Fasting Guidlines and Suggestions

ʻI humbled my soul with fastingʼ Psalm 35:13.

What is Christian fasting?
The Bible speaks of fasting as abstaining from food for a time in order to grow spiritually, glorify
God, enhance our spirit, receive healing, and grow our prayer life. Fasting is not a way to get
God to do what we want; fasting changes us, not God. It is more about denying our natural
appetites and raising our spiritual appetites. (See Isaiah 58:6-12)
Redeem the time
Where possible, the time that is not spent on eating (or whatever else you choose to fast from)
is spent on your relationship with God, prayer, reading the Bible and seeking the Lord.
Types of Fasting
Food (full or partial fast), Media (TV/radio/music), or other things that are a sacrifice for you
(things like internet surfing, Facebook, computer games, shopping).
Food Fasting Options
• Fast from one, two or all meals in the day.
• Fast from ʻbetween mealʼ snacks and ʻafter mealʼ desserts.
• Fast from particular food or drinks e.g. meat, dairy, coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate.
• Fast from solids, so that you are on a liquid fast, drinking juices,soups, smoothies.
• A ʻDanielʼ fast: as found in the book of Daniel 10:3 – where he ʻate no choice food, no
meat or wine touched my lips.ʼ Fast from delicacies, stick to fresh fruit and vegetables.
• 5 Food fast: Eating nuts, fruit, vegetables, yogurt, red meat.
Fasting tips
• Plan your fast. Pray and ask God for protection, strength and wisdom during your fast.
Look ahead, you may have to rearrange your schedule or change your grocery list.
• Consult your pastor or leader about what is appropriate for you.
• Start small. As with anything, fasting requires practice to become better at it. Set yourself
a challenging but realistic goal.
• Begin and end well. When fasting from food, the meals before and after the fasting period
should be smaller and lighter than usual. End your fast gradually.
• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
Some warnings
• Fasting from food is not to be taken lightly. If you are new to fasting food please consult
your doctor and pastor regarding the length of time and what food you should abstain
from.
• We always recommend consulting your health care professional and pastor or leader for
advice before undertaking any food fast.
• Do not fast from water.
• Do not fast from red meat if you are inclined to anaemia.
• Also, fasting from food is unwise if you are diabetic, hypoglycemic, prone to migraines,
pregnant, taking medication or recovering from sickness. If you have any doubts/
questions, please talk to a health care professional.
• Fasting is entirely voluntary.

The Place

Genesis 28: 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, [f] though the city used to be called Luz.

Here not there, There not here? If you are a numbers crunching kind of person, the difference between one place or another may be insignificant. You could plant a church anywhere and meet the needs of people of that city or town however that is not the attitude needed to plant a church.

Many today view church planting as a mathematical equation, add 10 people + 1 building + 8 crock pots + $$$$ = church planting success.

Jacob says, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
The place God shows you will be clear, you will know it when you see it. It will be a special place and God will get you there, one way of another, He will show you the city that is a Gateway to heaven.

I am certain that you have a list of places you would like to plant a church, Hawaii, Fiji, Jamaica, Malibu, Sydney, Venice the list could go on, all beautiful and wonderful places. The place God has placed in your heart will become more beautiful then any of these others.

I was absolutely sure I would never move to North Carolina, don’t get me wrong the beaches are amazing and I like to visit the mountains but I could never move to NC. I have lived on Long Island, NY for 40 yrs. and everyone from NY knows that if you move south and you are under the age of 60 you move to NC. In case you are wondering, if you are older then 60 you move to Florida, probably “the Villages”. I thought, “why would I want to move to a new place with the same people?”

In 2003 God began to press upon me to move, many other factors in my life began to support this “feeling”, however family was just starting to settle in to our home on Long Island we lived in a beautiful town near the Northshore, tons of wonderful friends and two great churches we loved and were close to. (Christian City Church, L.I. and Manhattan)
In June 2006 I took a quick trip to Raleigh, NC to check the place out, we moved into our new home in October the same year.
In February 2009 we planted C3 Church, Raleigh, God has a way of revealing a “place” to you.

