Are you wondering why your church has no power? No outreach, no Spirit?
Have you wondered why you can not hear God and know if what you are doing is His Will?
Have you lost the drive and fire?
Has the fervor left?
Is there sin besetting you?
Is there anger?
Is there bitterness?
Is that loved one not getting saved though you have prayed for years?
Mat 17:14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
Mat 17:15 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.
Mat 17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mat 17:17 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.
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
Mat 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat 17:20 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.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
The answer is this - Have you prayed and fasted?
Have you spent time on your knees, giving up the food that sustains life for the Word that gives life?
Christ was constantly fasting, Even God Himself in human form gave up bread and meat for the time of sustenance for a time of fellowship with God. He needed time with God the Father and He was God!
Daniel who's reputation was made due to His stand for His God against the decree of the mightiest king of that day prayed and fasted on a regular basis.
Daniel, the interpreter of dreams,
Daniel whom the angels had to fight with satan to get to him with a word from God.
Daniel of the lion's den.
Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
You say your prayers are not being heard while reclining in your easy chair, but when did you form calluses on your knee so that they called you camel knees as they did the Apostle James?
We have not because we ask not. We consider an earnest fervent prayer as one from our air conditioned/heated building with like minded people for 4 or 5 minutes.
We have not prayed under persecution, yet.
I am not talking prayer and fasting like the pharisees who walked around and made known their sacrifice, who let men know how pious they were by their sour appearance, ash covered faces, and their woeful countenance.
I am talking about you getting down to business with God.
I am talking about you not letting God go until He blesses you.
I am talking about you and Him and no one else getting together on the same page.
You sacrificing the food you need to live for His Word to come alive in your heart, in your life, in Your Work!
I am talking about giving up your cushy me time, and getting on God's time.
Why should He bless if we have ignored Him?
Why should He give power if we have shown ourselves unwilling to rightly wield that power?
Why should God do anything for people who have wasted His blessings and His power on our own lusts? We have spent God's time and money in our name. We have wasted His talents chasing after filthy lucre. We the people have taken all that He gave us and we have buried it in the sand. Waiting for Him on Judgement day, instead of spreading it forth.
God has blessed this nation beyond all imaginings and what have we done with it?
We have wasted it.
We have squandered it on ourselves.
We are as bread that soaked up the gravy of His blessings and held it.
We should have been a pitcher that was filled with His Spirit and then used it to spread the gospel, the blessings we have received.
When was the last time we (I speak in the colloquial We) prayed and fasted?
When was the last time we got serious with God.
Serious enough that He knew we mean business. Serious enough that we know we mean business?
Have you wondered why you can not hear God and know if what you are doing is His Will?
Have you lost the drive and fire?
Has the fervor left?
Is there sin besetting you?
Is there anger?
Is there bitterness?
Is that loved one not getting saved though you have prayed for years?
Mat 17:14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
Mat 17:15 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.
Mat 17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mat 17:17 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.
Mat 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
Mat 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat 17:20 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.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
The answer is this - Have you prayed and fasted?
Have you spent time on your knees, giving up the food that sustains life for the Word that gives life?
Christ was constantly fasting, Even God Himself in human form gave up bread and meat for the time of sustenance for a time of fellowship with God. He needed time with God the Father and He was God!
Daniel who's reputation was made due to His stand for His God against the decree of the mightiest king of that day prayed and fasted on a regular basis.
Daniel, the interpreter of dreams,
Daniel whom the angels had to fight with satan to get to him with a word from God.
Daniel of the lion's den.
Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
You say your prayers are not being heard while reclining in your easy chair, but when did you form calluses on your knee so that they called you camel knees as they did the Apostle James?
We have not because we ask not. We consider an earnest fervent prayer as one from our air conditioned/heated building with like minded people for 4 or 5 minutes.
We have not prayed under persecution, yet.
I am not talking prayer and fasting like the pharisees who walked around and made known their sacrifice, who let men know how pious they were by their sour appearance, ash covered faces, and their woeful countenance.
I am talking about you getting down to business with God.
I am talking about you not letting God go until He blesses you.
I am talking about you and Him and no one else getting together on the same page.
You sacrificing the food you need to live for His Word to come alive in your heart, in your life, in Your Work!
I am talking about giving up your cushy me time, and getting on God's time.
Why should He bless if we have ignored Him?
Why should He give power if we have shown ourselves unwilling to rightly wield that power?
Why should God do anything for people who have wasted His blessings and His power on our own lusts? We have spent God's time and money in our name. We have wasted His talents chasing after filthy lucre. We the people have taken all that He gave us and we have buried it in the sand. Waiting for Him on Judgement day, instead of spreading it forth.
God has blessed this nation beyond all imaginings and what have we done with it?
We have wasted it.
We have squandered it on ourselves.
We are as bread that soaked up the gravy of His blessings and held it.
We should have been a pitcher that was filled with His Spirit and then used it to spread the gospel, the blessings we have received.
When was the last time we (I speak in the colloquial We) prayed and fasted?
When was the last time we got serious with God.
Serious enough that He knew we mean business. Serious enough that we know we mean business?
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