Engage the Nations

A few months ago Pastor Joel Johnson of Westwood Community Church, Chanhassen, MN did a series of messages on the book of Daniel. I am listening to one of those messages focused on the subject of prayer and fasting. Since I am blogging about the subject, I thought I would share the link here. Joel makes a number of observations based on Daniel's season of prayer and fasting recorded in Chapter 9. The first is that breakthrough happens through intense prayer and fasting. When we come to God on bended knees, there is communication that happens. Fasting communicates a longing, sincerity, and intensity toward God. It brings a different kind of urgency to our prayer that we do not always experience in times of prayer unaccompanied by fasting. Fasting also helps us listen to God so we can hear the direction that He has for us. In our cluttered and food-sourced culture, there are so many distractions that take away our capacity to hear God's voice. Getting away from those dis...

Know thy season, know thy reason! That is right...as thou doth fast and pray.  Several posts ago, August 28th, I shared with you how I approach times of crucial ministry decisions, major personal life changes, or when entering into a significant ministry opportunity. Through the discipline of prayer and fasting, I get to hear God more clearly, draw great strength and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and focus on the mission or situation that is at hand. There are times when the situation or circumstance looks so gigantic. Yet as soon as I bring it to the Lord during a season of prayer and fasting, great clarity tends to happen around it. A recent example pertains to our missionary work to Burundi in September when we needed $ 22,000 in ten days. Although we knew that God's will was for us to go to Burundi, the amount needed looked staggering. But as soon as we brought it to the Lord during a season of three days of fasting and prayer, our faith grew to the point where we ha...

Sixteen years ago I worked for an  airline catering company in Nairobi.  This was my first job after graduating from High School and while attending college (Wow, it has already been that long!).  Every lunch hour, the working area would shut down and everyone would go to the cafeteria for lunch.  Instead of going to eat, however, I often took that lunch hour and would spent it in fasting and prayer.  I would find quiet space, mostly in one of the empty coldrooms and there I would spent 30-40 minutes on my knees in intense prayer.  It was a habit I practiced most of the two years I worked there. One day as I was tacked away praying, unbeknown to me the company's Chief executive and his personel manager were going round inspecting the facilities.  When they came to the area where I was, I was praying with such deep intensity that I did not notice or sense them.  They saw me prayi...