Un Dia

Just one day left until this Fasting LTE all kicks off. I am so excited! Some may say I am crazy, but three days of seclusion with me, God, and His Word is the means to great success. I will have no distractions, no cell phone, no computer, no work, no classes, no nothing. Just Him and I.
I am also super excited about the sessions and all the speakers will be pouring into the interns lives over the next few days. Ashley Wolf, my intern manager, in particular has been sharing with me her excitement about a book she has been reading, John Bevere's A Heart Ablazed. In fact she was so excited the other night at the usual intern hang out spot, McDonalds, that she kept sharing with me and my CA, Joe Wolf, what she was getting from the book every few minutes. It's great to see leadership that hasn't lost their "spunk" for the Word. It should give such hope to the current interns that the Word never gets old, it is in fact alive and powerful just like Hebrews 4:12 tells us.
As we did start the fast in part today, the eating part, we are still working and taking a few classes that we would have missed out on because they are normally on Friday. Today we get to stay on track in our classes as well as wish the kids at LWA a sort of "farewell" as we won't be seeing them tomorrow. Tomorrow, or rather this evening at 8:00pm CST is when it really all begins. We shut off our cell phones, and speak only to the Lord henceforth.
Some may think their is no way I could ever fast food, electronics, and speech for three days! I am hear to tell you, you can. AND you can do it with a joyful spirit. This is not my first three day fast. My first however was not as good as this one is going to be. However I learned some things during my first fast. I learned that I can live without food for three days quite easily. Like some of you I am a somewhat "slender" individual and I had never fasted food until I came to the Honor Academy of the Ozarks. Therefore, because I had never done it, I always thought I couldn't. (Let me clarify that we do preparation for this LTE, we have fasted every other week, on Wednesday, for the past three and a half months.) Now that I have fasted a few times and have some experience under my belt, I am ready.
You may ask, ready for what? I am ready to do two main objectives this weekend:
First - I plan to minister to the Lord.  Some people may say, "that's awfully prideful of you Jordan for saying you could ever minister to the Lord." I say let's see what the Word has to say about the subject, as it should be every Christians ultimate authority.

Acts 13:2

King James Version (KJV)

 ²As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Well looky here. The early church in Acts ministered to the Lord and fasted, just as I plan to do. My hope is that this helps establish some credibility between us as you see that I base my actions upon the Word.

You may now ask what is ministry to the Lord anyway?  First you must ask, what qualifies us to minister to the Lord in the first place?

Psalm 101:6

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁶Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

As we examine the scripture we see qualifications. Perfect = complete. How do we walk in a complete way? Well is was much harder for the Old Covenant believers, but as Jesus bought and payed for New Covenant believers it is much easier, as we were bought with a price. Now God's Word says that we are saved. Maybe we are not walking in the fulness there of, yet God's Word supersedes what you think or feel in this sensory realm. He did not lie when He said we are saved. (I encourage you to do a short study about everything salvation entails).   God cannot lie, he bound by His Word. Therefore all the promises that He has provided in His Word are true and will happen for us, as long as we do the conditions that coincide with them, much like our verse above.
Ok, back to how to minister to the Lord. As I have been reading a fair amount the subject in Kenneth E. Hagin's Bible Prayer Study Course, Brother Hagin talks about how Paul and Silas praised and thanked God when in the innermost prison. This is the only way we can minister to Him. It says in Psalms that He inhabits the praises of his people. When we praise God, it ministers to Him. Let's get practical. As in the Word our heavenly Father is compared to our earthly one, let us just think about what really ministers to an earthly father today? You say, money or gifts, which it may to an extent, but I know what ministers to my father the most is when I thank him for all he has done for me. All he has done to help guarantee a successful life for me in this earth. My father and mother raised me the best they could and when I thank them for that it nearly brings tears of joy to their eyes because it ministers to them so deeply.
Ministry to the Lord is a key practice because when you thank Him in the midst of trial or even when the times seem good, it proves to Him that He is first place in your life.

Secondly - I wish to receive from Him direction and correction. This will be my petition to Him this weekend. I thought it was important to put the praise first as it is sometimes over looked when Christians go into prayer. They often want to express all their woes to God and it must make Him think that they have nothing to be thankful for. Sadly it is commonly practiced amongst Christians and it is often why they often blend in with the world around them. Sorry if that hurt you, but I hope it admonishes you to change. The Word says in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord is our strength. You aren't showing much strength if you are complaining about he economy or the President all the time. We should be glad that as Christians we are apart of heaven's economy and start laying hold of all of God's prosperity promises. We should also be lifting our President up in prayer on regular basis. Jesus is the high priest of our confession as it says in Hebrews so it is important what we are saying.
Let me get back on track. The Bible tells us in James 1:8 that we can ask God for wisdom and He will grant it to us. I thank God for that promise often because I know that regardless of how much knowledge I may accumulate, He will always know more than I. Therefore I can petition the Lord of His wisdom about direction in my life and He will grant it to me. Praise God! I do not have to change my major or job 10 times like the world does. I can be confident in my goals as I seek first His Kingdom, and acknowledge Him in all my ways.
I cannot forget about correction either. It says in Proverbs that a father disciplines the one's he loves. I know that true love is discipline. A father or mother would not let their child walk off a cliff just because they did not want to correct there child if they truly loved them would they? And many times we are walking off "cliffs" in life and if we would just earnestly ask the Lord for correction and guidance He would give it to us. We have to remember that the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to live inside of us will lead us and guide is into all truth as John 16:13 says, yet he is a gentlemen about it. He won't force you to listen or do what He says, He will simply let you know. It will be like a slight tap on your shoulder. You may say, "if He really loved us He wouldn't let us destroy ourselves or others." Well I say then He would have to lie. Because it quite clearly states in the Genesis account that God gave us all a free will, allowing us to do whatsoever we choose. Our decisions may be stupid sometimes, but they don't have to be, it is up to us the outcome.  

