Answers to Specific Prayers: Prayers for Two Evangelistic Opportunities by the End of the Week

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Evangelism, Ministry, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Chris and I were finishing up a short meeting with a time of prayer. Although we weren’t meeting about evangelistic efforts, my prayers included a prayer that that God would provide each of us an opportunity to share the gospel with someone by the end of the week, that we couldn’t miss. Then I headed off to lunch.

When I got back from lunch, Chris immediately came into my office. He said, “You’ll never believe what happened. While you were at lunch, I heard someone knocking on the doors of the church building. The guy got aggressive and was trying to rip open one of the locked doors.”

Chris continued, “When I opened the door, the guy asked if he could come in and have someone pray with him.” Chris, of course, said that he could. Chris ended up sitting with the guy, listening to his story, and getting to share the gospel with him. Apparently, the man was driving down to a rehab facility and just happened to stop by for prayer! I wish I could say that the man gave his life to the Lord right then, but he didn’t. But certainly heard how to give his life to the Lord and was invited to do so.

That would have been a fun story to tell, even without the specific prayer. But with the specific prayer and God’s almost immediate response, it caused Jesus to be real in our hearts and our day in a way he wouldn’t have without it.

But what about me? Did I ever get an opportunity to share the gospel? Well, two days later, when my family and I were eating breakfast at a hotel before going to a University of Tennessee game, I did. We were watching the reading of the names of the 9/11 victims while we hurriedly ate the free Holiday Inn breakfast. And one of the ladies, an elderly lady, who was informing us that “breakfast is shutting down,” told us that she used to work at the Twin Towers decades ago. That conversation led to her move to L.A. and then the middle of nowhere Tennessee, where she had been living for a while.

As she lingered unusually long at our table, thankfully, God helped me realize what he was doing in that moment and helped me move the conversation to the gospel. She didn’t know the gospel, but she does now. She didn’t give her life to Christ when I invited her to, but I’m praying she has by now.

It’s so easy to try to do all of the things Jesus wants his followers to do, like evangelism, without simply asking him to help us do them. But remember, God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime. He can make things happen so effortlessly and splendidly. I hope this story encourages you to pray specifically to the God who is present, willing, and able to help you today.

Answers to Specific Prayers: God Solves A Difficult Staffing Issue

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Practical Ministry, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

Specificity leads to visibility. When we get specific with our prayers we give the invisible God an opportunity to become visible to us in a way he wouldn’t without our specific prayers. And when God becomes visible to the eyes of our hearts and minds, hope, peace, and so many other life giving realities increase.

One of the ways God often helps his children pray with greater confidence and specificity is by hearing about how other people prayed specifically and saw God work. To this end, I’d like to tell you about how God answered an employers work, prayer request about 5 or 6 years ago.

The employer found himself in a situation that many employers find themselves, with an employee that wasn’t a good fit. He was wrestling with how best to handle that situation. With the company being a small business, relationships were deeper. Deep relationships brought great joys, but the challenges were great too. He knew, for the sake of the business, he had to remove this person from their role. But how could the employer have this difficult professional conversation without ruining the personal friendship?

While there are certainly different approaches that someone can use in this kind of situation, this particular employer started praying that the employee would find another job on her own that she was excited about, and that it would happen within 30 days. He wrote the prayer down and prayed it daily, during his normal devotion time. About a week and a half later, the employee came to him and told him about a new opportunity that she would be taking!

The employer was so grateful that God answered his specific prayer in a way that helped him both professionally and personally. But even more importantly, when you hear him talk about what happened, you understand that the experience of God’s love and control was even greater than the specific answer. The day that his prayer was answered was a day he sensed the powerful, “I’m-working-at-your-work-too” presence of God. And as he walked in this awareness of God’s presence and power, it ignited more hope in his heart. God’s greatness was more recognized in his heart which caused the size of his other problems to decrease there too. He walked home in hope that day. That hope drove him to ask specifically for God to do more with other problems and plans on his heart.

