Praying for American Transition

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

Prayer Warriors and friends of Faith and Fasting, I appeal to you today to NOT stop praying for our country just because the election is over. In every way, this is a crucial time of transition and it will be important for us to cover the transition teams (on both sides) in prayer.

Cabinet members are being chosen, phone calls, meetings are taking place between the new President-elect and the current White House, between him and foreign world leaders, both allies and other. These initial conversations are vital, they will set a tone for the new administration. We need to pray these days are covered in wisdom!

Will you join me in prayer for these weeks of transition? Allow me to share some of my prayers with you today:

Lord, in Jesus name, please give wisdom to the new President-elect in every single choice of staff and cabinet member. Father, place people of intelligence and importantly, wisdom, around the new President-elect, that he will be bolstered and helped in every way to learn to govern this precious nation from those with experience.

Holy Father, guard every selection of staff, every decision to cut staff, taking place in coming weeks surrounding the White House and administration in Washington, D.C. Place Your people with both wisdom and experience in positions of influence. Remove those who do not honor You from all high and important places of power in this land, in Jesus name.

Holy Spirit, be loosed with all of Your kingdom onto this land, that Your presence will take over in every city where there is tension and violence. Bring peace where there is conflict, common ground where there is division, and love where there is hatred. Teach us to have conversations that are productive and seek understanding, instead of allowing one-sided, extreme thinking to dominate our viewpoints.

Father, in Jesus name and with all of Your great power, conquer the evil hands that stir division unseen. Rout out every demon and demonically influenced person from positions of influence in our nation. Let us not forget there is an unseen war between You and all that is good against evil ones who wish to destroy Your nation. Bring more of Your people to the wisdom of fasting, that we might stand stronger against the enemy on behalf of our country.

Holy Spirit, sweep this nation with Your presence! Bring revival and renewal to Your people and reach even more for Jesus! Strengthen Your people. Strengthen the grip of truth over this country, and defeat lies. Fill the minds of Your people and the leadership with Your plans. Help all of us, on both sides of the political aisle, to see and hear truth and to reject thoughts and actions which do not come from You.

Above all, let Your name, Lord, be glorified in these weeks. Your will be done!

Faith and Fasting friends, thank you for sharing my heart and passion for this great nation. Please keep fasting as a regular part of your spiritual life, maybe once a month, or those who can, more often… Stay surrendered to our King, use wisdom and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will lead us and He can use us in His goal to make America God’s again.

God bless you all.

Pray for Peace

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

Friends of Faith and Fasting, please continue praying for America as we prepare to begin a new chapter.

I believe the most important thing we can do today and in coming weeks is to ask the Lord for peace in our land.

The election was stunning to all, no matter your choice. Some are celebrating. Some are shocked and angry or hurt. Respect each other. Allow those hurting to feel what they feel, and those celebrating give the same courtesy. We can walk the high road together. 

I would urge all of us to pray, in Jesus’ name and calling down His power, to prevent violence from spilling over into the streets. Violence gains nothing. It only fans the flames of fear and further divides our country.

Ask the Lord to bind the unseen hands that are encouraging and stirring up division and hostility. Prevent the destruction of rage and violence, Lord, in Jesus’ name!

This is only the beginning of ‘fasting for America’. Let’s nurture this seed of change and see how vast a movement He will grow. Watch our great God take our faith and sacrifice and unleash all of Heaven into our land and world! He is our hope!.

God bless you, and God bless America!

Fasting Changes God’s Mind

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

Update (11/11): The below was published Nov 8 on Faith and Fasting hours before the election returns began…

[This post was originally published on April 26, 2016. It seems important today.]

Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and the whale. You remember, how Jonah didn’t want to do what God asked of him, so God sent along a large fish to swallow Jonah and carry him to the very place he didn’t want to go. Of course, he spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish where he got his heart right first.

That’s the story most of us were taught as children in Sunday School. But there is another miracle in the story we probably don’t remember as easily, maybe an even bigger one than a large fish swallowing a human who lived to tell the tale!

