FAST AND PRAY

It has been well said that prayer is not preparation for the battle - prayer is the battle. And of all the things we can do to enhance the power and focus of prayer, fasting is doubtless the most potent.

This is where the power is at, because fasting puts us in harmony with an All Powerful God who demands humility from those who wish to be close to Him. Fasting humbles the flesh. When it is done for that purpose, it pleases the Spirit of God.

You can go a certain distance in God, and experience many things, without fasting much, but the highest, richest and most powerful blessings always go to those who together with other disciplines, fast much unto God. The most significant Biblical characters, with the possible exception of Abraham, were all men of fasting and prayer. Jesus, the Son of God, was a man of fasting and prayer (Matthew 4:2). So was the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 11:27). Moses fasted 80 days. Elijah fasted 40 days. The early church fasted before starting any major work. The greatest spiritual leaders of the 20th century who are making an impact are all men of fasting of prayer to my knowledge. Anyone who started a significant spiritual movement in Christianity was, to the best of my knowledge - Luther, Wesley, Finney, Booth were all men of fasting. In our day, Cho, Bonnke, Osborn, Annacondia are all men of much fasting. If done right, fasting counts a lot with God.

Fasting is not magic, nor does it twist the arm of God. God wants to do many amazing things, but He looks for those willing to urgently make the corrections needed to come into line with him. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Successful fasting is also the fastest way to learn patience. It takes patience and endurance to fast for more than a day. Many of God's tests come quicker to us when we fast, and we have a better opportunity to pass them. If we want to go far with God we would have to face these tests anyway, but much later, and in a more time consuming and difficult way. We need to "bite the bullet" and embrace the correction God wants to apply to our souls.

Fasting gives you God's focus for your life. It is a major key to hearing God's voice (the other is true worship - the two are related). We need focus from God more than anything. The world we live in is working overtime to distract us, to entice us, to win our hearts and minds, our focus, and to determine our vision. Fasting cuts out the world so we can tune into God. If we are obedient to God fasting will make us catalysts for revival and awakening.

TESTIMONIALS

Testimony:   a public profession of religious experience

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I HAVE ALWAYS PRAYED TO GOD FOR PERSONAL TESTIMONIES AND HE HAS NOT LET ME DOWN. I CAME TO SOUTH AFRICA AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS FRIENDS STARTED CALLING ME PASTOR. THOUGH AM NOT ONE BY TRAINING AND WITHIN THREE WEEKS I WAS ASKED TO LEAD IN EXHORTATION. GOD USED ME WITHIN THAT SHORT TIME SO MUCH THAT I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LEAD BIBLE STUDIES COME THIS SUNDAY. SO I ASK IS THIS NOT THE HAND OF GOD? I PERSONALLY THINK GOD SENT YOU TO ME BECAUSE EVERY MESSAGE I HAVE RECEIVED FROM YOU IS SPIRIT FILLED AND I HAVE SHARED IT WITH OTHERS. I HAVE EVEN DIRECTED A SISTER TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU. LASTLY ON THE ISSUE OF MARRIAGE I HAVE BEEN PRAYING TO GOD TO HELP ME MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR SOME TIME NOW AND AM STILL LOOKING UP TO HIM. I HOPE YOU AND HELEN WILL SUPPORT ME IN PRAYERS. GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH.   S
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                My testimony.  God has blessed me with a ministry and my Pastor just emailed me to let me know that it is changing a woman’s life.  I see God’s hand in this ministry. 

             I testified last Sunday about my son and his patience while he waited on God and that as mothers we are not to give up on our children – God will be right there. 

                Your ministry has helped me stay grounded in my faith when I am away from my home church during the week.  What a blessing you have been to me.  V

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Praise God. I do hope you have begun the year well with the Lord. I greatly appreciate God for the work of the ministry He laid in your life. It has a great positive effect in my life. My approach to my family and people at large has changed. I know appreciate the value God has put in each one of us. Keep the flame burning for Christ. I sincerely love you.  O

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I Thank the Lord Jesus Christ for bringing you and Sister Helen into my life you have uplifted , encouraged, show truths to be truth, helped me to discern between lies, and truth, I am thankful and grateful for direction that you have given, correction, a mind change and a life fully devoted to the Lords will even when things don't look right the Lord always spoke a word through you to my spirit I thank you for being the adviser that the Lord knew I needed.  W
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Pardon me if I am a little long in my answer but my spirit is leading me to share.

I was reading your teaching  and the words of your prayer pricked me fiercely.

“Father, I thank You that I am responsible for cleaning up my act. You have provided me with what I need to do the job, but it is my job to do it and keep it squeaky clean. Thank You for Your Word; I will take heed to it. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.”

By the standards of the world my act is pretty straight and clean, but according to the word there are areas of me that need to be cleansed and that I need deliverance from.  I heard this question posed in an analogy  yesterday while listening to the bridge on the way to work.  Do you want to be the hare or the tortoise?  The hare sprints down the path to the destination running out of steam only to pick up and sprint again, but the tortoise is steady in his walk down the path to the destination.  I thought to myself, I am so on fire and I sprint in my devotion an walk with Christ. Then I have a stretch of smooth sailing so to speak and I flounder.  Then when I hit a bump or a ditch (Often) I blame myself and start trying to find what I do wrong that causes the trial.  I go through a short period of self condemnation and then I am quickly back to seeking Him for my peace and my strength in Him.  Instead I need to be like the tortoise who is steady and in times of peace from the storm keep in Him and in times of turbulence continue to keep in Him.  For He is my strong tower, my very present help in the time of need.  He is also my joy in the times of harmony.

