January 8th, 2023
Day 7 – January 8, 2023
“Sharpen”
Luke 2:37 - “and there was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”
There comes a point in our fasting where we can get King Stomach or Queen Media under control. Many times this happens between Day 5 and 8 for me. We then enter a ‘sweet spot’ with the presence of God for the next few weeks. But that is not a long time at all when you consider Anna who never left the temple but WORSHIPPED night and day, FASTING AND PRAYING.
We do not know much about Anna, but we do see that she was devoted to fasting and prayer. Her husband passed away seven years into their marriage, and then she lived as a widow for 84 years, serving in the temple day and night.
I believe one main point from her story is found when she sees the baby Jesus. She RECOGNIZED Him as the long-awaited Messiah and praised God. In other words, her life of fasting and prayer SHARPENED her SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT and gave her true “eyes to see!”
What if we did not see fasting as an inconvenience?! What if, like Anna, we made fasting and prayer our lifestyle too? For Anna, fasting was not a time of “Woe is me!” Instead, it was an act of worship. We can ‘see’ amazing things happen in our lives if we connect with God in this way and approach fasting with a heart of worship.
Love,
Pastor Brian Rabon
“Sharpen”
Luke 2:37 - “and there was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”
There comes a point in our fasting where we can get King Stomach or Queen Media under control. Many times this happens between Day 5 and 8 for me. We then enter a ‘sweet spot’ with the presence of God for the next few weeks. But that is not a long time at all when you consider Anna who never left the temple but WORSHIPPED night and day, FASTING AND PRAYING.
We do not know much about Anna, but we do see that she was devoted to fasting and prayer. Her husband passed away seven years into their marriage, and then she lived as a widow for 84 years, serving in the temple day and night.
I believe one main point from her story is found when she sees the baby Jesus. She RECOGNIZED Him as the long-awaited Messiah and praised God. In other words, her life of fasting and prayer SHARPENED her SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT and gave her true “eyes to see!”
What if we did not see fasting as an inconvenience?! What if, like Anna, we made fasting and prayer our lifestyle too? For Anna, fasting was not a time of “Woe is me!” Instead, it was an act of worship. We can ‘see’ amazing things happen in our lives if we connect with God in this way and approach fasting with a heart of worship.
Love,
Pastor Brian Rabon
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