Day Twelve - Fasting

                  Fasting is a forgotten discipline.  Many feel that it was an Old Testament ritual and not for the church today.  But Jesus said,

Luke 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

                  The question was given to Jesus why His disciples did not fast.  All of the Pharisees and Saducees fasted.  The disciples of John fasted, but Jesus’ disciples did not fast.  He gave an illustration of a wedding.  While the groom is present,  there is joy and rejoicing,  but when the groom is taken,  then will be the time of fasting.  What does that say?  It says that now that Jesus has returned to heaven,  this is the time to fast.  In the near future,  He will come again and set up a kingdom on earth.  We will forever be with the Lord.  Since fasting is about the time when the bridegroom is taken from them,  we will have no other time to fast than the present time.  Fasting is a form of self denial.  It teaches us to go without necessary food so that we will give ourselves completely to prayer.  Fasting and prayer go together,

Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

1 Corinthians 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

This is not just an old Testament principle.  There is not a great emphasis on fasting in the New Testament,  but it is taught.  We read,  “give yourselves to fasting and prayer.”  This is in the context of husbands and wives giving to each other,  but fasting was a part of the early church.  When Paul ordained elders,  he did so after fasting, 

Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

When the ship that Paul traveled on was in danger of sinking,  the men on the ship prayed and fasted (Acts 27:33).  Fasting is a discipline that helps the mind center on matters that are important.   When Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days we read,

Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

 

He knew that the devil would tempt Him.  We believe that fasting is important in overcoming temptation.  It teaches us to go without for the sake of the Lord and His work on earth.  That discipline also helps us to say "no" to sin that is tempting to us.  This is found in the Bible,  but not often practiced by the church.

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Spent a day fasting.  If you haven’t had time to pray for an hour,  this would be a good exercise to make the time of prayer more meaningful for you.  Fasting is denying something needful for a short period of time.  When you fast,  drink plenty of liquid,  and fast only for a short period of time and couple that time with prayer. 

Day Eleven - Sweet Hour of Prayer

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

                  We sing about the “sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care.”  The song concludes when we go to be with the Lord and bid farewell to that sweet hour of prayer.  For most Christians in the twenty first century,  it has been a long time since we spent an hour in prayer,  in fact most have never spent an hour in prayer without interuption.  The only time that we have a desire to pray for a long period of time is when we are in the waiting room at the hospital with a loved one in the emergency room or in intensive care.  The culture in the middle east is much different.  The ninth hour was the time of day when people would gather at the temple for an hour of prayer. 

                  This was a part of Peter and John’s life.  Even after they were saved,  they still longed to go to the temple to pray.  Obviously there were many prayers in that time that were simply words.  The ones praying did not know the Lord and were literally praying to a building or to a force.  God would not hear those prayers.  But Peter and John were different.  They not only prayed,  but they heard God speak.  He spoke in a way that caused them to know His will. 

                 As they walked they met a man who was crippled.  He asked for alms,  for money to live on, but Peter and John had no money to give him.  They gave him what they had to offer,  the healing power of Christ.  The man not only stood but walked and leaped and praised God.  The fact that they saw the man’s need and knew that God was willing to heal this man showed the depth of their fellowship with God.  Their prayer life is visible in the way that they heard and understood God’s will. 

                We have something to offer,  but “who?” and “what?” and “how much?” are questions that are only answered when we are in fellowship through prayer.  As we seek Him,  God reveals in a day by day, tangible way, how He wants us to use our gifts to help people.  We may not have anything substantial to give them that can pay their bills,  but we have a treasure that they need more than money.  God has asked us to give them His presence in their lives. That presence comes as they understand the death and resurrection of Christ.  Paul says, 

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

               It is our desire in prayer for our lives and for others, who have this need but don’t know it, that they would experience this depth of fellowship. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Spend an hour in prayer.  Try to find a place where you won’t be distracted.  You might want to set a clock so that you will know when the hour has expired.  Write down people who need the Lord,  and any other needs that you know about.  Pray for them and pray that God would use you in a tangible way to help meet those needs. 

