Resets like this are necessary. Going through life without stepping back to re-energize puts us in an emotionless rut. We work to keep moving forward, but have very little joy and see very little fruit from our labor. We need time to back up and seek the Lord as individuals, as families and as churches. Without these times of refreshing our relationships get rocky, our vision for the future grows dim and our day-to-day hope gets pretty thin. Jesus took time extended times to get with the Lord alone and we should, too.
Talk to your pastor about you and your church getting involved with this event! The dates are February 4th-14th. That includes two Sunday morning services that start at 9:00 and nine evening services that all begin at 6:30. Kids of all ages will have a blast seeking the Lord while the adults are in worship. We are offering a Ladies Lunch on Thursday at noon and a conference to help people of all ages work on their communication and relationship skills on Saturday the 10th from 9:00-1:00. Your church is welcome to join us for any or all of this event!
My prayer for this has two parts. First, I’m asking the Lord to renew the hearts of the believers. We need a fresh fire from the Lord like we need our next breath. It is so easy for us to go to sleep spiritually; just going through the motions with no heart involved. We read, pray, sing and meet…and leave each of these activities unchanged. If this describes you, this event is for you. Please talk with your pastor about being involved. The second thing I’m asking the Lord is for renewed believers to leave this event with a fire that spreads throughout our area. Can you imagine the impact six churches would have if we all leave with a renewed vision to reach SW Arkansas for Christ? Our friends, neighbors, family members and co-workers would see and hear a difference in us!
The number one reason people don’t know Jesus is no one has told them about Him. They’ve never heard the Gospel. They don’t know what sin is or how to be rescued from it. They don’t know why we need a Savior and why the cross matters. They don’t know because they’ve never heard. How can they hear? God has placed you and I here to tell them…and live a life of faithfulness out for them to see. I pray believers leave this event on fire and for that fire to spread across our region. I pray God uses this to restore broken families. I pray He brings friends together who’ve been estranged for years. I pray marriages will be healed; husbands and wives will be strengthened and their vision renewed for their home. All of this is possible and so much more as the Church gets on its knees and cries out in desperation to God. Will you?
This last Sunday we talked about the prophet Daniel and his famous prayer in chapter nine of his book. He is seeking the Lord and realizes the time is near for his people to return to Jerusalem from Babylon. He also realizes they aren’t ready to return. Lots of heart work must be done first. Daniel begins to beg the Lord for mercy. “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake. O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” God see us and respond! We need you! Grip our hearts and don’t let go! This is how desperate people pray. Prayers like these get answered.
You want renewal? You need refreshment from the Lord? Are you hungry and thirsty for Him? Seek Him with all your heart. He doesn’t hide from us. There is nothing magical about the event we are hosting. The supernatural element is all from Jesus. Seek Him and see the difference!