Lately I've been doing a lot of examination concerning my spiritual life, and one area the Lord has been teaching me in concerns fasting. I don't know about you, but for most of my spiritual life I have never heard a sermon series on the subject of fasting in any church I've attended, and yet, I read the bible and I know the Lord talks about it.
So this got me thinking about prayer and fasting and whether or not any of you have not only prayed for the persecuted church, but also have fasted for the persecuted church. I am curious, because a good friend of mine always says that when we pray and fast, that it's like high octane prayer.
I was thinking that if just a few of us seriously prayed and fasted for Gao, Marzieh, Maryam, Asia Bibi, and any of the other prisoners listed at http://www.prisoneralert.com, maybe the Lord will move more quickly...and maybe He won't either, BUT He will change you.
And what if some of us took a Restricted Nation and prayed and fasted about that nation on a daily basis - can you imagine what God may do?
I am convinced that now is the time for the church to get more serious with our prayers and that includes praying and fasting. God wants to do wonderful things in our lives, and I wonder if sometimes we miss out on a greater sanctification with our Lord because we don't press in closer to Him and learn to deny ourselves.
Fasting from food, or a substance or even something you enjoy like chocolate, television, the internet, social media or any other thing that you may put before the Lord, is a small sacrifice unto our great King, especially when I think about the wonderful and truly awesome sacrifice of a bloody Jesus on a cross for my sin. There is no greater love than that. Amen!
