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Prayer & Fasting

Please read Matthew 6:16-18.

¹⁶And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy and sour and dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance, that their fasting may be apparent to and seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full already.

¹⁷But when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face,

¹⁸So that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.

Many years ago a great man of faith was asked, “What do you really think about God?”

His reply – “It matters very little what I think about God, but it matters a great deal what God thinks about me.”

Perhaps a better question for all of us would be – “What does God expect of me?”

Perhaps we should ask ourselves – “Who am I really trying to impress with my faith walk?”

In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us a pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God – When you give, when you pray, when you fast.  This is how we are to live before God and our fellow man.

God must always be the audience for whom we perform our daily life.  He hates hypocrisy, but loves reality.

To fast is to humble ourselves before God.

To pray is to seek intimacy with God.

To give is to serve others.

To fast is to discipline the desires of our flesh.

The real purpose of our fasting is that we become unselfish.

It implies the giving up of anything which may hinder us in the main business of life, which is that we may be perfected (matured, complete, whole) for His use, to be His instruments, that His purpose for us be fulfilled.

Fasting and prayer bring us to a place that we may be quite willing to undertake any work God may assign us to do.

One thing is very clear – prayer and fasting links us up with, connects us to, and focuses us on the very ministry of Jesus Christ.

Only through prayer and fasting will the ministry and message of Jesus be restored in our lives and to the church.

No Limits!

What limits you today?

Who limits you today?

What is possible for you beyond your comfort zone?

What must you do in order to move beyond your current plateau?

In God’s original design, the sky was the limit for man.  The possibilities were boundless; there was nothing beyond his reach.

To achieve “No Limit Living,” you must face the limiting factors (things and people) in your life, and choose to move beyond them.

At some point, you must accept and implement the law of responsibility in your life.

There is only one person responsible for the limitations of your life, and that person is you.

You must accept 100% responsibility for everything that is in your life.  That doesn’t mean you caused it, but you choose to respond to it.

Stop the blame game and the victim stories.  Whatever happens to you, you can always choose your response.

Victim or victor — it is your choice.

You must look from your present position/ plateau, toward your full God-assigned potential with passionate expectation.

Your “No Limit Life” begins at that moment.

No Limits- Week 2 Recap!

• What is it that you want to accomplish?
• What do you want to achieve and experience?
• What thing, person, fear is hindering or stopping you from living life without limits?

You will never get what you want in life until you decide what it is you want.

Then you must expect to accomplish, achieve, and experience those desires.

Whether or not you expect great things or small things in life, you will receive what you expect.

Expectations exist in everyone about everything all the time.  They show up in our attitudes, actions, and words.

Expectations affect our personal growth, spirituality, relationships, job performance, health, etc.  It involves anticipation, hope, and trust.

Expectations affect the outcome, positively or negatively.   Your optimism or your pessimism will be rewarded.

What you believe and how strongly you believe what you believe, will affect the outcome of any task.

Romans 12:2 — …Be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God…

Ephesians 4:23 — And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude].

Expectation is absolutely essential to a “No-Limits” Life.

If I expect to hit the golf ball well, then the outcome will meet my expectation!

No Limits: Recap of This Weekend

What is the existing state of affairs in your life - your status quo?

Relative to your true life potential, what is your current plateau?

To live a “No Limits Life” and experience your highest potential, you must raise your expectations.

Ephesians 3:19 (AMP)

…that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence…

The word filled has the idea of being dominated by something.  When you are filled with God (His Word, His Spirit, His power), then He will dominate your thinking, speaking, and doing.

You and I are created to be containers of God.

When your heart is 100% focused on who He created you to be, your desires and creativity, as well as your energy, will be exponentially multiplied. 

As you go after Him, there will come into your life a “Holy Tension” between who you are, where you are, what you are and who, where and what He created you to be.

Your old status quo will seek to hold you in place as the fullness of God draws you into a new place of living.

Our dissatisfaction with the status quo in our lives increases as we see and envision a more desired state.

There exists a gap between our current plateau (C.P) and our full God- assigned potential (G.A.P).   The desired state (G.A.P) will display its worth and value to you as you focus on it.

When you move into your God-assigned “No Limits Life,” people, resources, open doors, and opportunities come flooding into your life.

Can’t Wait for You to Hear This Weekend’s Message!

For each of us this morning it is still a relevant and probing question – Where are you?

It is not your physical, geographical location I am asking about.

Perhaps the second question will help to clear up the picture –

Are you in (under) your circumstance or are you in your position (your real identity)?

Your circumstance, your situation happened.  You cannot change “what” has already occurred any more than you can change how it occurred.

Your way “out” of what occurred is not a matter of changing the “whats” and “hows” of life.

This is a matter of the change of the “who” in life – and the “who” is you!

While you cannot change the “what” and the “how” you can certainly change the “who.”

Regardless of circumstance your identity, your position in God’s kingdom, your position in your daily life does not change.

Your potential always lies in your position.

When your circumstances dictate your lifestyle rather than your position, then you will sell out your birthright (destiny).

Many of us are called but we can’t get to the place we have been called to because of our brokenness, distractions, and crippled condition.

In the kingdom, even our failures are successes.  They represent the miracle that we survived.