Saturday 26th: Today is the final day of our Every Nation London “24ten” – ten days of prayer & fasting. We’ve had every hour covered in prayer by one or more people, and had a bunch of people fasting from anywhere between a few meals to all ten days. What now?

Fasting is not an end in itself, and nor just a means to an end. In itself, it enriches the spirit, but through it, it impacts your world.

In Luke 4 we read that “Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and He ate nothing…”   Then after His fasting and overcoming temptation, the Scripture records that He came out “in the power of the Spirit.” Though I have some idea, I don’t know exactly what that means. Whats the difference between “being filled with the Spirit” and “being in the power of the Spirit?” Whatever it means, its what Jesus had after resisting temptation (including “bread” to meet His hunger need) and came out of His wilderness fast. He then went into the synagogue “as His custom was” (ie everything seemed the same as before), but having read from the book of Isaiah He declares that “today this word is fulfilled” and that “the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me.” Jesus goes on in this power to “preach the gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom of God.”

As you come to the end of a time of fasting and prayer, believe for a greater “power of the Spirit” released in your life. I have faith for more of this in my own life and ministry, and I believe that we will see it in the life of our church, our city, and the nations.

To all the awesome Every Nation London’s, thank you for standing together in prayer & fasting. It is a huge blessing and privilege for Ali & I to lead this church. Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday, when in Acts 2:1 the disciples were “all together in one accord,” and they received an empowering that changed them and the world. I look forward with expectation to our “all together in one accord” tomorrow…