Prayer & Fasting

As the first rays of dawn cradle the horizon embodying the spirit of change and growth. That's the essence we explore today as we traverse the transformative power of embracing the stretches life presents. From the tender narrative of my daughter, Amelia, and her journey through the universal milestone of losing a baby tooth, we uncover the parallels between physical development and the deepening of our spiritual roots. We delve into the beauty of refinement and share my poignant word for the year, "stretch," inviting you to consider its significance in your own journey toward resilience and preparation for life's inevitable hurdles.

Fasten your spiritual seatbelts as we set course for 21-days of prayer and fasting, guided by the profound wisdom found in Romans 12 and Isaiah 58. We unpack the historical tapestry of Jesus and His disciples, demonstrating how fasting, when married with fervent prayer, serves as a catalyst for personal and communal transformation. As we walk alongside Jesus, learn how this disciplined journey not only sharpens our spiritual clarity but also primes us for the breakthroughs that beckon at the threshold of faith.

Our voyage culminates in a reflection on the potency of worship and obedience, two stalwart companions in the theater of life's battles. Drawing from scriptural accounts where divine intervention pivots on the axis of heartfelt praise, we underscore the significance of reverence and the pursuit of God's best over the complacency of the ordinary. And as we usher in the first Sunday of the new year, join us in a prayer of blessing for the Cornerstone community, an invocation for God's favor and peace to be the compass guiding us through the uncharted waters of tomorrow.

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Transcript

Pastor Jason Brown: 0:00

Happy New Year. I started this new year early in the morning of the first day of the year, out on the hill, looking out at the desert, looking at the mountains and the sunrise coming beyond it, and it was quite that moment. You know, we think about the new year of being a new opportunity for a fresh start and the way we think about how we do what we do and how we live our lives, and those ways in which we figure out what we're doing and how we've been doing and what we're planning to change. And it's that new thing, that new day, and there was something about it at this moment where I was looking out upon it and thinking about how God is new every morning, Great is His faithfulness, and how we're not promised tomorrow. So every new day is a blessing. And I was thinking about that whole process, about how God was talking to us about new things this year, what he had for us and what he had for me. And I was talking to Him about that in this moment, looking at the beautiful sky that he had painted for us with His creation. And it was quite the moment and I was thinking about new things always require change. A change is like a four letter word in church. You know it's not one that a lot of people like to listen to. In fact, most of us go into the new year more like this cactus than they do embracing change. You know, we were like I'm fine where I am. I have spines to keep people away from me, don't touch me. I'm beautiful and I'm blooming in the desert. But the thing is like those are all good things, you know, there's life there, there's strength there, there's all those things. But God was wanting to do something new in us, new in you for this new year, new in this season ahead. And it really sparked something to me about having this conversation with our daughter, about what it really means to grow up in what God has for us.

Pastor Jason Brown: 1:50

I was talking to Amelia and Amelia is 10. She's a little girl becoming a young lady and we're talking about life at one of those big consumer box stores where you get a dollar 50 hot dog and drink combo, having a real heart to heart about life. And we're talking about stuff and she's filling me in all the goss and all the tea and everything that's going on, and you know we're talking about all the different things that are going on. It was great and she's talking about this tooth, that she's got a tooth that needs to come out, one of her baby teeth, one of her last baby teeth, and I said, oh, that's good, is it ready? She's like it's not quite ready and so she was kind of wiggling on it, but she knew that it was, it was coming, and so I was like that's great.

Pastor Jason Brown: 2:29

You know, like we well, I'm kind of the tooth puller in our family. So she comes to me, she's ready for it and I mean, you know, it's kind of later in the day or whatever, we speed up. I'm working on emails on my phone. Something arbitrary is playing on the TV. I'm just kind of sitting there and she comes out of nowhere, man bolts in the room. The tooth is ready. I was like all right, let's go, girl, let's go.

