Background
I have been aware over the course of the last 10 days that God has been pursuing me. A pressure, churning, and expectation has been growing inside me that is undeniable.  So Dawn & I began a 40 day season of prayer and fasting to begin to pursue God for the experience and encounter that is coming.  As we have begun to seek God, we have been challenged by God to widen the circle and call Destiny as a church to participate in this important season of encounter.  Then over the past 3-4 days we’ve become aware of at least 2 national kingdom leaders who have called the national church to 40 day fast.  We believe this is a kiaros [set] time in God’s kingdom for a release of His passion and presence into our lives through a season of experientcial encounters with Him.

Birthing a Breakthrough
The lead up to the birth of a child is really quite remarkable.  The nine months of internal development notwithstanding, the most important time is the experience of delivery which begins when the water breaks (Ps. 42:7). Once the waiting has ended for right opening (dilation), it is time to push until the baby is born.  

What a great picture of the breakthrough God is pushing us toward! In order for our breakthrough to be manifest, we must allow God to “catch” us in His pursuit and wrestle with him as Jacob did for our transformation and blessing.  That’s why it is a battle - we have to be willing to fight from our side for the same thing God is fighting for on His.

40 Days of Passion & Presence
This is a season about pursuing God’s passion toward us and His presence in and around us.  Passion can be described as a shared experience that is evidenced by an intense emotional response.  Jesus new passion (Acts 1:3).  Say what you want about Jacob’s lying and cheating heart, he was a man of great passion and that is why God loved him and hated Esua (Mal. 1:2-3).  Passionate people do not settle for ideas or theory, but are driven by the pursiut of something greater than themselves into an experience and encounter.  God may we take on the passion of Your heart.

This season is equally about pursuing God’s presence in and around our lives. Where God’s tangible presence is there is an impartation of who He is into our lives and a release of the supernatural around us.  In His presence, something is created out of nothing (Gen. 1:1-3), His glory is revealed (2 Chron. 5:11-14), which brings about transformation in our lives (Gen. 32:22-30, 2 Cor. 3:18).  We must have His presence in, over, and surrounding us!

Fasting and Prayer
To facilitate our responding pursuit of God, we are calling a season of fasting and prayer on both the individual and corporate levels.  We must seek Him . . . if we do, WE WILL FIND HIM!

We are suggesting a Daniel fast for those who are willing to pick up the call for a prolonged fast during this season. Whether it is for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, a week or the entire season, the Daniel fast is a great way to pursue God.  For shorter increments of time, such as 1 meal or 1 day, you might consider a water only fast.  Either way you choose to participate, understand that it is not legalistic self work that will count for anything with God, but rather the faith based pursuit of God and His agenda in our lives that gets His attention (Isaiah 58, Mt. 6:16-18).

During this time we need to be aware of His pursing.  When He comes to you, make the time to BE WITH HIM. When you feel His pursuit, wait on Him with your time and passion (Ps. 27:14, 33:20, 37:4-39, 59:3, 130:5, Isaiah 40:28-31).

We have prepared a weekly prayer emphasis that you can download here to help us build our corporate pursite of God.  Pray through the weekly focus and scriptures for yourself, your family, church, city, state, nation, and the earth.

Lastly, we invite three corporate times we have set aside to pursue God together. We’ve called these gatherings “The Passion Place”. 

The first meeting is on Thursday, September 11 from 7 to 8:30pm.  This is particularly signification considering the prophetic words that have been given (listed by Dutch Sheets) about the 7 years of war that would come to the US subsequent the horiffic attacks on 9/11 2001.  This 7 year period will be followed by a season of the release of God’s presence and passion over us.

The second and third meetings at “The Passion Place” will be held on Tuesdays, September 23 and October 7.  These nights will be filled with an encounter and experience with the passion and presence of God. 

And so we put out the call to you:  It is time to Battle for Breakthrough in these 40 Days of Passion and Presence.  Join us as we yeild to the pursuit of God and respond passionately by pursuing Him!