2015 Daniel Fast

We invite you to join us for a 21-day Daniel Fast (March 14 – April 4). We will be concluding our fast at midnight on Saturday, April 4th, the day before our Easter Celebration.

We have a threefold approach to our Daniel Fast: fasting, prayer, and the Word of God. The blending of these three in a focused and sustained manner, will propel us to achieve great things for God. When we add the scriptures to our prayers, we are praying inspired thoughts from the Holy Spirit and are coming into agreement with the Heart of God. In other words, when we activate the scriptures, they become actual vehicles for our prayers. The Word leads us into places of transformation in our lives, families, careers, relationships and spheres of influence.

For this year’s fast, we will continue our Model Church Series, with a focus on the formation of Kingdom Character. We want to be in agreement about God releasing the anointing of the Kingdom on us to fulfill the mission and vision that God has given to us at ALWC.

  • Revelation of the Kingdom of God,
  • The Principles of Kingdom Character
  • Manifestation of Kingdom Character in our lives.

As we release these things we will see God manifest in our lives in a special way, and equip us to impart to the world we are called to reach, the Gospel Truth He teaches us.

Practical details

  • When: It starts on Saturday (March 14) at midnight & ends on Saturday (April 4) at midnight.
  • Who: We invite all that are seeking to move with God in this season, those seeking to manifest the Kingdom of God in their spheres of influence, or those just seeking draw closer to Jesus in worship.
  • Why: To consecrate ourselves and be open to a deepening of our spiritual maturity and anointing, to receive greater understanding of God’s heart and plan for the church, and for the release of grace into our families, our market places, our cities, our nations, and our world.
  • Life Groups: In small groups settings—read and discuss the Kingdom Character Study guide. The fast will last 3 weeks, but the study will last an additional 3 weeks for a total of 6 weeks.  Find a group
  • What: We encourage all to spend more time in prayer and study of the Word
  • How: Fast food according to the Daniel fast, and fast media and entertainment.

The purpose of biblical fasting is to set aside food and time to draw closer to Jesus and to contend for a breakthrough in His kingdom purposes. Fasting is to be first and foremost about pursuing spiritual goals. So during a fast, we give more time to prayer and Bible study.

It is a good idea to reduce your use of the Internet and social media to your necessary work-related purposes, and to only engage in entertainment that is overtly biblical (Devotionals, bible stories, the life of Jesus, etc.).



Becoming an Encounter

Laying on of Hands Religious Stock ImageThe impact of God’s love on our lives creates a manifestation that is the foundation of our impartation to others. When we experience the love of God, it changes how we view ourselves, others, and the world. This change allows us to become a walking encounter (witness) through the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Read more…



Vision: God’s Plan for Your Life

Pastor Derry L. Moten

God’s Plan for your Life

Foundation Scripture: Proverbs 29:18

Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26-28; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Psalm 127:1-2; Matthew 6:33; Jeremiah 33:1-3 

Supplemental Scriptures: Genesis 17:4-5; 1 Kings 19:12; Proverbs 23:5; Genesis 3:17; Exodus 4:2-5; Ephesians 3:20; Psalm 51:16-17; John 6:54,56; Genesis 3:8-10 

Last Sunday we learned in Proverbs 29:18, that when the people have no vision, they perish.  When we can not see God’s vision for our lives we cast off good judgment and rely on ourselves, which leads ultimately to death. Revelation is something revealed that has not previously been seen, but God wants us to see it! Although we have been born in sin and predisposed to desiring sin, God, knowing our flaws, wants to make us perfect in Him! Is there really anything that can make us perfect? Yes! God, through Christ, makes us perfect!

 

We also learned last week that the Old Testament Prophet Elisha’s response and relationship to his predecessor Elijah, is a shadow of how our (the Church’s) response and relationship should be to Christ Jesus. The Power and anointing of Elijah was upon Elisha, just as the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit of Christ is on us! Be in a position to receive it!

 

Today’s message is about God’s plan for our lives; before the foundation of the world, God had a plan for each of us but in order to discover that plan, we have Read more…



Vision: Receiving the Mantle of God

Message by:  Pastor Derry L. Moten

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Receiving the Mantle of God

Key Scriptures: Proverbs 29:18; 2Kings 2:1-15; Acts 1:8-9, 2:38-39

Supplemental Scriptures: John 20:22

Proverbs 29:18 teaches us that where there is no vision/revelation, the people will perish or run wild!  If that’s the case, how and where are we to get this vision/revelation so that we can stay in tune to what God wants to do in our lives?

In this particular passage in Proverbs, however similar, there is a distinction between the usage of the words “vision” and “revelation” – revelation as something God Himself discloses or communicates directly to us, while vision is what we see supernaturally and in anticipation of the thing God shares/reveals to us.  Thus, without God revealing a thing to us, God’s vision cannot fully be comprehended by us.

In today’s message, we learn how important it is to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit and His fullness in our lives as we remain persistent and diligent in seeking to fulfill God’s mission and vision in our lives.

Just as Elijah’s mentee Elisha served him and followed him more closely than all the others who honored Elijah, and as the remaining 11 disciples followed Jesus more closely than everyone else who loved Jesus- those that remained the closest received from God, that which only He could give; His anointing and Holy Spirit.

So what’s the correlation of these two passages of scripture about Elijah and Elisha and Jesus and his disciples?

In the Old Testament, Elijah represents Jesus, just as Elisha and the other prophets represent the Church. The mantle that Elijah passes to Elisha as he ascends into heaven represents the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  This is in fact, a shadow of what we see Jesus say and do before He ascends to heaven before His disciples.

In 2 Kings 2, there were at least fifty prophets who stood and watched from a distance when Elisha receive the mantle as Elijah went up to be with the Lord and there were hundreds of followers of Jesus who were too distant at the time Jesus breathed on them and said “receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20).

Let’s not be like those who stood and watched from a distance and did not receive the mantle/anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s be the ones who refuse to leave our Lord’s presence, staying as close as possible to receive His full anointing and thus being able to accomplish even greater things in Christ as a result!

Questions to Consider

What is keeping you from following the Lord more closely?  What may be keeping you from asking the Lord for a greater anointing? Do you believe that God wants this for your life?



Being of One Mind

One MindThe United Negro College Fund has the saying, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”.  The statement is true.  For many Christians it is one of the most neglected and misunderstood elements of their lives.  The mind is one element of the soul.  The soul is the seat of human personality and governs the activity of the physical body.  The spirit is the part of man that establishes connection with God and allows us to manifest the presence of God through spiritual operations like prayer, inspiration, intuition, and spiritual gifts.

3 John 2,  Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV Read more…



Building Prayer Declarations

Pray Without Ceasing Sermon PowerPoint TemplateThe simple definition of Prayer is:
  • Talking to God
  • Listening to God
  • Partnering with God.
  • One of the ways we can talk to God and listen to God is through the use of declarations.  There are many types of declarations, but the declarations that we are talking about are ones that are created from scripture; we refer to them as Scriptural Declarations. Read more…



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