Lent Week 2 – You Have the Victory

One week down, five more to go!

Welcome to Day 8: Establish Your Faith. “Establishing or activating your faith is the process of doing in the natural what God has already finished in the spiritual” (The 40-Day SF, p. 52). Now that is reason to rejoice. It is already done and you have the victory.

I must admit I was surprised by the number of emails received by our office of fasters growing weary and losing strength and that in the first week! However, God is still on the throne and the enemy can’t do more than He allows and His words says that he will put no more on you than you can bear. In fact, it assures us “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).

So with that said, raise your hand if you are committed to run on and see what the end is going to be. To quote my friend Joy Briscoe, “When we successfully complete this cycle, there will be an unleashing from God like never before.” I believe that with all that is within me. I know our sacrifice has not gone unnoticed and that God will reward us above and beyond what we can ask or think.

We are continuing with our theme: The Exodus: Moving from Here to There. This week God has revealed yet another aspect of His will: that we embrace His love; that we know to the full how much He loves us (Ephesians 3:18-19).  And because He loves us He will lead us to victory in every area of our lives. Likewise, here are a few tips for gaining the victory in every situation:

1. Take your eyes off your circumstances. Faster Dianne stated that although she had some serious challenges during Cycle 1 of Surrender 2012, “I could not wait until the fast begun again to jump back in line for a double portion of God’s Blessing.” What a great approach; she took her eyes off of the problem—ignored the crafty schemes of the enemy and decided to look to God. Which leads us to our next tip…
2. Keep your mind on God. His word tells us that He will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your mind on Him (Isaiah 26:3). So instead of fretting and then complaining, think of some things you are grateful for and begin to thank the Lord. As you do that you will feel yourself rising above your circumstances and living in the perfect peace that He has promised.

Stay encouraged and fasters please pray for one another, even those who are starting behind you (there is a new wave of fasters that are stating today and some are already committing to start next week).

I would love to hear from you, please let me know by commenting below how you are faring this week.

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

Special Alert – A timely message from a fellow faster

My long-time friend Joy Briscoe emailed me on Friday with a message similar to the one you will read below. I was so moved by the insight God had given her about this cycle of the surrender fast that I asked her to write something similar to you. I pray you are encouraged!

Warning!!!  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

As your fellow Surrender Faster I want to encourage you. Your enemy, satan, does not want you to succeed.  Satan is angry with you! This theme The Exodus – Moving from Here to There, Moving from our will to God’s Will is a MAJOR necessity for the body of Christ. Most of our fight in the Christian life is denying our flesh, our wants, our will and yielding to God’s wants, God’s desires, God’s will. It’s no surprise early into the fast there’s frustration and discouragement, satan doesn’t want us to live in Gods will; he’s tried to stop us from the beginning of time. Eve was perfect inside of God’s will and here comes satan, making her feel and believe things should be different and that she should be dissatisfied in God’s Will .

Satan hates God, so it’s no surprise he’ll try to get to those God loves.   Be Advised, this theme has really threatened him, after all if we are surrendered to Gods will it makes it that much harder for us to listen to our flesh which listens to him. Oh fellow Surrender, Satan really knows even better than some of us the POWER, the FULL power we will have when we are completely in God’s will. As long as he has a foothold in our minds and lives, it hinders us from using the FULL POWER that we have access to. And now Dr. Owens has challenged us to do something that hinders his influence our lives!

Fellow surrenders, BE ALERT, satan will stop at nothing; he will use anything or anybody to keep you from your full potential and all that God has promised you, your full potential and God’s promises lay’s inside of God’s Will!  Stay focused, push through, you have RESURECTION POWER living inside you! (No wonder satan is so mad.) When we successfully complete this cycle, there will be an unleashing from God like never before. God never blesses mess and when we are in our will He can’t bless that; He can’t do for us the way He would love to. He can’t give us all he has for us. He needs us to see His way is best, so when we move into His Will, there will be an experience like never before!

PLEASE BE WISE!! DO NOT surrender to satan, DO NOT allow his tricks to cause you to give up. He wants you to give up, but make him surrender to you!

I Love you, YOU can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens YOU!!!!Phil 4:13

Minister Joy Briscoe
First Baptist Church of Glenarden
Upper Marlboro, MD

P.S. Thanks Joy!

P.S.S. Please feel free to comment below with your own observations.

Week 1 – Question of the Week

The Theme for Cycle 2 of The 40-Day Surrender Fast is: The Exodus – Getting from Here to There. As we have learned ”here” is our will and “there” is God’s will. So in others words for the next 36 days, God is instructing us on how to get from our will to His.