Day Ten - Love in Deed,  not just in Words

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

                  This is a very great problem in churches and in homes.  We love people easily with words,  but we don’t show that love in actions.  It is easy to say that we love someone,  but the word love needs to be demonstrated.  We know that “God so loved the world,”  but God didn’t leave it as a doctrine in a textbook.  We also read,

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The word commend means to set with,  to place with.  God is love and God loves this world,  but that wasn’t enough.  The world would go to hell for eternity even if God loved them.  God’s love was demonstrated in an action.  That action sent His only begotten Son to the cross to die for the ones He loved.  He demonstrated how much He loved us.  Jesus told His disciples,

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

There is no greater love than this.   There is no one on earth who loves you as much as God loves you.  Perhaps you have lost a loved one.  You know the pain to see a loved one suffer.  That loved one was loved by God more than He was loved by you.  God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked,  but He does take great pleasure in the death of a saint.  He writes,

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Death is about separation for us,  but it is about union with Christ.  Death is about suffering for us,  but for  God it is about His ability to demonstrate His love to the one who comes to be with Him. 

As a father,  are you showing your family that you love them?  There are many girls who are suffering on this earth with feelings that they are not loved by their father.  As a father,  are you showing love to your wife?  It is one thing to say that you love her in a Valentine’s card,  but another to demonstrate the love to her so that she knows that to you she is the most important person on this earth.  Church people have love for one another,  but it is very important to the church and to Christ that we show that love.  We read,

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The world is not impressed with the words,  “I love you.”  They use those words all the time,  but they are impressed with the deeds of love.  When Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus,  the Jews saw something unique.  They were crying and they were weeping,  but when the saw the grief of Jesus,  they said, 

John 11:36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Bring a meal over to a neighbor or someone in the church who has had some recent health problems or setbacks to show that you love that person.   It doesn’t have to be a full meal, it can be a desert or a snack tray.  You don’t have to say that you love them,  you can show it in your heart felt desire to give to them. 

Day Nine - Appreciate Worship

1 Chronicles 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

                  The word that is translated worship in the Old Testament literally means to bow down,  to lie face down.  Worship is an attitude of the heart that bows in the presence of God.  Worship is seeing God and seeing ourselves in His presence.  We give Him the glory that is due in name and that is due is work.   We come before Him and we seek Him.  Worship means exalting Him.   By definition,  worship is not about what pleases me.  It is not the music that I like.  It is about praise that exalts His work and His Word.  The Bible teaches,

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

In the context, our songs and our hymns must allow the Word of Christ to dwell in us richly.  The songs must teach and admonish and give wisdom.  They are also about grace.  We are gracious to people because God is gracious to us.  He describes the singing with three words,  Psalms,  hymns and spiritual songs.   The fact that he uses three words, declares that not all songs are the same,  not all singing is the same.  God is worshiped in different ways and in different types of music.  Obviously the hymns that he is referring to are not the hymns that were written by John Newton or Fanny Crosby.  The Psalms were the songs that were sung in the days of David and were carried over into the worship of the Jewish people throughout their history. 

God allows us to have the words to those Psalms,  but He did not allow us to have the music.  The melody of the Psalms is probably different from the melody of our day but also different from the melodies of the Wesleys or the Gaithers. 

It is very important that we learn to appreciate music that touches the hearts of people as they show their love and devotion to God.  An older person loves hymns and we need to appreciate the hymns that God has used in their lives.  Younger people like praise songs,  and as older Christians we need to appreciate the music that brings honor and glory to God in their minds.  Worship is not about us,  it is about Christ,  but it is also about others.  Other people need to be important to us,  and how they exalt the Word of God and the work of God needs to be important to us as well. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Open up an hymn book and select an old hymn that you have heard.  Write down the words of that hymn that teach principles and portions of the Word of God.  Also,  write down the words that bring glory to God in the work that He has accomplished in redemption and in bringing people closer to Christ-likeness.  Are there words in that song that speak to you?  Are there words that make you desire to draw closer to Christ?

Day Eight - Honor the Wisdom of Age

Leviticus 19:32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

                  Only eternity will show the impact of the prayers of the shut-ins,  the prayer warriors in your church.  These godly saints are no longer able to do many of the activities of the church,  but the one thing they can still do is pray.  Many of these have learned over the years to trust the wisdom of God and his faithfulness in answering prayers.  They bring their lifetime of devotion to God into the prayer for the believers in the church and God answers their prayers. 

God places a strong emphasis on the wisdom of age.  Our world has placed a stigma on older people because they are not as productive and therefore not as valuable as the young adults in a church.  They are easily neglected and forgotten.  In Bible times,  old people were not placed away from families, from society in cottages where no one saw them.  They lived in the next room.  They were the patriarchs of the family and still directed in many respects up until the day of their death. 