I have shared this little story of my journey to illustrate that the plans God has for you are bigger and more outrageous than you can imagine, if your heart is set on following God then you will never be disappointed in the places he calls you to. It fact you will fall in love with them.

“The Place” is part of the call of God, it is a much a part of the planning and purpose as the anointing and person who does the planting. Set your heart to hear God heart concerning “The Place”.

No need to stress about the place God has called you, you will know it, its smell, its feel, the people, the atmosphere even the challenges. God has spent your whole life preparing you for that city and that city is waiting for you!

Have an amazing week,
Ps Stephen Alexander

www.c3ral.com

There is no better way to discover if you are called to plant a church or be part of a church plant then to actually jump in to an active plant. If you are thinking about planting a church, I want to extend an opportunity to you to join us for a week and see first hand what goes into this incredible undertaking. If you are a pastor or wanting to be part of a plant, email me or call. It’s an incredible life!

C3triangle@gmail.com
919-355-8305 (yes I will really answer)

To the Death

Be Strong and Courageous!

The Lord says this over and over to Joshua, finally in Joshua 1:9 He says; Have I not commanded you, Be strong and Courageous, do NOT be fearful or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you WHERE EVER you go.

I have read this scripture thousands of times (literally), it is my life scripture. I read it, I study it, I pray about it, I teach on it, I dream about it, I talk to God endlessly about it and still I have so many questions about this moment in time.

So public and pressure filled, being thrust into the spotlight, not number 2 any longer now number 1. No one to turn to but God, no one else has the answers he needs.

Read this scripture and you will likely get the wrong idea about Joshua. You could think he was fearful and timid, an insecure man, maybe he looks hesitant and slow to act but you would be wrong, very wrong.

Joshua, much like Moses and David, Elijah and Elisha, was a man of action; his hands were covered with the blood of the enemy’s of the kingdom of God. He was a brilliant commander of military strategy and commanded hundreds of thousands of men into battle and to victory.

Joshua is what I refer to as a “ to the death companion”, I am endlessly searching for the Joshua’s God has placed around me. He will never leave your side, come good or bad, in victory and defeat, he is your closest confidante.

You will find in life, depending on what you do or how wealthy you are, certain people will gather around you and assure you that they “have your back” and they mean well. The amazing thing about Joshua was he didn’t just say to Moses I have your back in a battle but Joshua went out and Battled for Moses. He fought his fights. This allowed Moses to do his job
Moses job was to talk to God and seek direction, lead the Nation of Israel and pray.

Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
Jesus went to the cross for each of us, He has fought all our fights, He has endured all our pain, He has paid the price for our sin.
Jesus “has your back” and is your “to the death companion”

Live a life of Strength and Confidence; God is with you wherever you go!
Live your Best Life Today!

Job requirements?

One day about 18 years ago I was sitting in my living room reviewing a class I wanted to offer to our church. A Parenting Seminar for parents of young children, I have always wanted to share what I have learned about parenting with other parents to help them to be the best parents they can be.

I will never forget this one idea that was presented by child psychologist Dr Kevin Leman. He said “You are required to have a license to drive a car to sell insurance and practice law but not to be a parent, one of the most important jobs on the planet”
He quietly presents a serious question. Should there be a requirement to be a parent? A more direct question should be, how do you prepare someone who is about to become
a parent?

I have been asking myself the past few days, should there be a requirement to be able to call yourself a Christian. This is of course an impossible question, no answer is right or wrong and it is unenforceable on every possible level.

However think for just a moment how low is the bar set?

What should be the standard required to EARN the title ”Christian”?
What do you think?

Your family is Christian?
You believe in God?
You pray?
You read the Bible?
You are “Saved” ? (You have invited Jesus into your heart and have excepted the gift of salvation)
You attend church?
You tell others about your relationship with God?
You attend Bible College?

