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A Christian Perspective on Fasting Throughout the ages of the Christian centuries, fasting has been viewed both positively and negatively. John Wesley said, "Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it."  At times it has been considered to be a panacea of all spiritual problems, an activity permeated with magical powers.  This is not unrelated to the problems experienced in biblical times in the matter of fasting. For example, consider what Isaiah had to say, "'Why have we fasted,' they say,'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. (Isa. 58:3) At other times fasting has been considered as something that is "old fashioned" and not belonging to the life of the Christian.  So, what is fasting? Is it a part of a Christia

The God Buffet Our primary source of "knowledge" when it comes to God, His purposes and will is obviously the Bible. This marvelous book holds all we need for a lifetime of revelation and awe as we pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord. We believe that God will never contradict His Word, thus any "revelation" outside the parameters of the Bible cannot be accepted as having the same authority as the Word itself. Tradition and culture, though they play a role in shaping the mind and identity of man, must never have a greater influence on us than the Bible. Dreams and visions might be compelling, but if they contradict scripture they are might as well be fairytales. The doctrines and philosophies of man must take a back seat in the life of the believer, for in this regard the Word of God is in a category of its own. It must be said that the role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretation of the Bible cannot be overstated. I believe that without the illu

The River of God - Key Scriptures From the Threshold of the Temple The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in--a river that no one could cross. He asked me, "S

The Sun Stands Still Joshua 10:1-14 Once we suit up with all of God’s armor, there is still one thing we need to do. We need to pray! When we pray, God helps us and we can know what we are supposed to do. To get started, color the kid praying in the first picture. This picture helps us remember that once we suit up with God’s armor, we need to pray. Prayer is just talking to God, like you would talk to a friend or parent! There’s a story in the Bible about a man named Joshua who prayed a really BIG prayer. As I read this story, I’ll continue to tell you which picture to color next! First, I have to tell you what happened before Joshua prayed this BIG prayer. So go ahead and color the picture of the two armies fighting on your comic strip. You see, after God’s people, the Israelites, went into the land that God promised them, they had to fight the evil armies of the people who were living there. The leader of the Israelites was Joshua, and he was a great l

Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness Matthew 4:1-11 Who thinks that superheroes are really awesome? (Allow responses) I do, too! But do you know who the most awesome hero is? I’ll give you a hint. His name starts with a “J” and He lives in heaven! (Allow kids to guess – “Jesus”) Right! Jesus is our hero because He saved us from the punishment for our sins. He was able to do this because He came to earth and lived a perfect life. He NEVER did anything wrong! Now, that doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t tempted to do the wrong thing. In fact, there’s a time in the Bible when Jesus was tempted by the devil. Let’s find out how Jesus was able to use God’s Word to cut down the lies and temptations of the enemy! Now, as I’m reading this story, I want you to test your superhero reflexes! When you hear me say UP, I want you to reach up as high as you can (or look up)! And when you hear me say DOWN, I want you to reach down (or look down) One day,

DETOX As a church we are moving into a wonderful time of becoming a church that is lead and built by Christ. Since it is His church we have to follow His leading. I am not a medical docter, but I have heard too often how dangerous high cholesterol is and how it starts to block the flow of blood to the different areas of the body. Also, how important the liver is to remove the toxins that are found in the blood stream. I believe the Spirit is taking us into a spiritual DETOX as the Body of Christ. To remove all the “toxins” that we have allowed into our body of believers. These toxins if left will destroy us and steal the purpose and plan that God has for us as a church, to be effective in the mandate we received from God. Some of these toxins are things like: Worldliness, False Doctrine and Complacency. 1 Corinthians 3:3 You are still world ly. For since the re is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not world ly? Are you not acting like mere humans?