This verse tells us to stand up when an older,  gray haired man or woman come into our presence.  We are to honor their faces.  It is one of the reasons why we are to honor our father and mother.  Children are to obey their parents,  but we are always to honor our moms and dads even when we are older.  The reason?  They are older still and they have been wisdom that corresponds to their age.  We read,

1 Timothy 5:1  Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

A pastor is also an elder.  That does not mean that he is old,  but he is old in the faith.  He is not a novice.  He has been tested by pride and has rejected the pride of knowledge.  A pastor is to be respected and treated as one would treat an older man in the faith.   We are not to rebuke and older man,  but intreat him as we would our own father. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Visit a shut-in or an older person or couple in the church.  Find out the needs that they have.  Pray that God would give you a love for them,  so that you could pray for them and care for their need.  

Day Seven - Increase our Faith in your Word

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

                  There are times when the important things get set aside in our day because there are so many pressing, urgent matters that need attention.  We have a desire to read the Bible every day,  but because tasks must be done in a timely manner,  we put aside the time that we need to read a portion of God’s word and resign ourselves to reading a snippet,  a verse,  or a paragraph,  just enough to say we did it. 

The Bible needs to be read in different ways.  First,  it needs to be read devotionally,  as part of a prayer language where we pray through the scriptures asking God to speak to us in the passage before us.  Obviously,  a snippet hinders God’s ability to speak in a way that would guide us around obstacles in our lives. 

Secondly, we need to read the Bible as with a microscope.  This kind of reading requires time,  reference books and a way to take notes.  We look up topics throughout the Bible,  and we look at each word in a dictionary to understand the meaning of a passage.  In the first two types of Bible reading,  we don’t go through large passages.

There is a third way to read the Bible.  It is like using a telescope.  It is stepping back and getting the big picture.  This may involve learning the background of a book,  the author,  the theme,  the time it was written and who it was written to.  A telescope looks at details of a much larger picture than a microsope.  This kind of reading places a large amount of Bible before us and a one time reading through an entire book or passage.  This kind of reading helps us to know how each book and each verse fits into the whole.  We read,

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

In the time of Nehemiah,  the people all stood while Ezra the priest read out of the book of the law.

Nehemiah 8:2  And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

3  And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

You will notice that this reading lasted a long time.  There was a great revival among those people because the Bible became big in their lives. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Choose a book of the Bible and read it through at one sitting.  Make sure you set aside enough time to finish the book.  The purpose of this exercise is to see the book in its entirety to understand more of the author’s purpose and passion for writing it.

Time to Reflect  -  The church of our day has made faith into something passive,  something we believe,  a creed.  The Bible talks about an active faith.  "By Faith Abraham...."  "By Faith Isaac...."   These men exercised their faith.  We are looking at forty days of "stretching our faith" through exercise.  We want to put our faith into action in many small ways and some big ways.  We would like to have you think about the work of faith and the exercises for this past week.  Are there any exercises that need to be a regular part of your life?  Make an effort to try as many of the exercises as time will permit.  It will be interesting to see how God can use the work of faith to reveal the reality of our faith to others.

Day Six  -  Idolatry 

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

                  The word for idolatry is idolatry.  It is written a little different in Greek,  eidololatreia,  but it is pronounced the same.  The two words that are a part of this compound word mean “service to an idol.”   Idolatry is the thing that we give the most to.  God has asked us to “love Him with all of our heart” (Matthew 22:37).  He has asked us to “trust Him with all of our heart”  (Proverbs 3:5).   God is to be preeminent in all things.  Our love for Him must be greater than anything.   We would say that we love Him,  that we trust Him,  but the thing that we think about the most, the thing that we talk about the most,  the thing that we put our time and money into is the thing that is preeminent in our life.   When we work ten hours to buy something,  that ten hours is service for that thing.    We read,

Colossians  3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness , which is idolatry:

The definition of idolatry in this verse is covetousness  - the thing that we desire most.  This would be a great verse to meditate on throughout the day.

Is there anything that I have,  or anything that I do that has become a god to me?   (It is usually the first thing that comes to your mind when you ask yourself this question.)

An Exercise to increase our Faith  -   Put away a god for a week.  If television has become too important to you,  instead of fasting by going without food,  fast by going without television for a week.   If your hobby is a god,  then refrain from that for a week.  Nature abhors a vacuum,  so you will need to put something in place.  This would be a good time to read that book from Day Four! 

Day Five  -  Dealing with a Difficult Person 

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

                  All of us have a difficult time with certain people.  A heard a man ask the question,  “What kind of church would my church be if every member were just like me?”   We think that it would be great because we like who we are,  but as difficult as some people are to get along with,  we have an even harder time dealing with our own sin.  We are the ones with the beam.  The others have the mote.  Perhaps someone has sinned against you and hurt you so deeply that you have a hard time forgiving them.  Before you write them off remember,  “no one has sinned against you as much as you have sinned against God!” 

