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work for answered prayer

Fasting and Working for Answered Prayers

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Have you ever been so desperate that you had to fast? You had to go to prayer? Your need was so critical that just saying you were praying about it wasn’t enough. A bedtime lay-me-down-to-sleep prayer wasn’t going to get it. You had to get down to business.

The question for the day is,

work for answered prayer

“Do we have to work for answered prayers? Do we have to fast continually, check off our Daily Bread chart and say so many “Our Father who art in heaven…” prayers?”

The answer is, “No.” We are the ones who need the changing, not God.

Fasting and prayer changes US, strengthens US, molds our character, changes our heart, mind and soul, gives US direction, wisdom, and clears up things that were muddy before!

The Bible tells us that the prophet Daniel fasted on a regular basis. It has even recorded three of those fasts for us to look at and observe. In one of them he goes completely without any food at all. “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes…” Daniel 9:3 KJV.

In the other two fasts that are recorded in the book of Daniel, he participated in partial fasts where he ate some foods, but refrained from others.

Each time Daniel fasted, we can find one thing he was very consistent with; he never failed to pray!

Look at the verse above again in Daniel 9:3, “…to seek by prayer and supplications.”  Even when it doesn’t specifically mention prayer, we know Daniel prayed because he was a Hebrew prophet and a man of God. He would not have fasted without prayer! The Jewish people understood that the two went together.

God can speak to us because we have allowed Him to cleanse things from our minds when we fast. We have taken time to be with Him and pushed some things aside; things that we liked, maybe even loved, that were important to us. We laid them down in order to be with Him.

Our motives must be pure when we pray. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:3 ESV. We are praying for our needs, not necessarily our wants. Max Lucado said it so well, “You have to wonder if God’s most merciful act is His refusal to answer some of our prayers!”

Our heart must be right! “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me…” Psalm 66:18 KJV.

We must pray in faith, believing and we pray His will in all things.  “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 ESV.  

Then we must pray with perseverance! “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1 NIV.

And we must be thankful. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” 1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV.

When we fast, we show the Lord that we want to draw closer to Him and lay aside things that might hinder us in our walk. We aren’t bargaining with God and we are not begging God. We aren’t jumping through hoops or just checking off boxes. We just realize that if our flesh is submitted to Him, His wants and desires for us become OUR wants and desires. We begin to reflect His glory and not our own!

And even if the situation doesn’t change, WE have been changed, WE have been strengthened for whatever lies ahead.

The Daniel Fast Devotional

In The Daniel Fast Devotional, we talk about a different person in the Bible who sought God by fasting every day of the 21 day fast. Some of them were desperate like Hannah, she just HAD to fast too! Others did it out of selfishness as with Ahab and Jezebel. Each story is true, intriguing, and will teach us the good and the bad motives behind fasting. Also, at the end of each chapter, there are wonderful recipes that are Daniel Fast approved. Get your copy today!

When Ye Fast: Tighten that Belt!

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When Ye Fast: Tighten that Belt! Today we are talking about putting on the Armor of God. We are posting every day in January for those that are beginning the New Year with fasting! You can read yesterday’s post here, here and here.

Jump here and read the scripture first! I will wait for you! It’s a little long but necessary.

Awesome, so now we know that putting on the armor of God gives us power to resist the enemy. Paul tells us the battle is not with people, it is “against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”.

Spiritual warfare. This is serious stuff. In order to stand, in order to be effective in our own circle, to be a witness, to have the strength and wisdom to recognize an attack from the enemy and how to resist, we must put on that armor every day. A soldier wouldn’t think of going out to face his enemy without his suit!

Today’s average soldier carries at least 60 pounds of gear, including weaponry and body armor, which we will discuss later. If they are going on an extended mission, that weight could double! And their cold weather load could be over 100 pounds. Yikes!

They have to be strong, they have to be prepared to even suit up. The soldier will have spent hours upon hours in training and much practice on how to even get all of his gear on.

While on a fast of any kind, we must be aware every day of what we are putting on.

  • Is it godly?
  • Is it necessary?
  • Is it beneficial for the Kingdom’s sake?

Fasting is not just going without food; if we are not praying and asking God to reveal our shortcomings and ways to draw closer to Him, we are wasting our time. God will speak to you during your fast and begin to show you things that are not part of your necessary armor. And He will also reveal those things that you may have discarded that are crucial to your walk.

So, whether you have begun your fast or not, consider things that might be getting in the way of your armor. Remember, the armor of God will strengthen you, not drag you down! Ask God to show you things that have crept in and you might need to address.

As you can see, the first thing mentioned is the Belt of Truth. There is no point even trying to put on any of the other pieces of armor if we are not girded, completely wrapped in truth! Winning the battle, any and every battle of spiritual warfare, doesn’t require us to take on the devil alone, no, to win this battle we submit to our God, put on truth and all of the armor of God and the devil doesn’t stand a chance!

