Reflections on Day 25

The following was written and submitted by Nancy Morganweck on Day 25 of the 40 Days.

Good thing we have more days to come......

So why 40 days?? Could it be because some of us still haven't gotten to the real purpose?  Oh sure we read the scripture and meditations and we pray for the God-sized opportunities, and revival in CT and perhaps we are attending some of the 40 Days of Worship events.........but have we really changed?  Have we really had an encounter with The Living God?  Have we really done what we have been instructed to do by our God?  Have we turned from our fasting 'things' and turned to God in those times?  Have we taken that time and turned to the Word?  Have we taken that time and prayed?  Or have we just 'found other things' to do, other things to read on the computer instead of Facebook/blogs/commentaries?  Other things to do instead of sports, cell phones and television?  Are we just in truth turning to another 'idol' instead of the One we truly love and worship in our hearts.  Yes we love God, yes we love Jesus, yes we love The Holy Spirit, BUT do our lives and actions show/display this truth?  Do our actions show God that we love Him? 

As I encountered my time with God this morning, I was repenting of my lack of 100% commitment.  'Oh Lord, forgive me for not seeking you enough'....'Lord, forgive me for not praying enough - there are so many needs'....'Lord, forgive me, you know I don't feel well'.......'Lord, forgive me for giving in to temptation'....'Lord, forgive me, I am too tired at night to read your word and it is so much easier to do something on this mindless computer or watch/listen to a mindless show on television.'  

Even if I justify it in my mind, 'We all need down time, time to relax...'...I still did not do what you want......to turn to you. But I did yesterday, or a couple of days ago.......that is like saying to our children "Well I gave you water & fed you food yesterday, you should be good with that".........NO, that is just not good enough, that is unacceptable, that is not life giving, that is NOT truth.  The truth is we need God/Jesus/The Holy Spirit all day just like we need food & water.  But it is more than that, sin/idols are preventing us from going deeper and until we walk in obedience, and die to our fleshy things, we will not have the fullness of His spirit, the fullness of His blessings, the fullness of Him. Even if I am too tired to read, or too tired to pray, am I too tired just to be WITH YOU Lord? Oh how sad is that.  How awful is that. Oh Lord, thank you for breaking my heart again and allowing me to see yours...that you just want to love us, be with us. 

Could it be that as we have just passed this mid point that God is trying to narrow down, and pinpoint more specifically His purposes in this 40 days for each of us individually?  Could it be that He is focusing on "Therefore, I urge you, brother, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship."  Romans 12:1 

Our 'spiritual act of worship' - did you catch that....we are worshiping God in these 40 Days as we offer our tired minds & bodies, our rebellious/defiant self centered fleshy selves as 'living sacrifices' - - sacrifice means pain, discomfort - the dictionary says slaughtering - wow - intense word - but it means 'killing' our fleshly desires and seeking to walk in the fullness of the spirit.  Basically, toughing it out, disciplining ourselves, denying ourselves- relying on Him every minute. 

I think we need 40 days because it is a long time.  I can make it through a week or two or even three, because there is 'a light at the end of the tunnel', but a month +, that is more difficult. That is where the 'rubber hits the road' and we see what we are really made of.  We see our sin/idol more specifically, we see our commitment to our God or lack of commitment to God, we see His loving kindness and tremendous grace and mercy, saying 'Come to me', allow me to strengthen you, fill you, meet you, be with you.  Allow me to help you, heal you, change you, discipline you, teach you...allow me to love you with everything that I AM. 

I for one, am not willing to give up on this journey, I am not willing to accept the choices I have made and allow them to define/rule me.  I am not willing to receive less than God's best for me.  I am not willing to allow my flesh/idol/sin to rule/enslave me.  I want the fullness of His spirit, I want the freedom that only He can give, I want to be obedient, I want to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, I want all the blessings He has for me and my family, I want to redeem the time for the days are evil, I want Him to say 'Well done, my good and faithful servant'. 

What about you?  Are you with me?  Is this journey you are on worth offering yourself as a living sacrifice, for Him?  I hope so......my prayer for all of us is that we remember  His ultimate sacrifice in laying down His life for us, willingly.

Led by the Spirit for His Glory -Nancy Morganweck

Nancy is a wife, homeschooling mother of three and devoted daughter of our King. She and attends Wintonbury with her family and serves in a variety of ministries such as SELAH Homeschool Group, Faith Quest and the Clothes Closet, just to name a few. 