I know what some of you are thinking. Maybe that employee would have moved on anyways? Perhaps. It’s possible God would have done that without the employer’s specific prayer. But that’s not what happened. The employer prayed specifically. And because he prayed specifically, he, in a very real sense, saw the invisible God at work. Specificity leads to visibility. Of course, God doesn’t always answer our prayers with a “yes,” but he always does what’s best. That’s why we offer our specific requests with childlike trust.

What specific problems and plans are on your heart and mind today that you can turn into specific prayers?

Robert Murray M’Cheyne Describes 4 Practices That Marked His World-Changing Life

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Evangelism, Ministry, Missions, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Robert Murray M’Cheyne lived a short, impactful life. He was 29 when he died in 1843. At the time, he was the pastor of a 1000 person church in Scotland. D.A. Carson says that he is one of the “overlooked shapers of evangelicalism” (2).

I recently read David Beaty’s excellent book about M’Cheyne, called, An All Surpassing Fellowship: Learning from Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Communion with God. Beaty details M’Cheyne’s life and ministry, and the priorities that drove one of Scotland’s great pastors. M’Cheyne believed that “there was no greater privilege in life than communion with God” (56). That’s why he said, “A calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man” (56). In what follows are a few of the emphases that marked his life, along with his words about them. I’m praying his words inspire you as they have me.

The Importance of Daily Bible Reading – 3 months before M’Cheyne died, he provided his church a daily Bible reading plan. Many still use it today. His hope was that they “all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time” (60). He wrote these words to his church about daily bible reading: “Above all, use the Word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path–your guide in perplexity, your armor in temptation, your food in times of faintness. Hear the constant cry of the great Intercessor, ‘Sanctify Them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is Truth'” (61). M’Cheyne believe Christians needed to feed their hearts daily with God’s word in order to flourish in this world.

The Importance of Daily Prayer – M’Cheyne said, “I am persuaded that I ought never to do anything without prayer, and, if possible, special, secret prayer” (65). Why did he believe that? Because, he believed, God’s power is unleashed through prayer. Writing to a ministry friend who struggled to learn this lesson, like many of us do, he stated, “Do not overwork yourself. There is much of self in that, I know by experience. A breathing of believing prayer may be worth many hours’ hard labor” (73). In regards to prayers relationship to preaching, he wrote, “We are often for preaching to awaken others; but we should be more concerned with prayer. Prayer is more powerful than preaching. It is prayer that gives preaching all its power… Prayer must be added to preaching, else preaching is in vain” (67). M’Cheyne lived a life that showed the importance of daily prayer.

The Importance of Personal Holiness – M’Cheyne was also known for his pursuit of personal holiness. Why did he make this such a priority? He writes, “I am persuaded that I shall obtain the highest amount of present happiness, I shall do most for God’s glory and the good of man, and I shall have the fullest reward in eternity, by maintaining a conscience always washed in Christ’s blood, by being filled with the Holy Spirit at all times, and by attaining the most entire likeness to Christ in mind, will, and heart, that is possible for a redeemed sinner to attain to in this world” (76). He also wrote, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus” (83). Many of his contemporaries commented on how his pursuit of personal holiness was powerful and inspiring.

The Importance of an Eternal Perspective and Evangelism – Powerfully, he wrote, “Live near to God, and so all things will appear to you little in comparison with eternal realities” (86). One of benefits of M’Cheyne’s awareness of God and eternity, was his passion for daily evangelism. Andrew Bonar, a friend of his, wrote of him, “Two things he seems never to have ceased from–the cultivation of personal holiness, and the most anxious effort to save souls” (94). Far from merely a religious duty, evangelism was an overflow of the joy and excitement he had for Christ. He wrote, “If you will come to Jesus and drink, you shall become a fountain” (141). Pleading for unbelievers to come to Christ, he said, “Your years are numbered. To many this is the last year they shall ever see in this world. What would they not give, brethren, for such an opportunity as you have this day” (143)? Pushing back against criticism for talking about hell, he said, “They that have the most love in their hearts speak most of hell. They do not love you that do not warn you . . . . Oh remember that love warns” (144)!

These, of course, aren’t the only emphases that marked M’Cheyne’s life. But these are a few of the ones that challenged and inspired me when I was reading. It’s worth buying Beaty’s book, especially if you are a ministry leader, and learning more from M’Cheyne.

