Nate Staton

The days we are living in certainly seem darker than they’ve ever been in my lifetime. Pandemics, asteroids hurling by the earth’s atmosphere, antagonistic media cultures, murder, hate, selfishness, the church can’t seem to keep her identity from one day to the other, can’t find toilet paper or Lysol wipes… I could go on, but there’s no edification in doing so.

With everything going on, I’m reminded of my desperate need for Jesus. I’m so thankful that Jesus is with me and my brothers and sisters in Christ. His faithfulness and care are unparalleled to anything imaginable or available. He has a way of giving what we need in a way we can’t quite provide on our own. One of those areas of provision is protection. He’s flawless when it comes to taking care of His children, no matter the circumstances.

Paul declares that God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL in His sovereign protection in the life of the believer. He says that God places His children on a firm foundation to be protected from the evil one. This placement is absolutely perfect. It’s perfect because God is the only one who knows how to truly protect His children.

King Jesus isn’t taken by suppose by the schemes of the evil one. Because He isn’t surprised, He’s always way ahead of the enemy. The foundation He sets us on for guarding is firm because of His foreknowledge. God is sovereign, and because He is sovereign, He knows how the story ends. He’s in control, even when things seem unsteady. He is able to keep us safe and protected, even when we don’t have the “know how.”

Thank you Father that you gave us a Savior King to protect us. We’d be so lost without this love to protect us and provide for us. Guard us. May we rest in the provision and power of His protection.

I have a King. That King is JESUS. He protects me, even when I don’t know how to protect myself.

Work

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 2:26

Prayerfully this entry greets you with many moments of encountering God during this fast. Today is day 9 of 21. Keep seeking, keep knocking, and keep asking in the Throne room.

The focus today is that of work. I encourage you to read James chapter 2 after reading this entry, for a fuller and deeper substance to delve into on your own. This passage makes it crystal clear that the saved person is a working person. Faith without works is dead. Just like a body without a Spirit is dead.

Let’s be real for a moment. The church globally is full of corpses. People who say they are saved but have no works to match the gift of salvation they’ve supposedly received. I don’t say that resentfully, just calling it like it is. Our worship services could be the walking dead.

Allow Holy Spirit to speak to your soul. Is their fruit matching your faith? Don’t compare your fruit to others, that’s pointless. But, do evaluate your own tree and your own fruit. Is there a faithful work matching the faithful deposit of salvation you have received.

If you there is fruit, keep on! Keep being fruitful and faithful! If you don’t, ask the Lord to change the white washed tomb syndrome and breathe life into your bones!

Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so to is a child by their Father. We have a work this side of eternity to accomplish. There is a fight that is to be fought. Work our your salvation with fear and trembling. Be a child it God and obey His commission and commands.

ABLE

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3: 20-21

God can do anything. Anything. During any fast, it is imperative to write down passions and dreams that God gives you. When you get these dreams and passions that align with the heart of the Father, write them down.

After you write them down, ask God to make them possible in the purest fashion. God loves to show up and show off because this gives him great glory in His church. He can do so much more than we even think.

Ask the Lord to give you dreams that challenge your own limitations and begin to reveal God’s unlimited ability to show Himself.

Imperfectly Together

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:25

As the fast continues let’s allow Holy Spirit to invade in some sensitive territory. It’s ok to allow Him such access, He’s a comforter and pure in His ways. Question: How is your attendance in the House of God?

When is the last time you have been to the Worship House? Why is that? Whatever the answer to that question may be, allow Holy Spirit to speak truth into your heart. God loves you, and His heart is for you to be with your brothers and sisters.

Church is not perfect. It’s full of people who are repenting of their sins and and following Christ all at the same time. It’s an imperfect mess, but it’s the place to be if you are a Christian. This is the body Christ is making beautiful all over the globe.

There are tons of reasons to not be with the body on Sundays and other days of the week. Fair enough, it’s good to acknowledge those feelings to the Lord. Do it, seriously, it’s ok. He cares how you feel.

There is one reason to be there though, God said to. Allow yourself to be vulnerable again and live an abundant life with your brothers and sisters in the faith. Staying at home cranky, frustrated, bitter, hurt, mad, isolated, etc. will not fix anything. Perhaps you may need to go back to the House and make things right with people that are not right. Perhaps you being there may be the perfect opportunity to let someone make things right with you.

