Every year about time, I start thinking about fasting and closing in on my scriptural reading goals for the year. Maybe it’s because we are nearing the end of the year or maybe it’s just this beautiful Harvest Season that makes me stop, reflect and count my blessings. The bible says, “count them one by one.” Our blessings. That’s really an amazing thought. Literally put your hand up and begin counting. Whether you are a thumb to pinky counter, a pinky to thumb or an index starter, counting up your blessings and looking at the number of fingers lifted up, it doesn’t take much for you to turn those palms around and lift your hands and Praise the Lord!! We are a blessed people, “a chosen generation!” Royal, and called! We truly have so much to be thankful for.
Fasting takes us closer to the fathers heart and prepares us for the next season. It’s a good thing to take some time, and physically sacrifice those moments for Christ. I love the Daniel Fast. No meat, no bread – just veggies. It’s truly cleansing and the new diet full of nutrients truly opens your mind and produces clarity like nothing else. Like Daniel said, it even makes your countenance better than the rest. But another type of fasting I have come to enjoy is the “self-less prayer fast.” Taking 10 days, 21 or 40 days to pray only for others, not my self.
What many of us often over look, is that PRAYING in the spirit, is the FINAL layer of the ARMOR of GOD. All of the other requirements have to do with our spiritual body, or with doing something. Put on, take, stand – are all commands for positioning our armor. But the final, and I believe now one of the most important layers of armor to prepare us for battle, is to always keep on praying for all the saints.
This is the ONE weapon the enemy knows he can easily steal from Christians. Last week I was watching Dog the Bounty Hunter. Yes, I like, “The Dog!” There is something inspiring about a reformed rebel committing his life to capture criminals. And it’s so intense when they are closing in on the bad guy. I LOVE it!! ~{smiles}~ Ok, so anyway. The Dog prays before and after all his catches, (despite the potty mouth he has during the chase), even the whole family gets involved to pray. But this week, he said something that I hear time and time again from people pursuing prayer. He asked his little girl to pray for the chase, but he said jokingly “But pray a quick prayer, honey, because God is very busy!”
Many, many, many people fall into that un-truth, that prayer somehow needs to be few and far between. We have somehow narrowed God down to a human sized time-clock…clocking in and out, on our prayer time with God. For the record – this is TOTALLY a wrong thinking, a human insecurity, and an evil thinking. The enemy wants to tell you to hurry up – don’t waste God’s time, he’s too busy for you. But if you look at the truth in the word about prayer, and listen to the voice of God he is crying out for your voice. He’s waiting on you, he wants your prayers!
So, take some time with me this season and defeat the enemy finally, by initiating the final layer of PRAYER to your armor.