Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12)

Once again this Lent, the Lord is directing our churches to observe a 40 Day Fast beginning today.

I am sensing that He wants me to invite all of you who are so led to join us on this Fast as well.

We are being led to focus on Joel 2:12-32 as the key passage for this year’s Fast.

You may listen to an audio of this post by clicking here. Or use the audio player below:

40 Day Joel 2 Fast, Feb. 19-Mar. 30, 2013

There are two main things that God wants His people to do as part of this Fast.

1. Turn (Return) to Him with all their heart (v. 12, 13)

2. Fast as an entire community—elders, children, nursing babes, priests, etc. (v. 16, 17)

In return God wants to do seven amazing things for His people.

1. Bring Prosperity (v. 19, 22, 24, 26)
2. Remove enemies (v. 20)
3. Bring the “rain” in season (v. 22, 23)
4. Restore what was lost (v. 25)
5. Pour out His Spirit on all flesh (v. 28, 29)
6. Work wonders (v. 30, 31)
7. Grant salvation and deliverance (v. 32)

We are encouraging our folks to focus on:

• Coming Together in Unity &
• Come Clean in Totality

To come together in unity, we need to:

• Pay attention to what divides us or threatens to divide us and seek reconciliation.
• Focus on the same purpose as a community and
• Eliminate ALL NEGATIVITY (as we did last year with the 4 C’s)

To come clean in totality PERSONALLY, we need to

• Pay attention to everything that prevents us from being totally in the right with God.
• Confess our sin, repent and lead lives of holiness.

The Lord is directing us to read and reflect on 8 different passages of Scripture and seek His revelation on every passage for 5 days each.

Feb. 19-23—Joel 2:12-32

Feb. 24-28—Isaiah 58

Mar.01-05—Psalm 51

Mar.06-10—Exodus 20:1-17

Mar.11-15—Ephesians 4

Mar.16-20—I Corinthians 12

Mar.21-25—Matthew 18

Mar.26-30—Matthew 5:1-16

We are following these SIX STEPS with every passage:

1. Read the passage out aloud once and in silence once.

2. Take a minimum of 10 minutes to seek God’s revelation.

3. Journal your revelations.

4. Pray according to the revelations. e.g. Confess sin, Praise God for victory, Pray for someone else, etc.

5. Thank God for every one of the 7 results. E.g. “I thank you God for bringing prosperity, removing my enemies, etc…”

6. Share your experience with an Accountability Partner.

As with all our fasts, what you give up FOOD/DRINK-wise is between you and the Lord. Please consult your physician to make sure that you are not jeopardizing your health in any way.

We also reduce/cut out MEDIA intake–e.g. TV, Internet, Facebook.

Please refrain from THE 4 C’s—Criticism, Condemning, Complaining & Comparing AT ALL COSTS! We shall ELIMINATE ALL NEGATIVITY!

Please ADD an ACT OF SERVICE to your life every week. e.g. visit a shut-in, phone a lonely person, invite someone to your house (even from church!), write an encouraging note, etc.

If you are saving some $$$ by giving up something, put it in an envelope and ask the Lord where to direct it at the end of the Fast.

There you have it, the 40 Day Joel 2 Fast.

Would you please let us know if you are joining us on this Fast? Simply add a comment below. Thanks.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Late one night driving home to Regina from Estevan, Saskatchewan, I encountered one of the worst “whiteouts” of my driving career.

A “whiteout” for those who are not familiar with the term, is a condition where snow is either falling or blowing in such a way that all a driver sees is “white.”

Visibility is virtually reduced to zero. You do not know where you are on the road. Or even if you are still on the road.

It is a frightening prospect for a driver. You’re not sure if there is any opposing traffic.

You do not want to pull over on to the shoulder, just in case a vehicle behind you does not notice you being there and crashes into you.

I was driving on a single lane highway with a ditch on either side. I dreaded the thought of ending up in the ditch.

Needless to say I had to drive at a considerably lower speed than the posted speed limit.

To be honest, all I wanted to do was somehow get home safely.

As I tried to navigate my way through this whiteout, all of a sudden I spotted some tire marks on the snow just ahead of me.