In that vain, God has opened the week with a discussion of His will to protect us. As He told the children of Israel, “when I see the blood I will pass over you” (Exodus 12).  Therefore, we have been instructed to anoint ourselves with oil, as well as those things around us, as a symbol of the protection we receive from the blood as a result of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

So the Question of the Week (QOW) is:

1. This week, in what way(s) has God demonstrated His protection towards you, a family member, or friend?
2. Similarly, do you have a specific instance of applying the oil and seeing God demonstrate His protection either in your home, school, work, etc.?

Don’t forget to join us for the Weekly Wrap-Up Call 12noon (EST)! You can send your testimony to testimony@surrenderfast.com. If you would like to join us on the show please indicate that in the email.

Be blessed Surrender Fasters!
Dr. Celeste

P.S. On Fridays there is no morning prayer call at 7am.

Lent Week 1: The Exodus – Moving from Here to There

Welcome to Cycle 2 of Surrender 2012! I am so excited that you are on this journey with me. And what a journey it will be.

This morning I presented God’s theme for this 6-week session: The Exodus – Moving from Here to There. That sounds exciting until you realize what is really being presented.  God’s not saying I am moving you from one season to the next but that He wants you to move from your will to His. Yikes, now that is just darn right scary. But this is the season for you to let it all go. In fact, my prayer partner Stephanie said to me just moments ago that if we surrender “fast” God will move fast.

Don’t you want to be free? Then during this time determine in your mind that whatever God tells you to do that you going to do it, and do it fast. Most of the time you aren’t going to understand why He’s telling you to do this or that, and you may not think it’s fair, but as He told us today in the devotional, “His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.” Therefore, simply move as He instructs and trust Him with the outcome.

That is what I have done this time around. I heard the Lord urging me to let go of distractions. For that reason I will not be on FB and Twitter for the entire fast. I will also limit my time on email. I know that God has some things that He wants to download into my spirit and I need to be quiet and distraction-free to hear Him. If Jesus pulled away regularly and I know I need to!

Lastly, each morning we are praying together. For tomorrow’s call please have with you a small bottle of oil.

Now here are a few housekeeping matters:

Morning prayer is from 7:00 – 7:15am (EST, M-Th). Please note the NEW phone number. Please submit prayer request to: prayer@surrenderfast.com.

The conference line is limited to 96 callers. If you can’t get on at 7:00am, don’t fret. You can listen to the recorded message as early at 7:20. Plese note that the recorded call in number is DIFFERENT from the live call in number.

Lastly, please help me welcome Stephanie Davis, my new administrative assistant! Her email address is admin@drcelesteowens.com. She will be responding to many of your request, comments, and questions throughout the fast. There are also a few additions to the Prayer Team.

I am so excited about the changes that are about to take place in your life. If you follow this fast faithfully, I promise you your life will never be the same!

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

On Your Mark, Get Set…

Are you ready to surrender it all to God? Well that time has come again. We are embarking on the second cycle of Surrender 2012 during the Lenten Season. In fact, Day 1 starts on Monday, February 27.

Please be sure to complete the Pre-Fast Preparation chapters before Monday and let God tell you what to surrender. Don’t be like my son who said he is surrendering school and sleep.

If you are still waiting for your book please visit the website to read the PDF of the Pre-Fast chapters.

Morning prayer is from 7:00 – 7:15am (EST, M-Th). Please note the NEW phone number. Please submit prayer request to: prayer@surrenderfast.com.

The conference line is limited to 96 callers. If you can’t get on at 7:00 don’t fret. You can listen to the recorded message as early at 7:20.

Lastly, please help me welcome Stephanie Davis, my new administrative assistant! Her email address is admin@drcelesteowens.com. She will be responding to many of your request, comments, and questions throughout the fast. There are also a few additions to the Prayer Team.

I am so excited about the changes that are about to take place in your life. If you follow this fast faithfully, I promise you your life will never be the same!

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

Lent 2012: Lord Ignite My Passion

People who are serious about God and fulfilling their God-given calling have passion. So let me ask you, when people describe you do they use the word “passion”? If not, in the next 40 days allow God to ignite in you a passion for Him so deep that others will be remarkably drawn to you (or in some cases repelled depending on their desire to know God).

After (7) 40-day Surrender Fast you may think I have had enough, but to the contrary. The closer I draw to God the more aware of my flaws, my unworthiness to be used by Him, and by what a nothing I truly am without Him.  And it is from this posture that my passion for God and the things of Him has grown.

The passion is so great that I am willing to eliminate any and every thing that I feel keeps me from pursuing Him with all my might. To some people I seem eccentric and several have said to me, “It doesn’t take all of that.” But I know where God is taking me and it takes all of that and MORE.

What are you willing to sacrifice for a closer walk with God? What are you willing to leave behind to fulfill the call He has on your life. The surrendered believer knows that his/her life is not her own but to Christ he/she belongs.