I hope you are thinking about your relationship with God, what does it look like.
You and I have been given an important job. It is both incredibly simple and very complex at the same time.

The simple - Deliver a message to the world.
The complex – Understand the message we are to deliver

Our message is this “God loves you and forgives you”. Jesus left no question of his intent in John 12: 47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
Also John 3: 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

No matter where you fall in the list above, this is your message to the world. Jesus loves you. It’s the perfect message, it fits everyone you meet. It is the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus our Christ.
Just keep saying that over and over, then start praying about that over and over.
Jesus loves you!

See you in Church!

Ps Steve

Keep it simple

When Moses descended from mount Sinai he carried the 10 commandments, the law that we all were judged by.
The purpose was to point us to God, since no one can follow the law to perfection we need to turn to God for our Salvation. Inevitably man has attempted to reinterpret the law to diminish its intent and find a way around the law.

In Matthew 22:37 Jesus cuts the law down to the bone when He is asked, “What is the Greatest Commandment?” He replies, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
God has done everything to foster clear, simple, straightforward relationship with us and that is what He wants. Think for a moment of some of the things He has done for us. He has created the perfect environment for us to live in. He has sent Angles and plagues to express His Joy and dissatisfaction with His children. Incredible signs and wonders, parting seas, towers of fire from the heavens, manna in the middle of a desert.
The greatest sign was in sending Jesus; He not only came to Earth as a man to talk to us and teach us but ultimately to die in our place for our sin. Imagine a judge taking the place of a guilty man in the electric chair.
What more does God have to do for us to understand that He loves us and has forgiven us of our sins and now wants to reconnect with us, His children.
Clear your schedule and make some time for God this week. He is waiting to pour out all the love He has on you!
Have an amazing week, See you in Church
Ps Steve A.

The Battle Rages

Our spirit and flesh are in a constant state of battle. Our Spirit burns to connect with God, to push in to a closer relationship with our Father in heaven. Our flesh wants to please and satisfy itself.
It is easy to see why we all to often side with our flesh in our internal battles. The flesh is so much easier to satisfy, the flesh is simply about self-service.

Our spiritual life takes work!
It takes work to develop a powerful prayer life.
It takes time to learn to hear the voice of God.
It takes great patience to love people when they don’t love you.
It takes enormous faith to follow God when you don’t know where He is taking you.

We are Sojourners on this earth. Sojourners are longtime temporary residents. It can be tough living in a foreign land, we want to fit in but we long for our home. We try to make friends but we may seam a little different.

Romans 12 says, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

You are a mighty, powerful, spiritual champion, called by God to reach the world. Wherever you are now, this is your battleground. You are there to reach your city for God! Get your head straight, the people around you are not your enemy they are your mission field!

Reach out to someone in your city today, invite them to church for Easter. Have them over for dinner or a cup of coffee. Love them that’s what Jesus would do.
You are amazing people with incredible talents, don’t waist them on the flesh, let your spirit loose!

Have a great week.
Ps Steve

Relationships

Relationships are powerful things, good relationships can strengthen us and make us appear better then we really are. Bad relationships can destroy us, no matter how great we actually are.

2 Corinthians 6:14: "Do not be unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? What fellowship has light with darkness."

Paul's writing can not be over stated, we are given the image of to oxen plowing a field. The oxen are yoked together, if they work together they can accomplish great shows of strength, however if one pulls and the other does not then less work is done then if there was only one oxen.

Our greatest relationship in our lives has to be between us and God. When we connect with God we are yoking our lives to the architect of our lives, no one is more for you, no one could be a better match.

We can help so many people as we share the experience of our relationship with God with our friends and family. We must be powerful influence on the world around us!

Connect your life to God, pray daily, read your bible, set time aside each day to talk to God. You will be amazed how easy it is.
Have a great week,
See you in Church!

Ps Steve