10.05.22 | From Out of the Heart

Today, we will be utilizing our time of fasting and prayer to dive deeper into the following passage in Mark 7 from today’s BREAD reading.

“Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 

Using the movements of FAST, spend time considering the areas in your life where you are preoccupied by rituals. What “religious” things do you do that are not actually creating intimacy with God? Ask Jesus to highlight these places in for you.

Additionally, ask God to show you the places in your heart that are in need of transformation – “for it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come…” (verse 21). Spend time with God in this moment, ask him to reveal these things to you, and to heal these places in your heart.

Here are the four movements of FAST:

  1. Focus: Find a quiet place to settle your mind and open yourself to the Holy Spirit’s presence.
  2. Adoration: Spend time honoring and exalting God, tell him what you appreciate about him. Contemplate on who he is and what he has done. You might even be able to get a sense of his presence with you.
  3. Speak: Commune with God, taking moments to both speak to him about what’s on your heart and to pause and listen for his voice. Use journals to write down what you hear him say. Ask simple follow up questions like, “is there anything else you’d like me to know about [fill in the topic]” to really get to the heart of what Jesus wants to communicate to you and what you want to say to him or plead for while you fast.
  4. Transform: Commit to taking active steps to change or address what the Lord revealed during your time of fasting.

Past Fasting & Prayer Focus Posts