Pastor Jason Brown: 2:50

And I grabbed the tissue out of tissue box there on the coffee table and she gives me those big, wide, open mouth kind of, and I grab hold of that little baby too and I'm like I'm not sure if it's ready to go. You guys know the trick. You guys know the trick. They're not in here, they don't hear it, they don't know what the idea is that you know we pull it and of course she's like what? And I'm holding her tooth as I'm talking to her about it and she feels the pain and feels the squirt of blood that's going on because the big adult tooth was right behind it, pushing the baby tooth out.

Pastor Jason Brown: 3:24

And I was thinking about this losing the tooth situation and I was thinking about how many times we want to hold on to those infant ideas or those baby ideas and we don't want to grow up into the maturity of our faith, because it's painful and it means change and we know it's going to hurt, we know there might be some blood in the process and but it keeps us with juvenile mouths instead of going after the deeper things that God has for us to eat on the meat of what he has for us in our faith and going after those deep things. And it's really spurred something about us, because God calls us to be one of refining, where he's always working on us. I know if you've seen it, but whenever you work on precious metal, they heat it up and they take off this, the residue of other things that are impurities. They take it off. It's the dross to take it off the top and they skim it and they refine it, and they refine it and they refine it, and it's one of those things that God does in us. It talks about it in scripture and gives us that example, and I think about that as we come into this new year, about the word that God would have for you For me.

Pastor Jason Brown: 4:30

I was praying, I was like Lord, what kind of word do you have for me for this year? And he started talking to him about different things that I really felt this word come to me and the word was stretch. Now, stretch is not a fun word for the year. Can we agree with this? Because stretch means that you have to go beyond what you're used to, to stretch to do something else, and it also a lot of times, means we always are those that are stretching and getting ready before we go do some kind of great athletic activity or before we work hard so that we don't get broken. How many old people know what I'm talking about? You got to stretch and I was like Lord, lord, do I have to have the word stretch? Could I have like comfortable blanky or something else as a word for the year? You guys know what I'm talking about. It's like oh, they're like the warm, the cuddly, the not have to change kind of situation.

Pastor Jason Brown: 5:26

But the word that keeps coming is stretch. And the reason is is because I keep praying Lord, your kingdom, come, your will be done, and he's like. He's like do you mean it? If you mean it, then guess what that means that I'm going to take you at your word and I don't need you in your form right now. I need you to stretch so I can use you for the next thing, and I know how heavy that is and I know what that means. But I would say this Lord, let it be so. Here am I, choose me, that I would be obedient in that process, and I think for some, that's the same word he'd have for you.

Pastor Jason Brown: 6:08

Today we're talking about this word that we really feel is for us for the year and that the battle is the Lord's and that's the word that he's brought to us today. If you have your Bible, your tablet, your phone, I'll be looking for a few moments here and talking about what it means, because God is not done with you. How many people would say yes to that? It picks up here in 2 Chronicles 20, verse 3, says then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed to fast throughout all Judah and Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord, and all the cities of Judah. They came to seek the Lord. Let it be so of us, lord. We thank you for your word. We pray over it today. Lord, that you would breathe upon it Holy Spirit, that you would use it, make it alive and transform us more into your image. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, god, that you're here at Cornerstone with us. My name is Jeh Celestin and I have a great opportunity of leading such a wonderful team of people in serving this community of faith. It is a blessing, and today we get to start out this year in sharing together what the Lord would have for us.

Pastor Jason Brown: 7:19

We use this imagery of walking with Jesus because it's who we see ourselves as being, as people who are Christ followers, walking more after where he's leading us to go. None of us is perfect. All of us are in process following him, and since that's true, then our ambition is to be more like Jesus, and I know you hear me say it often. We say it often because I want you to be able to explain to your friend, your family, your neighbor, your colleague at work whether they ask you what does it mean to be a Christ follower? And you would be like.