Pretty soon, I was able to tell that a truck was driving a short distance ahead of me by the rear red brake lights…praise God!

All of a sudden, I was filled with a confidence that was not there just a few short moments back.

All I had to do was to drive in the tracks left behind by the truck.

What a relief!

Sure enough, this strategy held me in good stead and helped me get back home safely.

On this Sunday morning, as we gather to worship along with other believers, I am keenly aware of those who went ahead of me on this journey of faith.

There were times when I wasn’t sure I could keep going on my own. Or I wasn’t sure I could navigate my way safely.

That is when I realized that all I needed to do was to follow in the footsteps of someone who had blazed a trail for me.

One of the greatest blessings of following Jesus is that we do not travel alone.

He is “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” He has paved the way for us to follow.

Others began to walk in the tracks he made at the very outset.

Beginning with his disciples, followed by countless others—be they apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers—or those who did not hold a particular office, they simply walked in Jesus’ footsteps and left tracks behind.

For me. For you. Wow!

Would you join me in taking a few moments to remember with gratitude those in your life who made tracks on which you still drive today?

“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (John 12:49)

Have you ever noticed that Jesus did not heal people with the same condition the same way every time?

For example, when He encountered those who were deaf…

In one instance He drove out the deaf and dumb spirit that was responsible. (Mark 9:25).

With another deaf man, “Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.” (Mark 7:33)

Similarly, when it came to healing the blind…

He simply touched the eyes of two blind men. (Matthew 20:34)

He “spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” (John 9:6)

The blind man in Mark 8:23 did not get the mud plaster spa treatment, he simply got a spit ball 🙂

With blind Bartimaeus, there was no touch, no spitting on eyes or on ground, no mud therapy.

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” (Mark 10:52)

Why such variations in technique in different situations with the same condition?

Jesus provides the key in both the verses quoted from John 5 & 12 at the beginning of this post.

He waited to see what the Father was doing. Then He simply followed suit.

He waited to hear what the Father was saying. Then He simply repeated it.

Pretty simple, wouldn’t you say?

The key to ministering as Jesus did clearly does not lie in slavishly imitating His techniques.

Instead, it is all about being in an intimate relationship with the Father as He was.

Two Sundays ago, as we were worshipping at Morgan’s Point United, the Lord indicated to me that He wanted to heal those who had problems in the soles of their feet.

Not exactly a common condition that we would normally pray for.

What was even more unusual about this word was that He wanted me to instruct those with that condition to bang their feet loudly on the floor.

It did not sound like a commonsensical idea at the time. Why would you try to relieve pain by doing something that would result in more pain?

Yet, that is what I sensed. That is what I heard. So I simply relayed the message.

Since our floor is carpeted, I cannot say that I heard the loud stomping of feet.

The following Sunday though, we all heard a testimony from a woman named Mary.

She reported that she had followed through with what was suggested. She noticed a slight change right away.

It kept on increasing during the week until the condition which had been present for years in her feet completely disappeared. Praise God!

You may have realized as you read this account that there is no case recorded in Scripture of someone with pain in the soles of their feet being healed.

To look for a technique to heal this condition in the Bible would have been futile.

But, praise God that the key to ministering as Jesus would is not about imitating a technique.

It is about becoming more and more intimate with the Father.

It is in times such as this that we realize how much John 5:19 and 12:49 are just as applicable to followers of Jesus now as they were to Him way back then.

Have you had a similar experience? Would you please share it with the rest of your DWOD family?

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”  (I Corinthians 13:4-8a)

These timeless words penned by the apostle Paul nearly 2000 years ago are read at just about every service of Christian marriage.

Perhaps it is appropriate that we consider them once again today on Valentine’s Day, 2013.

More than one couple has remarked that these words describe an ideal that is difficult to attain, much less maintain in marriage.

Yet the apostle Paul lists them as the kind of love that is a fact of life for “children of God” who are joint-heirs with Jesus and are led by his Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14-17)

Is such love really possible for us?

Before we answer that question, let us substitute the word “Jesus” for love. Now this passage reads:

“Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails.”

Clearly these words aptly describe Jesus, amen?