George Floyd, Racism, and 7 Ways Christians Can Work For Racial Justice

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Church, Diversity, justice, Missions, Practical Ministry, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

When I was younger, I thought the people writing on topics were “experts” who had it all figured out. But after years of working in the publishing industry and getting to know online heroes, I’ve learned I was wrong. It turns out that every blog or book was written by people still trying to figure out their topic — still a work in progress.

That “still trying to figure it out” position is certainly the place from which I write this blog on racial justice. When I was asked to do this a couple of years ago, my first inclination was to run and hide, not write and post. As anyone engaged in the discussion understands, the issues surrounding racial justice are complex, the grace shown to one another is often low, and the progress slow.

Yet here I am writing. I’m writing because Christians are called to speak to issues their God has addressed as well, issues he cares about. And he certainly cares about racial justice. He cares about George Floyd, how he was horribly treated, and the countless issues that are connected to everything that is going on in America right now in 2020. And the church is called to lean into these issues as his ambassadors. Although I write from a “majority culture” perspective, I’d like to share seven ways I’m pursuing racial justice that I’d ask you to consider as you pursue the same.

Pursue racial justice prayerfully. Anyone pursuing racial justice recognizes the issues are challenging and complex. That’s why we ask God for help. That’s why we start with prayer. Prayer starts when we have a high view of God and his abilities, and a low view of ourselves and our abilities. Pride kills prayer, because it doesn’t believe it needs to ask for help. A prayerless pursuit of racial justice is a prideful pursuit, one that ultimately will fail. It says we don’t need God’s help to achieve God’s goals. The pursuit of racial justice is designed to be a prayerful pursuit. He can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime.

Pursue racial justice with understanding. One of the most overlooked, yet important, steps to advancing racial justice is accurately understanding the terms of the discussion. People may use the same word in a conversation, but that doesn’t mean they are using it the same way. When some people use the word “justice,” they define it as “equal outcomes,” while others mean “equal opportunities.” You need to understand what “redistributive justice” and “retributive justice” mean. There are different views on “economic justice,” “procedural justice,” and more. These different areas of justice all touch conversations about racial justice. Understanding the terms enables you to see where you agree and disagree, where you need to adjust and where you don’t think you do. Conversations about racial justice move in a constructive direction when the terms being used are understood.

Pursue racial justice by listening humbly, critically, and widely. We don’t know what we don’t know, which is why we need to be a listening people. We listen humbly, because we know there is truth we don’t see, can’t see, and that we need others, even people outside our tribe, to help us see it. We listen critically because we know that while it’s true we can’t see everything, it’s just as true that others can’t either. It’s possible to work against what is just in the name of advancing justice. That’s why we have to listen critically, like the Bereans, so we can figure out what words are in step with God’s Word and what words aren’t (Acts 17:11). And we listen widely because discussions about racial justice have been around for quite some time, and there is a wide range of “authoritative” perspectives on these issues. Listen to people outside your “tribe,” find the main streams of thought on an issue, and step out of your time period for some historical perspective. The pursuit of racial justice is a listening pursuit, so let’s listen humbly, critically, and widely.

Pursue racial justice proportionately. Racial justice issues aren’t all created equal. That is to say, some racial justice issues are clearer than others. Racism is clearly evil. But the right position on issues like minimum wage, particular education policies, what responsibility people have for their ancestors’ sins, and other important issues like these, aren’t as clear. All of these are important issues, but the answers aren’t equally as clear biblically. Because of this, I’ve found the discussions about racial justice move forward more constructively when we pursue it proportionately.

Pursue racial justice relationally. Everybody experiences injustice in some way, but not in the same way. That’s why hanging out with people who aren’t like you is so important. When you hang out with people who aren’t just like you, you learn about injustices that oftentimes aren’t even on your radar. When you love people who are different from you, their problems become your problems. Even if we don’t agree with a particular perspective, we often consider it more carefully when it comes from someone we love. We’re also able to ask questions and have discussions that aren’t possible publicly, especially on our social media platforms. Invest in relationships with people you don’t normally invest in. Pursue racial justice relationally.

