How was the first week of your new year? For most of us I am sure not much has changed from the last week in 2018. People are talking less and less about their new year’s plans, but a select few will push forward and make a transition capitalizing on a new year with fresh vision.
Fresh vision is an incredibly important part of our spiritual walk. Jesus once gave an example of the difference between a new wineskin and an old wineskin. If you try and put the new wine, (aka the new vision), in an old wineskin, (the old system) it will break wasting the new wine and all it has to offer. The same goes for new vision in our lives. If you try and put new vision in an old system, it doesn’t work.
So how does this happen?
A season of fasting and prayer – Over the next 40 days leading up to our 9th anniversary we will be in a season of fasting and prayer. I invite you to come along with us and ask God for a transformation by the renewal of our minds.
A 40 Day Prayer and Fasting Guide for 217church
1. An Everyday Habit in the Word – Each day I will be sending out a short devotional based on some selected readings. This begins through a simple prayer of asking God to renew us.
Today’s reading – Matthew 9:14-17, Romans 12:1-2
2. Continual Fasting – A 40 Day Prayer and Fasting Guide for 217church
God has blessed us through incredibly unique circumstances over the last nine years as 217church. We have baptized over 275 people and been given the unique calling to have a church planting and multiplication vision. The past 18 months of ministry have led the pastors and elders to call us as a congregation to a season of prayer and fasting. We want to use this time to understand the depth of God’s heart for us and the next steps he is calling us to. I trust your heart will be open and God will bring us to a deeper understanding of what it means to “rebuild lives one person at a time.”
We believe God wants us to fast over a period of 40 days. As a reminder, what you choose to fast is between you and Jesus. But you may want to include some natural encouragement and accountability over this 40 day period. This may mean you are doing one of the following as an example:
- Skipping a meal or a whole day of meals.
- Eliminating something like sugar, coffee, or meat to remind you of your total dependence on God.
- Encouraging one another in the church family as you pray together and sacrifice your physical sustenance for spiritual direction and focus.
What will God do? I am looking forward to see his direction.
Renewal is on the way – Join me along this process
Josh Conn is the founding pastor of 217church, a contemporary church in Mercer County NJ. 217church meets Sundays at 9:30am & 11:00am at Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ. Visit www.217church.com for more information, or watch a weekend message here.