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

How has God forgiven you?  Was it because you were so good,  because you deserved it?  Did He forgive you because He loves you when you were a sinner?  The Bible instructs us to forgive one another “as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us.”  

Perhaps someone has stolen your inheritance,  or robbed you of a relationship that you needed.  Perhaps it was a parent or a child,  the Bible is clear that we are different from the world. The world has no capacity to forgive.  They are given to grudges and bitterness.  But we are different.  We are called to do the things that the world can’t do.  We are called to show to the world that we forgive those who have sinned against us.  It is by our love that the world sees that we are different and that we have a power that they do not have. 

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Imagine what it would be like if God actually answered our prayer, 

“Our Father, which art in heaven,  hallowed be thy name,  thy kingdom come,  they will be done on earth as it is in heaven,  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses  (sins) as we forgive those who have trespassed  (sinned) against us…” 

We have prayed that prayer our entire lives and have asked God to forgive us the way we have forgiven others.  If God were to answer that prayer,  would you be forgiven?  

An Exercise to increase our faith   -  Send a note to someone who you have had a hard time forgiving.  Tell them that you are praying for them and that you are thankful that God put them into your life. 

Day Four -  Stretch our Minds

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Proverbs 2:20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

                 The Bible is the greatest source of joy and comfort,  but God has placed teachers in the churches to help us learn the Bible and grow by seeing their example.  No man is an island unto himself.  There have been many heroes of the faith who have walked and completed the same journey that you are taking. 

Samuel Clemens once commented,  “Why is it that every generation has to learn that the stove is hot?”   Why can’t we learn by listening rather than learn the hard way by touching the hot stove?  God has given the Holy Spirit to His children and has told them to teach one another the principles of His Word. 

When was the last time that you read a good book,  not just a novel,  but something that encourages you to live a better life?  Have you read a good biography,  or a book that challenges you in some area?  The Bible instructs us,

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

                God knew that there would be a time on this earth when “perilous times would come.”  He knew that the devil would be busy in the last days,  and the Lord even stated that “will he find faith on the earth when He comes?”   The world is not an easy place to live a holy life,  and He calls on His people to exhort one another.  He wants us to challenge each other in the area of holiness.  In fact,  in these days He says that we need exhortation from each other “so much the more.”  The verse is talking about being in the assembly,  in church,  but we also can get encouragement and be exhorted by reading a book written by a godly man or woman that has helped others. 

 An Exercise to increase our Faith  -  Find a book written by a man of God who can help you in a certain area and read it in the next couple of weeks.  As you read it, pray that God would change you in some way,  that the Bible would become more important,  and that your relationship with God would be strengthened.

Day Three  -  Notice new people

1 Peter 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

                  The word hospitality in the new testament is a compound word.  The Greek word is φιλοξενος philoxenos which means “a lover of strangers.”  When the Lord was talking to His disciples He told them,

Luke 14:12  Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

This is not easy and it is not as much fun as having your friends or family over.  Friends and family like the same things you like.  They are easy to talk to.  They do not take without giving back.  It is easy to love your friends.  Jesus said,

Matthew 5:43   Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

The world loves its friends.  If we are to be different from the world, then we need to love our enemies.  Our God sends rain on the just and the unjust.  He is good to all men. 

A stranger may not be an enemy, but he is not a friend,  and it is not easy to talk to someone that you don’t know.  But God made it clear in the law, 

Deuteronomy 10:18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

And because God loves the stranger,  He says, 

Deuteronomy 10:19  Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

When you go to church this Sunday,  notice those in the church that are “strangers to you.”  If you don’t know them,  then the command is to love them.  It is hard to love them and ignore them at the same time. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Have a new person in the church over to your house for dinner.   Call them up or contact them after the service and ask if they are free to come to your home  (either this Sunday or next Sunday).  One of the reasons that churches grow is because the people of the church make visitors a part of their church family.   This is not an easy assignment,  but faith is often a stretching exercise. 

Please Comment on your Faith Exercises!

The Church is the Body of Christ.  We need each other!  Your comments just may spur others on to exercise their Faith!

Day Two- Meditation

Day Two  -  Meditation

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

What is meditation?  Some Christians won’t practice meditation because it sounds too much like an Eastern religion or like mysticism.   It is a forgotten discipline among Christians in our culture.  There are many who are struggling,  trying to find strength to overcome sins and addictions.  They know what the Bible teaches,  but they don’t seem to have the strength to do what God commands.  This is a cause and effect verse. 

