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Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 28, 2023 | MATTHEW 7:7-12 KEY VERSE: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (NIV) MESSAGE: One aspect of the Christian life is prayer, communication with God. There are different forms of prayer, among which is petition and intercession. In petition, we ask God to give or do certain things for us. In intercession, we present the needs of other people before God. Asking and receiving is one of the rich benefits of a personal walk with God in this world. In Heaven, we shall not be asking, because everything will be available. It is a practical handle that the Lord gives us as He teaches us about the assurance that we have when we talk to God in prayer. Prayer may not make sense to the person who has not encountered God in a personal way. To such a one, prayer is a religious formality that people undertake to soothe their empty beliefs. But the Lord Jesus spoke about, taught about and practised prayer. In the text for our reflection, the Lord assures us that God answers prayer. The argument underlying the argument of the Lord is the argument of relationship. God hears and answers prayer because of His Father-child relationship with us. ⁹"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matt 7:9-11 (NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Have you settled the matter of your relationship with God, by trusting Him that He sent Jesus Christ into the world to save you, just you, from sin and the power of Satan? Please do that, and then pray to God, not as a meaningless ritual but as serious business with a loving heavenly Father, who hears and answers the prayers of His children. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, I am glad that you sent Jesus Christ to come and die to redeem me from Satan. Please fuel my desire to pray, and to have the faith to believe that you hear and answer me when I call. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 27, 2023 | MATTHEW 7:6 KEY VERSE: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. . .” Matthew 7:6 (NIV) MESSAGE: We have seen many a doorpost in many places which says BEWARE OF DOGS. Those signs are talking about domestic dogs that may be unfriendly to the visitor, and for which reason, the notice is posted. However, there are more vicious dogs, also described as pigs, by the Lord, who will not only offend the Kingdom citizen physically but also morally and spiritually. The Lord uses the strong terms of “dogs” and “pigs” to describe some types of people with whom Kingdom citizens will have to interact. From a Jewish mouth, the terms here used are strong derogatory words. People who love sin and practice it with gladness are filthy in the eyes of God, no matter how socially well-placed and intellectually advanced. They are dogs and they are pigs. The Kingdom citizen is called to a life of purity by which they manifest the divine image in which humans were initially created. The life of the believer in Christ should, as we saw in our reflection on Matthew 7:1-5, expose the distasteful lifestyle of ungodly people around them. Whether in the marketplace, the neighbourhood or even in the Church, we are to be alerted that there are pigs and there are dogs; people who wallow in filth, love filth and eat back their vomit. Sad to say, there are pigs in the Church, in its pulpits and in its pews (Lord have mercy)! Wherever we may meet such people the lesson here is to avoid cheapening ourselves in our interactions with them by allowing them access to the precious heights that grace has lifted us into. There are pigs and dogs who want to take advantage of the Kingdom citizen sexually, in social dealings, in conversation, and then turn around and disgrace them to the whole world. Pigs and dogs will engage the believer in unacceptable behaviour and then turn around and attack them. Jesus-Followers must be careful not to throw their precious pearls, our salvation, our giftings, our deliverances, our hope for the coming of Christ, our looking forward to the coming of the Lord, the privilege of walking with God, the call to live above sin and Satan and the inexpressible blessings of being children of God etc, before the dogs and pigs of our generation and our environment. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Have you met any dogs and pigs in your journey? Have you thrown some pearls before them? It is time to pick up the broken pieces and place them before the Lord and ask for restoration. Thereafter, beware of dogs, and steer away from pigs! PRAYER: Dear Master Jesus, what a word from your precious lips. But thank you for the truth you communicate, and the demands it places on me. Please guide me by your Spirit within, to guard the divine deposits in me, and to consistently refuse to cast my pearls before pigs, or get dogs to lick my face. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 26, 2023 | MATTHEW 7:1-5 p KEY VERSE: You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7:5 (NIV) MESSAGE: There have been many discussions as to whether a Christian should judge another person, believer or unbeliever. Verse one of our text today is clear; "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matt 7:1 (NIV). Though it seems to say, “do not judge,” the verse is better understood when it is read along with verses 2 to 5. In the earlier chapters of Matthew, we have seen the Lord describe some people as evil and good (5:45), hypocrites (6:2, 5, 16) and pagans (6:32). In Matthew 7:6 He would describe some people as “dogs,” and “pigs,” serious negative terms when used for another person by a Jew. None of those descriptions above could be made without exercising some form of judgment of the people in question. Is Christ contradicting His word in this text then? Many times, no, if He is read properly and in context. We need to make judgments of people so we know who they are and what places they could have or not have in our lives as Kingdom citizens. If we do not scrutinize our lives then we do not deserve to live, in the same way, if we do not evaluate the people we live with in all interactions, then we do not deserve to live in society. What is the Lord teaching us, therefore? The context of Matthew 7:1-5 forbids us from passing judgment and evaluating other people without first having judged ourselves. It is the assessment of others with a more strict standard than we apply to ourselves that the Lord is forbidding here. It is accusing others of wrongdoing and faulty lifestyles when we practice vices worse than theirs. “⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matt 7:4-5 (NIV). The Lord uses the strong word ”hypocrite” to describe us when we fail to see our blindness and presume to guide others in their supposed waywardness. On the other hand, the place of the Kingdom citizen as the light of the world makes them the light that actively, by lifestyles, exposes the evil in individuals and society around them, and prophetically speaks the mind of God against the evils and evil-doers we live with. Paul captures the thought in these words in Eph. 5:11-12 “¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. (NIV) Paul further admonishes, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Gal 6:1 (NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: As Kingdom citizens, our lifestyle is to serve as a counter-culture to sinful behaviour around us. Are we any different from wrong-doers in our environment? Are we able to make sanctified judgments, judging without being hypocritical and judgmental? We must draw the lines and not judge hypocritically, so we are not brought into divine judgment. PRAYER: Dear God, you are the Judge of all flesh, and your judgments are without fault. Made in your image I have a responsibility to judge the context in which you have placed me, by the intelligence and the Spirit, you have given me. I only ask dear Father, that I will not judge others while I am as guilty if not more guilty than them. Please help me to make sanctified judgments, in Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 25, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:25-34 KEY VERSE: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV) MESSAGE: Life on earth is tough, and things seem to get more and more difficult with each passing year. We are all seekers of our own comfort, and rightly so, for we were created to have comfort and abundance until sin entered our story through Adam and Eve. Because creation has been brought under a curse, and we also have lost our privilege of rulership on behalf of God, our efforts to get the best out of the resources of the earth is filled with sweat and pain. We have become creatures of worry. We worry about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, and where to lay our heads. We worry about the present and about the future, about our height and about our size, the colour of our skin and of our, hair and many other things. Citizens of the Kingdom of God are taught by the Lord Jesus not to worry. Why not worry? We are not to worry because God gives us the things that are most important without us asking for them or worrying about them. He gives us life freely. The breath of life in us is more important than any of the things we worry about. We worry about what clothes we do not have and would have been happier to possess, but God gives us the body upon which we want to put the cloth. We are not to worry because God takes care of creatures far smaller and less significant in the scheme of things; he clothes the flowers with beauty though their lifespan is so limited. He feeds the birds of the air, and yet they are not to be compared in value to us. We are not to worry because our heavenly Father knows the things we need to live in this world. We are not to worry because worrying today does not stop tomorrow from bringing out other issues that may bring more worries. We are not to worry because our loving all-sufficient, all-knowing and all-able heavenly Father is aware of our needs, and He has good plans to provide for us at the right time and in the right manner according to His wisdom. Our attitude should be different from those who are not Kingdom citizens, “³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt 6:32-34), NIV. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Is the Lord teaching us to be uncaring about our lives and not take thought to the things that concern our lives? Certainly no. Rather, we are not to become preoccupied with our needs and wants and lose hope. We are to remember God has provided all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and has taught us to ask for bread when we pray. Don’t worry, friend, trust God, and be happy. PRAYER: Lord Jesus, worrying comes easy and seems the natural response to the many needs and my many wants around me. But I believe in you more than I fear what surrounds me. Please help me to trust you to provide for me, and in the process enjoy the happiness that comes from casting all my cares upon you. