Jesus is Real Radio with Daniel Fusco

Many people think fasting only applies to food and drink. Pastor Daniel today tells us that fasting can be applied to anything we can set aside to spend more time with God! When we fast from technology, social time, and even food, we're saying that God is more important than those things in our lives. We want God's agenda to be our agenda. We also want to rely on God to sustain us, not just in our time of fasting, but in our lives on a daily basis!

Today, Pastor Daniel talks about the need for self control, and how the Biblical practice of fasting is a good way to work on that aspect of our lives. Fasting in the Bible wasn't really mentioned as an optional activity, but as a regular way of living. The discipline of setting something aside to focus on God is a great way to tune in to what God wants to do in our lives! God wants each of us to live fully in Him, and will guide us if we allow Him to!

There's a lot to do in our daily lives! We may work, go to school, have family time, social time, and the list can get longer and longer if we let it! These things can easily become our primary focus, causing us to seek excellence in the world's eyes, rather than God's. Pastor Daniel today asks us to take a look at what we do, and who we're looking to for approval! We should still do our best in every activity, but God's agenda should always come first!

Today, Pastor Daniel reminds us that it's not easy to take on God's agenda! The things that God values in life – honesty, grace for others, serving – these things are not what the world values! As we seek to know God in a deeper way, allowing His love to shine through us, we'll start to want to follow God's plan. It won't be popular, and we'll most likely have to give up a lot in this world. Our Heavenly reward, though, will be so much greater!

Our perspectives of ourselves can be quite distorted. We tend to see ourselves based on the world's ideals, and measure ourselves against the successes of others. In today's message, Pastor Daniel shares a new way to gauge ourselves. As we begin to study what it means to look inwardly at ourselves, we need to take on the perspective that God has of us. He sees us as His beloved children, and finds beauty in us, no matter who we are!

There are several good, Bible-based books that have been written through the years. However, Pastor Daniel warns us today to not let these other human authors take the place of God's Word in our lives! These additional writings can be beneficial to us, but they need to be brought back to the Bible to maintain truth in our lives! God's Word is our ultimate source of knowledge of God and how to grow in our relationship with Him!

Pastor Daniel tells us today that God's Word is alive and working! The Bible wasn't simply ancient words recorded to tell historical tales. On the contrary, each word written has the potential to dive deeply into our hearts and our minds, and speak truth over every situation we find ourselves in! Jesus used Scripture written long before His time on earth to point people to truth. We too can access these words, and allow them to work in us!

The Bible is a work of truth. The words we read are inspired by God, and do not change as we may desire them to! Pastor Daniel today shares why many people fall away from studying the Bible on a regular basis, reminding us that in our rebellion, the truths of this book are harsh reality checks! However, he also reminds us that God loves us enough to correct us! He wants us to grow in our faith in Him, and though it may be painful, it IS necessary!

Legalism tends to kill intimacy in our relationship with God! As Pastor Daniel shares today, some people require all sorts of rules and regulations to try to force rest upon God's people. However, the Bible has a different perspective! While it's good to take time to sit with our Savior, we need to focus on the time spent with Him, not the space that we need to create for it. He is the one who will provide the rest we need, exactly how we need it!

At some point, every person wrestles with the question of why people are here on earth. More specifically, many if not all of us strive to add purpose to our days, not settling for routine and basic existence. In today's message, Pastor Daniel explores why we feel driven to find meaning, and where we greatest meaning for our lives can be found. Here's a hint – it's not in wealth, or success, or fame, but in a place few would think to look!