On that note, in the next 7 days we are embarking on a new cycle of fasting! I am excited about what God will do. His word says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” I don’t know about you but I am simply looking forward to experiencing His presence in a new way.

Now a few instructions:

1. Complete the Pre-Fast Preparation chapters.
2. Day 1 begins on February 27, 2012.
3. Please press the word “Follow” on the right of the screen to have this blog posted in your Inbox every week.
4. If you are NOT receiving emails from me please Sign Up for Surrender 2012 on the website.
5. The Morning Prayer resumes Feb 27, 7:00-7:15a.m. (EST).
6. Please pass the word. Tweet, FB, and Email your family and friends. Pray and ask God who you should bless with a copy of this powerful book. Copies of The 40-Day Surrender Fast can be purchased on the website.
7. LIKE the Surrender Fast on Facebook.

Most importantly remember that you are the favored of God, you are blessed and that you are his beloved son/daughter in whom He is well pleased. If that doesn’t ignite your passion, I don’t know what will!

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

P.S. Your comments are welcome. What are you seeking? What do you need God to do for you? In what areas do you need your passion ignited (e.g, family. love walk, ministry, etc)? Please share your thoughts below.

Lent 2012: As One Cycle Ends, Another Begins

You did it!

You’ve completed The 40-Day Surrender Fast and so much has changed; God has made all things new. I, for one, am refreshed, renewed and my faith is stronger than it has ever been.

Likewise, the testimonies are rolling. Here’s a few:

“I had been molested by my dentist as a child. From that I developed an intense fear of dentist and did not go to one as an adult until recently. Thanks to The 40-Day Surrender Fast I am no longer ashamed of my past, and I am not fearful of dentist.In fact, I am going to the dentist this week to have them finalize repair on my long-neglected teeth. I praise God for freedom.” Sheila

“Today my daughter’s teacher phoned me to say that she has improved dramatically. She is turning in her assignments on time, getting better grades, and participating more in class. She had been having problems since PRE-K! She is now in middle school. It feels so good to hear the positive comments. God is a mighty good God!” Chartese

Also my 9-year-old nephew Ryan, the youngest faster to date, completed the fast. He surrendered video games and vowed to brush his teeth three times a day. After the first week he told his mom, “this fast really works, my teeth have never been this white.” He shared his praise report on the last Weekly Wrap-up call (712.772.7200, access code 438001, Ref #40).

So what now?

It starts all over again. Truthfully, I hadn’t planned to lead another 40 day structured fasting period until April but as God would have it we are doing it now starting February 27, 2012 to coincide with the Lenten Season.

Here are the details:

1. Required Reading. The 40-Day Surrender Fast
2. Pre-Fast Preparation. Complete before February 27
3. Start Day 1. Monday, February 27
4. Prayer Line. Mon. – Thurs – 7-7:15am (EST)
5. Weekly Wrap-up Call. Every Friday – 12noon (EST)
6. Weekly Blog.
7. Webinar. Monday evenings – 7:00 – 8:30 pm (EST)

This time the morning teaching will come from my yet-to-be-published book: Destined to Succeed, 7-Steps for Fulfilling Your Destiny! Of course the Prayer Team is in place and ready to intercede on your behalf.

Again, I pray that you were abundantly blessed during the 40 days of surrender. I also hope that this is not a one-time event but the start of a lifestyle of surrender.

Please share with us your praise report at testimony@surrenderfast.com or in the space below.

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

Week 6: No More Props

Welcome to Day 36! We are in the last week of our 40 day surrender. It seems—at least to me—that the time has flown. And I must say, I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this experience with you.

Today’s devotional is No More Props. The scripture reference comes from Isaiah 3:1, “For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff [every kind of prop], the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water” (Amplified Bible).

Thankfully, there comes a time in every surrendered person’s life that God removes every prop that has given he/she a sense of stability and comfort. It happened to me a few years back; certainly not a good feeling, but necessary.

Perhaps you are currently going through this prop-removing process. If so, you are probably experiencing some discomfort as God stretches and forces you to learn who He is for yourself. Don’t be alarmed and don’t try to remove yourself from the process; this is the Lord’s doing and it needs to happen so that you can be a success in Him.

Therefore, as you surrender and allow Him to remove the props, He will show you the next steps and bring you to higher heights and deeper depths in Him. He has a great plan for you and I pray that you continue to surrender your life so that you experience all that He has for you!

On another note…many individuals, clubs and churches have committed to doing The 40-Day Surrender Fast for the Lenten Season. If you know of any one that would be interested in participating in the Surrender Fast please let them know that this structured time of fasting will occur from February 22 – April 7. The Surrender Fast team plans to provide the same level of support we did for the first-of-the-year fasters: weekly Morning Prayer conference calls, the Friday weekly wrap-up, Facebook support, and blog.

