via TJC
Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!” - Matthew 22:1:-3 NLT
From a young age, I was a finicky eater. If a food didn't look good to me, there was no way I was going to put it in my mouth. This insistence robbed me of a lot of enjoyment as a kid. There were no pizza parties. Pizza looked disgusting to me! I was almost a teenager before I finally tried my first French Bread pizza in the toaster oven. And boy, was I wrong about that food group! It turns out that I had built part of my identity around the food I didn't eat. “That's just not "me.”
As I got older, I brought this same attitude with me into my relationship with God. Things that God said were good for me, I kept away from my plate. One of these things I avoided was fasting. Prayer isn't a hard thing to order from the menu, but we might have second thoughts about abstaining from the food we love. Why is that? It's because fasting is like a cross for our appetites, one that we are each called to take up. Through it, an altogether different flavor of God's goodness reaches and satisfies our soul. But with anything worthwhile, fasting takes practice. It wasn't until my fourth time doing an extended fast that my spiritual palate for it finally changed and my inner man awoke with a new hunger.
Daily Battle Order:
Food is one of God's great gifts to us. Around it, we build relationships that change eternity. In the same way, fasting with The King changes us. It both deepens our relationship with Him and gives us strength for the battles He has appointed us to win. Ask King Jesus to invite you to a fast this year. A new weapon for battle awaits those who fast with the King at the victory feast He has prepared!
Good news! There will be actual food at TJC’s upcoming gathering at the Manassas National Battlefield Park on June 11th. Pack your appetite and visit our website to register for this epic event.