Pursue racial justice actively. You can’t do everything, but you can do something. For most people, your best opportunities to pursue racial justice will be local. In my context, I’ve served on a board of a racially diverse Title I school (which means it receives a great deal of funding to help families in need), I’m involved with “affordable housing” discussions, I’m currently part of efforts to help people go through the immigration process, the church I lead is partnering with local ministries that are working specifically on this, our church is growing thousands of pounds of food on our property to make a difference locally, and more. The teams I’m part of are racially diverse, and the people we are trying to help are racially diverse. We don’t always agree, but we are doing our best to make our local context better, more just. While Christians can’t do everything, we can do something. Don’t just talk about racial justice, actively try to bring it about. Get involved. Show up. There are opportunities all around us.

Pursue racial justice restfully. There’s always a tendency for our identities to slide into what we do. The better the cause, the more likely it is to become an identity thief. That’s why I think it’s so important to pursue racial justice restfully—resting in our identity in Christ and who we are as His son or daughter.

The Coronavirus, Fear Reducing Facts, and 6 Christian Ways To Respond

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Disaster Relief, Evangelism, Missions, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on 4 Comments

The coronavirus is here and it’s making its presence known. Schools are shutting down. Stores are limiting the amount of water and hand sanitizer you can buy. New York has called the National Guard into certain neighborhoods. The governor of Kentucky asked churches to stop gathering for worship. Washington State is prohibiting gatherings of more than 250 people in Seattle. The Warriors will start playing home games without fans present. Panic is high. The world seems to be coming apart.

In the midst of all of this, it’s tough to know how to make sense of the stories and data that are being thrown around. Some stats are more daunting than others, some countries are having more trouble than others, and the opinions as to why there are so many differences are many.

At this point, a little over 1,000 of the 327 million people in the U.S. have the virus, with over 30 having died from it. More cases will, of course, be reported. New measures will be taken. Endless stories will tell us many of the details.

As we continue to deal with this, consider appropriate responses, and try not to lose our minds in the process, I’ve found the following information helpful in facing the coronavirus with facts and faith, rather than fear.  

Learning what the words “outbreak” and “pandemic” actually mean reduces fear – I don’t know about you, but when I hear the media use these words every other word, I feel the panic starting in my germaphobe mind. My mind flashes scenes of the movie Outbreak and every horror film or stat I’ve ever come across. But once I found out what those words actually mean, it changed how they impacted me. You probably already know, but if you don’t, here’s what two key words mean:

  • Outbreak – “Outbreak” simply mean there are more cases than expected. So, since they were expecting 0 cases of the coronavirus, 2 cases would be considered an “outbreak.” So every time you hear “outbreak,” hear them say, “we have more than expected.”
  • Pandemic – “Pandemic” simply means that the “outbreak” (more than expected) is taking place in countries across the world. Since the world wasn’t expecting this virus and it has reached lots of countries (which isn’t hard to do in our day), we are in a “pandemic.”

The next time you hear “outbreak,” remind yourself that they mean, “more than expected.” And the next time you hear “pandemic,” remind yourself that they mean, “more than expected in the world.” This doesn’t mean it’s not serious, but it helps you avoid making it more serious than it is.

The coronavirus is harder on people with weaker immune systems (older people, people with cancer, diabetes, etc.) than the flu, but easier on young people than the flu – The Washington Post noted that the death rate for the “over 70” population in Wuhan was up around 20%; for those under that age it was .8 or less (flu), for those younger it was less. One of the main reason Italy is struggling significantly is because Italy is the oldest country in the world. The elderly continue to make up most of the deaths by far. Let’s pray for the elderly across the globe facing this fierce virus. Let’s ask God for their protection, healing, wisdom on what changes they need to make, and that all would know Christ.

The more time goes by, the lower the initial, scary coronavirus data gets – With each passing week the death rate numbers go down. “The death rate is a calculation of the number of known deaths out of the total number of confirmed cases.” None have gone up. Why? Because the number of people infected is believed to be much higher than initially reported. The higher the number goes, the lower the death rate goes. That number is believed to be higher because for most people the impact of the coronavirus is “mild” so they wouldn’t even think to get tested and many places didn’t have “enough tests” to actually find out how many people had the virus.