Pastor Jason Brown: 7:49

Well, actually, it means to be more like Jesus. We want to be those that are connecting, growing and serving. We have a whole semester of life groups ahead. I want to encourage you to get involved, pre-decide to be intentional with your walk with God, that you would connect and you would grow and him and serve. Use your abilities for others in this season ahead. It's a great thing because today kicks off 21 days of prayer and fasting and Celeste is going to share that with us. Give her a hand for Celeste as she comes this morning. Amen.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 8:24

Well, we are entering a season of fasting and I know maybe you've been in church for a long time and you understand what fasting is. Maybe you've been following Jesus for many, many years, but you actually don't fast. And then maybe there's some that are here that are new to the faith and we just want to kind of cover a little bit of what fasting is. But fasting is this opportunity for three weeks that you get to set aside things that you usually eat or do, and you take that time and you begin to focus it on God, and what you're doing is you're beginning to say Lord, you are my source, you are the one from which all things flow and all things come from, and so I'm going to intentionally set aside time in my day to spend more time with you than ever before. We put the focus back on him. It says in Romans 12, verses one and two. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice wholly unacceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that, by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. So fasting is this. It's a time of renewal. How many of you would love to be renewed at the beginning of 2024? Amen. Well, this is why we fast. How many of you have ever been in that season where it's like everything just kind of seems foggy and you don't get a clear answer, ever been there? Maybe you're already seven days into the new year and you're there right now. Well, let me tell you this Fasting begins to bring clarity to your life. It begins to let you focus and see very clearly what's in front of you. It helps us to connect with God in a closer way by removing good things just for a little while to gain better things from him. That's what it does, and you know what else fasting does. You're going to want to write this down. You receive the following things you receive wisdom. How many of you could use some wisdom today? You receive guidance. You receive empowerment to serve him more, and you get spiritual breakthrough. I don't know what 2023 looked like for you, and I don't know what the last seven days have looked like, but I will tell you this If you walked into a store this morning and you said all I need is a spiritual breakthrough. That receipt is going to total fasting and it's going to be handed to you and that's your part, your payment, to get the breakthrough.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 11:19

Fasting isn't easy and it isn't fun, man. There's times when you fast and you're like I'm about to eat everybody's hand right now. When they shake it, when they shake my hand, when they hug me, oh, their hair smells like I could eat it. Maybe there's things that you're fasting and, all of a sudden, those are the things that are offered to you freely. Oh, we brought some donuts this morning. Everybody take one. We even bought enough for you to have two. Oh, thank you so much.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 11:49

Fasting is hard, but what comes on the other side of the fast is worth it. It says in Isaiah 58, verse 6, and I do want to challenge you to put Isaiah 58 in your reading every single day for the next 21 days. So, chapter on fasting. It is amazing. It says this is this not the fast that I choose? To lose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke. That is what fasting does.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 12:29

There are many times in scripture when men and women of God would begin to fast. Even Jesus fasted when he needed answers from Father God. And we'll see here. In Acts 13.3, you'll see the disciples are gathered together and they're there and they're beginning to fast and pray. And then it says in verse 3, then, after fasting and praying, they laid hands on them, two men. They laid hands on them and they sent them off. They were fasting and praying as they sent two missionary men off to another city that they would go and begin to do the will of God. In Mark 9.29, the disciples are gathered together and they are doing amazing things in Jesus' name. They are healing people, they are raising people from the dead and all of a sudden they come to this situation where they're praying and they see no answers, nothing. And in Mark 9.29 they go to Jesus and they say we need your help. Maybe you're here today and you just need help. And they go to the Lord and they say we need your help. We've done everything we know to do and nothing's happened. And Jesus goes over and he says to them in verse 29, this kind, this situation, this circumstance, cannot be driven out by anything but by prayer and fasting.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 14:03

