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January 1, 2012

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

It is the beginning of the year, a time when many Christians around the world will begin their fast. Our Church,Harvest Time New Testament Church Of God begins its 40 days of prayer and fasting on January 9th, 2012.

According to the Bible, there are three duties of every Christian: giving, praying and fasting. The discipline and strength needed for this fast will only be obtained from God.

ISAIAH 58:6 "[Is] not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

The word fast comes from the Hebrew word Tsuwm which means to cover the mouth. Fasting simply put is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Our mouth is the greatest tool to our destruction we posses. With it we destroy not only people but our own lives.

God has taken the very thing that was the cause of man's fall in the Garden of Eden and of man losing his power and dominion over it, and has turned it around so that by abstaining from eating (fasting) we can enter again into a new dimension.

When we can control the appetite we can control the flesh-king of our body. Fasting gives us a holy sense of true values. So as you go into your time of fasting watch how you begin to die to the fleshly desires that were becoming hindrances in your life and threatened to destroy you.

There are several types of fasting, the one you choose is between you and God. He will honor your best sacrifice. I encourage you to seek the Lord in prayer and let your decisions about your biblical fasting come from Him. Ask the Lord to show you areas to target during your time of fasting and prayer. There must be purpose in your fasting. God will reward you in fasting if you seek Him with the right motives and in a scriptural way.

Begin with a clear goal. Be specific. Why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing, restoration of marriage or family issues? Are you facing financial difficulties? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Read the Bible and pray as often as you can throughout the day. Get away from the normal distractions as much as possible and keep your heart and mind set on seeking God's face.

May God bless you as you dedicate this time to prayer and fasting.



This is a word of encouragement to help you in your daily spiritual walk and in your daily activities in this world.
If you are blessed by this word, why not leave a comment telling us how it blessed you.
Then why not share the blessing and forward it to a friend, relative or associate who you know will be blessed by these words.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the word, I now understnd more clearly what fasting is about

Anonymous said...

Great post, many of us Christians are not aware how important prayer and fasting is in our walk with God.

Repentance is a God given opportunity to enter into the blessings of the Lord and escape from the oppression of the enemy.
If you haven't ask Jesus into your heart as Savior and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, it is as simple as following these steps:

1) ADMIT YOU HAVE SINNED. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

2) BELIEVE IN JESUS. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).


3) CONFESS AND LEAVE YOUR SIN. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

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A Christian who loves to write about christian living, spiritual health and self improvement. I pray daily that the love and grace of God will be poured out through my life to others, so that those who are in bondage can be delivered and the captives set free. I remind myself daily that whether or not I have "witnessed" I am still a witness in everything I do.