We need a bigger house I thought to myself as I walked into the garage and looked at all the items that I had stored in the garage.
... Yes it’s about time we get a bigger house with a double garage and a proper big store room I thought to myself as I pictured what the house would look like and how much easier everything would be.
As I day-dreamed of the endless possibilities of a bigger house with more rooms I suddenly heard my wife’s voice drift into my mind and cut short my day-dream... “What we really need is to get rid of most of this stuff that we have stored in the garage! We haven’t used half the items in over a year so it means we don’t need it."
As a recovering hoarder I was about to point out how you will never know when you may need the different items but stopped as the truth of the matter settled in my heart. Here I was desiring that I could have a garage that I could park my car in and a store room to pack my excess junk when in reality I could just get rid of the excess items and hey presto I would have a clean empty garage and no need for a store room.
I had been thinking that getting a bigger house would build my capacity for the things I had but as I began the process of emptying the garage and getting rid of things I indeed realised that I had for a long time been busy filling my garage with items I clearly did not need anymore. As a result I had begun to fool myself into thinking that I needed more space when what I actually needed was a good spring clean to create capacity.
Within a week the garage was emptier and indeed my wife was right, we really did not need a lot of the items that I had been so absent-mindedly gathering and keeping.
As I thought of this it dawned on me that I sometimes do the same thing with my very life.
I often get to a place where I am desiring more so as to build a perceived capacity in my life, when in actual fact my current capacity has been taken up by my inability to be wise and filter out the unnecessary things which then lead to a clutter in my life.
I started to reflect on how I can get busy with chasing and filling my life with things that bring me headaches while neglecting God as the first and utmost important being in my life. The revelation made me realise how important the time of Prayer and Fasting can be because it helps us empty out Life’s garage of all the useless little bits and pieces that have slowly taken over the space we should rightfully give God.
I wonder what is your heart full of today as we enter the second day of our prayer and fasting journey? The word of God warns us to guard our hearts for our hearts are the wellspring of Life. Our heart is supposed to be the key place or rather the throne room of our lives where the king of our lives should sit enthroned.
However we often lose perspective as we do life and can start to wrongfully allow the resources we have been blessed with to become the centre of our attention.
Instead of allowing God to always order our lives and shape our perspective we start to shape our lives around our needs and wants and gradually our lives are wrongfully envisioned by what it would look like if we had more money, a nicer car, more friends, a bigger garden, a better position at work etc. All these things can begin to be the reason we live our lives and the centre of our attention. Just like my garage which was now filled with junk while the car stood out in the sun and the rain, you can wake up to a heart filled with a desire for Resources instead of filling your heart with a desire for The Source of those resources. Don't Lets push out the Giver while we make room for the Gifts!
REFLECT:
- The word of God in Matthew 6:33 teaches us that when we Seek the Source who is God then the resources will follow.
- Take time today to think about your fasting journey from and consider which things have become a distraction to you being filled with God.
- As you identify the things that have crept into your heart and taken over God's rightful place allow God to help you empty your heart of those things first. Don't make the mistake to trying to squeeze God into the clutter in your heart but allow the throne room of your heart to be emptied to make Room for God.
- Your act of fasting will be a spiritual tool that will allow you to see the spaces that you need to surrender to God so that you can be empty and then allow God to fill you.
- Remember God wants you to have resources like Food, shelter, Money, Entertainment, a Good career etc, those are all good resources to have but they are not the source and can never take the place of God.
Scriptures to Engage with
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
Matthew 22:37
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Ezekial 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Prayer:
Lord God, I am grateful that you are the source of my life. I thank you for how you have been good to me and choose to acknowledge all the good things you have given to me. As I walk through this journey of Prayer and fasting I pray that you would help me to identify the things that have encroached and taken over the throne room of my heart which is rightfully yours. God this day I surrender and Pray that you would help me make Room for you. I choose to empty my heart so that you can take your right-full place as the King of my heart. Lord God thank you for bringing order to my heart as I walk through this prayer and fasting journey. May my perspective of you as my source never be tainted and overshadowed by the resources that have come from you. Blessed be your Holy name. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Remember to Join us tonight for Prayer and Worship at each of our Locations at 7pm. Last night was Powerful as we encountered God's heart for us and today will be even greater as we purposefully make Room for God to fill us.
Worship Tip: During the Day engage with God in worship take a listen to the Encounter Worship Playlist our Worship team has put together
Let’s seek the Lord together this week 🟡
Spotify:
Apple Music:
Truly yesterday was epic I felt his presents in all the corners in church and to see the number of congregation that God is using to fast and pray nothing moves my heart and we Thank God for our worship Team who are highly used to help us worship in our hearts To God be the Glory