How do we fast? We choose something to abstain from and we take that time that we would be indulging in that and we instead focus on the Lord. Now, some of us it might look different For 21 days. Maybe you're choosing to fast a meal. Maybe you're like I'm not going to eat breakfast every day, I'm not going to do lunch. Maybe I'm not going to do dinner. Maybe I'm going to just do it Daniel fast. I'm going to focus on fruits and vegetables for 21 days. I'm going to clear my mind and I'm going to hear from the Lord.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 14:35

Maybe some of you need to do a social media fast. Oh, I know that's not fun, but I tell you, I've scrolled through accounts and I've seen a lot of complaints and I'm like you know what? This is going to be the year when we give glory where glory is due, and that is to the name of Jesus, who is fighting on our behalf, and not to the one who is causing the problems, amen. So maybe you need to enter into a social media fast. I don't know what the fast looks like for you, but I want to encourage you that for 21 days, you begin to take all of that energy and all that you have and you begin to focus on Jesus. This is in Matthew 6, 16 through 18,.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 15:20

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, For they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your father, who is in secret, and your father, who sees you in secret, will reward you. Be encouraged today.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 15:49

Maybe you walked in and you were like I didn't even know we were doing a fast. I chose the wrong day to come to church. Man, you can leave today and you can choose something you can say for 21 days. I'm going to set this aside and I'm going to be intentional and I'm going to choose to be in the Word more than I've ever been before. I'm going to choose to pray more than I've ever done it before. We want to see God move in you personally and we want to see God move corporately in our church. I mean, you have, you are ready for signs and wonders for the year of 2024, that God can do all things. I want you to draw close to him because the battle is the Lord's.

Pastor Jason Brown: 16:33

Amen. The battle is the Lord's. It's true. When we talk about what would prevent us from drawing close to him, many, many times it's fear. It's the thing that you know. This is going to hurt, or this is what if this happens. What if? What if, what, if? How many people identify with that?

Pastor Jason Brown: 16:50

It's the fear that separates from being obedient to take that step, that stretch, that next thing. And that's the same thing we find here in scripture when we look at it with Joseph at. It's the same situation that he came upon, and so we pick up with the scripture here that we read, and it says that because he was afraid, he was afraid for a good reason. Now you can be afraid for a not good reason, just cause it's built up in your mind and many of us have had that situation right, where we what if this and that and the other thing. But he had a real good reason. There were real enemies that were coming for him and so he was afraid because they were coming to form together and he didn't know what to do. But he did the correct thing. It says when he was afraid, he set his face to seek the Lord and he said that we should all fast together and because he did it, unified the people to come and seek the Lord.

Pastor Jason Brown: 17:42

Let me encourage you that if you're in trouble, seek the Lord. If you lack wisdom, seek the Lord. If you need a breakthrough, seek the Lord. If you need healing, seek the Lord. We have all these different gurus or thought processes, and God has given us wisdom in different places, but he is the ultimate, the ultimate wisdom. He is the source for us. Why would we look for this person and that person whenever the God of the universe, the one who breathed breath into your lungs, is the real one that we should seek? Seek the Lord.

Pastor Jason Brown: 18:16

It talks about how they came together and when they did. Jahazel. He came and he was one of the young men, he was filled with the spirit of God and he actually addressed the community, the people that came together. Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Think about that. It's the same word that came to Joshua. It's the same word that's come to everyone that met. The messenger before them is that they should not be afraid, because the battle is the Lord's. Whatever you're facing today, wherever you are, whatever circumstance you're in, you do not need to be afraid, because the battle is the Lord's.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 19:12

