January 05, 2010 Forward Motion Faith

The primary motive for our five-week congregational fast is to draw close to the Lord.  We call this intimacy.  My iPhone dictionary defines “intimacy” as “a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a subject, place, period of history; an act or expression of serving as a token of familiarity, affection.”  Let me highlight this definition: close association or understanding; expression of familiarity or affection.  When you put this together like a peanut butter jelly sandwich you have the makings of inward inspection of your spirit man.

I define intimacy as “in-to-me-see.”  This is a simple definition of intimacy.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal our hearts, to “see into our hearts” with microscopic detail.  The Holy Spirit in us takes a real hard, deep and familiar, affectionate look at who we are as a believer.  The closer we get to His divine Presence in our life – the more He reveals about us that we often times don’t like.  Intimacy!  Affectionate familiarity.  Allowing the Holy Spirit that place in our heart we typically wouldn’t let anyone into.  In-to-me-see! 

Fasting draws us into intimacy.  It is self-denial that pushes the flesh man out of the way – along with our pride, our pet peeves, our whining, our lack of humility, our irrational complaining, our unjustified condemnation of most everything around us – and allows the Holy Spirit to plow up the flesh and produce genuine fruit of the Spirit.   Self-denial is coming to the conclusion that living for Christ is not about us – it’s about Christ in us.

Let me give you three scriptures for you to meditate on for today.  Come back to the blog and read them, write them down or mark them in your Bible – but come back to them during this fast.

Psalms 19:14

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

• Look at my heart and hear my words today, O Lord and draw me into intimacy with You.

Matthew 22:37

37  And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

• O Lord! Let my every heart-beat, my seat of emotions and the thoughts of my mind love You with passion and seek Your direction throughout the day.

Hebrews 4:12

12  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

• Today, O Lord, let Your Word separate my heart from my soul, work to divide my spirit man and my soulish man and judge the thoughts and intentions of my heart!

When we pray these simple Word focused prayers we are in Forward Motion.  We are moving forward allowing Christ to be seen in us.  Fasting draws us into self-denial and allows a true introspection of who we really are.

That New York strip didn’t look so good after all…did it?