 Dear Friend,
Way to go! You have made it two-thirds of the way through your 21-day fast!! God has enabled you to persevere! If for some reason you got off of the fast, don't be frustrated. There are still 7 days left in which you can fast. Join us for the remainder - you will be so glad you did!
During the fast, we are agreeing in prayer on Thursdays for our nation - including our community - and our leaders. Please join me in prayer for these areas today. Below you will find "Thursday's Prayer Focus," which contains a prayer for today. It will only take a minute or two - and the agreement in prayer is powerful! Below you will also find today's post, "Fasting Day 14: Fasting Affects a Nation," written especially for this prayer focus. May it encourage you as you fast and pray for local and national revival.
Would you also pray for one other topic today - for next week's Passionate Pursuit, the Night of Miracle Prayer.
As we are fasting and praying for our nation each Thursday, this includes prayer for revival in our community as well. One way we are reaching out to the community is through the Night of Miracle Prayer. This night will be an evening in which we worship God and celebrate His faithful answers to our prayer and seeking. We want to praise Him in advance for the answers that will come throughout 2010.
This evening is also an outreach to the community. We have been praying for revival, asking God to win the lost, revive His own, heal the hurting, meet needs and show the community who He is. How can we pray this, yet not yield ourselves as His vessels through which to accomplish this.
That's why Passionate Pursuit is having an "all are welcome" night of miracle prayer. An open invitation is being extended to the community for this powerful evening. An ad will be in the newspaper this Sunday inviting those in the community who want God's Supernatural intervention in their lives. I encourage you to bring a friend who needs prayer and a touch from God.
The anointing and presence of God will be palpable! I have participated in an all-night prayer meeting recently with people who are fasting and the presence of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming. When two or more agree in prayer - and agree while fasting - the result is overpowering!
, I hope you will join us for this unique evening! You will be blessed!! Joel and the Harmony Hill worship team will lead us in glorious worship. We will share a time of prayer and an encouraging word. You will leave revived, blessed and refreshed!
I have long wanted to be a part of such an event...and would've traveled to Gainesville, GA for one if my schedule would've allowed. (Free Chapel Church in Georgia was the closest location I knew of for this type event, and the group with whom I fasted 21-days in January.) We are blessed to have a group right here locally with whom we can fast and pray - and worship God at the close of the fast and celebrate His goodness!
Mark your calendar and
Register: Thursday, February 4th,
6:00 p.m. Come be a part of an incredible evening and a powerful
movement! How glorious and life changing the result will be!! Join
me in a Passionate Pursuit and let's experience God's promised reward.
"...for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is
a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" Hebrews 11:6 (emphasis added). Your Sister in Christ, Natalie Nichols
President,
Shades of Grace Ministries www.shadesofgrace.orgP.S. Please note the
segment change for the event. Daniel Fast foods (fruit and veggies) and juice
will be served at a "Reception" starting at 6:30 p.m. Registration is
required for this portion of the event. This is the portion in which we normally
eat and chat with friends - we have just called it a "reception" for
this unique evening. Directions to the country club are available our website as well as below. I look forward to seeing you there!
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Passionate Pursuit
A Joyful Journey to More of Christ
God is doing amazing things through Passionate Pursuit this season. What a way to start 2010! We began the year by giving God the first through 21 days of prayer and fasting. We are looking forward to the Miracle Night of Prayer where we will celebrate God's faithful answers to this 21-day season of prayer and seeking. UPCOMING EVENTS:
Pursuit 21 Prayer Meeting: Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 6:30 p.m.
Oak Grove Church 2603 SE Stallings Dr. Nacogdoches,
TX 75961
Night of Miracle Prayer
With Natalie Nichols and
Joel Weir
& the Harmony Hill Church Worship
Team
Sometimes
in life, we face problems so big that we need God's supernatural help. It may
be for an illness in your body; it may be for a domestic problem; it may be for
a financial crisis. You may feel like there is no hope for positive change in
your life.
