The Fast that the Lord Has Called

The Fast that the Lord Has Called

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

            Several Christian traditions are now entering into the Lenten season, forty days of some type of fasting in preparation for the recognition of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.  The purpose for fasting is to concentrate on spiritual growth and to deepen our relationship with the Lord in order to walk in His power and authority.

In Scripture, fasting and prayer often go together.  In Matthew 17:21, when the disciples questioned why they were unable to cast the demon out of a child, Jesus said the faith of the disciples was weak and that that type of demonic spirit came out only through prayer and fasting.  In the Book of Acts, we see the followers of Jesus fasting and praying before making important decisions. 

Fasting is also a private experience.   "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:16-18 NKJV)

Fasting should always be done under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is our Counselor and our Teacher.  Sometimes we are asked to abstain from certain foods or practices that are good in their own right and may be resumed after the period of fasting is completed.  God will not call us to fast in ways that would be detrimental to our health and safety or to the health and safety of others.

God has also called another type of fast, a fast that results in powerful and authoritative servanthood and victory in our lives. This type of fast is not temporary.  It is a lifestyle of fasting from the wickedness and attitudes of the world.

 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 58:6-14 NKJV)

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.  If we are willing to let go of the bonds of wickedness such as anger, revenge, bitterness, unforgiveness and fear, if we are willing to let go of the control we desire to have over others, if we personally care for those who are in need, then we will walk in the hope of tomorrow.  God will guide us.  We will be satisfied.  We will be like springs of water.  Remember that Jesus said, ”He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38 NKJV)

It is when we enter into this fast that we will be able to reestablish the foundations of our personal lives, of our families, our churches, our communities and our nation.  God has called His people to be repairers and restorers.  We can fulfill that call only as we delight ourselves in the Lord.

Paul wrote, “Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.  "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:25-32 NKJV)

This is the fast that the Lord has called for.  This is the fast that will lead the Church to victory.

  

Finding Freedom in Forgiving

Finding Freedom in Forgiving

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Matthew 18: 21-35:  21.  Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"

 This scripture does not mean that we should count offenses up to 490 times and then seek revenge.  In scripture, seven is the perfect number.  It is the number of God.  It suggests completeness. Jesus is saying that we should forgive perfectly and completely.  We should forgive the way God forgives, that is absolutely.

Genuine forgiveness is a deep and often sluggish river.  It requires an inner change of heart toward the one who has offended us.  Too often we think we have forgiven when we have only masked our hurt. Forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentments and thoughts of revenge. Forgiveness is the act of untying ourselves from the emotions that hold us in bondage to the offense.

A prayer for the journey to total forgiveness: “Lord, I forgive.  Please help my unforgiveness.”

What is forgiveness?

• Forgiveness is not denial.  We cannot forgive what we deny has happened.  We can, and must, forgive without excusing the act.

• Forgiving is wanting God’s best for those who have hurt us and letting God take care of the situation. God’s best for each of us is to walk according to His word. 

• Forgiveness is often a process.  It begins by concentrating on the forgiveness rather than the offense.

The Lord spoke to Israel in Isaiah 43:25: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

If God blots out our sins for His sake, then we should blot out the sins of others for our own sake.

Hebrews 12: 14-15: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”

When we are unforgiving, we pay the price over and over. That root of bitterness can become entangled in every aspect of our lives.   We may bring our anger and acrimony into every relationship and every new experience. Our lives may be so wrapped up in the wrongs of the past that we can't experience the joys of the present nor the hope of the future.

Scientific evidence shows that holding on to grudges and bitterness results in long-term health problems. Forgiveness, on the other hand, offers many benefits, including:

• Lower blood pressure and heart rate

• Less stress and hostility

• Better anger management skills

• Lower risk of alcohol or substance abuse

• Fewer depression and anxiety symptoms

• Reduction in chronic pain

• More and healthier relationships

• Greater spiritual well-being

• Improved psychological well-being

An unforgiving, vengeful, or bitter spirit will not only affect us and those around us, it will separate us from the blessing of God.   Therefore, for our own sake, we must forgive others no matter what the offense.

The Word of God also cautions us about being too easily offended.  Consider the following scriptures:

• Proverbs 19: 11: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.”

• Ecclesiastes 7: 21-22: “Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.”

• James 1:19: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”

It is time to put away the victim mentality, to forgive those who do not always agree with us and to walk in faith and love. 

Jesus taught us to pray: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” We must learn to walk in that forgiveness.

Becoming Educated Reformers

Becoming Educated Reformers
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7; NKJV)

I am learning more and more to seek the Lord about the root of the problems we face in our world. As I prayed over the matter of education, I sensed the Lord saying that a spirit of foolishness pervades our culture when it comes to learning. We have come to despise wisdom and instruction.

While many people are embroiled in surface-level arguments like whether or not we should teach cursive writing in our schools, few are embroiled in a meaningful evaluation of what has actually been written; therefore, sadly, we have become easily distracted by meaningless statistics and fallacious arguments.

As adults, we often neglect to review any of the basic knowledge of mathematics, science, geography, history, and the arts that we acquired during our formative years. We lose the excitement of learning and discovering.

As a result, we also lose appreciation for our historical roots, our ability to problem solve, our appreciation of the arts, and our God-given ability to create, which, as Christians, further impacts our hearts in the study, appreciation, and application of the Word of God.

The reformation in learning, like all reformation, must begin in the hearts of God’s people. As the Church cultivates a love of learning and a value for the process of learning, we become better positioned to speak to the issues facing our world.