The effect is:

A. You shall be able to observe to do according to all that is written in the book of the law.

B.  You will have a prosperous way.

C.  You will find good success.

What is the cause of this effect? 

Many of the verses that we will look at in the next forty days will be verses that we have all heard and read many times.  We are very familiar with these passages.  When we read something familiar over and over, we are prone to think the same thoughts about that passage that we have always thought and we become “pigeon holed” in our thinking without really contemplating what the verse is saying.   For instance,  read Joshua 1:2-9.  Is there anything that you have not noticed before when you read those verses?  Your assignment today is to think about those verses all day long.  Meditate on their meaning,  not just their meaning in the context,  but their meaning to your personally.  If God were to use those verses to talk to you today,  what would He be saying to you?  What is his message to you? 

Whenever we meditate on a passage,  that passage should be forever changed in our hearts.  It should go from a teaching,  to a personal communiqué from God.  Several times in the next forty days we are going to ask you to meditate for an entire day on a familiar passage in the Bible on the subject of faith. 

An Exercise to increase our Faith :    

Read Joshua 1:2-9 and meditate throughout the day on the meaning of the passage and on God’s comment and commandment  that is directed toward you in that passage.  

 

Day One- The Need for Prayer

Day One  - The Need for Prayer

 "Lord,  Increase our Faith."

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

Does prayer strengthen a person’s faith?  
Many of the prayers that we pray are no more than an outward action,  a duty that is performed because we are taught to do so.  Some of the earmarks of outward prayer include:

1.  No remembrance of what we prayed for after our prayers.

2.  No thought put into the needs that we have,  that our family,  our church,  our country has.

3.  No follow up to see if any of our prayers are answered specifically. 

4.  Day dreaming when we pray.

5.  A small amount of actual time is spent addressing God,  most of the time is simply thinking in our minds.

6.  No thought of confession,  of the need to approach a holy God.

7.  Little emphasis on praise,  we simply are not thinking about who we are praying to.

8.  Little or no thought given to thanksgiving for past blessings. 

How different our prayer would be in we simply began our prayers with three prerequisites.

1.  We must know who we are praying to.  We must approach Him as God, deserving of our attention.  As God,  he is worthy of praise,  and as a Holy God,  respect for coming into His presence with clean hands and a pure heart.

2.   We must know what we want to say,  what our petitions need to be. 

3.   We must expect God to answer. 

Can you imagine how this would strengthen our faith when we see specific answers to specific needs?  We are assured that someone is listening,   that someone cares enough to answer,  and that He keeps His promises.

It is easy to believe that God will take care of tomorrow when He has always taken care of the past and present.  Unless we “notice” the answers that God has given,  we will not as easily believe that He will do in the future as He has done in the past. 

(Note:  the exercises are part of the plan to increase our faith in the next forty days.  Each exercise will stretch us in a ways that will cause us to ask for God’s strength.)

An Exercise to increase my Faith  -  Pray for seven days specifically for an opportunity to share the gospel with someone that you have never shared it with before. 

Introduction to the Forty Day of Faith Project

Beginning February 17th, 2013 we are inviting you to take part in our Forty Days of Faith Project.  Every day for the next 40 days we will post a new Faith Exercise.  The exercise will have a devotional thought and a challenge for you to accept.  You will find that some of the exercises will come much easier for you than others.  Conversely, some of them will be very difficult.  Ask God to help you check your motives on the "easy" ones, and ask Him to give you strength to complete the difficult ones.  You will realize that in all of these exercises you need God.  That is what faith is all about- dependance on God.

The reason we are doing this in an online format is because we are asking one more thing of you each day that will further stretch your faith.  We want you to share your experiences.  We realize that we are asking a difficult thing.  It is a tough decision to open up and share.  Perhaps you are already thinking- "No Way!  I am not posting anything about my faith!"  Well- then you have already made your decision.  But please know that the health of the body of Christ is at stake.  The body is a body because every part is needed.

A note about the exercises:  Many of the exercises will be things that you can complete in that day.  Others you will have to schedule and plan for.  Still others, you will have to pray and wait upon the Lord for.  The number of Projects will start piling up.  You may want to start a checklist in your journal.

How to Prepare:

-          You will want to start your own notebook journal for your Forty Day Adventure.

-          Subscribe to the Blog.  That way you will be notified when a new exercise is published.

-          Invite your Christian Friends to join in the Project.  Accountability is critical in the Body.

-          Pray and ask God for Endurance.  In your own discipline you may last 7 days, but with God’s strength you will see Him do Great Things for 40 Days!