“So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
Barnabas and Saul are sent on a missionary journey. They end up in Paphos where God strikes a sorcerer blind for opposing their message. If my ministry got to the point that opponents were struck blind because of their opposition, I would probably set up shop and wait for the financial support to pour in. But these guys kept moving to the next town. What kept them advancing? Maybe moving forward was a byproduct of their habit of being still?
This passage says that “AFTER fasting and praying they were sent…” Apparently fasting and praying were prerequisites for action. Ironically, you can’t “fast” quickly – It requires time which allowed them to meditate on what God had to say.
How much of that do we do? How often do you fast and pray? What do you choose to abstain from so you can focus more on God?
Try skipping a meal and see if it doesn’t sharpen your concentration on The Lord. Refuse to look at social media for an entire day and see if it doesn’t change your mindset. Fasting involves temporarily denying yourself of something and using that hunger or habit to drive you to connect with God.
So, what do you need to “fast” from today? Food, phone, television? …none of these are bad things, but all need to be secondary to your walk with God… and your walk requires undivided concentration.
Our dopamine driven brains frantically avoid “stillness”. Next time you find yourself waiting… look around and see how many people impulsively grab their phones for distraction. This is by design. The enemy looks for ways to provide stimuli that will make you feel better - without making you better...
What decoys distract you from stillness with God? Whatever they are, like everything satan offers, they are temporary and counterfeit, and will eventually result in anxiety, and dissatisfaction.
Make the decision to Fast and Pray. Schedule time with God. This is why you were created. If you will discipline yourself to temporarily give up comforts in order to seek clarity with God … Your stillness will provide clear direction the next time God tells you to move.
"By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul; by praying the soul learns to command the body." - William Secker
No comments:
Post a Comment