The View From the Cross

The following was submitted by a member of our Wintonbury family, Mary Ann Burnham:

When the Forty Days of Worship began several weeks ago, I was involved in a study with my mentor of "The Bondage Breaker" by Neil Anderson.  We had actually began the study in late winter but detoured to another activity for a season.  The day that the Forty Days began we sat down to review Chapter 2 in "The Bondage Breaker".  When I reached the last part of the chapter, I was deeply convicted by the words I read.  I also felt a strong sense that I should share the ideas of Neil Anderson as he interpreted the message from Matthew 16.  If you have read this book or others by Neil Anderson, you already know of his passion to help believers be free in Christ.  I have taken the liberty to compact the most convicting of his words from pages 38 to 42 (paperback edition). The underlined words are my emphasis.  I would encourage anyone who has access to "The Bondage Breaker" to read the chapter in its entirety.

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.  For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angles, and will then recompense every man according to his deeds."  Matthew 16:24-27

Neil Anderson's comment:  "This passage [above] is the central message of all four Gospels.  I call the absence of understanding this message 'the great omission.' In writing Rivers of Revival (Regal Books) with Dr. Elmer Towns, I came to the conclusion that self-sufficiency is the number one dam that is holding back the rivers of revival.  We are trying to do God's work in our way with our resources, and we can't.  The following six guidelines from Jesus' statement constitute the view from the cross.  They are the foundational guidelines for those who want to be free from the bondage of the world system and the devil who inspires it.  Stay within the light of the cross, and you will successfully find your way in this dark world.”

Anderson’s Six Guidelines condensed & paraphrased by Mary Ann:

1.  Deny Yourself

Denying yourself is not the same as self-denial.  The ultimate purpose of self-denial is self-promotion.  To deny ourselves is to deny self-rule.  The flesh scrambles to the throne and struggles to be God.  Until we deny ourselves that which was never meant to be ours - the role of being God in our lives - we will never be at peace with ourselves or with God, and we will never be free.  We were not designed to function independent of God, nor was our soul designed to function as master.  When you deny yourself, you invite God to take the throne of your life.

2.  Pick Up Your Cross Daily

The cross we are to pick up on a daily basis is not our own cross but Christ's cross.  His cross provides forgiveness from what we have done and deliverance from what we were. We are forgiven because He died in our place; we are delivered because we died with Him. We are both justified and positionally sanctified as a result of the cross.  To pick up the cross daily means to acknowledge every day that we belong to God.

3.  Follow Christ

Seeking to overcome self by self-effort is a hopeless struggle.  Self will never cast out self, because an independent self, which is motivated by the flesh, still wants to be god.  We must follow Christ by being led by the Holy Spirit: down the path of death to the old nature we had in Adam, into the new nature we now have in Christ.  This may sound like a dismal path to walk, but I assure you that it is not.  It is a tremendous experience to be known by the Great Shepherd and to follow Him as His sheep.  Only when we are dependent on Him and intent on following Christ are we complete and free to prove that the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

4.  Sacrifice the Lower life to Gain the Higher Life

If you want to save your natural life (that is, find your identity and sense of worth in positions, titles, accomplishments and possessions, and seek only worldly well-being), you will lose it.  At best you can only possess these things of temporal value for a few years (alas, these things tend to possess US), only to lose everything for eternity. In all your efforts to possess these earthly treasures, you will fail to gain all that can be yours in Christ. But shoot for the next world, and God will throw in the benefits of knowing Him now.

5.  Sacrifice the Pleasure of Things to Gain the Pleasure of Life

What material possession, what amount of money, what position or title would you exchange for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?  For some reason we want to be happy as animals rather than be blessed as children of God.  The fruit of the spirit is possible only as we abide in Christ. Jesus discussed this very conflict with two of His closest friends, Martha and Mary.  Martha was "worried and bothered about so many things", while Mary centered her attention on Jesus and His words.  Martha's tendency was to love things and use people but Jesus indicated that Mary had chosen "the good part" by loving people and using things.  We have won a degree of victory over self when we have learned to love God and others.

6. Sacrifice the Temporal to Gain the Eternal

The greatest sign of spiritual maturity is the ability to postpone rewards.  It is far better to know that we are the children of God than to gain something in this world which we will eventually lose.  Even if following Christ results in hardships in this life, He will make it right in eternity.  The message of this fallen world is to inflate the ego while denying God the opportunity to take His rightful place as Lord.  Let us instead choose God's work His way.

Praying that your journey during these 40 days takes you to a new understanding of God and His will.

~Mary Ann Burnham

Mary Ann, a retired school teacher and avid quilter, is an active part of Wintonbury, serving in various ministries including teaching Sunday School and leading the Quilter's Group. 