Let’s take it one step further.

The apostle John reminds us: “As he is, so are we in this world.” (I John 4:17)

In other words, we can be like Jesus and love as He does.

If we believe this, we can read these words again, substituting “I” for “love. Try it!

“I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I am not rude, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. I never fail.”

Did you do it without pausing, gulping or choking? Congratulations!

On this Valentine’s Day, if you are in a relationship of marriage or one leading to marriage, substitute the name of your beloved for “love.”

Please read this out aloud. I’ll use the name of my beloved, Sulojana.

Hear these words as coming from the mouth of Jesus about him/her.

“Sulojana is patient, Sulojana is kind. She does not envy, She does not boast, She is not proud. She is not rude, She is not self-seeking, She is not easily angered, She keeps no record of wrongs. Sulojana does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. She always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Sulojana never fails.”

Do you want to make it even more personal and powerful?

Look each other in the eye and read these words out aloud. Remember it is Jesus speaking through your voice:

“(FIRST NAME), you are patient, you are kind. You do not envy, you do not boast, you are not proud. You are not rude, you are not self-seeking, you are not easily angered, you keep no record of wrongs. You do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. You always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. You never fail.”

Did you get emotional? Good! You’re supposed to! Jesus did 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day, ya’ll!

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  (Joel 2:12)

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent.

Ashes and sackcloth are associated with repentance in Scripture over and over again.

Mordecai (Esther 4:1), Daniel (Dan. 9:3) and the King of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6) are some notable Biblical characters who sat in ashes sporting sackcloth for a garment as an act of repentance.

It was also quite common for someone to tear their garments as a sign of distress and grief, as did King Josiah (2 Kings 22:11) and Job (Job 1:20).

While tearing (rending) clothes and sitting in ashes wearing sackcloth were genuine signs of repentance in these passages, it would appear that by the time of the prophet Joel they had become mere rituals.

They were outward expressions that did not necessarily flow from an inward remorse.

Hence God utters these tough words: “Rend your hearts and not your garments.”

In other words, let your hearts be ripped apart by repentance while your clothes stay intact.

After all, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:8).

The rest of Joel 2 lists the blessings that come as a result of such repentance.

The list includes renewal of the land, restoration of that which was eaten by locusts, victory over enemies and these words:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” (v.28-29).

These words, which were fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), clearly promise a revival like none the world had ever seen.

Without repentance there would be no revival.

Rending one’s garments and other external expressions that were done for show only, would not bring about a revival.

As David writes in Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

This is why Ash Wednesday begins with a call to repentance.

If you have not done this lately, this might be a good opportunity for you to humble yourself before the Lord and pray:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2)

These words can only be uttered by one who rends his heart, not his garments, one who is ready to repent.

If the promise in Joel 2 is true, we too will witness a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as the apostles did in Acts 2.

And we will once again verify the truth of the fact that Repentance Precedes Revival. Amen?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

“Make sure you have enough time to brush the snow off the car, eh?”

“How much snow is on there anyway?”

“Not a whole lot.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get it done fast.”

That was part of the conversation between Sulojana and me Sunday morning just before we left for church.

In my mind, I’m estimating it would take 5 minutes to get the job done.

It was only when I started brushing the snow off the windshield that I noticed the thick layer of hard ice beneath.

Oh-oh!

This was going to take a whole lot more than 5 minutes.

We were already running late.

That’s when the strategic thinking part of my brain kicked in and started barking orders:

“Turn on the ignition. Get the rear defroster going. Turn up the fan, crank the thermostat up to the maximum 32 degrees Celsius and defrost the windshield.”

Yessir. Right away, sir!

Still not good enough to melt the ice completely. It was way too thick.

Time to get out the scraper and apply elbow grease.

Ten more minutes. Finally both windshields and all four windows were totally ice-free.

Now that we had done all we could to remove everything that could prevent us from moving forward safely, we were ready to motor on.

This incident on Sunday morning was indeed a metaphor of what happened in our lives a few years back.

We were both aware of heart issues in our lives that needed to be addressed. We started to deal with them, with some of the resources that were at our disposal at the time.

We read books, went to workshops and listened to teachings on the subject online.