It is the miracle of fasting, accompanied by prayer and repentance. And how this powerful combination of sincere spiritual submission changed God’s mind!

Recall, the reason God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah in the first place was to warn them His judgment was coming. He had gotten sick of their rebellious ways and was giving them, well, 40 days by the time Jonah finally got there. Only 40 days till disaster.

When Ninevah got this warning from Jonah, the second miracle happened. They believed him. And they repented, began fasting and praying! All the way up to the King, all the way down to the least of the kingdom believed and repented, fasted and prayed!

Then there was a third miracle: God changed His mind! He spared them and did not bring the disaster to their shores.

Friends, the power of getting right with God is huge. There is nothing like total submission and letting God know you are serious, that you will even deny yourself pleasure and risk a little discomfort to seek Him, to be right with Him.

Today, let’s learn from the whole story of Jonah and Ninevah. American children of God, we’ve been warned by precious saints like Rabbi Jonathan Cahn in his profound book, The Harbinger. A time of judgment is headed our way. Surely it is already touching our shores as the edge of a hurricane.

The time is now to repent, FAST and pray for our nation.

God bless you, and God bless America!

Jonah:

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. 

Jonah 3  English Standard Version (ESV)

[Do not fast if you have health issues that prevent it. If unsure, consult a doctor before fasting.]

Fasting for America – Day 3 of 3 – Praying for the Election

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

It has now been 50 hours since I began fasting for America before the elections. I was so encouraged late yesterday upon hearing more people are fasting. The prayer warriors from a local church prayer ministry, and another dear friend will all be fasting Sunday through Tuesday. Isn’t that exciting?

It is not too late to fast before the election, if your health allows. Even one meal will certainly make an impact in heaven and on earth!

As I enter my 3rd day, I notice my prayers are becoming more and more specific. Allow me to share them with you, and please join me in these requests as you feel led. Remember, Jesus told the disciples that whatever we loose on earth will already have been loosed in Heaven, and whatever we bind on earth will already have been bound in Heaven. He stays one step ahead of us, guiding us in His will!

Prayers – in the name of Jesus and with the strength of His whole kingdom:

Holy Father, please loose the Holy Spirit in every polling place between now and Tuesday, November 8th! Bind every deception and lie… Don’t allow them to prosper! Loose the Holy Spirit all over this country, your country, that He may take over this process, and that we may be freed from the workings of evil.

Bring every untruth to light, and make the people aware of those lies while there is still time to impact their decisions.

Lord, wake up Your people everywhere, but especially in the battleground states: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Turn those states to wisdom and away from false beliefs that hurt the people.

Pour out wisdom upon those who know You, and even on those who do not, if they have ears to hear. Lord, please do not allow Your people to buy into false stories.

Father, prevent voter fraud, and if it does happen, let it come to light quickly and be corrected before it highjacks any election data! Let the voice of the people be heard clearly and reflected with all honest ballots reported!

Holy Spirit, speak truth and provide guidance to everyone voting, to all who can hear. Open the ears of those who cannot. Let wisdom make a comeback in our people and in our land!

Over and above all, Father, let your will be done on Tuesday. Let your will be done!

Prayer warriors, I hope you will share this with others while we still have time to make a difference. When God’s people rise up and fight ‘on their knees’ and through fasting (those who are able), what mountains might He move on our behalf? I believe we can still see revival and renewal all over this great country that has been a beacon of hope and refuge for so many all over the world for so long.

Thank you for your every effort to make America God’s nation again. That is the true need of the day.

May God bless you, and may God bless America!

Fasting for America – Day 2 of 3 – Prayers that Break Curses

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

Well, I don’t know about you, but Day 1 went well for me overall. I did struggle with a headache in the evening, but went to bed early and woke up refreshed and renewed this morning.

In my experience, fasting reveals areas we were out of balance in our diets. If we eat too much sugar, or drink too much caffeine, cutting it back has repercussions. Fasting is a good restart towards bringing things back in balance. As a reminder, if you have specific health concerns that make it unsafe to fast, then don’t do it. If you aren’t sure, consult with a doctor before proceeding.

