Good evening everyone,

As I mentioned this morning we are moving our Fasting and Prayer week from the end of the month to this week. We just completed our first prayer time together and it was very encouraging and exciting. God led us through Nehemiah 1 and the prayer recorded in that chapter. We took some time to pray privately as we started then we prayed through the principles of prayer that are embedded in Nehemiah 1. For those of you who were unable to be here I encourage you to go to this chapter and pray through in the following manner:

1. Praise God for who He is! A good way to begin this is to speak out the words that describe God; kind, compassionate, gracious, faithful are examples. Let God lead you and soften your heart as you acknowledge Him and consciously ‘enter into His presence’. Be open at this time to sing out whatever worship/praise song (or parts of a song) that is brought to your mind.

2. Having acknowledged Him it is important to be humble before Him. This is a good time to ask Him to search your heart and see if there is anything to confess or release to Him. (Psalm 139:23-24, 1John 1:9). Close out this time with praise and adoration. Read more…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭

      As we come to the close of our week of fasting and prayer it is my prayer that you are renewed and strengthened in your walk with the Lord. For myself, and others I have spoken with, this has been a time of experiencing His grace and strength. As we choose to step away from routines and habits by turning our attention to God we see that our greater hunger is for God. Yes, we have other appetites and hungers but the most satisfying and rewarding nourishment we get is from His presence in our lives. It is so easy to become busy, or distracted by important things at the expense of the greatest thing. Perhaps, with God’s strength, the hunger awakened within us this week will be satisfied in the days and weeks to come as we establish new habits and patterns from what we have learned this week.

Friday night from 6-7:30pm we will meet at the church for a time of fellowship and food to end our week of fasting. If you are able to attend please bring a light dish to share as we take communion, have fellowship, pray and learn from one another. (Acts 2:42).

If you need childcare for Friday evening, please contact the church office at 208-580-0662 or office@ccmountainhome.com.

In His Grace and Love,

Pastor Dan

By Pastor Dan

     I pray that your time of fasting is going well and that you are encouraged by what you are learning from the Lord. In our group prayer time on Sunday and Monday we saw God emphasizing the importance of unity and community that He is building in our fellowship. At one of the meetings a person shared how John 15, specifically, abiding in Christ, had really been illuminated in their heart. I am so thankful that they were at the group meeting and chose to share what God was showing them as this was confirmed by others that were there. The passage that was ‘glowing’ from John 15 was verses 4 and 5 where Jesus declares, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  The beautiful simplicity comes from understanding what Jesus is saying when He speaks of “abiding.” Consider the following words in describing and to some measure defining what it means to abide; to continue, to be held, to remain, to dwell, to stay close and give attention to. During the time we have set aside to fast and pray I encourage you to consciously choose to abide (emphasis upon, ‘to stay close and give attention to). Guard your heart against fasting that is a type personal achievement. Remember, from Sunday’s message, “Fasting is not a method to capture God’s attention, it is a discipline used to direct our attention.” As we fast we choose to direct our attention to God. This can be done through prayer, through worship with music, through conversation, through relaxation…. attention that would have been given to something else is now consciously given to God.

If you feel you have failed in your attempt to fast, remember, it is not an ‘achievement’ to accomplish, it is a choice to ‘abide’ in Christ. If you need to reset, start fresh, then do that today. As we feed our spiritual lives (Ephesians 4:20-24) we will be strengthened day by day, experiencing His faithfulness, His goodness, His forgiveness, His strength, His love… Abiding in Him we will “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”(2Peter 3:18)

Thank you for your prayers and for partnering in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

“But you, when you fast…” Matthew 6:17 “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted…” Acts 13:2 Looking ahead we can clearly see an exciting and challenging time before us. With a clear divide politically as well as disturbing actions concerning the lives of our unborn children it is important that we set aside time to recognize and receive from God. As we all know the many issues of life seem to lead us in all different directions. Although these issues are often important, even essential, we do much better when we have a clear sense of God’s direction through life’s challenges. Read more…

Week of Prayer and Fasting

Fasting and Prayer

“When you fast…” “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” -Jesus

     When Jesus spoke of fasting He spoke of the certainty of ‘when you fast’. Throughout the Bible we see examples and exhortation concerning fasting and prayer.  Jesus modeled it, instructed His disciples in it, and the New Testament letters speak of the early church practicing it. With that in mind I am asking you to join us for prayer and fasting the week of January 21st-26th.

