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 Simple Pursuit.
Welcome to the first day of One Desire Fast! We’re excited to embark on this journey together. This year’s ODF theme, “Simple Pursuit” is a conviction to keep on growing as a church in our pursuit of Jesus – sometimes it can feel complicated, but we want to revert back to the simplicity of it.
As our church grows in number and in age, God is bringing many opportunities for us to publicly display Jesus’ love and the Gospel, whether through outreach initiatives like CityServe or the growing reach of our LIFE Groups and Sunday Celebration. There is also an expectation to be discipled and to disciple others in contexts like LIFE Group or Ministry Teams.
Unfortunately, as our church grows, sometimes the convictions, principles and values we once held become diluted as they’re passed down from generation to generation. Following God can feel synonymous with doing a lot of things in church, but our hearts can feel very far from God. For those of us who are active in church, it’s easy to focus on tasks, fear what others would say if we slack off… our passion to simply connect with God wanes. For those of us who are just getting introduced to our church community, the barrier to being a “good” disciple can sometimes feel very high.
As a result, living our lives for Jesus could seem complicated.
However, this is not the life God has called our church to. This is not the life God has called you to. One major reason we over-complicate our lives of following Jesus is because we (ironically) leave God out of the picture, even though Jesus is already the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). Living as a disciple doesn’t mean that we strive on our own strength to become better and do more, but it means we grow in our admiration and dependence on God more and more.
So, that is what we set out to do together in this One Desire Fast; to cast away the burdens that over-complicate our faith journey, and start 2025 simply pursuing God Himself. The simplicity of pursuing God comes when we are reminded of who God is and how He leads us in each immediate situation and the decisions that will impact our future. Throughout the next 12 days, we will uncover one character of the Triune God each day (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) based on different Bible verses. We believe that as we start the year looking to God instead of ourselves, we will set a strong foundation of dependence and joy. We are excited to look to the Lord and all the greatness He has in store for us and our church. Let’s look up and look ahead!
Reflection and Application
- Reflecting on 2024, how would you describe your faith journey? What made it complicated, and what made it enjoyable and simple?
- What are some lies about God or about yourself that you found yourself believing in last year (e.g.,: God is distant, I am incapable, etc.)? How did that impact your mindset and the decisions you made?
- What are you looking forward to in this One Desire Fast?
Prayer Requests
- Pray that we will be able to experience God’s love and connect intimately in His presence.
- Pray for God to expose our hearts and areas of our lives where we are relying on ourselves instead of Him and bring us back to Him.
- Pray for God to protect us against temptations and spiritual warfare throughout the One Desire Fast.
Click here for full devotional link and for PDF version