Now, on to more important things. This morning the Lord led me to a passage in Matthew in which Christ reveals the power of the believer, if only we will use it! Listen carefully to Matthew 16:18-19:

“…upon this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it; and I will give to you the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever you bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.” Young’s Literal Translation (slightly modified for modern English)

I find it incredibly curious the mixed tenses used by Jesus in this statement. Did you catch that He said, ‘whatever you bind/loose upon earth shall be having been bound/loosed in the heavens’?

Shall be having been? What does that mean? Is it present or past? Or both?

One idea: perhaps Jesus was revealing a deeper truth, that the idea of binding or loosing something was God’s idea first. And that if and when we bind or loose something in the supernatural through prayer, He will already be in the process of doing it in the heavenly, always one step ahead of us.

With that in mind, let me share something He led me to this morning. I have a wonderful book in my library, recommended by a dear friend, mentor and prayer warrior, called Prayers that Rout Demons & Break Curses, by John Eckhardt. I recommend it highly to all who want to see their prayers become more specific and effective in all areas of life.

Glancing through the contents, I found a section dealing with prayers for the nation, and came upon this specific prayer to share with you today. Using Eckhardt’s words, quoting King David from Psalm 140, slightly adapted here, please join me in praying this together for our nation!

“Father, strengthen our hearts with these words from David:

Psalm 140: ‘Rescue us from cruel and violent enemies, Lord! They think up evil plans and always cause trouble. Their words bite deep like the poisonous fangs of a snake. Protect us, Lord, from cruel and brutal enemies who want to destroy us. 

…proud people have hidden traps and nets to catch us as we walk. You, Lord, are our God! Please listen to my prayer. You have the power to save us, and you keep us safe in battle.

Don’t let the wicked succeed in doing what they want, or else they might never stop planning evil… Make them the victims of their own vicious lies… Chase those cruel liars away! 

Our Lord, we know that you defend the homeless and see that the poor are given justice. Your people will praise you and will live with you because they do right’.”

Amen! Friends, our prayers and fasting efforts are powerful! We have the opportunity to be part of God’s plan to bring renewal and revival to our land at a pivotal time in history. Stay strong in Him, trust the Lord to see you through, and especially for His will to be accomplished through us.

May God pour out His blessings upon all praying (and fasting) for America today!

Fasting for America – Day 1 of 3

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

As announced a couple of days ago, I began a 3-day fast Wednesday at 6:00 PM (last night) for the election in America. So, this is the first full day.

I woke up happy, joyful. That sounds odd, I know. It is not that I love avoiding food, but I dearly adore the closeness I feel to the Lord when I am fasting. Giving up the pleasure of eating is truly a small thing, isn’t it, to seek Him and show Him we are serious about something?

Looking back at what Jesus did for us, it seems giving up pleasure for a day or two is a very, very minute sacrifice. I remind myself of that when hunger pain becomes distracting. And I tell Him, ‘You suffered for me, in this small way today I am privileged to share the fellowship of your suffering.’

As you may have gathered in other posts, the most common method of fasting I use is abstaining from food. However, I still drink coffee (without sweetener) to avoid a caffeine headache, have maybe one cup of plain green tea during the day, and occasionally a little coconut water or a few sips of milk or almond milk if I am feeling weak. I still have work to get done, so preventing myself from weakening to a place of non-functioning is important.

A passage in Matthew I read recently just came to mind. It was in chapter 15, where Jesus had been preaching to a large gathering of people. The people were so wrapped in His message, they would not leave, and they were hungry. He stopped and told His disciples (verse 32) something to the effect, “I have compassion on these people, they’ve not eaten in 3 days. I cannot send them on the road home fasting lest they faint along the way.”

Of course, then we all know the story about the few loaves of bread and fishes that ended up feeding 20,000 people. But my focus this moment is on the heart of Christ, feeling compassion for the hungry and indicating His awareness of such a practical need. These people needed to walk home, perhaps long distances. He didn’t want them to faint.