We know that we are taught by the Holy Spirit of God; however, the more He has to work with, the deeper He can lead us into truth. A possible starting point might be to apply Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning—an important metric for gauging educational objectives and effectiveness—to our assimilation of the Word of God.

The Taxonomy presents six levels: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. In our study of the Word, we tend to do well with the first level—remembering. We have been wisely taught to memorize scripture. The more scripture we have memorized, the more the Holy Spirit can bring to our conscious level in times of need.

Understanding the Word is the next level. As students of Scripture, it is important to grasp the need for defining words from original languages and contexts in order to truly understand the message.  

Context is as important as definition. Because reverence for the Lord is the beginning, or foundation of knowledge, God must be the first context we consider. Understanding of the attributes of God is essential to understanding His Word. We realize that we need to know the basic functions of math—adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing—before we can tackle algebra. However, we often neglect the basic nature of God in our Bible studies.

The next level in the Taxonomy is applying knowledge to our lives. Paul’s words to Timothy have not lost their significance: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; NKJV).

The more we understand the Word, the more relevant it becomes in our lives. Understanding and relevance open the door for us to analyze other information using the Word of God as our plumb line. Does what we are being told line up with the Word?

Paul cautioned the church at Colossae: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8; NKJV).

Analysis allows us to evaluate what we are hearing, reading, and thinking, and to make spiritually intelligent decisions about the barrage of information that surrounds us.

We do not want to be those who are always learning, but are never able to come to an understanding of truth (2 Timothy 3:7).

Those spiritually intelligent decisions will enhance our creativity in the arguments we make, the words we speak and write, the songs we sing, the dances we dance, and the pictures we paint, as well as in our ministries and every other aspect of our lives.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, was also a man who loved learning. The longest psalm, Psalm 119, expresses David’s delight in remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing and evaluating the precepts of God. In that process, his creativity soared, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

May we also be people who love learning, who can sing with David: “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:15-16; NKJV).

Choosing Courage

Choosing Courage

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Several years ago, I was ministering in the Philippines. Part of our ministry took us on a catamaran to a nearby island. When we left, the tide was in, and we easily stepped from the dock onto the boat and sailed away. When we returned in the evening, the tide was out, and our boat sat about ten feet below the dock. Our only egress was a rickety ladder sitting precariously in the rocking boat. I don’t normally like to climb short, firmly grounded ladders, so I definitely was not comfortable with the thought of climbing this ladder.  

Discouragement settled over me. Suddenly, through my spirit and out of my mouth came “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). One of the men holding the ladder gave me a hand, and I went up that ladder like a seasoned sailor. Courage came when I knew that I didn’t have to do it in my own strength.

In our difficult world, we are surrounded, bombarded and often overwhelmed with discouragement. Negativity fills the airwaves, the newspapers and the coffee klatches. A spirit of discouragement has attached itself to many people, even believers.

The spirit of discouragement can be so oppressive that we may neglect to cry out to the Lord for encouragement. We may also be so distraught that we do not recognize the encouragement when it comes.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines encourage as:

to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident; to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen; to make (someone) more likely to do something : to tell or advise (someone) to do something.

These definitions are all about doing something. They miss the mark by not telling us what we need in our lives in order to do something. In order to chop down the tree of discouragement, we need to lay the axe to the root.

The root word of “encourage” is “courage.” In other words, if we want to be encouraged, we must be filled with courage. The Lord spoke to Joshua as he was stepping into the role of leadership after the death of Moses: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

God does not want us to be afraid. Fear tries to rob us of courage, and it is the fear that we need to lay the axe to. We fear tomorrow. We fear the unknown. We fear because we lack understanding. We fear because we perceive that God has distanced Himself from us.

Believers, however, are called to be Joshuas in this world. God has commanded us to be strong and of good courage. The word translated as courage has many synonyms. In the Hebrew, to be courageous is to be strengthened, established, strong, fortified, and obstinate.  

Courage is the strength to overcome in spite of fear. Courage is being established in the truth of the Word of God. Courage produces strength and fortification. Courage enables us to stand firmly for the Lord. We need encouragement.

I find that cliche expressions like “Remember, God is in control,” “Everything will be alright,” “Everything happens for a purpose,” or “It will all work out in the end” feel frustrating and trite. I know that the speaker's intent is to encourage, but the intent does not bring forth the desired fruit.

When people are discouraged, instead of all the conventional expressions, can we say, “I’ll go with you,” “What can I do that will help,” or “How can I pray for you?” That’s what God has promised us—that He will never leave us or forsake us.  We must stand and not forsake either ourselves or others around us.

In the Word of God, we will find words that dispel fear and fill us with courage. Speaking forth the Word causes courage to resonate on the air waves. Declaring the Word allows us to anoint ourselves and others with courage. Meditating on the Word—allowing that truth to become part of our spiritual DNA—enables us to move forward in boldness.  

Make a list of encouraging scriptures and hide them in your heart through memorization and meditation. The Holy Spirit will call them to your remembrance in the midst of discouragement.

Consider these words: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Encouragement comes in realizing that the spirit of fear, the discouragement that we feel, has not come from God. Instead, God has given us the strength in Him to overcome that fear. We don’t have to face it alone. We face it in the power and love of God. Our relationship with Him brings us into a sound mind.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Encouragement is actually a choice.  Let’s open our hearts to the encouragement of the Lord, so that we may encourage ourselves and others.