Countries with government run healthcare have had a more difficult time responding to the coronavirus – It’s a scary thought to turn the keys to healthcare over to the same people that run the DMV. It’s even scarier to do that for countries who have governments that couldn’t run the DMV as “excellent” as we do here. But that’s the reality. When you look at stories out of Wuhan, China (ground zero for the coronavirus), you find a healthcare system that was an absolute mess. The hospital situation was run by a communist party who ignored previous year complaints that new hospitals were needed because of a lack of space for such a big city (11 million in Wuhan). At the end of 2018, their hospitals were 94% full. Their requests were ignored, which is why you can find stories of elderly people with the coronavirus trying to get into 3 hospitals with no success. In Italy, their government run healthcare system produces a wide range of experiences for people, some great and some awful. The same disease has vastly different recovery rates in different parts of the country. This means that the people who often most need the help won’t be able to get the needed help. Everything I’ve read about these government healthcare systems make total sense of my experience with them in the twenty or so countries I’ve been too. Pray for their healthcare system. Pray for ours. The coronavirus is a problem, but it’s made worse in countries that have handed their healthcare system over to the government.

The spread in Wuhan, China was enabled to a significant degree by the lack of willingness of Chinese government officials to talk about the disease while it made it’s way through one of the largest and most dense cities in the world – China took about a month to communicate what you’re hearing non-stop today. Not only that, they kept quiet while the virus was passed around in one of the best places to pass it around, a huge, dense, city (Wuhan). That’s why the rates of infection are much higher there than anywhere else in China. Be thankful that information is out and people are being more intentional about cleaning their hands, etc.

The coronavirus is serious. That’s why it’s so important to think through what we’re hearing and seeing. When you do, you see that it is significantly more dangerous than the flu for older people and those with a compromised immune system (have had cancer, have diabetes, had an organ transplant, etc.), but the same or less dangerous than the flu for folks the younger you get. How it has been handled differently has a lot to do with various approaches to government and healthcare.

As the number of cases continues to grow, the information we can learn does to, here are a few ways I’d encourage you to respond to our current coronavirus problem.

Pray This Problem – Jesus said that we are to bring our “weariness” and our “burdens” to him (Matt. 11:28-30). Let’s make sure that we aren’t just meditating on the burdens created by this situation, let’s pray them. Pray for those that have it or will get it. Pray for the people unusually at risk. Pray for wisdom for government and church leaders. Pray, pray, pray. Every problem is an opportunity to pray. Don’t miss out on this one.

Do Your Part – The best medical advice in all the world about fighting this virus is the same medical advice, for the most part, that we get every year. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Sneeze and cough into your arm. If you feel sick, stay home. Wipe off surfaces. If we do these basics, we are doing our part. It will make a huge difference.

Avoid Overreaction And Underreaction – I’ve found that people either tend to overreact in these situations (looking at you, “Mr. I Bought All The Toilet Paper From Costco”) or underreact (looking at you, “Mr. I’m Going Stop Washing My Hands College Student Just To Make A Point”). Figure out your tendency and battle it. This isn’t Ebola that killed 50% of the people who got it, for most people it’s closer to the flu’s .1%. But this isn’t just the regular flu either, especially for older people and those with pre-existing conditions like cancer, diabetes, and those that have had organ transplants. Let’s be sober-minded and steady as we do our part.

Give People Freedom To Process This Challenge – Everybody responds differently when they are reminded that they aren’t in control, they are vulnerable, and death is real. Pray for everyone to look to Jesus in the midst of this. Give them space when they respond differently than you. Take a long term approach relationally.

Consider Recommended Courses Of Action Critically – Just because a government leader recommends something doesn’t mean it’s the wisest course of action. Today the Governor of Kentucky recommended that churches stop gathering for worship. Curiously, he didn’t recommend that other types of assemblies stop meeting. Nothing was mentioned about Kentucky Basketball games and March Madness. Their schools are still meeting. Even if churches listened to him, which most won’t, it’s unlikely to do much good with all of these other assemblies continuing as is. Again, let’s pray for our government leaders, listen to their perspective, but I wouldn’t follow them uncritically.