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:19-24 KEY VERSE: (For) where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21(NIV) MESSAGE: In the verses leading to our text the Lord Jesus had been warning us about the hypocrisy of seeking human earthly applause for religious duty, and showing how it robs us of Heaven’s rewards. In our text today He warns us of the danger of making this world, the things we amass here, the recognition we gain here and the titles and the positions we get from our fellow humans our treasure. Our treasure is whatever we consider essential to our identity, our prosperity, and the content of our present and future security. Just like the hypocrites in the earlier verses, who gained value with humans and lost recognition with God, we become losers when we count our treasure by the standards of this world. On the contrary, the Lord instructs us to lay our treasures in Heaven. This means that we define ourselves by Heaven’s standards; we are because God is. We become because God makes possible our becoming. God is our greatest gain, our main audience and our security in this life and beyond the grave. What we do with our earthly possessions we do in God’s Name and for God’s glory. We seek His approval and His rewards. When our treasures are so measured then our inner orientation (our heart) is re-focused, and dwells on God and all that He stands for, (For) where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: How do you define yourself and what do you consider your greatest values and valuables? You could choose to value your earthly possessions as your treasure or your approval by Heaven as your treasure. Does God, His demands and directives, form the bases of your life, or something else does? The things that preoccupy our thoughts are the treasures that we have. The Lord Jesus directs, “Store up your treasures in Heaven!” PRAYER: Dear God in Heaven, thank you for alerting me about the things that could take your place in my life and make me lose the blessing of belonging to you and having you as my greatest good and rewarder. In the face of the attractions of this world, and the lies of the evil one, please help me and all who truly seek after you, to lay our treasures in Heaven. In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 23, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: Human beings are social beings, and that involves communication. While human speech is a gift of God, it could easily become a gateway to sin and offence to God. The Book of Proverbs in particular has so much to say about human communication and its relationship to our spirituality. The choice of words, rate of talking, and the motives for what is said are some of the indicators of how effectively or otherwise our talking ability is serving a godly purpose or not. James advises that we be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to get angry. We learn that “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Prov 10:19 (NIV). Therefore sometimes, in order to draw closer to the Lord in prayer and meditation we need to impose a personal silence upon ourselves. This is the spiritual discipline called solitude. We are quiet not because we have lost our voice or do not know how to talk. We are quiet because we are reflecting on God and interacting with Him, humbling ourselves to show that we do not know everything, and we need to be still to see what God will do in particular matters. Read and reflect on Job 2:9-13 ⁹His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" ¹⁰He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. ¹¹When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. NIV. The discipline of solitude is a prolonged spiritually beneficial practice that will work for the benefit of the seeker of spiritual power, with or without the abstinence from food. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: When was the last time you spent a day of quietness, deliberately choosing not to enter non-essential talkativity with its attendant dangers of exaggeration, lies, gossip etc? Will you want to try this exciting experience of fasting your speech, for a specified time? I can assure you that you will like it. PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help me to use my gift of speech wisely, and to engage it in my walk with you, not only to speak and sing and witness but also in solitude to draw close to you. In Jesus’ holy Name, Amen. SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 22, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: From creation, God intended for humans to enjoy their environment, and to live a satisfied life. This includes food, friendship, sex, music, dance and other forms of entertainment. We can choose to set aside our legitimate entertainment as a way of expressing our intention and desire to do some business with God. We see an illustration of this kind of fast in Dan 6:17-18: ¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. ¹⁸Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and WITHOUT ANY ENTERTAINMENT BEING BROUGHT TO HIM. And he could not sleep. NIV King Darius expressed a wish, call it a prayer, in verse 16, that Daniel would be safe by the hand of God. To further engage with God on the matter of Daniel’s safety in the den of the lions the king refused his usual entertainment. We could imagine no musicians and dancers were brought into the palace that night. He might also have called off any party he had planned. Whereas entertainment seems the usual way that we want to while away our time, and the human being must have fun (for all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy), abstinence from leisure and pleasure is a good prescription for spiritual business. Is it not true that the Bible says “It is better to go to a house of mourning, than to go to a house of feasting, . . . Eccl 7:2a (NIV). What about staying away from football or films for a week or a month? Every time we feel like we should have been watching a match we are reminded of our need for talking to God about a matter, and we redirect our energies to reading Scripture, reflecting on God, and praying. What about the amount of time spent on the internet or social media? To steal away from our legitimate pleasures and to spend such time in communion with God is a wonderful way to go about a fast. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Consider cutting out times of entertainment periodically, to focus on God and to transact business with Him. PRAYER: Dear Lord, there are so many things that give me pleasure, and sometimes take me away from intimate time with you. Please help me find the balance in using these things, and to learn to set them aside sometimes as an act of worshipful transaction with you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 21, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: God created us as spiritual beings, but He also made us sexual beings. We are distinguished in our sexuality by maleness and femaleness given at birth and signalled by our physical sexual and reproductive organs. The desire for sexual satisfaction is natural and finds its God-ordained expression within the context of marriage. In Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church on some issues relating to marriage brought before him, in 1 Cor 7:1-6, leads us to deduce that the Christian couple can use abstinence from sexual activity, which is appropriate for them, as a spiritual exercise of fasting. Paul wrote, “Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. ²But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. ³The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. ⁵Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. NIV For single Kingdom citizens, the period while waiting for marriage can be transformed into a prolonged sexual fast. Every urge or temptation to sexual expression for the single person is an act of fasting performed and registered before God. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The sex-fast must be by the mutual agreement of the couple, and not the unilateral declaration of one partner, (1 Cor 7:5). Reflect on this thought and commit to maintaining holiness in the matter of sexuality. Married couples should discuss how this truth can be applied between them. PRAYER: Lord, thank you for making me a sexual being. Please help me to engage my sexuality for the development of my spirituality. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 20, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: Fasting is not only abstinence from food or rich food. Remember that the broader understanding of biblical fasting makes room for other activities that constitute fasting. We have a legitimate right to dress well and use cosmetics to create a certain personal comfort and pep up our person. When we deliberately tone down our dressing and cut down on our use of perfumes and make-up, and reduce or do away with accessories like jewellery, for a given period for the purposes of shifting attention from ourselves, waiting on the Lord and engaging in a spiritual transaction with God, we are on the path of fasting. A choice to live very simply but decently as far as body care is concerned is a legitimate lifestyle of fasting. We have the example of Daniel to refer to again; “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. ³I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I USED NO LOTIONS AT ALL UNTIL THE THREE WEEKS WERE OVER.” Dan 10:2-3 (NIV). Reflect on Apostle Peter’s admonishment to Christian women in 1 Peter 3:3-5 in the context of this discussion: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” (NIV). When we engage with God in this way over a period of time, (a day, a week, a month), or as a lifestyle, it is another way of fasting which will not kill us. We feel the absence of things that we think make us look better, and it is a way of humbling oneself before God, as fasting is supposed to do. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: How does body care factor into your life as a person? We have a duty to dress and deck the body as well as we could. We can by the choices we make. Transform our grooming into a spiritual message God our Father understands. PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the things you provide me to make me feel comfortable in my body life. Please guide me to learn to set them aside so I may commune with you from time to time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 19, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: Fasting can be the abstinence from rich food. This means that on a given fasting plan we may eat some food, but not our usual quality or quantity of eating. For example, eating only fruits, or food with no fish or meat, or refusing to drink any usual refreshing drink. A week of abstinence from soft drinks that we may be used to can be an effective fast. In this instance whenever we feel the desire to have our favourite drink we are reminded of our engagement with God, and we turn the freedom to enjoy that product into a time of prayer. We have an example in the case of Daniel; “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. ³I ATE NO CHOICE FOOD; NO MEAT OR WINE TOUCHED MY LIPS; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. Dan 10:3a (NIV). In this case, Daniel ate some food, but not his usual rich food. For example, one could choose not to eat their usual meals, and opt for something less sumptuous. Spending less on food and directing the saved money to a charitable cause is this kind of fasting. The Akans fast (bua da) during funerals, by not eating the usual Fufu with the attendant soups and meats. They may eat rice or potato chips and still say they are fasting. This kind of fast will be suitable for people performing high-energy tasks or taking care of infants (lactating mothers). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Have you tried this partial abstinence fast before? Consider this when your schedule does not seem to allow you the space to enter full abstinence from food. PRAYER: Lord, thank you that I do not need to die to fast. May there be more fasting as we see more options for acceptable fasting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 18, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: The fact that fasting is a valid Christian duty is seen in the way the Lord introduced the key verse WHEN YOU FAST . . . What does it mean to fast? We have heard of people who have “fasted” and fallen sick or even died in the process. The definition of “fasting” and the questions it raises for some of our members who struggle with not being able to personally fast or join in the congregational “fasting” and feel guilty or left out, call for this reflection. Some of such have medical conditions and are on various medications which require that they eat at various times. Others are lactating mothers or people on high-energy jobs. In the midst of the public health issue of COVID-19, with its particular challenge for the immune system, we need to re-look at the mandate to fast from a biblical as well as a medical perspective. In the next few days, we shall approach “when you fast” from a biblical review of the subject, drawing attention to the varied forms of fasting, to the effect that we do not need to die when we fast. For most of us “fasting” has been defined as abstinence from food and drink, for religious purposes. This understanding is biblically true (though not the full story). Fasting must be understood as abstinence from legitimate natural appetites and sinful tendencies and behaviour. This abstinence must re-direct our focus on God, help us see our weakness as mortals, re-enforce our reliance on God and attract divine attention to us. FASTING IS ABSTINENCE FROM NORMAL FOOD AND DRINK • The Lord Jesus Abstained from Food and Drink (Matt 4:1-2) ¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. NIV • The Early Church Abstained from Food and Drink (Acts 13:2-3) ²While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." ³So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. NIV FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: When was the last time that you stayed away from your normal food in order to re-tune your spirit to God, and receive benefits for all aspects of life? You may set apart a day, a couple of days or part of a day in a week or other such arrangements, for fasting, and you will be blessed. PRAYER: Lord, please help me to fast my food, and to draw closer to you in such times equipping myself for the rest of life’s journey. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 17, 2023 | MATTHEW 6:16-18 KEY VERSE: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16 (NIV) MESSAGE: As we observed in the earlier discussion of prayer we see once again that the Lord Jesus Christ is opposed to the public display of our religious observances. Fasting is presumed by the Lord as a useful exercise for His followers after His ascension (Matthew 9:15). Fasting goes along with our prayers to show that we renounce every reliance on the flesh and rely totally on the hand of God. Prayer with fasting is a message of self-humiliation so that God may be exalted in whatever matters we are praying about. In fasting, we deny ourselves of legitimate physical God-given pleasure so that we may focus on our transactions with God. Cornelius in his search for God fasted, (Acts 10:30), and was recognized by God for salvation. Godly people of old fasted; Anna (Luke 2:37), and the early Church (Acts 13; 14:23). Fasting is a good practice, but the reason for which the Pharisees did it was to be seen by people and applauded by them. This was what the Lord considered wrong and spoke against. The lesson is simple; do not make a public show of your fasting. In that case, you receive your reward when people applaud you, and you are to expect no blessing from God. Anything we do to attract the attention of people does not win the approval of God. When people praise us because we covet and work towards that praise, we have earned our rewards with humans and lost our reward from the One who can really reward us. What other things do we do to earn human praise? The display of our talents and spiritual gifts, the levels and amounts we contribute to the finances of the Church, the positions we occupy and the titles we are given. What else? FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Let’s search our hearts to be sure why we do what we do, how we do it, when we do it, and where we do it. Any discovery of vain glory must drive us to our knees in tears and repentance. Let’s pray for the right heart attitude for all our religious activities. PRAYER: Lord, I am prone to seek the praise of people, as if that matters at all. Lord Jesus Christ, your fame spread throughout Israel and into the neighbouring regions, but you were not bent on human praise at all. Please help me and my fellow Christians to seek to please you alone, and not seek the praise of humans. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!