Fasting & Vision 2026 - Pastor Josiah Elias
- design97004
- Jan 5
- 12 min read
We watched a video of several baptisms and testimonies. Each spoke of the powerful changes and public declaration of their love for the Lord. All heaven rejoices when faith meets the water. Pastor issued an invitation to the monthly baptisms.
A new ministry is beginning at Faith Chapel called Set Free Ministry, a 12-week series starting January 20. It is a healing journey for women with past wounds, helping them break free, receive forgiveness and embrace their identity in Christ. Pastor Josiah spoke about getting totally healed and restored. Praise God that when we put faith in Jesus Christ, he does a thorough work on the inside of us, but also gives us tools, scripture and ministry to help us be effectively free. We see that with our Shalom Ministry, where you can schedule an appointment, tell your story, be prayed for and ministered to. We’ve been hearing incredible stories of great freedom happening there.
Today we begin the Daniel Fast. We pray that every single person would participate. You may not be able to do the Daniel Fast, but perhaps you can give up something. Pastor said he can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in this house.
Other upcoming events: Prayer nights each Sunday at 6.
Synergy Small Groups
Wednesday night services and midweek activities.
There are new t-shirts available for purchase that say “Abundant” on the front and John 10:10 on the back. Josiah had a dream July 4, Independence Day. In the dream, he had gone to an ATM and pulled out $10,010, and immediately in his spirit knew that it was about John 10:10. When he woke up and spent time in prayer, the Lord brought him to John 10. It really has a lot of context to do with being a healthy leader. If you buy a shirt, understand the message behind it. We are supposed to be healthy people, whether you are leading your family, leading your kid’s baseball team, serving at school, leading at church or whatever God’s wanting you to do. Be a healthy leader that keeps it about Jesus, that rebukes the enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
This is a monumental year for Faith Chapel. This year we are celebrating 70 years as a church. We are going to be having a 70-year anniversary celebratory service in the church on March 7, assessing and looking at where we are at in this moment and charting the course for the future. I would venture to say that 100s of 1000s of lives have been impacted by what the Lord has done here at Faith Chapel and throughout the world these 70 years. There’s been incredible leaders, incredible words, and tons of people that have been set free, healed and delivered. If you know people that used to attend Faith Chapel, let them know. People are coming from all over
to be part of this special day at this great church. To God be the glory!
The mission is to culture like Christ. The vision is Jesus.
In this season of fasting, it is important that we have a bit of context and understanding.
Fasting is choosing to give up food or certain types of food in order to engage seriously with God. Biblical fasting always is about food. What is it that God has called you to do? The Daniel Fast is not a punishment or a diet. It’s not a way of twisting God’s arm to give us what we desire. It is essentially anything that comes from seed. No meat, no treats. If you want to do something beyond that, fantastic. If you want to fast in other ways, that’s tremendous as well. Everyone can do something!
Fasting silences the distracting groans of the flesh in order to better engage the spirit.
The flesh is always moaning for something. There is always something we want or something we need to buy. When you are fasting, your flesh is actually going to amp up a bit. Find something to engage the spirit. Right after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, Peter preaches to the crowds. Its like a peek into the tools utilized in the early church.
Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.
47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
This is a really beautiful window to see what was happening at the birth of the church. Pastor Josiah said that he wanted to give us 10 tools that he picked up from these scriptures.
They studied the word. – “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (v.42).
This is important because when you are in a season of fasting, you are seeking the Lord, praying and engaging with God. You should be in a place of studying God’s word, really going through this with great intentionality. Reading His word is very good and helpful, but there is something beyond just the base value. If you see a verse and don’t understand it, pause and look into it. A good study Bible is very helpful. Pastor Josiah uses the new Spirit of Life Study Bible.
Fellowshipped – “and to fellowship” (v 42).
There is actually so much strength we draw from each other. Build a community of people. Join a Synergy small group. Be around other believers. Three powerful words are “what’s your story?”. They can open up conversations that will be so helpful for you.
Fellowship – play games, have fun together!
Ate together in community (v 42).
On a Daniel Fast, we aren’t saying that you can’t eat. Pastor said, just don’t eat 14 tacos! This is the moment that we are choosing what we are eating. God will remind you of these things. It is time to regauge when your appetite desires things, and engage in spiritual life.