We prayed on our own. We prayed with others. We prayed in a group.

All of our efforts did indeed make a difference. But it seemed that we were not totally free to move forward.

It was as though we had only brushed off the snow. There was still this thick layer of hard ice that needed to be removed.

We noticed that our hearts were being softened somewhat by what we had done, but it was not enough.

It was going to take more time and effort.

We took a week off work and sought the help of trained ministers in the area to show us what to do.

Many tears were shed as painful memories were retrieved, re-lived and redeemed by God.

Secrets of the heart were exposed along with the lies of the enemy that gave them power to control us.

It was like scraping that thick layer of ice off the windshield by hand.

But, it was well worth the effort.

Oh, what a difference it has made to our personal lives, our marriage and our ministry!

We would highly recommend that you consider doing the same, if these words are ringing true in your spirit.

You may wish to check out Sozo and Restoring the Foundations for starters.

Please take the time to remove “everything that hinders” you from running the race toward your destiny. Please.

You too will be amazed at the difference it makes!

“Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26)

In yesterday’s DWOD, you heard about the nearly foot and a half (44cm) of snow that blanketed the Niagara Region of Canada last Friday.

The snow started falling around 2 a.m. It did not end until 6 p.m.

We had to clear about 6 inches of snow from the driveway just before 8 a.m. so Sulojana could get to work.

Three more times during the day, our sons Sathiya and Jaya had to shovel additional precipitation, so the driveway could remain clear all day long.

We did our civic duty to keep the sidewalk clear as well. But we didn’t stop there.

We went beyond the call of duty and kept the sidewalk in front of our neighbour’s house clear as well.

Did I mention that he was away so his driveway was still covered with snow?

Well, Bill came back on Saturday to find a sidewalk that was completely free of snow and a driveway that was packed with snow.

Sathiya offered to help Bill dig out his driveway, but he politely declined. He had already called for a snow plough to come and do the job for him.

Yes, it was an extreme measure. Yes, it was an expensive measure. Yet, it was a necessary measure at this stage of the game.

The contrast between our two driveways was glaring indeed.

The purpose of sharing this is not to pat ourselves on the back while applying a paddle to Bill’s back end.

The Holy Spirit used this incident to point out something significant to me that is worth sharing.

There are certain things in life that need to be removed as soon as possible.

The sooner the better.

Take anger, for example.

Your spouse does something that makes you angry. You froth and fume on the inside, but you do nothing about it. The snow starts piling up.

A few days later, the same spouse hurls some hurting words at you. Once again you rage internally, but do nothing externally. The pile gets higher.

This pattern repeats itself over and over again over the course of your marriage. The pile gets higher and harder.

One day you could get to the point where you need extreme measures to clear the drift.

Especially if the rage began to express itself in abusive behaviour. Or violence. Or worse.

No wonder God proposes this preventative measure: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

In other words, don’t let it pile up.

Deal with it as soon as possible, before the end of the day.

The sooner the better.

Amen?

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

In the aftermath of a snowstorm, it is not uncommon to see a sight such as this vehicle which was photographed in Jersey City, U.S.A.

Interestingly enough, in many jurisdictions, including New Jersey, a motorist can be fined for driving with snow on the roof. With good reason.

There are two primary ways in which this unremoved snow could spell disaster.

In the first place, it could slide down and block the vision of the driver, either in the front windshield or the rear.

Thus, you cannot see what is ahead of you or behind you.

Should this lack of vision result in an accident, you can seriously hurt yourself and those who are with you in the vehicle.

In the second place, this poses a danger to others who are on the road.

Unremoved snow could fly off your roof and hit another vehicle and impair the ability of that driver to see what is ahead/behind.

Of course, should your vehicle collide with another because of your inability to see, you could hurt those who are in that vehicle as well.

There are times when the result is multiple collisions, a chain reaction that can literally affect tens if not hundreds of motorists.

One driver’s refusal to wipe off the snow from their car roof can potentially wipe out the lives of others.

In St. Catharines, Ontario, we just dug ourselves out of a severe snowstorm that dumped nearly a foot and a half (44 cm) of the white stuff.

