God has blessed America, our state, and our region! I know that at times, it can feel like he has not, but one advantage the Lord has given me is that I have had the opportunity to see the world, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Even at our worst, we are still the greatest country in the world.
Knowing that, we still have lots of division, woundedness, rejection, hurts, and blindness that we need to overcome. I think every president and most of our nation’s leaders have been driven to do what is best for this nation as they saw it. Some of their points of view were broken and just plain wrong, but I believe they did the best they could from their point of view.
For a practical explanation of fasting and some practical advice on how to fast please take time to read the information on our app.
To be honest, it is not really up to a secular government to restore a nation, state, or region to integrity. We are blessed if we have godly leadership, but God always calls the true men and women of God to bring a nation to integrity and wholeness. Even under King David’s leadership, he called Nathan to speak integrity to David.
I believe that if the church—and by that, I mean every individual man and woman of God—reads God’s word, studies it, and chooses to spend quality time in prayer, then we will see divisions healed, more people brought to Christ, and real answers to issues like justice, poverty, violence, and all forms of prejudice torn down.
2 Chronicles 7: 14,15
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
Whenever the people of God faced great challenges, they humbled themselves through fasting and prayer. Esther 4, Nehemiah 1, Ezra 8, and Psalm 69 are just a few chapters.
You may not feel like it right now but our nation is facing many great challenges. We are facing international threats, financial crises, a crisis in education, a breakdown of common sense, as well as law and order. I know these are things many of you are hoping the new administration will solve, but they can’t, apart from a divine move of God.
That divine move of God is not going to come from secular or ungodly people but instead, “If my people”
Jesus expected all Christ-followers to fast
Matthew 6:16-18
And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
The idea of fasting is that it is an intimate expression of your faith. It is not about pride, arrogance, or somehow being “holier than thou!” God longs to have our undivided attention, He wants to know that we are setting aside time just to be with the one who loves us the most.
Jesus and Moses both fasted…Luke 4:1,2
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
In preparing for 3 and ½ years of showing the world, the Father, and His heart, Jesus needed to spend quality time alone with the Father but don’t you know into the midst of wanting the quality time, the devil came to try to throw even Jesus off course. I believe the time of fasting gave Jesus’ humanity the reality check it needed and the quality time with the Father to accomplish everything that was needed for the completion of a plan thousands of years in the making.
We need the Lord to give us the insight and strength we need for this next year. We need a personal touch of intimacy with the Lord that only comes from being with him. When Moses was in God’s presence, his face shown so brightly, that they asked him to cover it. I want the Lord to allow our spirits to shine so brightly that all the people around us sense His presence and want what we have to offer. Fasting tends to strip away the stuff that holds us back. And the stuff that gets in the way of God moving through us.
Do you need answers? Seeking the Lord through fasting tends to get us there.
In Daniel 9, Daniel believes it is time for God to move on behalf of his people so Daniel fasts and God reveals to him His heart, gives him the words to pray and gives him the answer to his questions
Sometimes the very answer we are seeking needs us to come to that place of connection with God for us or for others by our prayer and fasting as Jesus explained about the deliverance and healing of the young boy who would throw himself into a fire…Mark 9:29
2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat was facing an overwhelming army so he called a fast and God gave him the answers he needed to defeat a great enemy, not by might nor by power by God showed him how to when by his spirit. A true holy war is not one where men fight for God but where, as in 2 Chronicles 20, God fights for his people.
Prayer and fasting were a regular discipline in the early church perhaps that is why so many miracles took place but it was also a tool they used to hear from the Lord in order to confirm or gain clear direction Acts 13:1-3
Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Acts 14:21-23
After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Fasting is also used as a tool of showing repentance
Jonah speaks a word of repentance to a Gentile and completely ungodly city and their response is to pray, ask for forgiveness and seek the Lord through fasting Jonah 3:5-9
Even the totally selfish ungodly King of Israel, Ahab repented through prayer and fasting 1 Kings 21: 25-27
Israel as a nation fasted for national repentance 1 Samuel 7:5,6
Seeking the Lord through totally dedicating your time, energy, focus and devotion to the Lord, often moves mountains we don’t see moved otherwise. God is not looking for our suffering, that is not who God is, He is looking for our intimacy to grow with Him
Can you choose to dedicate your time, energy, focus and devotion to Him for 21 days starting January 6. The date itself needs to be revived so to speak. Choose to walk away from something that controls your attention. Eating, preparing, and cleaning up from food takes more time each day than you think and every time you feel hunger, pangs it will remind you it is time to be with the Lord. Perhaps letting go of social media and/or television Stephanie Leone is leading a group to fast social media for a full 40 days it had a radical impact on her the first time she did it. Take time to think today about what controls you or what you simply want to let go of for the next 21 days and allow the Lord to do that for you through fasting. Seek Him for the mountains you need to see moved and expect answers as you are launched into a more intimate time with the Lord