Austin Porter dot org

God is doing a tremendous work in my personal life right now!

I have never been one to fast on any sort of regular basis, but I have aways been intregued with the Spiritual practice of seeking direction through a Biblical fast.

Maybe it is the desire to grow closer to Lord through disciplining myself to rely more on Him than earthly pleasure, or perhaps it is simply the notion of refraining from eating for a period of time in order to pray rather than eat.

Because lets be honest, I LOVE to EAT!!! And I get very angry when I don’t…

Nevertheless, God is calling me to fast for His presence more than ever before!!!

I’m studying Scripture to make sure I’m doing it God’s way and I haven’t found a prescribed regiment for “Proper Fasting 101.” I’ve also heard several opinions through the years on how we should fast and every new idea seems to vary from the last.

Here are some of the ideas others have offered:

1. Fast from all food for a certain period of days.

2. Fast from a designated meal (breakfast, lunch, or supper) for a certain period of days.

3. Fast from choice foods (i.e. “The Daniel Fast”)  for a certain period of days.

4. Fast from something pleasurable other than food (perhaps TV, internet, etc.) for a certain period of days.

5. Fast from all food on a specific day of the week (Monday, Friday, etc.) for a certain period of weeks. 

And so I’m curious. What do you do in order to fast and why do you fast this way?

Whatever the case, I believe the Bible is clear. Prayer and fasting are more about the ”WHO” rather than the ”WHAT,” as preparation of the soul leads to revelation of the Spirit. And Jesus calls us all to FAST.

So how do YOU fufill this act of obedience? Thank you in advance for your honest response…

This verse of Scripture is messing me up right now…

“But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’”  John 8:7

I will be very honest with you. I don’t like this verse very much! In fact, I sometimes wish it wasn’t even there. But it is. And it messes me up everytime I read it.

Because for far too long I have been the one who enjoyed throwing stones.

But Jesus calls us to live at a much higher standard of mercy, and grace, and forgiveness. And if anyone had the perfect opportunity to throw stones at other people, (especially people caught IN THE ACT of adultery – yes, they were in the middle of getting it on!!! Scripture never holds back the details…) it was JESUS.

Yet he of all people showed compassion that we will never comprehend. So if we are called to follow him, are we spending the majority of our time throwing stones OR dropping them down on the ground?

Pastors, how do most of our churches usually respond? Just asking…

I don’t know which weekend I get up for the most – The Super Bowl or the NFL Draft. You may think I’m crazy, but it is probably the Draft. “Why?” you may ask. Because it can change a franchise’s fortunes forever…

If you draft well, you can go from being a laughing stock to a Super Bowl contender. And if you draft poorly, you can go from being a perinnial powerhouse to the bottom of the league. It all hinges on the draft!

And why will I watch it all the way through (even when Carolina won’t pick until the middle of the 2nd round – 59th pick overall) because you can find talent all the way through; talent which could potentially reshape your franchise.

Don’t believe me?

Then check out these notable draft picks by the Carolina Panthers organization and tell me the WHOLE draft doesn’t matter…

5.  Wesley Walls – Round 2 (56th pick overall)

4. Kevin Green – Round 5 (113th pick overall)

3. Jake Delhomme – Undrafted Free Agent 

2. Sam Mills – Undrafted Free Agent

1. Steve Smith – Round 3 (74th pick overall)

All future Hall-of-Famers. All perinneal Pro-Bowlers. All difference makers as the face of this franchise! 

Yes, my friends, this is why we watch…

Had a great workout this morning…

I have been at it for 3 weeks now and I’m really starting to see (and FEEL) the difference. I have more energy. I’m not getting as winded. I’m going a lot longer without having to stop. And I’m seeing the weight start to come off.

All it takes is PERSISTENCE and CONSISTENCY to see the goal come into fruition.

Seems like there is a lesson here for not only getting in shape, but in everything we do and look to accomplish.

Don’t give up! Keep pushing forward. And the results WILL COME if we will keep chopping away…

As a communicator, I’m always looking to improve the way I present the message God has burned in my heart to deliver to our church each and every week.

Therefore I, like many other pastors, listen to A LOT of preaching. And most of the time I find myself not only listening to what they say, but HOW they say it. 

I want to know where they are going before they get there. I want to know how they set it up, how they make it connect, and how they deliver in way that makes you begging to come back for more.

So here is your turn to participate…

Who are the communicators that do it for you? Who are the ones different from you?

And who are the ones you’re learning from the most?

Please feel free to leave your top 3 behind.