A mongolian Wrestler!!
Part of my daily posts always include a picture. Most of the time I really like my picture that I find thanks to the google image search. A lot of days I know exactly what I want for an image to go with what I’m thinking/learning but today I wasn’t sure. My thought for today involves wrestling and and when I typed “wrestler” in the google image search this guy was on the first page. Apparently he is a mongolian wrestler. The only thing I know close to mongolian is this amazing mongolian buffet that I once had in Clayton, Georgia.
MOVING ON….
“Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight and so provoking him to anger. I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me” Deut 9:18-21
This fasting stuff has been really scary and interesting. I have been trying to read as much as possible about fasting from a biblical perspective. I have also been praying about whether or not I am joining the 10 CCFers in their commitment to prayer and fasting for 40 days starting on Monday. I was reading last night in Deuteronomy about the Golden Calf and how Moses fasted on behalf of the people with which God was so angry for 40 days/nights TWO TIMES! I was thinking about our CCF men, our ministry, and our Campus.
I love how Moses explains God’s response to his fasting as he says “but again the Lord listened to me.” How awesome is that?!?!? We can argue until we are blue in the face about whether or not prayer changes God but either way Moses got to be a part of seeking God while wrestling on behalf of the people he had been assigned to. Moses truly wrestles with God and reminds God of his promises for this group of people. God knew before Moses fasted, shoot God knew before Moses was even born that this moment would come and God was eager to answer in his characteristic of compassion, gentleness and mercy.
These people who are fasting and praying for each of you individually and the fall semester are wrestling for all of us. This is an opportunity to truly seek God and His favor on our campus. There is no question that God wants to see His name proclaimed on our campus. There is no question that God desires to see this campus won for his Glory (AND HIS ALONE, NOT OURS).
So what do we do with this? My initial response is pray about it. I have been praying for a couple of days about joining these 10 in some sort of fasting. You can join in with these 10 in the same intensity of fasting (fruit and veggies only) or pick something else to fast from. It could be facebook, aim, meat, etc.. I just want to challenge each of you to think about fasting from something for 40 days starting on Monday. My first response to this challenge was “no way, I cant do that, more power to them.” What a shame to think that! The truth is I can’t do this, just like I can’t win a single person to Christ in my own strength, I can’t give someone salvation, I can’t change this campus alone. This is the point. Total dependency on God. I know the challenge and inconvenience is great but what’s it worth to you. We say we want change but what have we done to change? Have we tried praying more? Have we dug into God’s word more? Have we tried fasting? Don’t expect more without being willing to give more.
Praying for ya
Michael
ps: if you are interested in more details you can check out www.fastandpray.com . If you decide to fast let me know, if you don’t mind. Any questions or just wanna talk you can call me up until Saturday (850-567-2009) I will be praying for ya. Its so much easier when we fast together as a body.
ps: NO MORE POSTS ON MY PART FOR TWO WEEKS, AS IM IN HAITI AND AT CAMP. POST WITHOUT ME!!
