Story of an Ex-Assistant

3 essential questions about the Holy Spirit

Albert Einstein is credited with the following prediction: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Albert, it looks like we’ve already reached that point:

Our information consumption habits are destroying our sociability, productivity, power of attention and creativity. That is, we no longer know how to interact with people, we don’t produce as much as we could at work, we find it difficult to focus on something for long periods, and we practically don’t create anything anymore—we just consume information that bombards us every few seconds on a screen near us.

This is so damaging that there are companies today that prohibit their employees from using work email after hours, while others have eliminated internal email altogether. Some productivity gurus advise taking a break from technology to improve mental and physical health.

Don’t get me wrong: I love technology. But I confess that I have felt many of the symptoms of information overload I mentioned above; this why I embrace the Fast of Daniel with all my faith and intelligence.

[Find out more about what the Fast of Daniel here.]

The next Fast of Daniel begins on 20^th September at midnight and will end on 10^thOctober. It’ll be 21 days of mental, emotional and spiritual refreshment for those who want to invest in the most important parts of their lives: their mind and spirit.

Let’s go on a mental and spiritual retreat.

Let’s filter out all unnecessary activities, eliminate distractions and useless information, and focus on what matters.

Do you think YOU can do the following for 21 days?

• Use the Internet only for work or study
• Keep the radio and TV switched off, except for content that builds up your faith
• Give preference to reading and meditating on the Word of God
• Set aside time to think about your life, evaluate things and do some self-help.
• Cultivate moments of silence to hear the voice of God, pray and seek the guidanceof the Holy Spirit

I’m sure you can. The question is… do you want the benefits that this retreat will bring?

I hope you accept the challenge. Click here to better understand what the Fast of Daniel is about. And every day during this period, I will post a message here on the blog to inspire you. Leave your comments and share your experiences.

Let’s grow together.

To help you to think...

Bishop Macedo's message - The Fast of Daniel

THE FAST OF DANIEL

  Pollution is anything which contaminates or damages, and can alter physical, chemical and biological  properties.

  When we feel that we are becoming too involved, intoxicated or dependent on something, we can say that this “something” is not good for us. And this is the first sign that we need a detox.

The problem is, a lot of people live their lives on autopilot, and follow a daily routine which ends up not only controlling what they do but, also, who they actually are.

They wake up in the morning, take a shower and watch the news whilst having breakfast. On the way to work, they tune into their favourite radio station to listen to the news, read a fictional book or listen to music to distract them.

  At work, more information is obtained from the Internet, which is often accompanied by music to entertain them as time goes by. Going home is similar to going to work. As they get in, they turn on the TV and only switch it off when they go to sleep – that’s if they don’t fall asleep with it on.

The weekend is sometimes spent with the family, and again everyone sits around the TV to watch the programs they missed during the week. When Monday comes, the routine starts all over again.

  

  What’s the outcome? 

It’s what they see in the mirror – a body that is apparently alive, but a soul and spirit that is weak and lifeless.

They then ask themselves, “What’s wrong with me?” Well, it’s very simple: They worry more about ‘feeding’ their flesh than they do about feeding their spirit.

  What is the food for the spirit? 

The food is prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God, fasting – taking the time to meditate and abstain from all media in general.

From 29th January to 18th February, we will have 21 days of intensive detox to have a healthy spirit. You will only ‘feed’ yourself of the food of the spirit, in order to be purified and strengthened.

  What are a mere 21 days out of 365?

It’s enough time to cleanse your spirit and connect yourself to God, so don’t miss this opportunity!

 Visit one of our Universal Church's branches in Jamaica.

Importance:

You may like to read the Bible and you may want to read it, but there will always be something on the way as if it wasn’t that important anyway. But no one goes without food because it’s just a basic need we all have. That’s the same for the Bible, it’s our spiritual food and without it, we’ll get spiritually weaker and weaker.

The following symptoms reveal when one hasn’t been feeding from the Word of God:

•   No words to pray

•   Clueless of what to do in different situations

•   Lack of understanding regarding what the pastor preaches

•   Easily deceived by false doctrines

•   No arguments to talk about Jesus and to evangelize.

•   No strength to fight

•   Weak before sin

Versions:

There are popular Bible versions that omit some crucial verses of the Bible, therefore we at The Universal Church recommend ‘New King James’ version. It’s the most true to the original we’ve found so far. Also be aware of the Jehovah’s Witness version.

Prepare:


The Bible is not just another book. It’s the Word of God and though different people wrote it many years ago, it’s the most updated book anyone can ever read. It talks about every area of a person’s life, giving its reader guidance found nowhere else in the world. So in order for you to take the most out of it, pray before each time you read that God may speak to you through that reading and He will.

Where:

In order for you to get the most out your reading, you should not do it in places or times that you’ll find it hard to concentrate. The Bible needs to be read slowly, eating every word you read. Find an appropriate place and time to slowly digest it.

Start:

You don’t have to start reading the Bible from Genesis, though you might want to know a little background on God’s creation and how the faith came about in this world. But as a total beginner, we recommend you start from the Gospels, that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four books talk about the time when our Lord Jesus came to the Earth and revealed the true identity of the Father.

Understanding
:

Nobody understands the whole Bible. Be patient with yourself and read anyway. If you come across a passage you don’t understand, don’t worry, in time you will. That’s how it is for every one who reads the Bible. God always speaks of what is relevant to you at the time you’re reading, so meditate in what you’re reading and have your ears open to hear Him speak. When He doesn’t speak, it’s because it’s not relevant to you then.

(By Bishop Renato Cardoso)