Meditate On The Power And Love Of Christ Until You Trust Him Enough To Rest – Inner peace doesn’t come from knowledge, delusions of control, or defeating the coronavirus. Death is always at the door in a world like this. No, inner peace comes from trusting in a God more powerful than death who lovingly sent his Son to rescue from eternal death. Trust doesn’t replace action, it reorients it. In this world, you’re always more vulnerable than you realize. In Christ, you’re always more secure than you realize. Trust him. If he went to the cross for you and defeated death, he won’t leave you now. Find a few Bible verses to meditate on in these times as you do your part.

The coronavirus is serious, but it has an expiration date. As Christians, let’s be more effected by the presence of Christ than the presence of the coronavirus. That way we’ll be marked by peace more than panic. Sure, let’s stay up to date on all of this, but let’s meditate on something better as we pray for those all around us and pursue God’s best in these coming days.

The Coronavirus, Williamson County, and Redemption City Church

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

As news of the first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to hit Williamson County and concerns are rising, I wanted to let you know some important info about it and how Redemption City Church is responding. Hopefully, this will help you “germaphobes” out there like me process all of this in the right way.

What We Know About Coronavirus – The coronavirus is a novel respiratory disease that has been spreading globally since late 2019. The coronavirus’s health risk to date appears to be comparable to that of influenza, which many of us have experienced. Here are a few key data points:

  • While the flu has killed close the 20,000 people in America this year, the coronavirus has killed around 14 (and a little over 3,000 people worldwide).
  • Of those that were killed by the coronavirus, it seems that usually they had significant pre-existing health conditions, smokers, or older folks.
  • Children do not appear to be more susceptible to coronavirus than adults. In fact, no deaths have been reported among the young.
  • Based on existing cases, it’s estimated that about 80 percent of people who are affected experience mild symptoms.
  • While some estimated that the coronavirus would have a 2-3% death rate, it already appears that these were wrong. Thankfully, the latest numbers put it basically at the same place as the flu’s .1%.

What We All Can Do – Officials recommend that we do what we should always do during sick season and practice good hygiene basics like:

  • Wash your hands frequently, and for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water to protect yourself and others from germs.
  • Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
  • Keep your hands away from your face, because germs routinely spread when a person touches something contaminated with germs, and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. This is the reason why the CDC recommend that healthy people not wear masks.
  • If you feel sick, stay home and contact your doctor.

What Redemption City Church Is Doing – Redemption City Church will continue to follow the health protocols that we have in place. I hate sickness and so does my family (ask anyone who knows us!). That’s why we made sure from day one that we had great health protocols in place. As you would expect, this list includes not allowing kids in Kids City who have been sick or showed signs of sickness in the last 24 hours. Also, every classroom has been “deep cleaned” this week and will be every week moving forward by the Kids City Team! The rest of the church is cleaned weekly as well. In light of the current concerns, a greater level of cleaning has taken place and will continue to be practiced for the foreseeable future.

Our leadership team obviously will continue to carefully monitor the situation and considering all recommendations from government officials. We still plan to gather together for our regular gatherings this weekend at 9 & 10:30am. As always, we are committed to doing whatever we can to provide a safe environment to welcome you, your family, and your friends.

If you’ve lived very long, you know that there have been versions of these kinds of sicknesses before. Whether it’s the SARS of the 2000s, the coronavirus of today, or whatever is coming next year, let’s pray this problem, trust our God, and take the common sense steps recommended. Hope to see you Sunday!

How To Join The Monthly Fast – #FastTheFirst

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Church, fast, fasting, Ministry, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

I love food as much as the next guy. So why in the world did I invite Redemption City Church to fast with me this Tuesday, January 21, and every 1st of the month this year (Feb. 1, March 1, April 1, etc.)?

Well, when you read the Bible, you see people fasting all over the place. Fasting is simply abstaining from food for a specific purpose. A quick look at the 77 times the Bible talks about fasting shows that Moses fasted, Israel fasted, Daniel fasted, Nehemiah fasted, Jesus fasted, the early church fasted, just to name a few. When you fast, you’re in good company. Fasting was such a normal part of following God that when Jesus taught on it, he didn’t make an argument for it, he simply started by saying, “when you fast…”, not “if…” (Matt. 6:16-18).

