Pastor's Corner...
“A People of His Presence”
“My
presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Then Moses said to Him, if your presence does
not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:14
Having God’s literal presence is what separates Christianity from all other religions.
Moses was keenly
aware of this to the point that he would not make a move unless God promised that
the Lord’s presence would go with him (Exodus 33:7-16). It’s a fundamental of the faith that we worship
God as individuals. And when we worship
God in a corporate expression of unity, accepting our role as The People of
His Presence—His church – together, it’s a slam dunk! The word Presence,
from Hebrew paniym, (root word panah), means to turn or to turn the face toward. “This
word denotes the blessing and favor of God turned toward those who worship
Him.” Frank Damazio
As time is becoming
more precious to us in this fast paced world, our Elder Team is calling our
church, Fellowship of Christians to a 21-Day season of prayer and fasting from January
2-22, 2012. We want to give
the Lord a
first fruits offering (Lev. 23:9-11) of our time by setting aside
the first part of the year with a prayer, worship and fasting focus. Our theme will be “A People of His Presence…fast and
pray.” The 21 day time
period is borrowed from what many refer to as a “Daniel Fast” (Daniel 9-10). As you may recall God used Daniel to shift
the focus of God’s people off themselves and onto the Lord during a time of
captivity. He and his friends “ate no choice foods, meat or wine” but
rather opted to only eat vegetables and liquids to seek the Lord for His
breakthrough. After three weeks (or 21
days), the angel Gabriel came to Daniel to report that God had heard his prayer
the first day that Daniel “set your mind
to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God…” Answers came to Daniel at a time that he “had no strength left and felt helpless” (10:8). I believe this means Daniel had come to the
end of himself, or no longer trusted in his own strength, but rather looked to
the Lord for His. Gabriel spoke of
spiritual warfare taking place that resulted in God’s people being resisted but
ultimately strengthened. It is my hope
for our season of prayer, worship and fasting that we will hear what the Holy
Spirit wants to speak and see what He wants us to see. And I
trust this focused season of prayer will strengthen and bring fresh vision to
be used powerfully for Jesus in this year that we celebrate 40 years of God’s faithfulness
(1972-2012).
Please "click here" to find some frequently asked questions about prayer and fasting and some prayer
targets we will focus on. You will also
find dates and times for gathering together during these 21 days. May the Lord bless and keep you during
2012. And may your happiness in the New
Year be found in the joy of the Lord who is your strength.
For service times go to www.foconline.org or call 479-967-5882 or find us on face book.