Earlier this year, I had the privilege of joining a church in a time of fasting and prayer, something many churches do at the start of a new year. Although a fast is challenging, it is also exciting to spend extra time with God in prayer and let His presence replace some of the daily foods I consume and activities that take up my time.
It’s also a time of anticipation, as I anticipate growing closer to the Lord, hearing His voice more clearly, and learning whatever He wants to teach me through His Word.
During my time of fasting and praying, God strongly impressed upon my heart how much He loves His church, the community of believers, who confess Jesus Christ, His Son, as Savior and Lord. He showed me how His heart breaks when our hearts drift away from Him.
He revealed that one of His greatest desires for those in the body of Christ, who have drifted away from Him, is for them to repent and return their hearts to Him. I could sense God’s urgency, so this caused me to examine my own heart and repent of the ways I have knowingly or unknowingly allowed my heart to drift away from Him.
Acts 3:19-20 NIV
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
Through this time of fasting and praying, God also impressed upon me that He desires to be our main Source for provision, protection, value and acceptance. Many have turned from Him and now search for these things in the world, but He is the supplier of our needs.
He is our Provider, our Protector, and the One who accepts us and loves us unconditionally. Our value does not come from worldly accomplishments. Our value does not come from the opinions of others. We are valuable because we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27).
The world offers us many options apart from God, but He is beckoning us to choose what is best, to choose Him, above all else. He loves us more than we even know and cares for us in ways we do not always understand.
God illuminated to me how far above this world His Kingdom is. His kingdom exceeds anything this world could ever offer us. Yet many times as His children, we get caught up in the temporary satisfaction this world has to offer.
Psalm 145:16-17 NIV
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
We can return our hearts to God daily, through the time we spend with Him in prayer and His Word, and through the choices we make that show our love for Him and our allegiance to His kingdom.
One thing we can always be sure of, is that God always wants our hearts to be fully surrendered to Him. 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that, “…People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
We can be confident that the God we serve sees our heart, which encourages us to come to Him about anything. We don’t have to hide, because God sees all, but still chooses to love us unconditionally.
How blessed we are to belong to Him and be part of His kingdom. May God continue to bless and keep you as you abide in Him daily.
John 15:4 NKJV
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Drawing Closer to Christ 
John 15:4 says it so well, Abide in Me, and I in you. The closer we stay to Him, the more clearly we see that His Kingdom offers far more than anything this world can provide.
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Amen, Willie. Staying close to Him is key in understanding His kingdom offers more. May we abide in Him daily. Have a blessed week!
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Amen 🙏
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He indeed is our source of provision, protection, value and acceptance – I found that such a good reminder for me today. Although I know it, it is something that we need to affirm in our lives repeatedly so that we do not gradually incline ourselves to seek these things elsewhere. Abiding in Him is the key- and I pray that I am intentional about staying close to God.
Blessings Dawn 🙏🏽🙂
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I agree, Manu. We do need to affirm that repeatedly. There is so much going on in life, it takes being intentional to stay close to Jesus. Have a blessed week!
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I love this post and all the things God shared with you. It’s a beautiful reminder of how much God truly loves us. He wants us to give Him our whole hearts, and He wants to be everything to us. Thank you for sharing this, Dawn. ♥️🌺
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Thank you, Bridget! God does truly love us. And it’s a blessing that He desires such intimacy with us. You’re welcome. Have a blessed rest of your week! ❤️
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Well said! How wonderful to be in Christ, and He in us!
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Thank you, Warren! Yes, it’s so wonderful! Have a blessed rest of the week!
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You’re welcome!
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Our deliverance can only come through prayer and fasting. When we spend quality time with God He will speak to us. These are powerful and timely words that God placed on your heart. Thank you for sharing.
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You’re welcome, Beverley. That’s so true. What you said reminds me of James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
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Amen
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It’s fascinating that when you stay still in fasting and prayer, God answers. Most times of chaos and frustration in my life I turned to him. I just always drift apart and forget during the good times. I pray that he forgives me, and help me keep my faith strong in me. Thanks for the message and God bless you
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It’s easy for us to forget at times, I have too but God is faithful and just to forgive us when we ask Him to (1 John 1:9). Keep trusting in Him and asking for help, like you’re doing. You’re welcome, God bless you too, Sanjo.
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God wants quality time with his children
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Yes, He does!
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As we grow in faith, we understand what is important and realize that God is our hope, our provider, our refuge, and our strength. We are blessed! 🌺💕🌺
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Yes, we are indeed blessed! Have a wonderful week, Jeanne! 💕☀️
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Amen. Blessings Dawn for sharing this encouraging witness of fasting and prayer. Your exhortations lead me to try this at the beginning of my early morning time. Setting aside coffee and more to focus wholly upon God’s Word and prayer offers an avenue of light at the start of my day. God’s peace be with you. I
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I’m glad you were encouraged, Richard. Putting aside some of our daily indulgences (I like coffee too 😊) and taking the extra time to focus on God’s Word does make a difference. I’ve been incorporating additional times of fasting and it’s been beneficial. May God continue to bless and keep you as you continue to seek His face. Thanks!
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the Lord looks at the heart”🫶🙏
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Yes, He does! ✝️
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