Psalm 16:11; Nehemiah 8:10
Feasting in a Land of Abundance - Sermon on the Mount #16
Just as fasting is a way of engaging our physical bodies in spiritual mourning, feasting is a way of engaging our physical bodies into prompting or aligning with our soul in celebrating God's person, presence, promises and power.
Fasting in a Land of Abundance - Sermon on the Mount #16
Fasting is a spiritual discipline many Christians in the West don't have a strong history or connection with. Fasting is the natural response of a follower of Jesus to a sacred moment of grief. We are a unified being of body (physical) and mind\soul\spirit (non-physical). Biblical fasting brings our bodies into unified expression of mourning with what God mourns.
Ways to Pray - Sermon on the Mount #13
Many Christians struggle with prayer. Sometimes because we've only learned one model for prayer or one way to pray that isn't exactly how God has wired for them to hear and listen to God through prayer. Today's message acknowledges this struggle and gives some other ways to engage with God in prayer.
Making Faith Live
We never drift into the life we want, we drift into the life we have. Following Jesus isn't something we can drift along in... it requires effort for us to grow and be effective in our faith as Peter wrote. To help ourselves stay moving towards more a godly life, we need support, encouragement and structure to help us.
The Power of Habit
God calls us to 'make every effort' to add to our faith qualities which will make our faith effective in our day to day lives. Part of this is using our willpower to build positive habits which will align our lives with what God has already done for us. Some habits (patterns of behaviour) are more powerful than others in shaping our lives, keystone habits such as prayer, engaging Scripture and being connected in community with other believers.