We started off the New Year at FAC with an incredible time of prayer, fasting and consecration.  Each day for 7 days, the largest crowds we’ve ever had at prayer meetings gathered together at the church to pray.  It was a time of deep spiritual re-alignment and re-focus.   The presence of God we sensed each evening was truly amazing.  The spiritual impact that week made on us individually and as a church was immeasurable.

We termed that week a “First Fruit week of Prayer and Consecration.”  Borrowing from the idea of the Old Testament First Fruit Offering, we committed to giving to God our first week of the year in prayer and consecration.  We did it in faith – believing that by giving Him the “first part” of our year in a special season of spiritual consecration, we invited His blessings on the remainder of the year.

As I was praying that week, I was reminded of how important prayer is and how God has called FAC to be a church of prayer. We know what prayer can do! Knowing that starting off the year with a week of prayer would bring all sorts of spiritual blessings throughout 2014, I thought, “Why not start each month with a special season of prayer?”  The more I thought about it, the stronger I felt the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I really felt God directing us to start each month of 2014 with 3 days of prayer, fasting and consecration. Just imagine how that will set the spiritual tone for each new month.

We’re going to give to God a “First Fruit” offering of prayer and consecration on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of each new month.  We’ll meet nightly at 7 pm at the church to pray.  I encourage you to also spend some or all of those 3 days fasting.  Let us answer the call of God to pray!  Let us “consecrate ourselves today, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us!” (Joshua 3:5) God is going to do great things 2014 at FAC and starting each month with a season of prayer will help all of be spiritually in tune and ready for His will to be done in us and through us!

God Bless!

~Pastor Ball

*whenever the 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd day of the month is a Sunday, we will meet at 8am to pray on that Sunday.  When the 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd falls on any other day of the week, prayer will be at 7pm.

It’s that time of year again!  It’s time to change the calendar on the refrigerator, start writing 2014 on our checks and oh, and don’t forget – time to make those New Year’s resolutions!  My wife shared a picture she found on Pinterest.  It pretty much sums up my past success with New Year’s resolutions:

I’ve made plenty of them – lose weight, be more disciplined, maintain a better prayer or study life, get out of debt, finish my book – the list goes on.  As I look back over the past, I must confess, my resolutions have not had a great success rate.  But I’m not alone.  Research shows 25% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions after one week and the average person makes the same New Year’s resolution ten separate times without success!

I heard someone recently say they would definitely NOT fail in their resolutions because they weren’t going to make any! Well, I am actually going to make some New Year’s resolutions for 2014.  I’ve been thinking and praying a lot in the last few days about changes I want to make and things I want to accomplish in the New Year.  And I believe this year I will see greater success!

Why do I believe this year will be different?  It won’t be the result of my greater will power, determination or because I have a New Year’s resolution iPhone app.  I believe my success will come because I’ve had a fundamental change in my thinking and approach.

My New Year’s resolutions have usually been about me trying to change me.  I’ve looked within to find the determination or will power to change things that really needed changed in my life.  I’ve come to realize that if I had the power to change myself, I would have done it by now.

It was the work of the Holy Spirit that transformed my life when I was born again.  God’s Spirit made me a new creation.  How ironic that after God miraculously changed my life when I was first saved, I would now revert to relying upon my own strength to make further changes and adjustments .  I’m reminded of Paul’s question to the Galatians, “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” I don’t want to take that verse out of context, but it makes me think: God is the one who radically transformed my life through His Spirit. Do I really think I can be perfected through my own strength?  I think the only way a New Year’s resolution will be successful is if we allow His power to change us!

I admit – I’m weak.  I don’t have a lot of will power.  I have good intentions, but seem to lack follow-through.  So this year, rather than looking inward, I’m going to look upward.  I’m going to surrender myself to Him, as clay in the hands of the potter, and ask Him to mold and shape me.  I’m going to pray and seek His strength and power to make the needed changes in my life for 2014.

– Pastor Ball

2 Cor 12:9 – “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…”

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