That's why
we are having an "all are welcome" miracle event on February 4th at 7:00 p.m.
On
January 14th, 2010, the women of Passionate Pursuit and many people
from around the nation began a 21-day fast to see God move in your situation.
Prayer combined with fasting is a Biblical way to appeal to God for His
intervention in our lives. Everyone who desires will be prayed for. You are
invited to this special event. If you need a touch from God, join us for this
powerful time of worship and prayer as we celebrate God's faithful answers to our prayer and fasting.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Piney Woods Country Club
3001 U.S. 59 S
Nacogdoches,
TX 75964
Pre-Event
Reception @ 6:30 p.m. Registration
Required Registration fee: $5 online/$10 at the door.
(Includes coffee, tea and hors d'oeuvres.)
Register online at www.shadesofgrace.org or by phone at 936.569.8741
Registration deadline: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 @ 6:30 p.m.
Night of Miracle Prayer @ 7:00 p.m.
No Registration
Required
Joel Wier (worship
leader at Harmony Hill Church
& the Concert of Prayer) & the HHBC worship
team join Natalie to lead this unique
evening.
Click here for more info
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 Thursday Prayer Focus
Today
our focus in prayer is the nation - and our little part of it here in
east Texas. Pray for national revival, for our leaders and pastors.
Father, we come to you today once
again to lift up our nation. We ask for Your will to be done in our
community, in our nation and around the world. We plead the Blood of
Jesus over our community, our state and our nation. We plead your
blood over all nations! In Jesus' Name, we stand against all the
weapons of the enemy, the plans and strategies of terrorism against our
nations. We ask for a covering over our military and our
representatives. We plead the Blood of Jesus and release the angels of
the Lord around their paths. Guard our borders, Lord. Touch our
leaders. Visit them and give them dreams and visions that stir their
hearts toward You as never before. We pray for those in the inner
circle of power that You would turn their hearts to walk in Your
wisdom.
Protect our pastors, their homes, their wives and
children. Stir their hearts and cause your holy fire to burn within
them. May our pastors boldly deliver your word like a trumpet -
unashamed, untamed. May Your Holy Spirit overtake our churches, our
performances, our show. May Your fire consume our plans, our agenda,
our programs. We ask for Your mercy on us! Forgive us for we have
sinned against You as a nation. Forgive us for homosexual obsession and
for sensual lust overtaking our lives, even our children. Forgive us
for killing our children through abortion. Forgive us for worshiping
entertainment, prosperity and comfort. Give us Your sword and Your
Spirit to cut through the sin and rebellion in our nation. Let your
fire burn in our churches and in our lives. Purge us, cleanse us; heal
our land. We invite your Spirit to the Miracle Night of Prayer. Bring
people who need your love, your power, your presence. Prepare hearts to
receive You. Prepare Joel, Natalie and the team as they lead. We
welcome Your Spirit to come and overtake the entire night. It is yours!
We pray in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God,
the strong and mighty One! Jesus, we worship You. Pour out Your Holy
Spirit upon our city, our state, our nation in Your mighty name. Amen.
So be it!
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Fasting Day 14: 
Fasting Affects a Nation
Fasting is a discipline that offers countless personal benefits. For
most of us, our motivations in fasting are personal. But the promises
of fasting can also impact your community and your nation. In the
Bible there are two cases where fasting literally changed a nation and
changed history...
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Fasting Day 13: The Ezra Fast
Are you dealing with a money problem? Are you facing a financial
dilemma? Are you going through a major change in life? Are you
experiencing a problem you did nothing to initiate? Do you need room
for expansion of your business or your church?
As you are fasting and targeting this issue, look to Ezra and the
fast he called when leading the Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem.
When fasting, it is vital to know what scriptural precedents
apply to your causes for fasting. Not only will this encourage you, it
will also help you know how to pray and how to believe God to respond
in your situation...
