_Remember the group Milli Vanilli? They enjoyed great success until it was revealed that they did not sing on their own records. Everyone found out that Milli Vanilli didn't really do what they said they did. Milli Vanilli had to "face the music".

The phrase, "face the music," originated in Japan. A man was a part of the Imperial Orchestra, but he could not play a note. But because he was a man of great wealth, he demanded a place in the group. The conductor gave him a seat in the second row of the orchestra, and he was given a little flute. During the concert, he would raise his instrument and move his fingers as though he were playing. But he never made a sound.

This deception went on for two years until a new conductor took over and wanted to personally audition every player. One by one, the musicians performed in his presence. Then came the flautist's turn, and he had to admit he was a fake. He couldn't "face the music."

None of us can live this life flawlessly. But there is a difference between a person who seeks to live a godly life and a person who tries to appear to be more spiritual than he or she really is. It has been said that you can fool all of the people some of the time, you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool God any of the time. Are you living godly before the Lord?

_Today people are thinking about what to do to prolong their lives, whether it is through stem cell research, cloning, cryonics, or the latest potion or lotion. People can eat all the tofu and wheat germ they want, but their lives will end when they are going to end.

According to a LIFE magazine cover story, there are some scientists who suggest that we can and will stop aging. Is it really true? But the article went on to ask whether we would really want to stop aging. In other words, do we really want to live forever? I guess it comes down to what kind of life you are living. Medical science can seek to add years to your life, but only God can add life to your years and give you a life that is worth living.

Our objective as Christians should not be to merely live long lives; our objective should be to live full lives, meaningful lives, and purposeful lives. Seek not a long life, but a full one, like Lord Jesus. Life is not a matter of years; it is a matter of what we do with them. What are you doing with the years God has given you?

_If you haven't felt the joy of the Lord in your life, if you have been feeling spiritually dry, or if your faith doesn't feel all that real to you right now, then let yourself this, "When is the last time I shared my faith with someone? When is the last time you had a conversation with someone about what you believe?"

Christian life is not meant to be hoarded; it is meant to be shared. You have been blessed to be a blessing to others, not to keep it to yourself. Do you want a generous soul?

Here is what it comes down to: as you start declaring what God has done for you, in some ways it will become more real to you as you make it real to others. As you are taking in truth and growing in your faith, you need to share it with someone else. Every believer needs to do this. This is how we grow in our passion to what we believe.

As you continue your fast, ask the Lord to continue to open your eyes to be witness for others. The purpose of your fasting is to make you to become more sensitive to God and His voice. And it is always the heart of God to see people come to His salvation.

_The Bible compares the Christian life not to only running a race, but also to walking a walk. Isaiah 40:31 says, "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."

The Book of Genesis tells us about a man named Enoch, who walked with God for three hundred years. Enoch teaches us the importance of pacing ourselves in the spiritual race. I bring this up because there are people who have a yo-yo relationship with God (either they are fully backslidden or they are passionate about God).They haven't learned to pace themselves.

Doesn't matter if you had a lot of energy at the beginning on 25 mile bike ride. If you don't maintain your stamina, you will have no strength left in the middle of the road. The same is true in the spiritual race. The objective is not to just run fast. It is to run long. Finish. That is the objective.

If you want to grow up spiritually, then you need to pace yourself in this race of life--because you are in it for the long haul. Fasting can help to maintain the spiritual stamina of your life.

_One day Jesus told a story of two men who built two homes. They may have been at the same time and might even had the same floor plan. One of the builders erected his home on shifting sand, while the other built on a stable rock foundation.

Then the storms came hitting both of those houses--hard! The house that had been built on sand collapsed while the one built on the rock stood firm. The obvious moral of the story is to build your life on a foundation that will last. But here's something we often miss. The storm came to both lives and the rain poured on both building sites!! No one is exempt from the storm.

Friends, we will all experience storms in life. Good things will happen to us, as well as tragic and inexplicable things. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, none of us can take an extended vacation beyond the reach of human suffering and tragedy. But we most not forget that God is in control of the life of the Christian and can actually bring good out of bad.

Life is a process and, as finite beings who live moment to moment, we can't see around the bend. But we can know this: He is watching and caring, in control and loving us with an everlasting love.

