21 Jan Providence | Part 3 “The Blessing of Fasting” – All Locations
Announcements:
The fast is scheduled for January 23rd to the 30th, ending in First Tuesday. First Tuesday: 5:30-6:00 doors open, 6:00 – 6:30 corporate prayer, 6:30 worship.
First Tuesday is on January 30. Reminder: no guide that week. You and your members should be attending First Tuesday.
THE TUESDAY CAFE WILL NOT BE OPEN ON 23 NOR THE 30TH.
BACKYARD BLESSING: One of our Action Groups is gearing up to bless a child with a backyard play house. Please consider helping by donating something to the Give Send Go account. They have only about $2000 needed that would get the ball rolling. BACKYARDBLESSINGGIVESENDGO
IF YOU OR A MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER TO MAKE MEALS FOR THE ALPHA CLASS IN WOONSOCKET – PLEASE VISIT OR SOUTHCOAST – VISIT OUR EVENTS PAGE AND CLICK ON MEAL PREP FOR YOUR PERSPECTIVE LOCATION WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENTS
FINANCIAL PEACE IS BACK, CLICK THIS LINK OR VISIT WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENTS TO REGISTER.
NEW OPPORTUNITY – PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR GROUP MEMBERS:
Waters Kids Ministry Opportunity
We’re excited to present a wonderful opportunity for your members who are not yet part of a serve team or are interested in joining an additional team, specifically in our Waters Kids ministry!
On Christmas Eve, we witnessed a record attendance of children across all Waters Kids locations. This growth in our children’s ministry is only the beginning, and we anticipate even more in 2024!
To support this expansion, we’re actively building our Waters Kids Team. If you have a heart for children, a creative spirit, and a desire to share the word of God with our youth, we would be thrilled to have you join our team!
We have openings for roles with nursery-age children through elementary school. Our fast-growing Ignite ministry, catering to elementary-age children, is a great opportunity, particularly for married couples, as this age group is highly impressionable and can greatly benefit from their guidance.
If caring for or teaching children isn’t your primary interest, don’t worry! We also need help with kids’ check-in, technical support (like sound, lighting, and ProPresenter operation), and worship.
Interested individuals can join by clicking the link below and navigating to the Waters Kids section to select “Join The Team!”
If you are still unsure, on January 31 we are offering a training! All are invited to attend and check out this ministry!
For any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at info@waterschurch.org.
*************
REMINDER: DISCOVER CLASS: For New Leaders, Leaders who have not taken the class, or Leaders who have not taken the class in the last couple of years. It is held on the first Sunday of the month.
ALL LOCATIONS:
NEED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? OR HAVE A GROUP MEMBER IN NEED OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? CLICK HERE: HELP RESOURCES PAGE
Reminder: Please check your planning center profiles for requests to join and also remove members from the list that no longer attend as well as add members not listed. Thank you.
LEADERS: WE HAVE CHANGED UP THE DISCOVER CLASS WHICH USED TO BE GROWTH TRACK AND ARE ASKING ALL LEADERS TO RE-TAKE THIS A SOME POINT. BELOW IS THE CLASS SCHEDULE:
1st Sunday : Discover Waters – after 1st service
2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service
IMPORTANT***** Please add
Go to your email, add no-reply@churchcenter.com to your contacts (PLEASE ASK ME IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND) THANKS!
no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and have your members add it as well. This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site.
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.org/events)
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
*********************
Key Verse: Esther 5
Ice breaker:
Q. Who in your life inspires you to do better?
Providence – Part 3
The Blessing of Fasting
Esther 5
Providence – God is working no matter what the world is doing.
We are praying and fasting to grow stronger, fight better, and take ground in 2024. Do something and separate yourself unto God for your Spirit to be built up and to stand against any Spiritual battle that comes your way this year!
Last week: Mordecai was not bowing to Haman. Haman could not stand the fact that Mordecai would not bow to him so he wanted to wipe out all of the Jews.
For the enemy to get you, you just need to be passive and he will have his way with you, but we want to do damage to the Devil.
You might be in a predicament and need a miracle in your life. God still performs miracles healing the sick, casting out demons, and setting us free.
Whatever trap the Devil has laid out for you, you have an opportunity.
You’ve tried OTHER THINGS; now try FASTING.
Fasting does something for you that heaven offers, that nothing in this world can do for you.
Esther 5:1 (ESV); Esther 4:16 (ESV)
They fasted for three days. On the third day of the fast, things started moving in the Spiritual realm on Esther’s behalf.
We need to be people who fast and pray regularly Jesus says.