Took communion – including the Lord’s Supper. (42, 46)
I would like to encourage you to take communion in your home. Take the time to take communion and read the account in Corinthians Chapter 11. Think about the sacrifice, about your sins that have been forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross. It is powerful both at church and at your kitchen table.
Prayed – “and to prayer” (v 42).
They prayed together. We will have prayer at church every Sunday night during the fast, but that should not be the only time you pray. Please engage with God, set aside deep moments with the Lord. Consecrate some time. Whether it’s 5 minutes or an hour, challenge yourself to do something beyond what you usually do.
Focused on God – “a deep sense of awe came over them all” (v 43).
There was a cognitive awareness that God was with them. In this season of fasting, there are going to be a lot of distractions trying to get your attention. Look at those things and say maybe my mind is better spent on the Lord.
Ministered to one another – “many miraculous signs and wonders”, “shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (v 43, 46).
There were many miraculous signs and wonders. Watch as your spirit becomes sensitive. God will put other people on your mind. Text them, send them a card, do something to minister to the people around you. It might happen at church. When your spirit is more aware and sensitive, you may find people around you going through something. The more you give yourself to God, the more you actually become others-centered. You start caring about other people.
Served one another – “shared everything they had”, “shared the money with those in need” (44,45).
In the early church, they brought their possessions, sold their stuff, and made sure that everyone around them had all they need. This might be a moment at the crest of 2026 where you decide to help on the tech team or kids’ ministry or worship team. Maybe this is the moment where God will open that door for you, to consider stepping into a place of service in 2026. Have a mindset that cares for others, whether here at Faith Chapel or in your community.
Worshipped – “they worshiped together at the Temple each day” (v 46)
We have many times to worship corporately at Faith Chapel. Have your own time of worship with God. Worship and prayer and study of God’s word goes together easily.
Find time to sit down and listen to your favorite worship songs. Don’t just listen to the music, engage your spirit. Be with the Lord in a state of engagement.
Enjoyed the journey – “with great joy and generosity”, “enjoying the goodwill of all the people” (v.46, 47).
This season of fasting is not meant to be miserable. At the end of these 21 days, you will feel rejuvenated. You are going to feel strong. You are going to feel engaged with God. Many will say, why am I just doing this for 21 days? The greatest result of fasting is lifestyle adjustments that carry on for life. The dietary part has place, but the spiritual engaged part is far more valuable.
The early church had many tools. These great insights help us seek a lifestyle to live every day, in and out of seasons of fasting. If you do the dietary part perfectly, but neglect engaging with God, you are missing out. Don’t read whole books of the Bible these 3 weeks and then never touch the Bible the rest of the year. Don’t connect deeply with God for 3 weeks and then casually bump into him the rest of the year. No, help your neighbor consistently. Love your kids well. Be the best spouse ever. You are being equipped and engaged with God in ways that will help you for a lifetime.
In Isaiah, chapter 58:2 – 9, the Lord addresses the nation of Israel about fasting and service. Live the life you are called to serve. Josiah said he has fasted for 3 weeks in the past, only to circle back. Far better than perfecting the fast is to actually be the man or woman He has called you to be. He said he was used to allowing the enemy to come in and bring him down from high places. He began to renew his mind and say he never needs to walk with lust, or be greedy, or struggle with sin. He could be free because Jesus paid the price so he could be a new creation in Christ Jesus. Don’t just knock it out of the park for 3 weeks. Renew your mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to help during this season of fasting, beginning today. I believe that God will lead you. Live the life the way He’s calling you.
When Jesus was ready to launch into ministry, after 30 years of preparation, He gets baptized by John the Baptist. The heavens were opened to Him. He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and the Father said He was His beloved Son. His Father says He is pleased with Him before any miracle, before any dead raising, before demons were cast out. Then, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For 40 days, he fasted in the desert. This is the final test of all that preparation. He had to struggle with all that you could be tempted with. He chose righteousness. Fasting is often the threshold to be walked through to reach another level. It’s almost like a graduation opportunity. The Lord may be adding something to your life. The more we prepare our heart, the Lord elevates us and takes us into new things. What might the Lord be bringing you personally into this year? Is the fast a part of what the Lord is utilizing to ready you for what He wants to bring you into in 2026? If that’s true on a personal level, it also applies to us on a corporate level.