The reasons for fasting are many and meaningful. After Moses fasted he received the 10 commandments (Ex. 34:28). God blessed Israel’s fast with a stunning victory over the Edomites (2 Chron. 20:2-3). Daniel received the guidance he needed during his fast (Dan. 9:3). Before Nehemiah built Jerusalem’s broken walls, an achievement that stunned everyone who understood the situation, he fasted (Neh. 1:4). After Jesus’ fast, he overcame the Enemy behind all the enemies of God in the wilderness (Luke 4:2). As the early church was asking for clarity on who to set apart for ministry, they fasted (Acts 13:2-3). The reasons for fasting are as many as the reasons for praying. Yet, fasting seems to be focused on unusually challenging problems where a special “breakthrough” is needed.

When you look at the history of the church, you see that Christians from other time periods read Scripture in a way that led them to fast. Here’s a few examples. The Didache, which is kind of a “how to do church” manual to help Christians understand what the Bible taught, prescribed two “fast days” a week: Wednesday and Friday. The 2nd Council of Orleans called for regular fasting in the 6th century. John Wesley urged Christians to fast on Wednesday and Fridays as well.

Will you join me as I join so many others who have come before us and fast?

If you will, here are a couple of practical suggestions about fasting, most of which I got from Dr. Ronnie Floyd who has written at length on the subject.

Find Your Day – You can fast any day you want. I’m encouraging you to join me this Tuesday, January 20th, on a fast and then the 1st day of each month for the rest of the year. If you need to miss a day, but want to be a part of what we’re doing, aim for a day during the first week of the month. #FastTheFirst

Find Your Level – When the Scripture talks about fasting, it is talking about abstinence from food. On the day you fast, let me encourage you to participate at some level. That might mean that you miss one meal, or two meals, or all the meals. Perhaps you can’t miss any meals? That’s okay, you can abstain from something else, like social media. Whatever it is, find a level that allows you to participate in the fast.

Set Specific Goals – I believe that “specificity leads to visibility” in our prayer lives. When we get specific with our prayers we give the invisible God an opportunity to become visible in our lives in a way he wouldn’t without that specific request. When we start getting specific with our requests, we start seeing him more in our daily lives. The same is true for fasting. Let me encourage you to ask God to answer specific requests in 3 areas: your relationship with him, something in your life, and for your church.

Plan Your Time – During the time when you would normally do the thing that you are abstaining from, like eating, use that time to read Scripture and pray. The examples of fasting in the Bible show us that the people of God “withdrew” in some way from their normal activities to encounter God. Let’s do the same, whether that is 15 minutes or an hour.

What might God have in store for us if we follow his word and make fasting a regular part of our relationship with him? How might our lives be different? What about the lives of those we’d be praying for? Join me on this simple, God-honoring journey. Let’s see God work in fresh ways this year.

4 Childlike Traits That Every Christian Needs To See God Work Through Prayer

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Church, Ministry, Practical Ministry, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime. Whether creating the universe with a word, splitting the Red Sea for the Israelites, enabling Daniel to walk out of a lion’s den unscratched, raising Lazarus from the dead with a word, walking Peter out of prison the night before he was supposed to be executed, the Bible portrays a God whose power and love is unstoppable and unending.

That’s why we pray. Or, at least, that’s one of the reasons we pray.

Unfortunately, most people don’t have a daily prayer life. The reasons for this lack of prayer are many, but the proposed solution to it usually includes something along the lines of “I’ll try harder” or “I need to be more disciplined.”

But I’ve found over the years that a change in prayer life won’t happen in any lasting way by simply trying to be more disciplined. I’ve had more success in my own prayer life and in helping others with theirs, in trying to be more childlike, not more disciplined.

It’s interesting that when Jesus taught on prayer, he didn’t start by telling us to be more disciplined, he said to be more childlike. When he teaches us to say, “Our Father,” he is teaching us to think of prayer as a Father-Child conversation. Jesus didn’t call people to a higher, more sophisticated spiritual level to pray differently, he told them to act like children.

