Spirit, lead us - reveal to us where You want us to go in 2023, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Back in 2009/2010, our church people gathered various recipes that are "Daniel Fast approved." We printed it as a cookbook for reference when we would do our yearly corporate fast in January. To help with some recipes, tips, & ideas we made the book available to you digitally. To make it even easier, we created hyperlinks within the Table of Contents of the book. You can click on any section in the Table of Contents and it will take you to the corresponding page automatically.
The fast is coming up. We'd like to remind you, especially if this is your first fast, that now is a good time to begin preparing. Depending on the fast you've chosen will depend on the amount of preparation you'll need to do. Create a list/menu of food options and the necessary grocery list. One very important reminder for you: "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1 Why are we bringing this up? Because sometimes we make mistakes during the fast and we don't realize it, which is especially important if you're not used to fasting. Sometimes we miss an ingredient in a food that we truly thought it was "fast-approved" but find out later that it wasn't. Don't beat yourself up over this. The enemy would love to condemn you, but don't give in to it. You didn't mess up the whole fast, don't throw it all away over a few mistakes. Okay, let's say we made a mistake. What next? How do we move beyond that? By remembering 1 John 1:9 (NIV), "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Simply say to Jesus, "I messed up. I made a mistake. I apologize and thank You for Your forgiveness," and then we move on, continuing with our fast. It really is that simple. It really is that easy. Another good tip for anyone who may not have fasted before - we don't recommend a water-only fast or a highly restricted fast. And for those of you who have fasted before and may choose something like this, remember to come off your fast slowly when it's over. So relax - no stressing over this - and let's get ready for this fast!
Pastor Scott will be leaving on his annual sabbatical. He takes this time to separate from the world and spend time with only God, shutting out all distractions. He prays and fasts for God's direction for Forgiven Church in the upcoming year. This year, we would like to offer the opportunity to join in the time of prayer & fasting. For 6 days, we will spend time seeking God's direction for 2023, praying for Pastor Scott to hear what God is saying to him clearly, and praying for strength for Pastor Scott. This is also an opportunity to fast alongside Pastor. Fast what you feel is right for you. A few examples: Daniel Fast, fruits & veggies only fast, no sugar fast, or fast one meal a day. If there are things God is leading you to give up during this time, we encourage that as well (tv, video games, phone usage, etc.). There will be 8 more posts after today. The next two posts will be on November 17, with some tips on preparation for anyone choosing to fast and a post containing a "Daniel's Fast Cookbook" created by our church in 2009 & 2010. The cookbook is to give you ideas on recipes if needed. The last 6 will post daily from November 27 - December 2. Each of these 6 days, a new post will appear here with a Scripture and suggested focus for prayer and/or time of meditation. None of this is mandatory. It is not a demand on anyone; it is all completely optional. There is no need to sign your name to anything. This is between you and God. "And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." - Matthew 6:16-18 NLT "Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset." - Exodus 17:12 NLT Exodus 17:12 signifies us standing with Pastor Scott in unity, figuratively holding his hands up just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses's arms to secure the win in the battle. It signifies that Pastor Scott is not alone in seeking God's direction for Forgiven Church.