You know Pastor, to be honest with you, I am mostly all the time at peace, although my life is not peaceful.  I am in a place of not knowing what to do.  I am losing my house, my possession don’t mean all that much to me.  I am financially unstable. I am in pain in my body and have no feeling in my feet.  I have the responsibility of being the care giver for my parents who are facing serious health issues.  I know that everyone who use to be in my circle of people are being removed from me.  I am not sure what my purpose is, and I so want to be in my nitch or making strides in my purpose. I want to be where He wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do.  My spouse has made some decisions that have put me and our life in serious jeopardy.  I don’t want that relationship anymore, but I am an enabler and I can’t seem to be cruel enough to completely cut off and I don’t know if that is what the Lord wishes for me to do.

The Love Dare did challenge me.  Before I started I was in a nasty mental place.  Continually dredging up all the past hurts, disloyalty and feelings of betrayal.  Replaying them over and over in my head.  The Dare put it front and center that it’s more about how I react, its more about how my love and care despite treatment can be a balm and brings about the change that God wants in me and then it affects others.  Slowly changing how I am in any given situation can be the example that will bring about a change in others.

Example – although I don’t know what God has for me in regards to my relationship, not spewing nastiness in defense of what I felt were the wrongs and learning how to forgive (still not all the way there) and not retaliate in bitterness has not only shown me who God is in me but has allowed  him to see how good God is and now he is seeking Him in ways he hadn’t done before.  Him not being a reader, with this time on his hands he is reading a book I gave him about the journey.  I thank God for that and I am prayerful that even if he is not for me that he will not be lost and will accept the wonderful gift that is offered to him.

I love your testimony and if I have one overshadowing testimony it would be that I have learned how not to hate my enemy.  To not give like in return to those who have contrived to harm me. A certain woman who has harassed me and done physical damage to mine. But to prayer for her and her family, to speak life and God to her so that now when she texts me or leaves me a message she does ask for God’s blessing upon me.  To give honor and glory to God because my Pastor lives and is back teaching and preaching after being pronounced dead twice. To thank God for my earthly father who is rallying after strokes and kidney failure and is giving God praise for he finally knows Christ.

 As you know by now I can go on but I’ll end my response to your message by saying.  There has been a wonderful change in me and all honor and Glory belong to Christ. Be blessed at your point of need.   A

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Yes your ministry is a blessing to me. When I am suffering God gives you a word or a song and the next thing I know I'm here on my wee computer getting support and confirmation of something that has been on my mind or troubling me. So thank you that you take time to not only send me the study lessons but other encouragements, God bless you and yours and keep up the great work in Christ's name, Amen. N

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For you see your calling, brothers and sisters, how not many of you were especially bright, educated, or enlightened according to the world's standards; not many of you were impressive; not many came from high-ranking families or from the upper-class of society. Instead, God selected people who are idiots in the world's view; in fact, the world's see them as imbeciles and jerks. Yet God, is using them to utterly confound those who seem smart in the world's eyes...."   (1 Corinthians 1 v 26-27 greek)

We are those idiots.........................................................................................................................................
Thank you Father God for using us to utterly confound the world.............

That brothers and sisters in Christ, is our Testimony................................

Arthur & Helen

GOD IS MERCIFUL AND PATIENT

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man; weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man's feet and gave him food and drink.

The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, don't you worship God?

The old traveler replied, worship fire only and reverence no other god.

When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.

When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, I forced him out because he did not worship You.

God answered, I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors Me. Could you not endure him one night?

It's hard to imagine the patience that God must have in order to deal with ALL of Creation including you and me. 

The Apostle Paul shared with Timothy his thanksgiving for not only God's patience, but also for God's mercy, love and grace. Paul was definitely a child of God who tested the Heavenly Father's patience and mercy. As an agent of the Jewish Council, Paul, known then as Saul of Tarsus, spoke evil of Jesus, and with others persecuted the followers of God's Son, Jesus Christ. The mercy and forgiveness granted to Saul of Tarsus was a bold and profound message for future generations of believers. What incredible patience our God has. Who among us could be so patient? Not only was God patient with Paul, but also showed mercy by making such an enemy as Saul into an important representative of Christian faith.

Yet, Paul was selected to serve Jesus and to be an important representative of the Christian faith -- to demonstrate the Good News of what God has done and continues to do for all people through Jesus Christ! The apostle's testimony is a powerful expression of this important message. Paul emphatically wrote, his is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life.

Today, Paul is recognized as one of the most important Christian leaders in history; but if Paul considered himself the worst of sinners what does that mean for us? Can you or I think we are better than the apostle? That we are not sinners? An important aspect of those questions is shown in the spiritual lives of the Jewish leadership, which was opposed to Jesus. It was THEIR belief that THEY somehow earned special consideration or love from God. The Jewish leadership equated being loved by God with being a person who fulfilled all the requirements of THEIR religious laws. It was abhorrent to them to even consider the possibility that God loved sinners. Because Jesus welcomed and loved unclean sinners and the untouchables of society, the religious leader's whole understanding of their relationship with God was insulted.

Christ focus on saving sinners continues to create great tension today. Most of us do not like thinking of ourselves as sinners, so coming to terms with the Gospel message means we must face the reality that we ALL are sinners and need forgiveness.

We are called to remember we are all sinners. We are ALL in need of God's  grace, mercy, love and patience. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, we are to welcome and follow our Savior's way of hospitality showing grace, mercy, love and patience toward all.

God's mercy and patience for all of us sinners has been shown powerfully in the suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's Son! Let us follow God's and Christ's examples of mercy, patience, grace and love in the way we treat one another and welcome all people. Amen.

 When you are Merciful and Patient like our Lord, your ministry work will be very happy and God will bless your work abundantly. Be blessed.

Yours in Christ,

 Tarrent-Arthur Henry