Closeness and Intimacy with the Lord

These comments come from David Paul who is the chairman of the Board of Elders at Wintonbury Church (posted by Dave Blough):

First of all, I can honestly say that this 40 days of prayer and fasting have been wonderful for me personally. I have been able to fast successfully from what I needed to avoid during this time except for a couple of occasions when I unfortunately gave in.  Otherwise, by the grace of God, this has been one of the clearest stretches for me.  It all actually started earlier on June 1^st when the Lord convicted me and it has been a great time of closeness and intimacy with the Lord during this period, especially during the past 20 days and I praise Him greatly for that. I pray that each one of us is experiencing God in a special way at this time. Amen!

Speaking To My Heart

These comments come from Dave LeBlond who is an elder at Wintonbury Church (posted by Dave Blough):

The discipline of fasting and praying has been invigorating for my relationship with the Lord – He has been speaking to my heart. This has deepened my intimacy with God.

At first I was taken aback and feeling somewhat selfish that I was hearing things about my life, my personality, etc. I prayed, Lord please give me direction about the opportunities for Wintonbury and for Connecticut. Help me have a heart for our church and for the cities and towns in our state, and for the 6 opportunities. But as I continue to pray, day after day, I realized that He had to do more adjusting in my heart and attitudes before I could be fully useful to Him in hearing about the opportunities we’re facing. I need to slow down. I need to listen. I need to ignore those knee-jerk reactions that would tempt me to respond in the flesh, not in the Spirit. As a matter of fact, on day 2, He showed me a specific reason behind some of my behaviors that I’ve wondered about for over 30 years – somewhat of a personality breakthrough. I could not have known that if I had not taken the time to meet with Him and listen. I so much appreciate the intimacy and I’m so grateful for how He cares for me so personally.

He has been moving me to be more alert for needs around me – to see people and situations through His eyes. To ask questions, like “Lord, how should I handle this situation?”, “What do You have for me to do here?” and “How do You want me to represent You here?”

And as He continues to work on me, He is giving me direction on my place in the body – the bigger picture of how we as a body should respond to the needs facing us – the opportunities and the need for the gospel to be brought alive all across Connecticut.   

If you relate to what has been happening with me, I encourage you to continue to listen, continue to meet with Him. I’m seeing in my own life that beautiful promise in James 4:8 that if I draw near to God, He’ll draw near to me. As Curt Brey pointed out, God’s always been there – it’s me who needs to show up.

Let’s let Him speak to us, guide us. He’s moving among us, in us and through us. I see evidence of it the blog posts, new songs, and in what He’s doing in many of you. And, what about last Thursday night?  Wow! 

Remember, we are His body. He trusts us to do His work. And we all have a unique part to play. We need to be listening to hear His Holy Spirit for direction. It’s so beautiful to see God working. I really love the song that Brother Marichal and the Citadel choir sang to us/with us Thursday night “I love you, you need me…I can’t live without you…I won’t harm you, with the words of my mouth…you’re important to me, etc.” what a beautiful picture of the body being together, staying together and recognizing “on purpose” how important we are to each other.

We want to hear from God – not just what we “think” we should hear or even what we “expect” to hear, but exactly what “His” plan is for us. The 6 opportunities are just that, opportunities. It’s about how we proceed or “not”, as we talked about at Lakeside. These opportunities are the direction we believe the Lord is leading us. But 1 or 6 or 60 opportunities are useless without His direction. Unless the Lord builds the house, we build in in vain – Psalm 127:1.

Let’s worship Him by presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, pleasing to Him…Romans 12:1-2. Let’s keep listening – I’m talking to myself, here!

Increased Spiritual Activity

These comments come from Brett Carlson who is an elder at Wintonbury Church (posted by Andre):

Making a commitment to the Lord to “fast and pray” for the 40 day season (and by God’s grace alone, keeping that commitment daily) I have noticed INCREASED spiritual activity in my life. As you possibly are aware, I have a passion for prayer and that discipline has been fruitful over the last 12 years; adding the “fasting” element is taking me to a new place.

The spiritual activity I am sensing from the enemy is very real (In-my-face stuff, accusations, spiritual finger pointing, brief episodes of feeling hopeless, without direction and it goes on and on). God is in control and He is reigning even though my “feelings” which are irrelevant, mean nothing. Truth is truth and I will leave it at that.

Over the last few months (through prayer and asking for deeper insight from Him) the Lord has alerted me to share some “concerns / possible direction” with the body. As circumstances and people present themselves, in God’s timing, I have shared this concern.

This is a good concern, this is a powerful concern and I believe it has stirred up the attention of the enemy. If I stop sharing, he, the enemy wins. If I continue to share he loses and his kingdom will be impacted greatly over time. Amen.

