Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 1 Peter 2:11
“There is too much sleep, too much meat and drink, too little fasting and self-denial, too much [taking part in] the world…and too little self-examination and prayer.”
William Bramwell, Wesleyan preacher, as recounted by Ben Jennings in “Fasting and Prayer” in Principles of Leadership, ed. Martin and Cozzins (Orlando: New Life, 2001) 292. Special thanks to Geoff Folland for the gift of this book Down Under.
As I teach at this retreat for the staff of Christian Super on “Living with Financial Health and Understanding” it’s evident that God is at work in many lives. Pray with me that the time away from life back in Sydney will help attendees hear the Word and see the world from God’s perspective.
Pray that the Spirit continues to work in the space of self-examination and prayer and moves people to self-denial as a platform for living, giving, serving and loving more generously. In plain terms, we are talking about learning to say “no” to some things so we can say “yes” to better things.
Consider joining us.
Take some time today (self-examination) or skip a meal (fasting) and ask God to show you any worldly desires in your life that need to go (self-denial). Self-examination and fasting are not practices we do for God. They are exercises we do for ourselves.
These practices reveal the things that limit generosity in our lives.