This Sunday (May 17, 2015)...Pastor Danny Strange ...

This Sunday (May 17, 2015)...Pastor Danny Strange (Young Adult Pastor) topic was about FASTING.

I learned how essential it is for us to make fasting, along with prayer a part of our lives. When we fast it is all about GOD! We grow closer to God... we must be careful not to FAST with wrong motives/intentions. The reward of fasting leads to an Intimacy with God that is liken to none other. It is very personal.

To fast & pray should be like "breathing" to us... after all, Jesus our Lord & Savior fasted & prayed diligently...fervently!

Pastor Danny also discussed the reasons "why" Christians may not fast... some of the reasons were:
Too busy, feel like fasting is ineffective, do not like to go without food or drink, think that it's just for clergy or disciples of the biblical times, too ashamed of "what" others will think, do not really "understand" the truth of fasting, don't want to be bothered...think it's trivial, etc.

When we go without food & drink... we become HUNGRY. The physical body feels depleted, malnourished. That is what God want us to do when "fasting"...HE wants us to "hunger... thirst" after HIM. Food & drink is essential for our physical bodies. Being in fellowship with GOD via fasting is essential for our "spiritual" growth.

We depend on food & drink to survive! God realizes the great importance placed on nourishment, after all, He created us. He also realizes that it is essential for man to have a healthy strong spiritual body, as well.

One chief way for man to realize that GOD want us to "depend" on Him (just like when we eat food & drink for substance, nourishment, strength, etc.) is through FASTING... it would please Him greatly if we would HUNGER for Him. And realize that the HE should be our FIRST LOVE...Our FIRST THOUGHT.

How often do we make FOOD our first love? Perhaps, our first thought of the day is what we are going to eat. Our thoughts are occupied by what we will consume from the start of the day to the setting of the sun AND all in between. Imagine, how great it would be if GOD occupied that space (thought).
Oh, how PRECIOUS that would be! Imagine, how CLOSE we would grow in the Lord.

Willingly desiring that GOD be our first love... our first & last thought! To be in His presence, praising Him for WHO HE IS (The Great I AM). Purely Loving HIM with all our affection... truly seeing GOD (Our Heavenly Father) as the apple of our eye. WHEW!

We should admonish & reverence GOD every day... we should surrender time for reading the Word (Holy Bible), worship, fellowship, prayer/meditation AND fasting.

OH, "TASTE" & SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!