Discipline Ain’t Fun
Some of us (&$!@#@E$R) dislike exercise, but we do it…why? RESULTS! Better weight, better health, better energy, etc. Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” This verse mentions harvest, but to reap a harvest you must plant a seed. The planting is the hard part…the tilling, the hoeing, the bending, the weed-pulling; but the more you put into the planting phase, the more you’ll reap out of the harvest phase.
During January, our church participates in a corporate fast, a period of about 3 weeks where, as believers, we choose to give up something that’s hard for us to give up. I liked this definition, “fasting occurs when there is a need for a spiritual breakthrough due to the burdens of life. Fasting is intentionally denying the flesh in order to gain a response from the Holy Spirit. It means renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.”
This year, not only do we face typical issues such as weight, finances, and addictions, we also have a volatile political situation taking place, to which only God knows the outcome. We may not be able to change anything happening in the White House, but there ARE things we can believe God for in the church house. In Matthew 6, the bible says “WHEN you give, pray and fast.” It doesn’t say “if,” but when, meaning it’s an order, a directive of God. Jesus did these things, and if we are to be believers, being discipled, then we must follow the lead of our Mentor. That’s discipline, and it’s not fun. Jonah is a great example of choosing whether or not to be obedient to the Word. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and deliver a message, but Jonah hated the Ninevites, so he got on a boat, going the opposite direction. You know the story…big storm, Jonah got thrown overboard because he knew the storm was punishment for his disobedience, he got swallowed by a whale, and three days later, the whale spit him up on to dry land. Where did he land? Nineveh. God is funny, isn’t he? So, Jonah told them God was going to destroy them if they didn’t turn from their wickedness, and because they obeyed, God granted them mercy.
Jeremiah 18:7-8 “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” When God defers an evil day, it could mean the salvation of multitudes. While some are looking the other way, and some are prepping for civil unrest, the church needs to be fasting and praying for mercy for our country. Fasting gives authority and pressure for a breakthrough, loosing the bonds of wickedness. The result? Isaiah 58:8 “Then, your light will break forth, your healing will quickly appear, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”
Won’t you join us on our journey? Choose to fast this month, praying for your needs and the needs of our great nation. Come on, Jesus! We NEED results!!