Prayer and Fasting for a Focused Year
Welcome to a new year!! It’s the time of year that people make resolutions and promises about being better or changing things. We all want to experience the newness and freshness of starting something new. We have the internal excitement that things will be different this year.
But I have to wonder, what is it that really needs to change? What is the one thing that I can do differently to make this year better? I can go through the list of eating healthy, reading more, praying more, serving more, or giving more; yet at the end of the day will those really bring a change that will make a difference?
The question about all of this is… do we really need to have a resolution or promise in order to have a better year? God’s Word says that we should trust in Him and seek Him and He will lead us in all areas of life… including making the changes for a better self.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6, CSB.
What if we allowed ourselves to follow God’s leading as we dive into a new year?
Imagine the year we would have if we simply allowed ourselves to be a vessel in God’s Kingdom!!
Let’s start by discussing the first part of connecting with God….. prayer!!!
Choose to Seek God First
Connecting with God begins with vulnerability. A mindset that we are unable to ever become perfect. It is a choice to follow Jesus as we walk this lifestyle of salvation. It starts with surrendering our desires according to the flesh.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33, CSB
Seeking God first will always lead to the right decisions. Even if we get a bit off-kilter and miss it, He is still faithful to show us how to get back on track and continue the race in our lane.
So if we are to seek God and His Kingdom does that mean He is hiding from us? Is this a game of hide and seek and we are looking in all the best hiding spots to find Him?
I think of this and I can see myself checking under the beds, in closets, under porches, in dog houses, and in the bushes. God… where are you?? You can come out now!! Playing hide and seek as a child was not one of my favorite games. After looking in 2 or 3 of the best places, I was done. It just wasn’t how I enjoyed spending time.
As I have grown in my Christian lifestyle, I have learned that seeking God is not the same thing. God doesn’t hide from us just so He can watch us run around haphazardly searching desperately for Him. He is right before us. He is waiting for us to reach out to Him.
How do I seek God????
You aren’t the only one asking yourself this question. So many times think that there are certain steps to follow in order to seek Him. This is so far from the truth. There is no wrong or right way to seek Him…. Other than with a heart that longs to know Him.
What does it really mean to seek God???
This question is more common than you may think. The Christian community tends to use the phrase “seek God” as an encouragement to pray! Seeking God sometimes involves being still and quiet. More often, however, seeking God is simply the action of cultivating a relationship with Him. Through Bible study, prayer, and worship we find that God is never far away.
In essence, seeking God is when we set aside time to be intentional in our communication with God. Prayer is how we let God know our needs and hopes. Even though He already knows, when we pray it creates this personal relationship with Him. He so enjoys hearing our voices in prayer and praise!!!!
Choosing to seek God through prayer opens our hearts to receive what God has for us. We can begin to understand what He is saying and where He is leading us. Truly surrendering ourselves in prayer causes a change in how we pursue the freshness of a new year. It causes us to truly see what is worth holding onto and what we need to let go of as we move forward.
This brings us to our next area of connecting with God…. Fasting.
Choosing Focus on God’s Will First
Connecting with God includes setting aside personal desires. This means that we make a choice to refrain from satisfying our desires in exchange for understanding God’s will. Fasting has been a spiritual discipline that has been followed for decades. Jesus taught His disciples about fasting as a way of having fellowship with God.
There are several reasons for fasting that are mentioned in the Bible, however, when it comes to building our faith, we should always have the intention of intimacy with God rather than accolades from man.
“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18, CSB
By choosing too fast we are choosing to put ourselves aside in hopes of becoming more intimate with God. It is in this intimacy that we become open to the direction that God is leading us. This intimacy teaches us humility and selflessness.
It’s not about joining in a corporate fast for the sake of looking religious. We should never fast just because there is a call to fast by a pastor or leader. We should seek God’s counsel about the fast and then follow His directions for us.
Fasting also allows us to seek an inner transformation that will bring forth a change.
Will the fast I choose be like this:A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Isaiah 58:5-6, CSB
This is the time of year that most Christians choose to fast in order to signify that throughout the year God will be the focus of their life. It is a time of self-reflection, repentance, and renewal as we decide to become intimate with God.
Fasting Resources
These are just a couple of books that I have in my library about fasting.
(please note: these are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase using these links. There is no extra cost to you)
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