_To most people, math is no fun. Most think of it as the subject in school that was just there to bring our GPA down. But did you know that math is important-especially in God's equation for our lives. He uses math principle in our lives to work out his supernatural equation.

When it comes to applying God's math, most of us don't mind adding. We love to add new things because it can make life exciting and new. But we tend to balk at applying subtraction to life.

What we need to understand is that subtraction is just as important in God's math as addition is. God does not always ask us, "What are you doing?" Many times he asks us, "What are you not doing that you were doing before?" He wants us to subtract those things from our lives that are hurtful or unproductive. God tells us that subtraction is vital for our growth.

What is God telling you to subtract from your life? Is it a harmful habit or a draining relationship? Whatever it is, God wants you to subtract it from your life so that you can grow. This week, evaluate your life and apply his mathematical equation. Don't just focus addition-remember that subtraction is just as important.

_I hope you all had a wonderful time last Christmas. Christmas is a time of giving. After long hours of shopping, people can't wait to give their gifts to their loved ones. It is such a joy to see laugh and smiling face of the people that receive our gifts. It brings happiness in our hearts, right?

In the event of the birth of Christ, the wise men also brought gifts to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What kind of gifts are these for a child? Why those gifts?

The wise men had insight into who Jesus was. They gave Him gold because they recognized it was a proper gift for a king. They gave him frankincense because that is what a high priest used when he went into the temple to represent the people before God. They gave Him myrrh because they recognized that this King would die for the world.

What can we give to God? What do you give to God, who has everything? What does God want from us?

He wants our lives. The greatest gift you can give to God this year is yourself. The greatest gift you can give to God is to say, "Lord, I give You my life. I give You my talents. I give You my abilities. I give You my dreams. I give You my future. I give You my weaknesses. I offer myself to You. Here is my gift to You."

Let's be like these wise men and worship Him and give to Him. You will be glad if you do that because offering your life is pleasing unto the Lord.

_One day Jesus gave some illustrations as to why we should not worry, and one of the examples He chose to use was that of birds. While speaking to people, maybe Jesus gestured toward a few birds flying by: "Look at the birds. They don't plan, harvest, or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?" (Matthew 6:26).

Birds don't have the promises that we have. Birds aren't promised eternal life. Birds are not created in the image of God. Yet do birds ever look worried to you? Every morning, they are up at the break of dawn, singing away.

That doesn't mean the birds don't go out and get their food. Some eat vegetation. Others eat seeds. Some eat fish. And some even hang out at McDonalds and wait for you to drop your fries... Birds take care of business, but they don't worry about it. What about you?

If God takes care of the birds, will He not take care of you as well? Today put your trust in the Lord and do not lean on your own understanding.

_Have you heard a word “mulligan”? It is a golf term which allows a golfer to play a second shot off the first tee if the first shot is poor. It's a second chance to get a fresh start without penalty...

Sometimes in life we also need spiritual “mulligan” - a new start. As we enter the new year, God extends His invitation to us to throw away our past life, past mistakes, and past  sinful behaviors and begin anew with Him as a new creation.

If you've never had a mulligan in life, now is the time to let Jesus give you a brand new heart to start. As you begin your fasting today, ask Him for that new start and begin His work in you.

As you open your life for Him, consider these three subtle but important shifts to position yourself for God to move:

• Shift Your Load - cast your burden to upon the Lord (Psalms 55:22)
• Shift Your Expectation - set your hope in the Lord and begin to trust His words
• Shift Your Focus - make a genuine effort to grow closer to God
As you implement these three shifts in your approach, you’ll find your time with Jesus sweeter, enduring, and fruitful.

_Did you know that going through daily routines can wears us down? Little by little, we lose our closeness to God. Without that closeness, we become ineffective for the purposes His has for us.
Fasting can help you get back your passion! It can reconnect you with source of life, recharge your energy, and restore your passion!

We begin this new year with 14 days of fasting. Fasting in early year is much like praying in the morning to establish the will of God for your entire day. If we give Him our first and best at the beginning of the year, He will honor that sacrifice and bless our year!

We encourage you during this fasting period to set aside some time to be with the Word of God and in prayer. As a companion to your time alone with God, we will post  "2 Minutes Fasting Devotion". We hope these devotion will help you as you seek the Lord.