Mensa Otabil - Sanctify the Congregation
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Welcome to day number two of our 40 days of power. I trust that you are fully involved and that you are waiting on the Lord, trusting Him for His grace to abound toward us. We will be staying with Joel chapter 2, so let’s look at verse number 16: «Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babies; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber and the bride from her dressing room.»
In a consecrated public fast, God calls on the entire community to participate. It is not like an individual fast where you fast quietly in your room or by yourself; a public fast, a community fast, or a congregational fast requires everyone to endeavor to be part of the fast. God instructed His people to sanctify the congregation. To sanctify the congregation simply means to set it apart. In the case of Israel, the whole nation had to commit themselves to being dedicated to what was happening. In our case, each one must dedicate themselves to what is happening. That is what it means to sanctify yourself; it simply means to set yourself apart. If we want to be sanctified for a fast, there are three things we must do.
First, we set our hearts apart. This means we turn our hearts to the Lord and make Him our priority. Many things compete for our hearts' affection and devotion, and sometimes they are things we love. But during a fast, you sanctify your heart; you want to say, «My heart belongs to God, my affections belong to God, my desires belong to God.» So, sanctify your heart, and that is what makes a fast real. It’s not just hunger that makes it a fast, but the sanctification, the setting apart.
Secondly, set time apart for the Lord. In this day and age, each one of us is engaged in work; we go to work and start very early, sometimes closing very late. It’s important during the fast to sanctify a time apart. It could be five minutes, two minutes, thirty minutes, or an hour-whatever time you can set aside-but you must declare that this is God’s time. During this time, even if you are at the office, make a little time to pray and seek the face of the Lord. Don’t just go through the motions; make time for God, and sanctify time.
Thirdly, we must set our appetites apart. The things we desire, the things we want to partake in and enjoy-we want to sanctify our hearts, our time, and our appetites. There will be moments during the fast when you feel very tempted, and sometimes the temptation is not real. You might suddenly feel hungry early in the morning at 8 o’clock, which normally would not even be when you eat. But during a fast, you realize that your appetite can run rampant. So you have to set your appetite apart, saying, «This is God’s time; this is God’s moment.»
Let your appetite know that this is God’s movement. If you consider what Joel told the people to do from the Lord, the fast is for everybody, including the children. It doesn’t mean the children will have to abstain from eating; it simply means that they should be made aware that something spiritual is going on-this is a spiritual moment. It mentions even the bride and the bridegroom; everyone should acknowledge that although there are legitimate needs and things they are doing legitimately, in this moment, they will remember the Lord. They will place God first and sanctify Him in their hearts, with their time, and with their appetites. Let’s do that and set our hearts right, and God will meet us at the point of our needs.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are my heart’s desire. I set myself apart to do Your will as I seek Your face. In Jesus' name, Amen.»