To The Top
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Fasting Day 12:The
Reward of Waiting
Fasting is waiting upon God. God promises blessing to those who wait
on Him. By waiting upon God through fasting and prayer, you will
receive:
1. Renewed Strength. Are you tired and weary? Have you been exhausted of all endurance?
"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait
on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings
like eagles, They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not
faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31, NKJ, emphasis added)
2. Realized Promise. Has God spoken specific promises to you about your future? Has He given you a dream or vision of what He wants to bring about?
"Those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land" (Psalm 37:9, NIV, emphasis added).
The word for "hope" is the same word used for "wait" in Isaiah
40:31. When we wait on God through fasting, we put our hope in him....
To The Top
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Fasting Day 12:
The Missing Link
Do you feel like something is missing from your life? Do you have
dreams and desires that aren't coming to fruition, no matter how hard
you try? Do you feel as though something is keeping you from deeper
intimacy with Christ, even though you are serving Him faithfully?
Perhaps a key element is missing from your life - an element Jesus mentioned in Matthew chapter six.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of three responsibilities
with which every disciple (even we modern day disciples) is entrusted: giving, praying and fasting (Matthew 6). He preceded the mention of each responsibility with the word "when" - "when you give," "when you pray," and "when you fast." He did not say "if you fast," but "when you fast."
Jesus planned on you and me fasting as part of the lifestyle of a
disciple - as much as giving and praying are to be a regular part of
our lifestyle....
To The Top
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Natalie's Blog
In recent weeks, we have been asked how
one can locate Natalie's blog. Her posts are
located on the home page of the Shades of
Grace website: www.shadesofgrace.org.
Each post is listed in chronological order,
but can be sorted by topic. All 14 fasting
posts are available here in addition to
many other helpful posts on a variety of topics.
Click here for Natalie's blog.
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Listen to Natalie's Fasting
Message: The Missing Link
Have you become complacent
about your time with God and His Word? Are your desires dictated by the
appetites of your flesh? Do you need a breakthrough in your finances, your
relationships, your business? Discover the key to a transformation
and supernatural work of God in your life...and your year!
Click here for Natalie's message The Missing Link.
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Directions to Piney
Woods Country ClubFrom Nacogdoches: (headed South) Take 59 South out of Nacogdoches. Go approximately 2.3 miles past
the loop to CR 524. This will be the first left after
you come to the grassy median & change to 70mph speed limit. There is an amber colored street
light at the entrance to the country club. After turning left, you will see 2 roads. Take the one to the right - not the residential street to the left.
Follow the drive on around and
you will dead end into the Club. If on Hwy 59 you reach the
Woodland Hills Golf Course (on the left), you have gone too far. Turn
around and follow the Lufkin directions.
From Lufkin: (headed North)
Take 59 North towards
Nacogdoches. From the loop in Lufkin, go 12.3 miles to the country club. (It is 11.7 miles to the Woodland Hills golf course. Go .6mile past Woodland Hills to CR 524.) You will see an amber colored
street light and stop sign at the entrance from the road. You will make a hard right into
the entrance of the country club. (Upon turning right off of Hwy 59, you will see 2 roads. Take the one to the right - not the residential street to the left.) Follow the drive on around and
you will dead end into the Club.
If you reach the part of 59 with the center turn
lane, you have gone too far. Turn around and follow the Nacogdoches directions.
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Discover Natalie Nichols
& Shades of Grace Ministries
In the midst of severe
illness caused by undiagnosed Lyme Disease, Natalie Nichols came to rely
on God's Word to comfort and sustain her. Now through Shades of Grace
Ministries, she shares how you and your loved ones can experience God's comfort
and grace through life's trials.
Our
Mission
The core mission of Shades
of Grace Ministries is to lead others to seek and apply the Word of God in
every circumstance of life.
Our Vision
Shades of Grace Ministries
desires to see a world where every Christian walks by faith and stands
upon God's promises as found in His Word.