As we continue on in second Chronicles 20, you'll see that you have a king here and he has a lot of men and he's responsible for them. He has to lead them and guide them. And, as Pastor Jay read, they began to fast. They knew that what they were coming up against was pretty incredible. What they were going to see, maybe they couldn't overcome in their own ability. So we called them to a fast. And then we see in verses 16 and 17, it says this tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley east of the wilderness of Jerul. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. O Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them and the Lord will be with you. Okay, so you're fasting and there's some things going on in your life. Maybe they're good, maybe they're not so good, but you know that there's an enemy in front of you. And in verse 16, god gives them something that they must do. It's a command he tells them listen, tomorrow you're going to have to go against them. Now, if it was me and I had a word from God and God said don't worry, I'm going to take care of you, I think do I really need to go? I mean, come on, you already said you're going to help me. Do I really need to show up to this? Can't you just take care of it and then I come afterwards and just praise you for it? Wouldn't that be nice in our walk with Jesus if we could just come after it was all taken care of by God? But in verse 16, he's very clear. God said listen, you're going to have to go tomorrow against them. You're going to have to participate in what I'm about to do. You're going to have to do your part to get this breakthrough. That's what fasting is. It's doing your part. Yes, god loves you. He's for you, but there are times when he needs you to participate so that you can see the breakthrough.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 21:42

They had to go down and actually see their enemy the next day. In verse 17, it says they would not need to fight. But what they had to do was even harder than fighting. I don't know if you've ever been in a sport where it's one-on-one. I've grown up with a brother who was a wrestler. Before he got onto that mat he would put these headphones on and he would psych himself up for this wrestling match. I would see him over there on the side and he was getting ready. He was hyping up for this fight, for this match, because when you're about to fight, you're all in, you're ready, there's this energy, this adrenaline. You're ready to go.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 22:26

But scripture says that these men were commanded that they were not going to fight. They were actually going to have to show up and see the enemy. What God tells them to do is even harder. He said stand still, hold your position, hold. If you've ever had a PE class with a really strong PE teacher, sometimes there'd be a wall and you had to do the chair lunch position against the wall. Those are not so nice PE teachers. Man, you're 10 seconds into holding that chair position and your legs are already shaking and you got to hold when the Lord tells you listen, I'm going to fight for you. I need you to participate, I need you to show up, I need you to come before the enemy. But you're not going to do anything, you're just going to stand still and you're going to hold your position. How do you prepare for that? How do you prepare to just stand and let God do what he needs to do? You can't say anything. You can't do anything. You just stand still. Scripture says then you will see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 23:44

Personal story of my own life. There was a season where things were happening and there was an attack and I didn't even understand all that it entailed or what it was. I feel like I went into it a little blind. Have you been there before I went in? And it was just a crazy season. There were times when, man, I would feel really justified if I could have just shared my side of the story. I would have felt really justified if I could have just said some really harsh words. I would have felt better about myself. There were times when I thought, man, if everybody could just hear what I have to say, then they would understand. Have you been there Through that whole season?

Pastor Celeste Brown: 24:31

From the very beginning, I remember God saying you say nothing. I was like nope, this ain't going to work. You say nothing, you hold your position and you stand still. I wish that I could tell you that it was over in 24 hours, but it went on for months and months and months. Every time I just wanted to move on my own. God would say hold your position, stand still, let me fight for you. When you begin to fast, he will fight for you. Just like this story says, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to approach the enemy and hold your position and stand still. I want to encourage you in the next 21 days to let God fight on your behalf. There are times when you need an answer from God and you're like man I haven't heard, I can't hear his voice. Stand still. Maybe there's unforgiveness and all you want is a relationship to be healed. Stand still, stand still. Let God fight for you.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 26:01

Says in verse 18,. Jeho's fat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and the others stood up and they praised the Lord. Before they ever saw victory, all they knew was that God told them tomorrow you're going to show up and you're going to face the enemy. And just from that, from the word of God, they began to praise the Lord, they began to exalt him. Says in verse 20,. They rose early in the morning. Joseph fat said believe in the Lord, your God, and you will be established and you will succeed. Maybe your new year hasn't started off the way you thought it would. Maybe you're seven days in and you're just holding on, or maybe you're seven days in and it's been the best year of your life already. Whatever it is, I want you to go into this fast, ready to let the Lord fight for you. You will succeed. The battle is the Lord's.