For those of you reading this 40 Days of prayer and fasting highlight this season, I am experiencing the same spiritual attack as back 12 years ago (I shared the details with all of you at Easter this past March) as I drove to the Stonington Clinic when I needed some help. Accusations, in my face, belittling comments, just downright evil from the depths of hell are real. I was going through a season of my life where the Lord was re-equipping me for Kingdom use then (praise the Lord as some buds are budding I think) and here we are again.

As the INCREASED spiritual activity just described is from the enemy, the Good News is that the Lord has been increasing His spiritual activity as well.

Having a “heightened awareness of what is really happening and a keener sense of discernment is truly a gift from above. As the days go on and the awareness of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed all over the state of Connecticut, the battle will go on.

Some of you are aware of this activity and we need to pray earnestly for each other and the leaders of these involved churches each day. On one occasion this week, my wife Tammy prayed over me and God granted me relief from this oppression. Just yesterday, my brother David Paul prayed with me after our men’s group in my office and my brother David Blough prayed with me and for me over the phone. Prayer is the key, my friends; please pray as if our lives depend on it and in reality our “spiritual lives” do depend on prayer.

Be “Pre-Prayered”.

  

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. ~Deuteronomy 31:6

God is Able

In response to the 40 Days of Worship, Autumn Brooke wrote a beautiful song which she is offering as a gift to you. Click here to visit Autumn's website, read about how God inspired her new song God is Able and download the song for free. And she invites you to share it freely, as well.

I love to see how God invites us into conversation with Him. Not only does He speak, He inspires us to respond to Him - with words spoken or written or sung. Or perhaps we respond with no words at all, but in wordless languages of service, art, compassion, justice.

After you visit Autumn's site and download her gift to you, please come back here and share with us some of the ways God is calling you to respond to Him. What a blessing we will be to one another. ~Nichole 

Autumn Brooke is a gifted musician, singer and songwriter; and she also serves as a worship leader at Wintonbury Church. 

  

Day 11 | Recognizing God's Voice

Submitted by Nichole Perreault: 

Recognizing God’s voice...that’s a phrase packed with will all sorts of potential reactions. Here’s some that come to mind:

Oh, so now you think God is speaking to you. Great.

I don’t hear God. I pray. I meditate. I sit in silence. But guess what? Crickets.

Umm...does this mean I’ll hear a voice? Or have a vision? Or fall down on the ground and start screaming and hollering? Because I really don’t want to cause a scene. Just sayin’.

God has already spoken. The Bible is His final word.

Are you hearing voices in your head?

How do I know if what I hear is from God?

I’m actually kind of afraid to hear from God. What if He’s angry with me? Or worse...what if He doesn’t say anything at all?

And of course there’s the unspoken fear of many comfortable Western Christians:

What if He tells me to sell all my belongings, shave my head and move to Zambia? ‘Cause that happens...like all the time...right?

Listening for the Lord, hearing from Him and then understanding what He’s saying can be scary and frustrating. But it can also be exhilarating, freeing and life-changing.

I am grateful that some of my first experiences as a Christian included Listening Retreats. At those retreats, I learned that God speaks to us and that He speaks to us from a place of deep love. He speaks to us because He wants to connect with us, powerfully, intimately. In fact, He longs to speak to us. He is, after all, the Living Word.

In my life, God has spoken to me thousands upon thousands of times – through pictures, impressions, writing, other people, scripture, music, books, nature. And He doesn't only use hymns and sunsets. Let’s not limit Him! For crying out loud, He spoke to Moses through a burning bush that didn't burn. What?! So don’t judge me when I say that while I was reading The Hunger Games, God revealed to me that I was starving for love; and I won’t judge you when you say God restored your self-worth while you were listening to Perfect by Pink. (It was the PG version you were listening to, right?)

Sure, secular books and pop music are probably not the first place you should run to for a fresh word from the Lord. But live your life close to God, walk among the deep, green fields of His scriptures, keep always your ear bent toward His voice and you will hear Him. I am confident of this.

One of my deepest desires is that everyone – including every one of you – will experience the voice of God. I know what He has done for me, how His words have quenched my thirsty soul. And I want you to know that too.

Below is something that I have found very helpful when learning to listen to God and discern His voice. I pray that it is helpful to you also.

Recognizing God’s Voice

Adapted from Into Abba’s Arms by Sandra D. Wilson

God’s voice………

• calls and encourages us with the gentleness of a shepherd who leads his sheep.
• is quiet and deeply internal.
• speaks in accordance with His character and His word as revealed in scripture.
• is merciful and gracious toward us, convicting of specific sin leading to repentance.
• is grounded it truth & hope, focusing on the here and how.
• is practical and simple, speaks to the ordinary & mundane.
• brings hope, freedom, peace, gratitude.
• focuses on changing us.
• produces more empathy for others.
  
