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I’m trying to come to grips with fasting. Ok, I’ll go out on a limb and confess that I haven’t fasted much in my Christian life and I don’t fully understand it. So when a call for corporate fasting goes out, rebellion begins to rise up in me. Not wanting to go against God, or leadership or God’s people, I have begun a quest to find out what God wants from me concerning fasting. I started reading the book Fasting by author Jentezen Franklin and I think by the time the 30 days are up I’ll be finished reading it. So God decided to talk to me from His word and He did it through one of my Journal writings on the 29^th of September.

Of all the books of the Bible He chose Haggai to get my attention and set me on a course of correction. Haggai was a spokesperson for God. *“Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by the Lord to stir up the people to 1) not only rebuild the temple, but also to 2) reorder their spiritual priorities.” So Haggai says “Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?’” (Haggai 1: 3) Haggai declared the Word of the Lord when about 50,000 Jews had returned to their homeland and the temple was in ruins. Here’s my observation.

With their temple in ruins the wealthy Israelites were content to live in their cedar lined houses; “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”(vs. 4) They wanted their wealth for themselves, not a temple. As the farmers stood before their fields and observed their crop shortages, God said: “You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” (vs. 6) Their shortages were because they were disobedient to God. “Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’” (vs. 5) How does this apply to me?

Jentezen Franklin says in his book Fasting: “The three duties of Christians are giving, praying and fasting. When you faithfully follow the three duties of a Christian, God rewards you openly.” I know The Crossing Church is not in ruins, but there is so much need for all the ministries both financially and for volunteers. I’m not suggesting you are all wealthy, but some of us are. The point being, I think I can learn from these ancient people, who allowed the prophet to stir them up and they took the message to heart and the temple was completed 4 years later.

Does it feel like there is a hole in your wallet? Maybe it feels like you have invested much but there has been little yield. Maybe if you and I put God first, He would then be honored in our worship and we would be blessed in the secondary matters of life. If by giving, praying and fasting we realign our spiritual priorities, what will The Crossing Church look like in 4 years? Haggai wasn’t just talking to those ancient people, he is talking to me!

Father, teach us how to become zealous for taking care of Your house (The Crossing Church) and by setting our spiritual priorities aright please spare your people from economic catastrophe!

P. S. When I fast, I fast for You O Lord.

Amen

Dennie Walker, Discipleship and Care Pastor