Well you may have some questions about what I am saying, but I beseech you to search the Word. *PLEASE take nothing I say as the Word of God, but search out the Word yourself and solidify it in your own spirit.*

You also maybe asking yourself, how can you do this and I cannot? God is no respecter of person's my friend and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You may just need to do a little study on God's grace. It is only by grace that anyone can do anything, even the seemingly menial tasks of our day-to-day. I say that it is by grace that we are saved, and through faith that we walk it out. (Ephesians 2:8).


You also maybe asking yourself, why does a 22 year old young man have such hope for his future? Well it is because I have received just what Ephesians 2:8 says. I have received God's grace through His son Jesus who died on the cross for my sin. I am now walking out that gift through the faith that God has given us all.

If you are not a Christian and you want to walk in all the promises, and more, that I shared today say this prayer allowed to yourself:

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

If you said that for the first time then praise God you're now my brother/sister in Christ and now are part of God's family! You can now walk in all of God's promises and in His divine nature. (2nd Peter 1:4).

Please if you just prayed that for the first time, comment below and I can get you some free materials that can help you get started in your walk with God.

Cutting off distraction

Here I am in Ministry Placement time, basically what you might call a "job" here at the Honor Academy of the Ozarks, and I get to write a blog! I mean wow. Who knew that work could be so much, and productive! The HAO has really changed my life and I get to tell others about it while I am here. What an amazing opportunity.

Coming soon at the HAO is one our LTE's or Life Transforming Events. This LTE is the Fasting LTE and it allows us to give up our media, food, and segregate our time to the Lord. I'm so excited as this is my second time around. The first time I did this let's just say I was a tad bit unprepared. I basically complained for the first half of the three day event. HOWEVER, this time around it won't be so! I know that I have grown and gained  revelation about fasting since the last fast months ago. I am prepared. I believe I will receive.

Some of you may being saying to yourself, has he gone mad? By all means not eating, listening to music, or talking on your phone or computer might seem like pure torture to some of you, especially those from my generation, but trust me it's a liberating and glorious thing to cut off all distraction and only commune with Him! Many famous ministers, and one I particularly look up, Kenneth E. Hagin, said that fasted something all the time. Fasting is not restricted to just food, you can fast media, sugar, etc. When you fast you basically tell your flesh who is boss. You take away something that it enjoys and let God know that He is first place always and that you love Him. I mean, when I define it in this way, doesn't it seem not so bad?

Of course what I am doing is slightly more extreme than just not watching TV for an evening. But sometimes you may not be in the same place I am as an HAO intern. You may have a family that you must take care of so you cannot just seclude yourself to your bedroom where just you and the Lord are going to commune for the next 36 hours. You may have obligations, which is understandable. But let me encourage not to let yourself off the hook.

Let me lead you to a scripture, because we must always keep our lives in perspective with the Word. Mathew 6:16-18 states:

¹⁶ “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."^[a]

Now this is Jesus talking so we should ever so carefully pay attention to what the Master is saying about fasting.

What I would like to point out first is that He says, "when you fast". That means that as Christians we all should fast. This should trump any negative feelings you have on fasting.

Secondly, I would like you to notice what our attitudes should be through the fasting process. We should not appear to be fasting, in fact I've heard it put that no one should be able to tell a difference about you when you are and when you are not. This is important because their are rewards to putting your flesh under, and you don't want it to be people feeling sorry for you, because that is temporal and you would have suffered for nothing in the end.

Thirdly, you will get a reward! What I find amazing about it all is that if you keep it just between you and Him what you're doing, otherwise keeping your motive pure, He will reward you openly. Wow! Who doesn't want to be rewarded, and be an example of how God's Word worked in your life? Just think, your reward could lead someone to the Lord. That's rather exciting to me (so hard to describe in a blog but I'm trying to describe it well!!!).

In closing I would like say thanks to the Lord for leading me to the Honor Academy of the Ozarks and for all the leadership here that is willing to give their time and effort to pour into my life while I am here!