  Remember: you are His treasured possession, His beloved, He speaks from a place of deep, rich love for you.

The enemy’s voice …….

•  threatens, demands, intimidates, like a wolf driving the sheep into a panic.
•  is intrusive, a thief seeking illegal entrance.
•  speaks ½ truths & uses scripture out of context.
        “You are no good"
        “Nobody loves you.
        “You can’t do anything right."
        Tempting Jesus in Matthew 4:6
• accuses & condemns us personally which leads to a burden of shame.
• is grounded in the past and negative experiences, or the future & its worries.
• is often impractical, complicated, spectacular, feeding our desire for approval & applause.
• brings apathy, despair, anxiety, dissatisfaction.
• focuses on changing others.
• wants us to envy, judge and despise others.
  
  Remember: the enemy is the father of lies and the author of confusion, and can masquerade as an angel of light

Other possible voices………

Your own, parents, friends, spouse, etc. 

When you feel stuck or confused or you don't know whose voice you're listening to, ask God. Personally, I think He loves it when we ask Him questions and then listen for His answers. I am praying for you - that you give yourself the gift of time spent alone with God and that you hear Him speaking to you. 

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. 

---Nichole Perreault is the Communications Director at Wintonbury Church. If you would like to read more about her experiences of listening to the Lord, feel free to visit her blog.

Day Five: Hearing Anything Yet?

Hey Wintonburyites!

Are you hearing anything yet? I've heard some really good reports...very encouraging! One man at our elder prayer time said that he had the most intimate experience of the presence of Christ in his life. Another told me that he has been fasting from TV and is seeing the benefits of pursuing the Lord with the freed-up time already. He's fired up! These are the EXACT kinds of fruits that we're hoping for...a deeper, wider thirst for the Living God who alone satisfies our souls!

This drenching outpouring is being reflected at the Days of Worship events as well. I have spoken to several people who have attended at least one event who are reporting tremendous times of worship with God's people. One told me that she had the most powerful worship experience in her life at the first event at Wellspring. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing about the marks of spiritual revival...get ready because we're starting to see the early buds peeking through! Come Lord Jesus, Come!!!!

Day Two Reflections: Fasting Guidelines

Dear Wintonburyites!

As we head into Day Two, I am wondering how everyone is doing. I know that for me, I had to fight off my urge to visit ESPN.COM yesterday! I was dying to know what was going on with the Patriots and the Huskies but the Lord gave me strength. Instead, I stopped myself and prayed...isn't that the point of fasting? To concentrate spiritually on the Lord and what He is telling me? To seek Him passionately as we state in our Purpose Statement?

I spoke to several people today who told me how they are already sensing a closer walk with the Lord. Waking up and reading God's Word instead of worrying about the day's events and concerns. Fasting is all about humbling ourselves before the Lord and being reminded that He is our very life.

For those of us who have not done much fasting before, here is a guide from Campus Crusade for Christ that is very good. I hope it might answer some of your questions about fasting and also help keep you from potentially harmful physical side-effects if you aren't careful! Let's continue to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness! Amen!

Day One Reflections

Dear Wintonburyites!

Here we are - day one of our 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting! I am trusting and hoping that the Lord will glorify Himself through our time of pursuing Him first. I also hope and pray that the Lord will guide us in reference to the Six God-Sized Opportunities that are before us as a church body. The first of those, the one we pray for today, regards helping church planters Steve and Linda Thiel in their efforts to plant a local church in the I-91 corridor. Now to be honest, my first reaction to this proposal was fear. I thought to myself, "What if we lose a lot of families? How will we survive financially? What about volunteers we need? What about our friendships?" Lots of fears.

In spite of my fears, I knew in my mind that the Kingdom of God is more important than one local church...even if it is the one I love! With less than 5% of the population of Greater Hartford attending bible-believing churches on any given Sunday, there is obviously room and need for more local churches. My mind says, "Yes!" but my heart says, "No!" However, that is changing the more I seek the Lord Jesus first in prayer and fasting.

In addition, the Lord is helping me through circumstances and His people. At The Master's School this morning, one of the teachers shared what the Lord had put on her heart for this school year. I sensed the Lord saying it to me as well, "In your heart, Jesus is speaking, 'Do not fear.'" Let's not fear about the future in regards to finances, volunteers, Wintonbury, etc... If we are following God, He will guide us and provide for us by faith. Instead of sitting in fear, let's run by faith into what God has for us!