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Welcome to the Special Fasting Edition of the Prayer Motivator Devotional Broadcast #115
This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. It is good to be with you today.
We praise the Lord for all of you who have fasted and who are fasting in various ways throughout this time. For those on the 40 day fast, you are the final day of your fast. We are praying for you as you make it to the finish line. 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 Jonah 3 from the King James Version which reads:
1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Allow me to share with you some important insights regarding this passage from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:
We have here a further evidence of the reconciliation between God and Jonah, and that it was a thorough reconciliation, though the controversy between them had run high. Jonah’s commission is renewed and readily obeyed. By this it appears that God was perfectly reconciled to Jonah, that he employed him again in his service; and the commission anew given him was an evidence of the remission of his former disobedience. Among men, it has been justly pleaded that the giving of a commission to a criminal convicted is equivalent to a pardon, so it was to Jonah.
We will discuss this passage further in the next broadcast.
Our fasting quote of encouragement today is from Derek Prince. He said: “There is no way to measure the tremendous power released by prayer and fasting when practiced with right motives and in accordance with the principles of Scripture.”
Our fasting devotional today is titled “FIVE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL DANIEL FAST” (PART 3) from Susan Gregory, author of the bestselling book “The Daniel Fast”.
Today, we will deal with the third step: Prepare.
Now that you know the time period of your fast, your purpose, the study materials you want, and ideas about meal planning, this is the step where you actually get busy and get everything ready. You will also want to prepare your physical body for the fast. Ten days before the fast, start drinking at least one half gallon of pure water each day. Taper off caffeine consumption and cut down on sugar and foods that include chemicals.
Taking these important steps will help you avoid some of the discomfort that will take place during the first week of your fast. This is the time to invest yourself in good and thorough preparation.
Now, let’s take this time 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 111th sin of Not Being Content
Hebrews 13:5 reads, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Contentment means being completely satisfied with the things one has and the lot one has been given in life. However, today it is rare to find a person who is truly content. So many Christians are seeking to keep up with the Jones’ house and the Smith’s car and the Johnson’s clothes that they fail to realize they have so much already themselves.
Many Christians are not content with what God has them doing in life, so they forsake that and try to follow what someone else is doing. When we are not content, we show God that we do not trust Him and that we do not have faith in His promises to us. Are you always seeking something more or something better? Do you choose not to be content with who God made you to be? Are you always looking for the next big thrill?
The Apostle Paul was a man who went through great affliction and hardship for the sake of Christ, but he was content with where he was in life. Philippians 4:12-13 reads, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” This is the attitude that God wants us to have in life — an attitude of humility and contentment.
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer right now and confess our sins before God.
GENERAL PRAYER
Dear friend, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, please allow me to show you how you can get to know him today.
All you have to do is believe “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” and you will be saved. And, like millions of others, you can come to know the risen Lord Jesus Christ for yourself.
John 3:16 says, “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 states in the book of Romans 10:9, 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.”
If you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me the following 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. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”.
Until next time, continue to fast and pray for the salvation of the nation and the world. God Bless You!