Whatever you’re 2018 looked like, make the House a priority this year. You’re life will be changed forever. Tomorrow is Sunday, make plans today to be there tomorrow. Sunday is coming…

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

Today’s focus is extremely internal. The past few days we’ve observed David’s heart cry to God for the renovation of his life. Today we will focus on the location of the need for a renovation. The location was inside. Inside of David needed the renovation. The outside was weary, sure. But to exclusively fix the outside while neglecting the inside would be no good.

Check out what Jesus has to say on the need of a clean heart:

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matt23.25-28

In the society we live in, it is easy to slip into the mindset that the external is king. That is far from the truth though. Jesus calls out the Pharisees on appearing alive and well on the outside but actually being dead on the inside.

David knew what the Pharisees did not, he needed an inside renovation before there would be any external fruit of that renovation. If the inside was dead, so too would the outside be in time.

As you continue the fast, ask the Lord to move from the inside out. You’ll absolutely love the fruit that is produced from that work of the Holy Spirit.

Loyalty

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

It’s three days into the fast, I pray you are seeing the Lords hand in your life at work. I’m sure by now there may be some temptation to give into the flesh and indulge in what you are giving up; don’t do! There are deeper waters to delve into with the Lord. Perhaps you haven’t felt anything from Heaven yet, don’t stop asking, seeking and knocking in the Throne Room. When we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Fasting enhances our sense of dependency and desperation for the Lord. Allow those two senses to become heightened.

On day one we focused on God creating the heart we desperately need as believers. Yesterday, the focus was on God’s renewing power. Today, the focus is God purging disloyalties in our spirit. Purging the core of who we are and renewing His life and love in us.

In David’s request for renewal, his focus on renewal was that of a loyal spirit. Let’s take some time and pause for a moment and ask Holy Spirit to speak to the condition of our spirit. Are their disloyalties to the Father? If there are, don’t beat yourself up. Rather, follow the steps to renewal we observed yesterday. Ask the Father to bring that loyalty back to Him. When all of God’s children are loyal to Him, there is a remarkable unity and peace that covers the family of God. He can absolutely renew what the enemy thought he destroyed in you. God can and He will renew what is repented upon.

Ask the Lord to bring forth a loyal heart that worships and serves His Lordship today. The breakthrough you are looking for could be found behind the walls of disloyalty that need to be knocked down.

Renew

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

Yesterday, the focus was on God creating in the heart what no man can create on his own. Today the focus is on the later portion of Psalm 51:10; renewal. The same God who creates a clean heart is the same God who can renew purpose, poise, and purity in one’s life.

David asks God for renewal. This humble request came about when David found the end of himself. God’s heart is to renew what was seemingly lost. The passion you seemed to have lost, the hunger you once craved of the Lord, the faith that was once strong; God wants to renew that.

To get to the place of renewal, you must humbly sit in the place of surrender. Surrendering to God so that He can pour Himself out over you. The place of surrender is the place of confession, reality, and matter of fact honesty with the Lord.

David confesses his disloyal spirit and confessed He needed a renewal. When is the last time you had that type of heart to heart with the Father? Confession often leads to deeper places of consecrated intimacy with God.

What needs renewal in your life?

Create

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

Today is the first day of a 21 day fast. If you’re new to this spiritual discipline and act of worship, this may seem overwhelming. To be fair, it is. This will be 21 days of giving up food, sugar, social media, soft drinks, television; whatever the Lord leads you to give up in pursuit of Him and His audience during these 21 days.

The focus for today’s joint fast is “create.” David asks the Lord in Psalm 51:10 to create a clean heart inside of him. The heart that David longed for and requested could not be created on his own. That statement is true for anyone seeking a heart that is transformed and anew.

Ask the Lord to search your heart. Then ask Him to create a clean heart within you. You can’t obtain this heart on your own. No doctrine, committee, association, convention, or person can create this heart that all mankind desperately needs. Only Jesus can dispense this redemptive necessity.

As this fast begins, ask the Lord to begin to create a clean heart in you. A clean heart that comes from the pure and spotless Jesus. What God creates He sustains. When you receive this heart, Jesus will keep you and sustain you.

Many Christians today burn out due to their nature to walk about their faith on their own strength, that will not work. Our strength is our struggle. Christianity can’t be done independently of a heavenly heart birthed into a redeemed soul. We need Him!

Walk in His strength, as He continues to finish the good work He has started in you. He is wanting to create in you a clean heart. Let Him.