Pastor Jason Brown: 27:07

Amen. Believe in the Lord. I love that he's commanded them to do so. You think about that stature of holding firm of what she's talking about to hold fast and then to humble yourself before the Lord and to shout praises to him and to put your faith and trust in God. The battle is the Lord's. In verse 21, it continues on. It says and when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing in the Lord and praise him and holy attire, and they went before the army.

Pastor Jason Brown: 27:40

Give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. Say that with me. Give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. That's exactly what he calls us to do is be those that worship him with all that we are, in every circumstances. We talked about that. We would give thanks to the Lord so many times that unless we're willing to embrace and willing to face those things, we'll shrink back. We'll never see that victory. In the same way, we need to be those that give thanks to God in all circumstances, in every place, even when we're facing the enemy itself. We are called to be those that give thanks to the Lord.

Pastor Jason Brown: 28:25

It says that after this time, whenever they did all these things in obedience. God moved by his hand and it was a miraculous thing where the armies, they actually were wiped out, and it wasn't them that fought, it wasn't Joseph had, it wasn't the children of Israel and Judah, it wasn't any of them that fought. Instead, it was God who fought on their behalf. That's in your circumstances, well in your life, with your family, that he is fighting for you. If God is for us, who can be against us? See, that's the thing. Sometimes we settled for good when he has the best for you, and that's whenever good becomes the enemy of best. It's a scriptural thing that later is taken into business, that good can be the enemy of best. Because God wants the best for your life. He wants that next thing that we would be able to face the enemy, face the fear, face the doubt. Give thanks to the Lord in all circumstances. And because they were obedient, they saw God's hand of provision, it said. When they went out to the battlefield, they found that all of their enemy was destroyed and actually it took them three days just to pick up all the spoils of war from the armies that were destroyed. Think about that that it took them three days just to pick up the good stuff that got left behind. That's the kind of victory that I want to experience. I don't know about you. But not just that. God is the one that brings the victory. But not just that he provides the blessing through the very enemy of my soul. He provides the blessing because I'm obedient to give thanks to him in all circumstances.

Pastor Jason Brown: 30:07

At the very end of that scripture, in verse 29, it says and the fear of God came on all the kingdoms, the countries, when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest. Some translations say peace all around. Think about this that they truly understood the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is something that we're supposed to have as Christ followers. It's an awe of reverence to hold him in esteem in his rightful place, to understand that he is the God, our Creator, the Lord of the universe and all these things and beyond. That he would call us friend is amazing, but we're called to walk with the fear of the Lord. We'll talk about that in the weeks to come as being those that live with the fear of the Lord, because it's the beginning of wisdom. It says here because they live that way, god gave them peace and rest.

Pastor Jason Brown: 31:10

See, many of you, that's exactly what you're looking for is the peace and rest that comes on the other side of the victory. Don't stop short, don't quit too soon. Come and face, let the battle be the Lord's, and see the peace and the victory you've been looking for. The battle is the Lord's. Can you say amen to that? That's the word for you this year. No matter what you're facing, no matter what you go through, the battle is the Lord's.

Pastor Jason Brown: 31:40

Today we come to this altar and we have this opportunity to respond to the message that God has for us. For many of us, it's coming to the altar to seek a connection with the Lord and we're gonna have an opportunity for response. And then we're gonna come back and have a time of communion together to come to the Lord's table. But before we do that, we wanna make an opportunity for any that would respond to invite Christ into their life. Each one of us has to answer that question have you embraced Jesus? Every single one of us that's a Christ follower have done that very thing. We invited Christ into our heart and life to change us forever. It's to have a relationship with him. It's not a religious idea. It's starting a relationship with him and saying Lord, I believe you are who you say you are and I ask you to forgive me and I wanna invite you into my heart and life.