Needless to say we literally spent hours removing the snow off our driveways and sidewalks.

A reasonable estimate of the time it would take to wipe off the accumulated snow from a car roof would be somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes.

Yet, many motorists, who had just spent hours removing the rest of the snow on their properties, could not take the extra few minutes to extend that courtesy to their cars.

Not even the threat of a fine is deterrent enough…obviously 🙁

The prospect of serious damage to self and others should be a serious motivating factor, you would think. Sadly, not to everyone 🙁

Over the past 30 years in ministry, I have witnessed the disastrous results of those who refused to take the time to do something similar in their lives.

Here are the two most common scenarios.

Couples facing problems in their marriage who would not take a year or two to work things out so they could enjoy another 20-40 years of fulfilled lives. Instead many opted for acrimonious divorces that left their mark on them and their children for years to come.

Ministry colleagues who would not take the time to receive ministry to get their hearts healed up because that would interrupt their busy schedules. Sadly some of them were burnt out. Others fell from grace, wiping out churches and ministries in the process.

In both cases, not only did they hurt themselves, but their refusal to “remove the snow from the roof” also caused damage to their immediate families, and in some cases, an entire community, even the Body of Christ as a whole.

In the grand scheme of things, the time it would have taken to receive counselling or prayer ministry would have been as minuscule as the time it would have taken a driver to remove the snow from the roof of the car.

No wonder Jesus insisted that we take the time to be reconciled first, before bringing our offerings to the altar.

He wants us to remove the snow of accumulated sins, wrongs and regrets first before we start motoring down life’s highway.

If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of the need to do this as you read these words, would you please obey Him right away?

I hope so. I pray so.

No need to endanger your life and those of others unnecessarily…amen?

 

 

“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:34)

Several weeks ago, Sulojana and I were driving to the United States on the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way), the main highway in our area.

We had carefully chosen to leave at a time when the traffic would not be that heavy.

As we got on to the QEW at St. Catharines, we hardly encountered any traffic at all.

It was only when we got past Niagara Falls that I began to notice the brake lights of cars slowing down ahead of us.

We were forced to slow down to 40 km/hour or less in a 100 km zone.

Of course, we suspected an accident somewhere down the line.

Sure enough we saw some flashing lights in the distance that seemed to confirm this suspicion.

As we got closer though, we realized that the blue lights were not from police cars, but snowploughs.

The photograph accompanying this DWOD is a close representation of what we spied with our eyes that afternoon.

Three snowploughs side by side, clearing the snow off the pavement.

On the one hand, it was frustrating to be slowed down.

Yet, on the other hand, we realized that this temporary inconvenience would actually help us make progress faster as we headed further down the road.

None of us likes to be slowed down as we move towards our destiny, do we?

Yet, isn’t it true that sometimes we are forced to crawl rather than speed on this journey?

We would rather get there sooner than later.

Are there times when God slows us down one stretch of the highway, so that we can speed up when we get closer to our destiny?

This was certainly true of Joseph’s life, wasn’t it?

The dreams he saw clearly pointed to a destiny where he would be lifted high above the rest of his family.

Of course, the journey did not start out well when his brothers threw him in the pit and then sold him as a slave.

Things started to look up when he was entrusted with the management of Potiphar’s household.

But, when he turned down the advances of his master’s wife, he finds himself in prison after being falsely accused of sexual assault.

Joseph must have wondered about all these slowdowns on the road to destiny that were happening even though he was doing all the right things.

It was only in retrospect that Joseph could see that there was a purpose behind the delay in the fulfillment of his destiny.

God had to clear the way for him to become Prime Minister of Egypt, just as the snowploughs had to get the snow out of the way for us to speed into the U.S.

The timing had to be just right.

Have you noticed how quickly his promotion came about? In a mere matter of minutes, he had moved from the prison to the palace. Wow!

Perhaps you are at a point in the journey where you are frustrated at being slowed down in the speedy pursuit of your destiny.

If you, like Joseph, have been doing all the right things, and honouring God every step of the way, then take heart!

It could very well be the case that God has dispatched heaven’s snowploughs to pave the way for you to accelerate into your destiny…praise God!