What is the Lord is bringing this church into through 202? Pastor Josiah felt he heard this from the Lord: Deep and wide. We must go deep before we go wide. As others are grafted into this family we need deep, mature believers that are hungry and pursuing God’s people. Then, when we go wide, the people that we meet and attract, the people that God is moving in, can be invited into the deep.
We are invited into deeper things of the Lord. I pray for you that you would be deeper in your relationship with the Lord at the end of 2026. As a family, as staff, as leaders, in ministries, in Bible studies, worshipping, honoring God, and expanding, making disciples, we want to prepare for deep! If your desire is to always stay shallow, this might not be the house for you. Many American churches have become complacent, going through the motions, and not actually producing fruit that God has called us to produce. If this place is filled with shallow people who do nothing, we lose. So we are going to pursue the deeper things of the Lord. Then as we go wider, you’ll see that more and more people will be invited into deep.
May God prepare us for the deep things of the kingdom. May He prepare us to hear Him, to study His scriptures, to lay hands on the sick and see them recovered, to hear what His Spirit is saying.
The second thing Pastor Josiah heard from the Lord is the word productive. Friends, its time to produce. Make sure that what we envision as productive is actually what matches His definition of productive. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter said that God has given us everything we need for living a Godly life. Living the Godly life happens by His divine power at work in us. We have received all of this by coming to know Him. Our job is coming to know Him, which we will work on day in and day out, here at Faith Chapel.
In 2 Peter 1:4, it says He has given us great and precious promises. These promises enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption. You have a new nature, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We have a part to play. Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with moral excellence, self-control, patient endurance, and brotherly affection, In verse 8 it tells us the more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we are all representing Christ, we should be representing Him well to others. Our mission here is to culture like Christ and to do what He’s called us to do.
Productive doesn’t necessarily mean busy, though it has an element of work to it. It’s coming and understanding what God is asking us to do and actually doing the things that He’s called us to do. Your intake is actually going to define your output.
Pastor Josiah said that every holiday he encounters the Lord, sometimes by someone speaking to him and sometimes in a dream. Recently, he had a dream and dreamt he learned to fly. It was really cool. The Lord spoke to him in the dream, saying that the conditions had to be just right. It was very windy in the dream. Every once in a while, he would tumble on the ground and get some scrapes and bruises, but they didn’t matter.
Lord, teach me to fly. Not in the air, but with the right conditions in my life. We’ve been saying that God is breathing on Faith Chapel. What the Lord is doing here is not insignificant. He’s turned His face towards us and there’s a blowing that’s happening in the Spirit. That’s what the Lord seemed to be showing him, that the conditions were right for such a radical shift in life. Here at Faith Chapel, there is more to what is coming than we’ve ever seen before. As we crossed into this 70th year, something truly significant is happening.
Then, he had a second dream. It was more intense. He was in a courtyard where an altercation between two people was happening. A guy shot a female and she falls to the ground dead. Several people were around and we called the police. Josiah walked to the lifeless body and said, “in the name of Jesus Christ, come back to life.” The woman opened her eyes, got up and walked. The Lord told him though she’s known the name of Jesus, now she is going to know Him as the resurrection and the life. He knew the Lord was speaking to me about this new year to come. It brought him back to Ezekiel 37, a familiar portion of the scripture where dry bones come to life and become an exceedingly great army. Josiah believes the Lord is raising up this church as an exceedingly great army and a deep people. We are going to fly because the conditions are ready to fly. We are going to ride the wake of His breath. We are going to produce things that the Lord is calling us to produce. We will see this in our services on Sundays and Wednesdays, as well as in our ministries. We will see it in our Synergy groups. We will see it as we partner with other ministries. We will see it on the streets of evangelism. We will see it online. We will see it in person. We will see it at conferences that we will host. We will see it in the waters of baptism to the fires of revival. God, have your way in 2026. God teach us to fly!
Submitted by Debby Jarrell
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