Pastor Jason Brown: 32:31

For us, the symbol of the cross is one that's transformational, because it's a place where we see that Jesus took our mistakes, our sin, and he paid for it once and for all, for all people. He lived a sinless life. He came as the holy sacrifice for mankind. We know us as people. None of us is holy, no, not one. All of us are in need of a savior. All of us are in need of a holy sacrifice to reconnect us back to the Father, and that's who Jesus became for us. He became that sacrifice once and for all. Apostle Paul, he writes to the church in Rome and says it like this because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart, one believes and is justified. With the mouth, one confesses and is saved.

Pastor Jason Brown: 33:25

Friends, today is your day to make a decision to follow Jesus. Maybe you're here in the room You've never made that decision to follow Christ. Today is your opportunity to do so, that you have placed your faith and trust in him. Or maybe you've lived for God in the past and you've walked away from having active relationship with him. Today is your opportunity to recommit your life back and say Lord, I'm so, very sorry. Please come into my life and be the Lord of my life. You're here in the room and ask if you would, if you just stand right where you're at you bow your heads. If you're online, you prepare your heart for what God wants to do, and it's hard to prepare, prepared to respond this morning, but ask if you just let me know of who's praying today. If that's you, you're making a decision to invite Christ into your heart and life and for the first time, or maybe to recommit your life back to Christ. If you just raise your hand right where you're at, I just want to be agreeing with you in prayer this morning. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.

Pastor Jason Brown: 34:33

People making decision, reinforcing the decision to follow after Jesus. It's a simple one that we pray. It's a simple prayer. It's not the words themselves that are important, it's the heart behind it one of repentance, one of inviting Christ into our heart and life. I'm gonna ask if you repeat this prayer after me. Lord, thank you for loving me, thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you. In Christ's name. I pray Amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice with you making a decision to follow Jesus today. What a powerful thing.

Pastor Jason Brown: 35:27

If you're here in the room, we have something for you. You can meet us after this service to the prayer banner. We want to put something in your hands. If you're online, if you'd message us, we want to send you a resource that you could be more prepared to live this life after Christ. Now, today, we're gonna come to this altar for those that need a breakthrough, for those that need more of God, for those that need an answer from him. As we start this 21 days of prayer and fasting, now we come to this altar and we seek God for his outpouring upon us. In the same way, I want to encourage us to prepare our hearts.

Pastor Jason Brown: 36:00

Scripture says that we would not come to the Lord's table to have communion together with any sin in our lives.

Pastor Jason Brown: 36:05

So I would ask that you would ask the Lord to identify any place in your heart or life that separates you from him and you would ask him to forgive you of your sin, so we can come and have that drawing close together. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you, lord, how you challenge us. We thank you, lord, for the example of Jehoshaphat, lord, and being obedient to seek you in all things. Lord, to be one that fasts and prays and seeks God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 36:30

Lord, in the same way, we do the same, that we understand that the battle is yours, the battle is the Lord's, it's. Lord, we align our hearts and our lives with you today, lord, we ask that you would fight on our behalf, lord, that we come with obedience. We come with a heart of gratitude, we come with a heart of worship, saying thank you, lord, a heart of humility, bowing our hearts before you, asking, lord, for your provision, asking for your guidance, asking for your directive, asking for your healing in our circumstances, lord, in all these things that you would pour yourself out upon us and that we would know the hand of the Almighty God. We come to this altar today, lord, asking for you to pour yourself out anew. We pray. This is the powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Pastor Celeste Brown: 37:14

Oh, we're so honored that you've joined us this morning, the first Sunday of the year, and what a great day it has been. I pray that you felt the presence of the Lord in your life and the start to the 21 day fast. So we're praying for you, we're believing for great things and we're excited to see what God is gonna do in these next three weeks.

Pastor Jason Brown: 37:32

Amen. Before we go, I'm gonna pray this blessing over us today. The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. We'll lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. God, you'd empower us by your spirit to live your love up to those around us. We pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. Know this. We love you very much out here at Cornerstone. God bless you and happy new year.