Again, please pass the word to your family and friends about what is to come. Likewise you are more than welcome to participate even if you are not fasting for Lent (I will teach a new series for the morning prayer).

Lastly, I will be making an announcement this week on a new activity we will offer those who wish to continue their surrender experience. I am so excited about this next step and I can’t wait to share with you what we have in store.

I would love to hear from you. If you have a testimony of how God has blessed you on this fast please email me at testimony@surrenderfast.com. Or simple respond below.

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

Week 5: The God of the Impossible

Welcome to Day 29! Today’s devotional, The God of the Impossible, was one of my favorite to write. One day prior to my writing that blog, God did the seemingly impossible; He saved my youngest brother. (Stephen will join us this Friday on the Weekly Wrap-up Call to share with us a snippet of his experiences as a new creation.) What an exciting day that was, not only for me, but my entire family.

Obviously, I don’t need to recap the story; you have it there in black and white. But what I do want to stress is that God is not through, He wants to bless you equally as much.

What requests do you have before Him? Perhaps they’re related to your business, family, health, and/or ministry efforts. Whatever the case, do you believe that they will come to pass? I hope by now your answer is YES because it is faith that moves God.

Hebrews 11:6 reads, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Therefore, if you’re going to experience His great and mighty hand in your circumstances, you must believe Him at His word. So continue to seek Him, to grow closer to Him, and to believe that He can do what seems humanly impossible.

That’s what Jabez did. And like Jabez, you have been seeking God for the last 29 days, asking Him to bless you INDEED and to enlarge your territory (I Chr. 4:10). Thankfully, God doesn’t ignore sincere prayers that are made with the proper motivation. Hannah is a witness to this truth (I Samuel 1:8-18) as is Peter, whose friends earnestly prayed until he was supernaturally freed from a Roman jail (see Acts 12)! And if God—who does not value one person over another—did that for them, what might He do for you? The sky isn’t even the limit, because the possibilities are limitless with God.

On that note, this week we will continue our study of the Jabez prayer with the theme New Horizons with God. We will focus on the last portion of the prayer which reads, “So God granted Him what he requested.” You won’t want to miss this special time with our Father.

Join us M-Th, 7:00-7:15am (EST) at 712-775-7200, access code: 438001.

I would love to hear from you. If you have a testimony of how God has blessed you on this fast please email me at testimony@surrenderfast.com. Or simple respond below.

With God all things are possible,
Dr. Celeste

Week 4: Dust off Your Dreams

Welcome to Day 22! We are more than half-way there. I pray that your experience thus far has been as rich and full as mine.

Today’s devotional Dust off Your Dreams, reminds us that God has not forgotten; that He still plans to prosper us in every area of our lives. For that reason we are to “dream big, dream bold and always remember that He does not forget” His promises.

What are your dreams for your life? A career, marriage, education, and/or more impact for the kingdom? Then pursue those dreams like never before in 2012. As you do so remember these two important points:

1. God wants to bless you INDEED. All He needs from you is a devoted heart and faith that believes He can do anything.  God has repeatedly reminded us during the course of this fast to let Him do a new thing, to ask for what we need according to His will and He will do it, and to BELIEVE that He will bless us INDEED. Each day we have prayed the Jabez prayer (I Chronicles 4:10) and each day He hears and is anxious to work on our behalf. 2 Chronicles 16:9a reminds us ”For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” A surrender heart is a loyal heart; therefore expect God to bless you and to grant you good success in your business.
2. When you take care of God’s business He takes care of yours. The scripture tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” And that’s just what you’ve been doing during the course of this fast—seeking God. Now watch Him show up in your situation and work mightily. Recently God has been telling me to “rest.” For me rest meant that I was to allow Him to market The 40-Day Surrender Fast the way He wished. In the meantime I was to take care of my home and some other missions-related activities. And because of my obedience I have seen God’s hand in the life of this book. He has opened doors for me that I never expected to be opened. Case in point, I am on this amazing experience with you! What a mighty and faithful God we serve.

There’s an excitement in my spirit that’s growing with each passing day. And just in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a movement from God. So stay alert and present for the next 18 days. As He told the children of Israel in the book of Joshua, “Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess” (Joshua 1:11, NKJV).

In faith, possess your new land, your new season, and your new life. Dust off those dreams, put them before God, and let Him prosper you in every area of your life.

Remember to join us for morning prayer. This week we are focusing on the 4th part of the Jabez prayer: “and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” Please send your prayer request to prayer@surrenderfast.com.

I would love to hear from you. If you have a testimony of how God has blessed you on this fast please email me at testimony@surrenderfast.com.

http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Fsurrenderfast.wordpress.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1327324257775