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Welcome to the Special Fasting Edition of the Prayer Motivator Devotional Broadcast #64
This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. It is good to be with you today.
The simple purpose of this broadcast is to encourage Christians who may not be familiar with fasting through the sometimes difficult and strange process of fasting so that they can fast and pray more effectively and reap the benefits and blessings for themselves, their families, their churches, the nation, and the world. This broadcast is not a veiled attempt to bring attention to the people who are fasting or to ourselves, for that would be in violation of the biblical principles of fasting. However, we are aware that many people in the body of Christ have simply not fasted at all in the past and we want to take the fear out of it so people can get down to the business of fasting and praying to God for the salvation of the nation and the world.
We praise the Lord for all of you who fasted for the first 10 days of July, those who fasted for 40 days and nights from June 1 through July 10, and those who fasted this past Wednesday, July 18. For all healthy young men between the ages of 30 and 45, if you are so led of the Lord to do so, please be reminded of the 40 day fast which begins on August 1 and lasts through September 9. This fast is specifically for the children of America. As you fast, please continue to pray for the following among other things:
1. For God to heal Christian families
2. For God to revive the church
3. For God to heal the nation
4. For 3 million or more people to come to Christ
5. And if the Lord is going to tarry His coming, for God to give us the godly leadership that this nation needs going forward.
Our Scripture reading for today is Matthew 17:14-21 from the King James Version which reads:
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this passage from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:
We have here the miraculous cure of a child that was lunatic and vexed with a devil. Observe here, A melancholy representation of the case of this child, made to Christ by the afflicted father. This was immediately upon his coming down from the mountain where he was transfigured. Note, Christ’s glories do not make him unmindful of us and of our wants and miseries. Christ, when he came down from the mount, where had conversation with Moses and Elias, did not take state upon him, but was as easy of access, as ready to poor beggars, and as familiar with the multitude, as ever he used to be. This poor man’s address was very importunate; he came kneeling to Christ. Note, Sense of misery will bring people to their knees. Those who see their need of Christ will be earnest, will be in good earnest, in their applications to him; and he delights to be thus wrestled with.
We will discuss this verse further in the next broadcast.
Our fasting quote of encouragement today is from Francis of Assisi. He said: “Every one must study his own nature. Some of you can sustain life with less food than others can, and therefore I desire that he who needs more nourishment shall not be obliged to equal others, but that every one shall give his body what it needs for being an efficient servant of the soul. For as we are obliged to be on our guard against superfluous food which injures body and soul alike, thus we must be on the watch against immoderate fasting, and this the more, because the Lord wants conversion and not victims.”
Our fasting devotional today is titled “SOME PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER FROM THE DANIEL FAST from Dr. Elmer L. Towns in his book “Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough”.
The Daniel Fast will lead to spiritual insight. The results of fasting were ongoing in the lives of Daniel and his three friends. Daniel 1:17 reads, “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding.” The knowledge God gave them was apparently the reward of their fast. Withholding food does not make us smart. God gives wisdom and knowledge to those who have the self-discipline to withhold food and to spend their time praying, reading His Word and seeking His will.
After Daniel and his three friends completed their fast, verse 19 says, “The king talked with them, and he found none equal to [those who fasted].” These men who had self-determination, as verse 20 states, “In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all.”
The Daniel Fast is longer than one day. Your poor health/sickness developed over a long period of time, therefore, it will likely take a long time for your diet modification to produce a renewed state of health.
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast. Although other fasts involve no food or drink for one to three days, the Daniel Fast usually does not eliminate all food and water.
The Daniel Fast includes healthy food. Inasmuch as “the body heals itself”, you must eat basic foods during the Daniel Fast to strengthen the body so it can heal itself.
The Daniel Fast requires abstinence from “party food”. There may be times to enjoy party food, but the Daniel Fast is a return to basic nutritional necessities.
Now, let’s take this moment to break up the fallow ground in our lives. Hosea 10:12 states, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Today we are going to deal with the 61st sin of Walking In Our Own Way
Jeremiah 18:12 states, “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.” This verse shows us how the children of Israel began to walk away from God, doing what their own heart wanted to do. Many churches and Christians are doing this exact same thing today. We are walking in our own way, following our own agenda. Pastors are running their churches the way they want to run it. Husbands and wives are running their households the way they want to run it or by some formula they read in a book. How many times have you chosen to do something your way instead of God’s way? Do you always follow God’s plan for your day or your week or even your life? God wants us to understand that we cannot do things our way and expect to receive His blessings. God is not going to bless us unless we wholeheartedly follow in his way.
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer right now and confess our sins before God.
GENERAL PRAYER
Dear friend, if you are listening to this broadcast and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how. Please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve permanent punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death…” This is both physical death and spiritual death in hell. That is the bad news.
But here is the good news. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today and forever. Amen.
If you believed that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, and you meant this prayer from your heart, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! We’re here to help you, feel free to contact us at GospelLightSociety.com
Until next time, continue to fast and pray. God Bless You!
