Dear people of God, let us meditate on this Scripture and understand how we can make our Fasting prayers effective and result oriented.
If we are living a life of sin and hold a fasting prayer for one day to please God, God will certainly not delight in such a fast.
He will not be pleased in one-day-show-off, and then go back to regular sinful life.
He needs all our ways to be straight before Him.
If you think your prayers are not being answered and you have been waiting for a real long time, first introspect if there is any offensive way in you that is not pleasing to God.
First hold a fasting prayer before God for cleansing yourself off that offense.
Check if you are living in strife deliberately with those around you.
Or if you are unforgiving towards people who had hurt you or caused you harm.
Check if your tongue is pouring out curses or blessings.
Lets make a list of the matters described in the above Scripture that are displeasing to God, when we fast:
1. Fasting ending in quarrel
2. Fasting ending in strife
3. Striking each other with wickedness
4. Exploiting people around or those under you
Keeping all these in place we cannot expect God to be pleased with a one day fasting prayer and send us our needs.
If you are finding it difficult to forgive someone, or to get away with any weakness or shortcoming, first fast for that matter.
Plead God to deliver you from such bondage, even before you present your request before God.
Stop eating your food, for day or two, and then spend the whole time in the presence of God, present before Him the matter why you are coming to Him.
And ask Him earnestly to cleanse you and forgive you if you had hurt Him and have not been living up to His expectations.
We must first please God with honesty, humbleness and confession, and then go to Him with the desires of our hearts and our requests.
Once God is pleased with our humbleness and the tears we are shedding before Him for sinning against Him, and we come to a stage where we are in peace with Him, when our heart is totally cleansed from every malice, and when the light of God surrounds us, then whatsoever we ask in fasting prayer, will be granted to us, without a shadow of doubt.
However if any of the above mentioned sins are existing in us, and we steadfastly fast only for granting our desires, then dear ones, such prayers will be hindered by our sins and will not reach our Father. And therefore we will not be able to see any answers.
The number of days we fast also matters according to the seriousness of the matter we are praying for.
If the issue is a real big one, the number of days of our fast must be big too!
There was a time when I was going through a tough situation where I needed God's strong hand to deliver me, and there wasn't a little hope of the matter being settled in my favour from the circumstances I was going through.
The entire world was against what I was seeking, but what I seeking was what God has promised me.
The devil rouse itself very aggressively against me, creating opposition from all sides.
During this time, though I was firm in my faith, God wanted me to fast for 3 days.
There was a man of God whom God used to send me this message. Though this man asked me to fast for 3 days, his motives were to work towards what others were saying.
However, God used this person, so that I receive the message of His requirement of a 3-day fast.
I never before fasted for so many days.
But in obedience, given by His grace, I said, 'Lord, I start off. You lead me. I am weak but nothing is impossible with you.'
And God gave me grace to observe the 3 day fast. I probably had taken some coffee in the mornings and evenings. And some water when I was really thirsty. And no solid food at all.
Believe me people, I was extremely strong and joyful, during those 3 days, though I hadn't been eating. I never had a feeling that I need to eat, neither I felt any weakness in my body. Nor was there any temptation to just go and gulp something quickly.
In His grace He supplied me stamina and all that I needed to hold that three day fast and submit my requests before Him.
Then through a vision, God confirmed me that I am delivered according to my faith, i.e., according to His promise.
It was around an year later, the deliverance manifested in the natural, and I received what God has promised me, without a string of help from anyone.
And even without me fighting for it.
People who stood against me left my way by themselves, without any fuss.
And God has turned around things in my favour.
In the mean time, God has filled my life with many good things and granted me many many blessings assuring me of what He promised He will do. And in His chosen time, He did it !!
Dear people, God's answers will take time. But we need to hold on to Him in Faith and wait for His time.
We need to mould our minds to think according to what we believe in and act accordingly. Then our soul will be in sync with our spirit, which is being led by the Spirit of God, and thus, nothing in the natural can influence us negatively in reaching our goal.
Do not have double minds when you go to God for your answers. Be firm to receive what you are wanting.
Of course, this assurance and firmness must come from God's promise and by knowing His will.
If God is telling that whatever you are asking is not in His will, then submit yourself to doing His will. Do not be adamant or stubborn in asking Him through fasting prayers that which He clearly might have told is not in His plan. If you insist, then it will be considered a rebellion and God will finally give us away, over to our desire and we will only ruin ourselves. That desire will only become torment of our life.
''Job 15:11 Are God's consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth.''
Dear people, when you receive a word of comfort from God and He assures you of something, then be still before Him. And wait on Him until He brings it to pass.
During such times, when you pray, let your words be very carefully uttered.
Because, sometimes, when it takes time in receiving, our agony makes us utter worthless words in our frustration of not receiving what was promised, in times that we want them to happen.
This happens mostly in the matters of heart.
When God has promised you something, and you seem to be waiting long to receive it, your frustration gives your tongue all its freedom and makes you speak out unworthy words complaining against God.
Not only behind, but also in prayers. Sometimes people grumble and pour out complaints, on how pathetic their condition is, and why God is not sending answer right away, how long must they look on etc..
Dear people, this is a very critical mistake. We must be very careful with our words.
Let not your hearts lead you to sin against God when you are waiting on God for an answer.
We should not expect God to answer us according to our emotions and our timings.
Or according to the fluctuations of our mindsets and our feelings.
Or according to the fluctuations of our mindsets and our feelings.
God will work according to the agenda He has, and not change His plans, just because we are feeling desperate in our flesh.
Rather, we must submit such feelings to God and act properly, by not saying worthless words but act in self-control, and in fear of God.
Then God will grant us victory over these emotions and make us even stronger than before and takes us to the next level of tasting His grace.
So dear precious children of God, when you fast, hold on to your integrity towards God.
Do not hold any unforgiveness or grudge against any one. If you hold, and at the same time fast and ask God to give you the desires of your heart, such prayers will not be fruitful.
Do not hold any unforgiveness or grudge against any one. If you hold, and at the same time fast and ask God to give you the desires of your heart, such prayers will not be fruitful.
Keep a careful chek on your tongue and your behaviour. Devote yourself in spending in His Presence. We must pray as if we have already received it.
When we fast and pray, we should not involve ourselves in the wordly affairs, like we do on regular days.
I mean to say, for few of us regular activities involve:
* spending time before the television
* listening to music other than songs of our Lord
* gossiping with friends
* talking about worldly affairs, etc.,
These will divert our mind from the goal of our fast, and will distract our concentration from our prayer.
And thereby, we will not be able to receive and interpret the messages of God that He sends through His Spirit into our spirit.
This time must be spent in God's Presence, reading the Scriptures, eagerly waiting to hear from Him and receive His instructions, and worshiping Him.
We must give ourselves to the total control of the Holy Spirit.
Mind should not wander on other matters, while your mouth prays about some other things.
Our mind and spirit must be in sync.
We must keep ourselves holy in all aspects.
'' Isaiah 58 : 9 - 12 If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the poinitng finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations.''
May God bless this portion and grant us grace to fast in a way that is pleasing in His sight.
God Bless You.
