One Desire Fast is HMCC’s annual fast so we can start off the year hearing from God, both individually and as a church. This year’s theme is Locked In.
As we are completing this second week of fasting soon, let’s pause and ask ourselves: How are our hearts positioned? Are we feeling more open and more aligned with the things in God’s heart – His compassion, His generosity, His kingdom priorities? Or has our focus narrowed to the countdown, fixated on what we lack and simply waiting for this to be over? Our answer reveals whether the fast is merely an external discipline or an internal transformation.
If we find ourselves in the latter camp, we are likely operating from a scarcity mindset. It exposes our belief that our time, treasure, and talents are too finite to share freely. This mindset traps us, turning life into a calculation of loss. We hold things tightly because we worked hard for them, or because we wanted them so badly. This posture reflects a disconnect, just like the warning James gave in James 4:3: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” We say God provides, but we cling to our things as if our security depends solely on ourselves.
If we find ourselves feeling more open and aligned, let’s receive that as a beautiful sign of the Spirit’s work in us. This is the fruit of our surrender. In these moments, we are catching a glimpse of God’s own generous heart – a heart that gives without fear of lack because He is the source of all things, an eternal and overflowing source. As 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” When we truly grasp that God is the source, our posture shifts from clutching to releasing. We are not owners, but stewards. This is the secret to the “openness” we seek. We give our time, trusting He redeems it. We give our treasure, trusting He provides it. We give our talents, knowing He empowered them.
This is the freedom of open hands and giving without reservations. It is a deliberate choice to hold everything loosely, praying for the faith to trust God’s wisdom and timing. In this act of faith-filled giving, whether it’s our time, treasure, or talent, our forgiveness toward another, or the sacrifice of our comfort, we actively step into alignment with God’s heart. We trade the mindset of “what we are losing” for the reality of “what He is providing”. We give from His limitless abundance. And often to our surprise, we find that in the letting go we are filled not with emptiness, but with profound joy and the more than enough grace of our generous God.
Reflection and Application
- Read the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-39). Which servant’s posture most reflects your own right now – holding back in fear, or giving and investing in faith? What is one thing you are currently holding tightly that God may be inviting you to steward with open hands this week?
- Take a quick generosity inventory:
- List Your Giving: Treasure (tithe, offerings, gifts), Time (serving, helping), Talent (skills used for others), and Relationship (forgiveness, patience, encouragement).
- Reflect on Your Heart: Where did you give freely? Where did you hold back?
- Decide on one practical action for this week. For example, give my tithe first next month as an act of trust, or offer an hour of help without being asked.
Prayer Requests – Focus
- To have a deep intimate relationship with Jesus and to understand in their heart and mind the worthiness of the Gospel.
- To have healthy discipleship relationships and disciple making disciples who point each other back to Jesus.
- To take steps of faith in their workplace, in their sphere of influence, and for the city of Hong Kong so that more and more people would know who Jesus is.
Click here for full devotional link and other pre-fasting materials!