     I realize that as I ask this church family to join together in prayer and fasting that some have never fasted. For some the thought of going extended periods without food is not appealing at all. First, Jesus would not ask us to do something that was not possible to do, nor would He ask us to do something that was pointless.  Fasting and prayer belong together for you cannot benefit spiritually when you fast physically unless you are in prayer. Fasting is done by many different people for many different reasons; athletes fast to purge their bodies so they can perform better, physicians advise fasting for some ailments or conditions. Cults and other groups fast to awaken or get the attention of their gods. But the fast that God calls us to (Isaiah 58) is the fast that puts Him first and seeks His will. Biblical fasting is done for many reasons such as to:

1. Obey God (Isaiah 58:6)
2. Deny the flesh and discern His will (Daniel 9:3)
3. Strengthen the spiritual man (Matthew 4:2)
4. Honor God; without seeking attention from men. (Matthew 6:16)
5. Open our eyes and heart to what God desires to do and is doing. (Acts 13:2,3)

     Fasting is not a way to redirect the hand of God, rather it is a discipline that helps us to see the heart of God. Fasting helps to awaken us so we can hear what God is saying. Also, in a very intriguing way, fasting invokes the power of God in a given situation or need. (Mark 9:29)

     A fast may be done in various ways; Daniel was led by the Spirit to abstain from the Babylonian delicacies (Daniel 1:8), Jesus fasted from food, and the early church regularly fasted and prayed for God’s strength and direction. How you fast or what you fast from is between you and God (read Isaiah 58). I encourage you to sit before Him and allow Him to lead in this time. He will lead you in prayer, reveal His love and guide you into all truth when you put Him first.

     I will be sending out prayer points and personal perspectives throughout the week and encourage you to share with others what God is speaking to you during this time. I look forward to what God will do in and through us as He knits our hearts together and prepares us for what He has in store.

     I have included an excerpt that I believe is a great practical help in preparing as well as continuing in effective prayer and fasting. Also I have included a chapter reading that will help you as well.

Along with your personal prayer time I invite you to join us at the church for group prayer.

Through His Grace,  

• Matt. 4:1,2 Jesus, led by the Spirit, fasted 40 days and 40 nights
• Matt. 6:16-18 Jesus gives instruction for when, not if, you fast
• Acts 13:2,3   Serving God and seeking His direction.
• Isaiah 58   Proper attitude and approach to fasting

Jesus spoke of “when you fast…”, notice that it was not, “if you fast…”. When Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James, and John a man came to the disciples that were down below. The man asked them to heal his son and they were unable to do so. When Jesus returned from the mountain He healed the boy and then moved on with His disciples. The disciples then asked Him privately why they could not heal the boy and Jesus said; This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Read more…

Dear Friends – Please read this urgent plea from Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh – a dear friend. There is a second petition that must be signed before February 20^th. The First was to get our state department to recognize the “problem” and take action. This petition is to be turned into the Revolutionary Guard/Government of Iran in the appeal process in hopes of freeing Saeed. It just takes a second to do and can have a great impact on the outcome. Please pass this on to any friends and family you have as well. Thanks so much.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” Proverbs 31:8

Hi Dear friends and family in Jesus,

As many of you know, the Appeal to Saeed’s 8 year sentence has been turned in by his attorney last week. We have a very short window of time until the final verdict is given to put pressure on the Iranian government.

We have less than two weeks (by Feb. 20th) to present UN and EU with a petition that we are hoping will have minimum of 300,000 signatures. The more signatures, the better, 300,000 is the minimum! Unfortunately, We are still below 200,000 signatures!

Since this goes to the UN and EU and…signatures from ALL OVER THE WORLD are needed (Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, South America, Canada, USA, Mexico…).

I urge all of you to sign the petition and share and spread the news so that we not only reach the minimum, but reach close to a 1,000,000 signatures!

The time is crucial and we need to get the word out. Please sign and spread the word. Here is the link: http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-from-iranian-prison-sentence

Love,

Naghmeh Abedini