i forgot to tell the craziest thing from that Bible study. one of the verses i cited was Matthew 17:21 that says "But this one can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting," referencing the epileptic boy that Jesus' disciples were unable to heal. i ask the kids to turn to this verse and it's not in the Bibles. there were probably 4 different Bibles present (different translations and manufacturers) and none of them had this verse in them, except mine and jennie's Bible (different from one another). their Bibles ended on verse 20 and jumped right to verse 22. it's like someone purposely and blatantly erased this verse. it was so weird.
today i preached at our church for the first time! i was a little nervous, but overcame it quickly. the atmosphere is very unintimidating as it is a bunch of children (which is what i love about it). guess what i preached on?......FASTING! it's just been on my heart so strong and it's the only impression i got from the Lord when i asked to preach. i essentially related what i had taught in the Bible study, specifically the story of Esther and how fasting saved a nation. i said God will do the same thing in Sudan - He will save our nation as we fast and cry out. i called them all to join in the Friday fasting. the response was great, a lot of "amens". but the most exuberant outcry came when i said that the older ones will fast all day until breakfast but the younger ones could fast until supper that night. they really cheered then! two of the 3-year olds coming up to me afterwards saying "Fasting fasting". it was so cute! i told them they were a little too young, but it warmed my heart so much, and it showed that in spite of their short attention spam and antsy-ness during service, they really are hearing the Word.
the crazy thing is, today is the last day of Purim according to the Jewish calendar! i had no idea when i preached this message. God is truly speaking to the Church in Sudan about fasting, that this is the key to revival and salvation in Sudan.
you are welcome to join us if you like :)
That's awesome how God is moving you in His timing by the Spirit. Glad to hear you're doing well.--Leon
ReplyDeletethat is so awesome! i love the timing of the Father! you should really consider following the parashat (the sections of the Bible that you read each week, like a "through the Bible in a year"). it is crazy to see how much present real life events line up with the parashat and biblical events. love you!
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