Abundance

God delights to bless us super-abundantly, immeasurably more than we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). We are invited to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). Let’s not embrace a poverty mindset when it comes to receiving from God.

 God is the One from whom all blessings flow, and He loves to bless us lavishly and generously. Think of the fullness of life that God gives us, the overflowing joy, the peace that surpasses understanding, the sense of belonging that we experience as we realise that we are set in His presence forever, the way in which He uses everything that happens to us to fulfil His purpose and calling for our lives, the wonderful work He accomplishes in us as He ransoms, heals, restores and forgives us.

So far, this might all sound very selfish and self-centred, but God blesses us in these manifold ways so that we, in turn, might release His blessings to others. Without receiving from God ourselves, we have nothing to give to a desperately needy world.

Today’s themes for prayer and fasting focus our attention on three areas in which God wants us to receive from Him - enlightenment, freedom and healing.

God wants to open the eyes of our understanding so that we can comprehend what He is saying to us and what He has done for us (Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:17-19). He wants us to enter into the expansive freedom which He has won for us (Galatians 5:1). There is also much more healing to be had - healing for the body, mind and soul. We remember that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). This is how the anointing of the Holy Spirit flowed through Jesus’ life and ministry - the blind received sight, the paralysed walked, the deaf heard, the dead came back to life, the demonised were delivered, the guilty were forgiven, the outcasts were welcomed and accepted, the hungry were fed, the poor received good news.

As we receive all these things for ourselves, we can also pass them on to others. Jesus gives His disciples power and authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons (Mark 6:13). Let’s not reduce God to the measure of our own limitations. Let’s not make the gospel too small. The world needs a big God. Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty - there’s nothing that He cannot do.

Prayer

Lord God, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth. Would You continue to renew our minds and increase our understanding? Thank You for the freedom that we have in Jesus. May we venture further into the liberty that You have purchased for us, and may the anointing of Your Holy Spirit break every yoke and every bondage so that we might be free to serve You. Thank You that You are the Healer. May we continue to receive healing in every area of our lives, and may we release healing to our neighbours, our city and our nation. In Jesus’ name. Amen!