Watch Natalie's Journey
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In This Issue
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God's Comfort for Life's Trials
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Fasting Prayer Meeting:
January 28, 2010
6:30 p.m.
Oak Grove Church
2603 SE Stallings Dr
Nacogdoches, TX 75961
_________
The Missing Link
Click here to listen to Natalie's Fasting Message:
The Missing Link | ____________
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Shades of Grace now on YouTube!
Visit our channel
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Visit Passionate
Visit Natalie
on Facebook. ________________
Follow Natalie. ________________ |
TESTIMONIES
"Thank you so very much for the message that you shared
with us tonight. In all my nearly 32 years of being in...church, I have
NEVER heard the message that I heard tonight. I never realized the
importance and the need of fasting, what it REALLY means, and how to
apply it in my life. Thank you for sharing these truths with us. I
was so excited that I came home and "talked my husband's ear off"
telling him of all the things I learned tonight. I can't wait until we
all meet again...and learn of the things God is doing and going to do in
our lives. What an awesome thing God has allowed for us to experience
with Him!!!"
- D.S.
"I went tonight not being convicted about fasting. I left there VERY
convicted.....I'm in! It was a great night in the Lord, thanks Natalie! I
am truly refreshed."
- L.H.
"The service last Thursday was 'Powerful, dynamic and so anointed'. I
realize that I definitely was lead by God to be there at that meeting. I was suppose to work that day...God had other
plans. Praise Him. I definitely was convicted that
night to start the fast. And, HE has been so faithful and has given me
the strength and power to 'stick with it'. Praise the Lord. So thank
you Natalie and I can hardly wait to 'see the results'. I KNOW THEY
WILL HAPPEN. PRAISE GOD.
- B.M
We belong to a new, small church. Our pastor is teaching on fasting.
Your insights have been helpful to me in explaining [fasting] to so many in our
group who find this idea a whole new concept. Thanks for the teaching!
- T.L.
"I cannot even tell you enough.. how much [your blog] has spoken to me - even
the timing is perfect...and the Lord knew
exactly what I needed to hear. God has confirmed some things even
through some of the scripture that was in this blog!"
- A.M.
"I have been following your blogs about fasting
and wanted you to know they are so wonderful and encouraging through this fast."
- J.P.
"I saw your post (Isa
iah 58:1, "Like a Trumpet"). It is my desire that God would
develop me into that kind of man. Thanks for your boldness..."
- K.W.
"The
day I heard your testimony was a life-changing day for me. I have never been
the same since! We Christians are in and out of the Word. We don't know
its value. Your testimony
showed me
that the
Word is our only hope."
- M.N.
I have appreciated what you have shared on fasting and
the different resources you have mentioned. About a month ago, I began feeling
like in addition to the 'extra' praying I was doing for my dad concerning his
cancer and treatments, that God was urging me to fast 2 days a week as part of
my prayer time for Dad....As I read your experiences and
encouragement, I felt the Father ask me again to do this for my dad as a act of
love and obedience. So for a couple of weeks now, I have added this to my
weekly routine. Whether it affects God answering my prayers for my dad's
physical needs or not, I feel a renewing of my peace and joy from my obedience.
In addition, my dad says he has had no side effects from his radiation
treatments so far and he claims that as an answer to prayer--as do I.
Thanks
for your encouragement and willingness to speak to us from what the Father has
given you.
- M.B.
"Although life is still a
struggle for me and my family, I know God is faithful...and your life is living
testimony to that! Thanks for the encouragement - revealed through your life -
that brings endless hope to hurting people. I praise God and know He is behind
it all!!"
- P.F.
"I watched the concert of
prayer tonight -- powerful praise and worship! I worshiped God in my living
room along with you...God is calling me to a higher place with him; I must
share the gospel with others -- in the places he gives me, no matter the
cost...Thanks for leading us into his presence."
- C.C.
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