Encounter: The Altar of His Presence
A New Year is full of hope and expectation. As believers, Cherie and I are expecting great and mighty things to occur in 2013. We believe the same for you and your life. During the month of January, our church has a 25 day period of prayer and fasting. We take this time to focus ourselves individually and as a church body on what God wants us to do in the coming year. As our beloved partner, I would like to encourage you to join us during this time. Though you may receive this letter in the middle of the month, you can fast anytime during the year. There is no specified date in the Word of God to do this. We also are starting our Bible reading program over for the year in January. This is available through our website at www.contact.tv on the same document as our Prayer & Fasting flier. Daniel 9 is a call for the nation to humble themselves and pray, not only for themselves but for the “Nation of the Church.” God is calling His people to “wake up” and come back to Him. The Year of 2013 will begin with 25 days of Fasting and Prayer. Our focus is Year of Worship – THE ALTAR OF HIS PRESENCE. God has instructed us to address the misplaced priorities of the Body of Christ at large. Our intercession and fasting is directed not just to our own lives, but for the entire Body of Christ. It is a cry for the Church to return to their first love. Outward opposition and circumstance accounts for only part of the problem. An INWARD enemy called “indifference” poses the major threat. Many of God’s people have become apathetic to their worship and service, even though our salvation IS the purpose of our lives in the Kingdom. As Jesus taught so many times, He has sent out the invitation but the people are too busy and too distracted to heed the call. Today, many servants of the Lord have focused on their own homes and work, and all but lost their divine vision for their place in the Kingdom. God is calling His people back to His Vision (“this is why we are here”) and back to their faith and values (“we exist to glorify the Lord and make Him famous”). Our calendars, checkbooks and behaviors reflect what is REALLY important to us! Through these 25 days, allow the Lord to deal with your own heart and His Body about spiritual lethargy, discouragement about paying a price for building His Kingdom and disinterest in their own walk with God. Here are some final thoughts on your time of fasting and separation before the Lord Jesus Christ. FAST THE THINGS THAT INTERFERE with or take up the time you could give to reading the Word!Internet, Telephone,Television, Sleeping In,Facebook, Texting, andDistractions. Our Focus is THE ALTAR OF HIS PRESENCE. Randy & Cherie