Declare a holy fast! Joel 1.14

If you forgive me the opportunity for a play on words.

To declare a fast for Jesus, for God , is to put on our "go faster stripes" and to train for a deeper spiritual life.

Claire preached to us last Sunday about the reasons for fasting . And we heard from a witness about experiences at the International church.

To fast is to expect more from God. In my experience there is always more! God your ever loving father always wants to give you more. He never wants to give you less.

Do you dare to take from the hand of God? Do you dare to go deeper and let the heart of God speak to your life?

Matthew chapter 25 is about this sort of thing, it divides out into two sorts of subjects "having" and "giving."

On the having front we have all been given access to the full riches of God. He doesn't hold back and doesn't have favourites. He gives to each one who chooses to be his the full riches of God's glory. We can have it all. One day at a time.

The parable story about bags of gold in this chapter is about what we do with his love. Do we hold it like gold? Holding it to our chest hoping that no one will wrestle it away from us? Or do we give it away?  Squander it almost, because we know that there will always be more? Always there will be a fresh infilling of the riches of God for those who give away those riches. That's what Jesus is getting in his teaching, we need to understand that, and realise we are not in a spiritual famine where we need to hold God's riches back for some rainy day future. God gives! we use! Keep nothing in the storehouse God is our sufficiency.

So we have and we give, without fear or favour. We Share God's riches with the the wealthiest and also with the poorest of the Poor.

Matthew 25 "what you do to the least of my Brethren you do to me."

So this coming fast is an exciting opportunity to go deeper into the heart of God. To hear from him at a deeper level.

For reflection
* listen to Claire again
* are you going to pray 7/12/7
* who can fast with you?
* full fast or partial?
* look our Burlington Web page for the fast

* read the book of Daniel