The point is, be aware of the needs of your life. You may need to work, run errands, care for the needs of your family, even cook for them. Do it. You may have health issues. Don’t let yourself become so weak as to render yourself useless! Jesus was practical. So should we be.

Before we go any further, isn’t He wonderful? He was kind, loving, and full of wisdom. On top of being God, doing miracles, sacrificing Himself for us, setting people free from the grip of evil, etc… He cared about our human needs. What an adorable Savior.

So, back to being practical… As I type, there is a mug of hot water sitting beside me, with a little lime juice squeezed into it. We have a lime tree in our backyard heavy with beautiful limes, so fresh juice is in ample supply. As a side note, did you know that water with either lemon or lime juice first thing in the morning is a wonderful toxin cleanser for your liver? So, I decided to begin the 3-day fast with this soothing and healing cup.

Thinking about it, it might be accurate to call this, ‘fasting in grace’. And this fast, with a little bit of liquid nourishment included, I’ve seen powerfully effect the spiritual realm in my life and others many times over.

After starting a load of laundry, I turned on my favorite inspirational playlist. Music so often helps me set the tone and connect with the Lord.

Soon, I found myself pacing and weeping, crying out to God on behalf of our country. Words poured out asking Him for truth to be renewed from the highest to the lowest places, for destructiveness to be weeded out, for His Spirit to be poured upon every inch of our land… that we may remain a blessing to those in need and to the rest of the world. For His enemies to be prevented from tightening their grip on this nation. For His people to awaken and take serious the condition of our home on every level, and to take up the cross to fight in prayer and through fasting, if physically able.

If only this would become a movement and spread to every pulpit, church and precious individual who knows Him, whose health allows fasting. We haven’t done all we can yet. Until in some way we have sacrificed our own pleasure to see Him pour revival and renewal upon America, we aren’t desperate enough yet. Wake up, American church!

After praying, my ears tuned in again to the music gently playing in the background. An old hymn, one of my favorites, was being sung beautifully by Fernando Ortega, Jesus Paid It All. Words of His mercy and sufficiency flowed out, and relief settled into my soul. I will close this post by reprinting the words of that hymn.

Be blessed, friends. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of the election, but more, for the great spiritual need of this land and its people.

Jesus Paid It All 

I hear the Savior say, ‘Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and Thine alone can change the leper’s spots and melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim. I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb. 

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete, Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat:

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

(by Elvina M. Hall, 1865)

Three-Day Fast for America

Posted on by oneseekingtruth

This week, the Lord convicted me to put my faith to work before the election next Tuesday. He inspired me to fast three days this week, Thursday to Saturday, November 3-5, 2016. 

The only direction and goal for this fast: His Will Be Done. That is it. His Will Be Done.

Why fast before the election? Because I want to know, no matter what happens, that I did everything possible toward releasing God’s best plan for His nation. When a land of God is in rebellion as I believe America is, His blessings do not flow as before. I want to see God bring revival and renewal to our country and for all of His blessings to flow again, in and through us.

Child of God, if your health permits, will you join me?

If you cannot fast November 3-5, but feel led to participate, choose any three days leading up to the election and make your plans accordingly. Or fast one day, or one meal. Do what you are able to do. Every effort made by God’s people will have an impact! If you cannot fast (and please do not if your health does not allow), please join us by focusing your prayers for the election and our nation those three days.

We need the Lord to renew His protection upon this great country that gives so much around the world. As His blessings flow freely, we can continue to bless those in need at home and abroad!

If you agree this is important for the renewal of His people and our country, please share far and wide! 

For more information and tips on fasting, please see previous posts.

Notes:

If you are not trained in fasting, you do not have to cut out all food and beverages except water. You can take some tea, juice, if needed, even broth. Do not let yourself grow faint and weak, unable to meet the needs of your family or work. A solid food fast – i.e., taking liquids only – is better than no fast at all. The Lord will honor every effort. 

For a three-day fast, I recommend starting at 6:00 PM the night before, and ending the fast with a light meal after 6:00 PM on the 3rd day. This is a precise three-day fast.