PRAY
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had always done before.” Daniel 6:10
Prayer is not only the most powerful tool ever placed in the hands of mankind, but it is also the most baffling priveledge. We have been invited to converse with God. To fellowship with Him. But He extends His grace and mercy even beyond basic conversation, His ear is inclined towards our needs and requests. We are invited to come before the throne of God and ask!
But not only to come, to come boldly.
“Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].” Hebrews 4:16 AMP
Every need is met in God. Every thing we could every possibly be lacking, He has abundance to meet us there. This is so foundational in our walk with Him. God loves us. He wants us to be bold before Him. That boldness is really birthed out of trust in Him. We are not afraid to approach one whom we know loves us. One whom we know thinks highly of us. One who delights in our nearness to them. We only cower when we loose sight of His love. When we let the veil once again stand between our view and His face. The Lord delights in giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11), and we are His children. His beloved. We must know this in our own lives, to truly be able to step out in faith for the needs of others. How can we trust Him to provide for them, if we don’t trust Him to provide for us? He is the same God, and His loving kindness poured out on the small child in a third world country, is positioned toward us, and every other of His children every moment of every day. He is a good Father!
This revelation, and divine exchange, enables us to walk as intercessors. We have been made free, thus we are equipped to stand in the gap for others to be set free. We are aquainted with the transforming power that is available to them, because it has been poured out on us.
We go with the same boldness that we have learned when bringing our own requests to the Lord, and we bring requests for others. For family, for government, for cities, for nations. For those who have never found their voice, for those who have been held in captivity by the enemy and never realized they have a voice. We stand for the lost, the dying, the hurting, the confused, the needy, those who have not found their resting place in God.
FAST
“But Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself by eating his portion of the king’s rich and dainty food or by drinking the wine which he drank, therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might be allowed not to defile himself.” Daniel 1:8 AMP
Fasting is one of the great mysteries of spirit meeting flesh. It actually strengthens us in seeming weakness.
When we fast, we actually make a powerful statement in the spirit. We determine to walk intentionally on a path of discipline. A path unwavering. A path that doesn’t blend in with our popular culture. A path that doesn’t go along with the whims of the day. A path that chooses to walk above the fleeting wants of the flesh. We choose to live out of our spirit and in doing so force our flesh into submission to it.
“But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].”
1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP
Self control is actually one of our greatest rights in the kingdom of God. He wants us to live on purpose. He wants us to make our own decisions. God is the greatest advocate of the freedom of choice that has ever existed. He honors our right to choose, even to our own eternal damnation. God doesn’t want a bunch of robots. He wants children. When we choose to walk against culture, we are intentionally choosing His ways. Keeping our mind, body and spirit chaste in our walk on this earth, is a decision. We choose purity. We choose righteousness. We choose prayer. We choose fasting. A fasted lifestyle is simply walking with only what will allow nearness to God, and leaving the rest out. It’s freedom really.
Fasting, as it is most commonly thought of, (going with out food or some other flesh satisfying thing for a period of time), is a tangible practice of this discipline. It is like a workout for our spirit muscles, and a continued dying to self for our flesh.
“Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating the air.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-26
We fast to keep our spirit’s tender and strong, to keep our flesh in submission, so that we can run at our greatest pace. So we can pursue the Lord with focus, clarity, and wholeheartedness.
CHANGE
Prayer and fasting, of course, changes us first. But it also changes the world around us.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, seek, crave and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 AMP
Let us be transformed, so we can transform our cities, and prepare the bride for our coming King!
