Praying and Fasting

I was laying in bed looking up at the hole in the ceiling feeling overwhelmed with the weight of the world. I felt a literal pain in my chest, God why, why are putting so much on my plate?! I already felt like we had so much to do, and now we’re re-roofing the house we’re staying in, and so selfishly I’m thinking, why did we agree to do this?! It started to rain hard the other day while several men were quickly trying to cover everything up as to not get water in the house… well our bedroom ended up with drooping sheet rock and water pouring out onto our bedroom floor and whatever got in it’s way. I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by all that we need to do… and then this!! But as I lay there feeling sorry for myself, it’s like the Holy Spirit needed a quiet moment with me to remind me of a few things. Life could be so different, we may have a hole in the ceiling and a roof to put on, along with the million other things, but what I do know is that I have a faithful God that remains unchanging. I have a husband who loves me and takes care of me, I have 2 amazing daughters that I love and adore! We have clear vision and direction in life, and this business we’re about is fulfilling! So in the end it doesn’t matter what’s going on around us! In fact God gave these things for us to deal with, he meant to put them in our laps. He knows the money that we need, he is gracious, he is good, and I believe he will even comfort me along the way. God loves me and he’s with me every step of this journey!

We have been going through Esther on Sunday mornings in church, and I am loving it! It is so fun to see God prevail no matter what man’s desires are, and he uses people in the process! There was a sermon on fasting a few weeks ago, it was super challenging to me, and it went right along with something we were reading at home that had to do with praying… fasting and praying definitely go together! TJ and I were reading through Daniel together, what a cool book! We were reading through Daniel 10, just to warn you this passage has drastically changed my perspective in prayer! I want you to read some of this passage, because it is incredible!!

To set the stage, Daniel is with other men, and He begins to have a vision and the other men can’t see it, but they are frightened and run away, Daniel was freaked out too, but he knew it was for him, you think he would be used to this by now, but I’m pretty sure it was quite the ordeal every time he had a vision! Daniel was weak and trembling, and heard a man speaking to him.

Daniel 10:10-11

“And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

Did you catch that? Daniel was a man of God and spent lots of time in prayer. Because he sought God and was humble before him in prayer, God answered his prayer, his prayer changed the course of history. And because of his prayer there was spiritual battles happening! This angel is talking about a battle with an enemy within the spirit world, The prince of the kingdom of Persia seems to be the enemy, anyway He needed some reinforcements, so Micheal, one of the chief princes came to help him! Why was there this specific battle? Well it seems to have something to do with Daniel a man of God going before the Lord humbly, seeking his will, being faithful to hear from him! Because of Daniel’s faithfulness in praying God does things, if you read on in Daniel you see that his prayers end up changing the course of history.

TJ and I read through this right around the same time we were talking about the importance of fasting in church, and it hit me… WOW Prayer truly changes things!! God wants us to come to him in prayer… and fasting, but fasting is a whole new level of laying aside something important to us in order to seek the Lord. A friend of ours brought up the point that when you choose to fast and pray you are asking for a spiritual battle and that is not a bad thing, you just need to be prepared and not take lightly what it means to come before God, and that you will be entering a spiritual battlefield.

Sunday a friend and I decided to fast together and pray concerning a next step in her life. We prayed for clarity, for confirmation, for vision and for passion concerning this knew direction. Sunday was sort of a difficult day for me because while I was fasting I began to develop a headache (which is not uncommon for me), so I ended up eating a small something and took ibuprofen, but continued to deny all other food and prayed and sought God on these things, my headache got worse and in the evening I ended up eating dinner because I wasn’t doing well. I am normally hard core about this stuff, but my heart was in the right place. I continued to lift up my friend and her decisions. The next day I come to find out she too developed a headache which rarely happens for her and it ended up debilitating her for the evening.

Was it the enemy? I don’t know and honestly it doesn’t REALLY matter, but we did walk into it knowing that we were inviting a spiritual battle and we were wearing our armor ready to fight. She said maybe the enemy was trying to discourage her, but she didn’t feel discouraged at all!! She felt encouraged along with lots of clarity, like her mind was opened to new things and new ideas that God wanted her to see. Was it worth fighting in the battle?! Yes!! Prayer changes the course of history!! Consider fasting and praying, but bring your armor ready to fight, and expect God to answer you, because he is faithful and I think he honors us when we come to him humble and completely ready to seek him!!

The perspective change that happened for me was that my prayers can change the course of history. Prayer isn’t just a way to talk to God, and I’m not saying I completely understand all that prayer entails, but I know a few things that it does. Prayer is a way for me to have time and fellowship with my Father, it provides a time for him to speak to me and for me to speak to him, it allows me to be in a humble place before him. Prayer helps me to love others the way God loves them. The angel said that He was there because of Daniels prayers, and because of his humble state before God. You know what? That makes me want to pray about things that are important, that makes me want to let God know what troubles me and the passions in my heart. I definitely pray differently!

Also I’m on day 56 of changing my blood