Easter: The Aftermath

Easter is over.  The chocolate bunnies are eaten.  The leftovers from Easter dinner are gone.  The new outfits have been dry cleaned and tucked away in the closet.  It's back to business as usual.  But if we celebrate the resurrection then go back to status quo then we've missed the point.   Easter is a new beginning.  For the Jewish people Passover was a significant time.  While the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt the last plague was the Passover.  Everyone who Read more

Passions Need People

Last time we looked at how Nehemiah's passion led him to complete the tremendous undertaking of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days, but he didn't do it alone.....   How often have you had an idea, a vision, a passion you wanted to pursue, but it never went beyond an idea in your head because you had no idea how you would make it happen?  Yeah, its sounded like a good idea, but that thought of trying to accomplish Read more

The Power of Passion

Often when we hear the word passion, we think of it in the context of love and romance.  Most people can relate to that feeling of being in love.  You fall for that special someone and they become your obsession.  That special person is all you think about.  You'd do almost anything for them.   You can also get passionate about a goal. Something you feel driven to accomplish.  Something that you're willing to put your all into, make sacrifices for.  Read more

Spring Break the Hunger....A Child's Spark

Last time, I asked for your help in raising money for my church’s current initiative: buy 300 Food Packets to send home with kids over spring break.  Essentially, the food pack is enough stuff for the kids to make themselves a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday.   So we’re sitting in church last Sunday, listening to the man explain the initiative and my son (whose 9) leans over to me and says “Mom, that’s all they get?    They should Read more
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40 Days of Fasting and Prayer with Compass Community Church

Posted on January 14, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Guests | 1 Comment

My church, Compass Community Church, recently embarked on a journey: “40 days of fasting and praying.”  If you’ve ever felt like you needed to break some strongholds in your life or spend more time with God this is a great opportunity to do so with a group.  Even though they started a few days ago, its not too late to join.  Every day you’ll receive an uplifting, encouraging message  to help you through the process.  If you’d like more information about participating drop a line to [email protected]

Below are a few excerpts from the past few days….

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“Fasting is about the condition of the heart, not the number of days.” (Bill Bright)  Biblical fasting is when you choose to deny yourself of basic strongholds in your life, like sugar, TV, Facebook, or meals to name just a few, to be available for prayer and conversation with the Lord.

If you need some assistance with this, here are a couple of ideas.  Read through the Scripture for the Day included below.  Then use the prayers as a starting point for your own prayer time.  Or, you might want to read more about the Armor of God.  You can find this scripture in Ephesians 6:11-18.

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Today we are focusing on breaking strongholds.  You have probably found one habit that hinders you from really enjoying God and being free.  If not, just ask the person sitting next to you…honestly. They will likely be able to find one of your faulty habits pretty quickly.

We’ll called these unhealthy habits strongholds.  If you have been fasting from a stronghold for three or four days, you are probably starting miss the habit about now.  I just want to remind you that you are seeking personal time with God.  Abstaining from a stronghold that holds you down will help you choose to replace it with space for Him.  And, strangely enough, it also brings freedom.

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It’s time to talk about discipline.

To begin a discipline, you must identify something that is holding you back.  That would be your stronghold.  Then, you stop whatever is hindering you from experiencing Great God Opportunities. At the same time, create boundaries that will help you not indulge in the stronghold. And, begin to follow a new routine that will steer you away from the stronghold.

Now, for the hardest, most important piece. Identify accountability people that will help you steer away from this stronghold.  Ask them to check in with you on a regular basis.  Compass is a great place to find this type of person.

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A helpful thought from Dr. Cindy Trimm:

Cleanse and nourish your body by avoiding all toxic products and unwholesome foods and hydrating sufficiently-no less than 8 glasses of water per day!

Cleanse and nourish your soul by avoiding all toxic media and unwholesome entertainment-hydrate your soul by drinking from the fountain of the Word daily!

Cleanse and nourish your spirit by avoiding toxic places and unwholesome people-hydrate your spirit by praising and worshipping God whenever possible.