As I’ve meditated on this truth over the years, it’s radically changed my prayer life from a “once in a while” prayer life to an “every day, throughout the day” prayer life. This change hasn’t happened because I’m strong, but because I’m more aware of my weaknesses. The more you grow up in Christ, the more childlike you become. And I’ve found that there are four childlike traits that every christian needs to see God work through their prayers.

Childlike Faith

Just about every child has a moment or a stage where they think their parents can do anything. That’s the feeling Jesus wants us to have about “Our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Because he is “in heaven,” he is unstoppable. Jesus is connecting the Father we speak to in prayer with the God “who is in the heavens and does whatever he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). Why is this so important? Because your view of God determines your practice of prayer. If you think he can help you today with your work, relationships, finances, or whatever, you’ll ask. If you don’t, you won’t. Battle the specific sin of unbelief that says, “God can’t really make a difference in my life enough today for me to ask him for that help in prayer.”

  • What does your prayer life say about God’s abilities?

Childlike boldness

Most kids go through a long season where they don’t think twice about barging into their parents’ room in the middle of the night. Whether it’s a bad dream, they can’t find their blanket, or something else, they never apologize for the disruption. That’s a boldness that no one else could get away with. And that’s precisely what you need to have, especially once you understand the greatness of God. God’s power is matched by his love. That’s why we can ask the amazing God who “is in heaven” to give us “daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). Because he’s “our Father” we can approach his throne like a child, boldly (Heb. 4:12).

How can we, an unholy people, approach a holy God? Because Jesus bought our access with his blood. Our childlike boldness is a blood-bought boldness. He took our place on the cross to secure a space for us in his family. Because of this, we can be bold as we talk to God, asking God anything and everything.Do your kids get organized before they talk to you? Hopefully, not normally. Do they only talk to you about subjects that are “proper”? Nope. When you’re bold like a child, you feel the freedom to talk to God about what’s really going on in your life.

  • What does your prayer life say about God’s love? Do you have a high enough view of God’s love that you think he will help you today if it’s best for you?

Childlike Specificity

The older I get, the more I struggle to come up with “gift ideas” for Christmas and for my birthday. It didn’t used to be this way. When I was a kid, I could throw out all kinds of worthless things I was dying to have. My kids are the same. Most are. I believe God uniquely loves specific prayer requests from his kids. Why? When we get specific with our requests, we give the invisible God an opportunity to become visible in our lives in a way he wouldn’t be able to without that request. Specificity leads to visibility. Don’t know what to get specific about? Pray your problems. Pray your plans. Pray your Bible. Fight the “vague prayer syndrome” and write down specific enough prayer requests that you’d know it, if God answered it.

  • If God answered every one of your specific, written prayer requests, what would be different for you, your loved ones, your church, and the world?

Childlike Trust

“Ouch! I’m telling!” I heard my youngest son say, just before he made his way into the kitchen. After he told me what happened, I said to him, “I’ll take care of it.” With that, his countenance changed and he joyfully walked right back where he came from. I overheard him self-righteously say to his sibling, “Dad said he’ll take care of it.”

He didn’t, of course, know “how” or even “when” I’d take care of it. Frankly, shout out to imperfect parents like me, he didn’t know “if” I would take care of it. He simply knew “who” would take care of it. Because he knew who would take care of his problem, he walked out of that conversation without the burden he brought into it.

That burden-relieving, peace-producing, change-you-right-where-you-are-from-the-inside-out kind of interaction in prayer only happens when there is an unshakable trust in the one to whom you just presented your problem. That’s childlike trust. That’s wrapped up in the “your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matt. 6:10). If you have a God who is great enough to do something about your problems and plans, you have a God who is great enough to have a better way forward that you don’t understand. That’s why you have to trust God to do what’s best with your request. If you don’t trust him, you won’t rest. You won’t experience the “peace that transcends all understanding” (Phil. 4:6-7). Thank him for doing what’s best with your request before you know what he’ll do with it because you know WHO you’re talking to, not HOW he’ll handle it.

  • Is there any area where you need to trust God to do what’s best for you, even if it’s the thing you most fear?

How different could this year be, if we started asking the God who can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime, to help us everyday? How different might our relationships, work, inner sense of well being, churches, country, world, be if we starting acting like children who have a Father in heaven who does whatever he pleases?