Matthew 6:17–18 (ESV)
Heavenly rewards are waiting for us when we fast and pray.
Q. Can you share personal experiences or observations on how fasting has impacted you or others in the context of facing challenges or spiritual battles?
Seven Benefits of FASTING
1. BOLDNESS.
Esther 5:1 (ESV)
Some of us need boldness in our lives. We cannot be a Christian without boldness. There is a god of this world that wants us to shrink back and worry. The Devil wants us scared and living far less than what God has for us.
Up to chapter four, Esther is a scared little mouse. Then, she heard that her people would be annihilated. After prayer and fasting, Esther received boldness and stood in the presence of the king.
We need boldness. We need to step up and show up. We are given the ability to put ourselves into the presence of our King with boldness. We can come before the throne of grace.
Some have been shrinking back and letting the devil destroy you.
2 Timothy 1:7
Q. Are there areas in your life where you need more boldness? Discuss how prayer and fasting might help you overcome fears and step forward with faith.
2. FAVOR.
Esther 5:2 (ESV)
Esther had won the king’s favor.
In chapter 2 of Esther, there is favor all over her. She has natural beauty and charm, she captivates everyone in her presence. From then until now (which is about three or four years) there is no mention of favor over her life.
When we start out with Christ, we sense God’s favor, but after a while, we may not see it.
Fasting gets favor back.
Matthew 9:15 (ESV)
Jesus was in their presence so they did not need to fast and pray.
But then Jesus goes to heaven and while waiting for him to come back, we are to fast and pray.
We need to go back to where we began sometimes. God will move and stir up something in us.
Q. Can you think of times in your own life when you’ve felt particularly favored or blessed by God? How do you perceive God’s favor in different seasons, especially during times when it seems less evident?
3. An OPEN HEAVEN.
Esther 5:3, 6 (ESV)
She gets a golden offer from the king. She got an open invitation to make her requests.
Fasting deprives the flesh of what earth offers so the spirit can receive what heaven offers.
We don’t need to eat nearly as much as we think we do. The best way to kill the beast is to starve it. Get under the power of the Holy Spirit and tell your flesh the Holy Spirit is in charge.
Gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us through fasting and prayer:
A. The FRUIT of the SPIRIT:
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
B. The LEADING of the SPIRIT:
Acts 13:1–2 (ESV)
4. DISCERNMENT.
Esther 5:4 (ESV)
Amazingly, after the king tells her she can have whatever she wants, she does not say she wants to remove the law about killing the Jews. She understood the rule of Persia. She had discernment for the times in which she lived.
She came up with the plan for them to come and feast. She knew King Xerxes liked a good party. She had the discernment to speak the king’s language.
We need to learn how to talk to win people over in our lives or put a guard over our mouths so we don’t speak and get ourselves in trouble.
We need discernment to read the room and speak to a family member, or our community in a way that brings favor in our lives again.
Philippians 1:9 (ESV)
Discernment: Gr. “Aisthesei” “to understand the real nature of something”
Q. Can you share experiences or observations about times when speaking up or staying silent brought about favorable results?
5. PEACE under PRESSURE.
Esther 5:4 (ESV)
Esther invites Haman because she has Spiritual discernment. The guy who signed the edict to kill her people will be eating at the table with her.
It says in Psalms 23:5 ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
When we are filled with the Spirit through fasting and prayer we can have peace in the presence of our enemies.
6. PATIENCE in the PROCESS of God’s
DELIVERANCE.
Esther 5:8 (ESV)
Esther has patience, she is not in a rush. Discernment added to peace in the presence of our enemies yields patience in the process.
James 5:7–8 (ESV)
Some of us need patience so we are not always worried or complain-praying.
Colossians 1:11 (NLT)
We need and we will be filled with joy.
Q. Can you share personal experiences where patience was crucial in seeing a situation through? How does your faith influence your ability to be patient?
7. FRUSTRATION in the ENEMY.
Esther 5:9 (ESV)
We have a spiritual enemy we can frustrate.
Nothing frustrates the devil more than fasting and prayer. He has only one fastball with humanity – please yourself.
Esther 5:12–13 (ESV)
Haman is a weak man, a carnal man.
A carnal man or woman obsesses about one thing. All their emotions are like wagons circling that one thing. Whether they have or don’t have, their emotions are sky-high.
If we are looking for fame, fortune, power, money, or whatever else can get a hold of us, fasting and prayer break that out of our lives to please God and frustrate Hell.
When the devil is frustrated, the enemy does not know what to do!
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
Challenge: Fast and Pray with us for 7 days.
No Comments