Praying and Fasting for Boldness and Revival

That's what fasting is though. Denying our flesh and saying, God, I am yours. I commit this time to intimacy with you, to time in your word, and time in prayer. I am committed this hour to you. That's what fasting is. It's not an excuse to do something else. Fasting with the intention of increasing, of growing your intimacy with God. Not a laundry list. You can do that some other time. But God, what do you have for me? What is your list for me? What do you want to produce in me? What do you want my family to do? What do you want my church to do? Show me your list. Show me what you want, and give me boldness to do it. [01:04:53] (45 seconds)  #FastingForIntimacy

Listen. It it removes distractions, and it removes self reliance. It acknowledges your dependence on God. It trains the church to listen before acting. How many of y'all haven't learned that lesson? Whether it was your parents or whatever, to listen before acting by slowing us down and quieting our appetites for the flesh. Fasting creates space for discernment, to hear what God is saying, and to be discerning about it. It teaches a congregation of individuals to wait for God's direction instead of self directed plans. [01:05:44] (52 seconds)  #FastToHear

And a people that fast and pray together as a church, the revival that would come is not containable. It's not containable. Jesus says, I came and seek to save all people, and then he says, I wish no one to perish. So if I understand that right, he wants everybody to be saved. Are we willing to fast for the souls that Jesus died for? [01:07:34] (26 seconds)  #FastForRevival

And God didn't do this just to just to say, hey, look what I can do. God God always has a purpose. It's like that old saying atheist like to use. Can God create a rock so big he can't move it? My response is, why? God always has a purpose. Why? What would be the purpose in any of that? You see, God always has a purpose. His purpose for showing up, they were obedient. They were praying scripture. They were praying for boldness in the gospel to go out and and face persecution and share the word and and and out to people. [01:08:40] (43 seconds)  #PurposeDrivenFaith

God showed up to say yes. Yes. I'm in favor of that. Yes. I am with you. Yes. Here is evidence. Look at the building is shaking. The place is shaking, and it says they were filled for the purpose of going and being bold and speaking the gospel. God showed up because people were obedient. God showed up because people prayed the scripture. God showed up because people had the heart of God to go and seek and save that which was lost. God showed up because a group of people sought him with all of their hearts. Sought him first. Laid the flesh aside. [01:09:23] (47 seconds)  #ObedienceInvitesGod

And guys, I wanna tell you, these guys were something else. This were a group of men that throughout the New Testament, and you can throw Paul in there, welcomed threats, welcomed persecution, welcomed the opportunity to suffer for the kingdom of God, to suffer for the name of Jesus. And they go back to their church family and and, and and they tell them what happened and and a prayer revival broke out. [00:53:31] (33 seconds)  #GloryInPersecution

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Don't you wish people would recognize that you had been with Jesus? Man, did you see them today? They've been with Jesus. That would be an awesome thing for people to recognize. [00:50:37] (25 seconds)  #BeenWithJesusWitness

And let's let's just be honest with this prayer that these guys are praying for boldness, and let's compare it to some of our fears. They're gonna make fun of me. They're gonna call me a name. These guys had the threat of losing their lives and were praying for boldness. It seems like the church today in America anyway, the Western church seeks comfort, seeks it's like we want God to do the work without us. [00:56:38] (47 seconds)  #StopComfortChristianity