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. 

The Apostle Paul based his reference to the armor on the Roman soldier of his day. This was a soldier prepared for battle. Their belt was not like we wear today to hold up our pants or as a fashion accessory. This belt was a thick leather and metal band which also had a protective piece hanging down from it in the front. This belt held their sword and other weapons. Did you catch that? This first piece of armor that we are to put on, this Truth, holds the Sword, the Word of God! “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17. The Word is Truth!

Think of the power portrayed here. Think of the power given to us, to you, when you put on the belt of truth. This is the foundation for all other pieces of armor, this is the foundation of our faith. When we are rooted and grounded in Truth, we are unshakable and we are able to stand against the attacks of the enemy.

The best way to do that, to be on guard, is to fast and pray.

Temptation will come while you are fasting, expect it. Jesus, who was hungry the Bible says, responded to temptation with the Word of God. He declares that it isn’t the temporary things of this world that will sustain us in difficult times, it is the Word, that foundation, that Truth that comes directly from GOD, the Creator of the Universe, that will

  • Keep us
  • Protect us
  • Fulfill us
  • Convict us
  • Strengthen us
  • Provide for us
  • Watch over us
  • Save us and much, much more!

The Bible says to “gird your loins”, not a phrase you hear much of any more for sure. But the meaning is far reaching and pretty awesome. Gird means to tighten your belt, to get ready for a dangerous situation, prepare for a military attack, be ready for any confrontation!

Tomorrow we will look at the Breastplate of Righteousness. Be blessed as you fast unto the Lord, whether you are fasting now or later in the month, I pray you are encouraged to STAND.

Do you have your copy of my easy-to-read Fasting Devotional? Don’t let the title fool you! It is a 21 day devotion for ANY FAST. Each day is an example of someone in the Bible who fasted, some for the wrong reason as well, and what we can glean from them. There are also Daniel Fast recipes and instructions for following that fast as well. Available at Amazon.com in Kindle or paperback!

The Sword of the Spirit: Pick it up!

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The Sword of the Spirit: Pick it up! Today is the final piece of armor and it is of utmost importance; it is the Sword of the Spirit; the Word of God! You can read all of our posts since January 1 here. But we are far from finished; we will continue with a fasting devotion every day for the rest of the month. Stay with me!

“…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Ephesians 6:17-18

This last piece completed the Armor of God that we are to put on every day but it is not something you wear like the other items, it is something you take up and is used offensively or defensively.

Remember, Paul’s analogy of the Armor of God was taken from the Roman soldiers armor, one he saw every day in the prison where he was writing.

The Roman soldier carried a two-edged sword which was easier to penetrate and easier to cut and easier to wound or kill the enemy. It was a smaller sword, more like a dagger, and the soldier would have carried it with him at all times.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The soldier was equipped with all his armor fitted and put on in the right place, every day.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Then, he takes up that sword. And like the Roman soldier, the child of God takes up that Word, that Living and Active Word of God that is sharper than any double edged sword!

Matthew Henry says so aptly what I cannot and it is so good: “It…makes a soul that has been a long time of a proud spirit to be humble, of a perverse spirit to be meek and obedient. Those sinful habits that have become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, and become in a manner one with it, are separated and cut off by this sword. It cuts off ignorance from the understanding, rebellion from the will, and enmity from the mind, which, when carnal, is enmity itself against God.

This sword divides between the joints and the marrow, the most secret, close, and intimate parts of the body; this sword can cut off the lusts of the flesh as well as the lusts of the mind, and make men willing to undergo the sharpest operation for the mortifying of sin….The word will turn the inside of a sinner out, and let him see all that is in his heart.

So, you might ask, what does all of this have to do with fasting? When we fast, we are spending extra time in prayer and reading of the Word. We are making effort to be with God and come closer to Him and hear His voice. Fasting clears our minds and our hearts and allows us to hear what He would say to us, what the Word is speaking and how it affects us as His children. Jesus said some things can not even happen without fasting and prayer!

It isn’t necessarily that you receive new power or more power, you already have it with the Holy Spirit living inside of you. It’s just that, because of the denying of the flesh, you are recognizing what you have and are activating it by taking up that Sword every day. Then, when you need it, it is active, it is living, it is ready for whatever comes your way!

Finally, Paul’s description of the Armor of God doesn’t really end with the Sword of the Spirit. “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” He continues in the same sentence that we should be praying at all times and for those around us. Fasting, with prayer, makes our spiritual vision come alive and we start seeing the needs of others around us and awaken to things happening in the spirit world. And if we have that Sword in our hands, that Word of God in our hearts, we will be well equipped to do the work Jesus has us to do.

Come back tomorrow for another fasting devotion as we look at what NOT to do when fasting! 

 
 

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