Feel free to share your thoughts, and anything the Lord speaks to you, during this three day fasting and prayer.
There are a total of 17 persons around the nation, one in Canada, one in Argentina, and one in South Africa, who have contacted me and agreed to participate.
Below I have listed what others have sent to me regarding what they feel led to pray about, or what they would like others to pray for. As you feel led, include these in your thoughts and prayers during the next three days:
Mike:
1. The state of the believers in the World
2. The state of our country and its position
3. My precarious financial position
4. Passing the actuary exam
Parents of Mike:
1. Mike's sister (their daughter) for deliverance
Lorraine:
1. An evangelism explosion in this country.
2. All those meant to come to Christ seeing in those believers around them the love of Christ in all there actions, motives and words.
3. That existing believers in Christ will be lead to reach out to all around them with love to bring them into God's Kingdom.
Jodi:
1. Physical and spiritual protection for those who have converted from Islam to Christianity.
2. That whatever calamities 2009 may bring, many will repent and come to the Lord.
Kim:
1. The Lord to equip those for what He has called them to do.
2. Diligence in daily Bible study and prayer.
3. Obedience to God's Word.
Vance:
1. A move of the Holy Spirit in our church (Evangel A/G) demonstrated by love, unity, and the miraculous.
2. The healing of the six people in our church with cancer.
3. That people in our church will find meaningful relationships with one another. That people in our church will care for one another.
Stephanie:
1. Salvation and Spiritual growth for immediate family members.
2. For personal deliverance from a longtime physical stronghold.
3. For our finances for 2009.
Tamara:
1. Salvation for husband, Frank; mother, Levern; father, Carson; sister Laurae; and brother Whitney.
2. That the "church" (all believers) in Grande Prairie AB would have a knowledge of the truth, to work together and love one another as the body of Christ.
Barbara:
1. That saints will walk worthy of Him
2. That we will be Overcomers
3. The situation in Israel
Vanessa:
1. To be led by the Spirit every day in all matters.
2. For the Lord's church to be empowered and productive these last days, i.e. winning the lost and edifying the saints.
3. Spiritual discernment and guidance during the testing times of 2009.
Dave:
1. That America will turn from it's evil ways
2. That the Spirit will work on the hearts of those that are leading this nation to turn to him
3. Not my will be done but that the Lord's will be done
Randy:
1. Pursuit of holiness
2. To be used in a significant way for Kingdom work/personal ministry
3. To be debt-free in 2009
Vivienne:
1. For boldness in sharing her faith with others
2. For unity in Christian marriages
3. That Christians will pray without ceasing in 2009
David:
1. To be led by the Spirit every day in all matters.
2. That through humility and repentance, many will turn from their sins to follow Jesus Christ in 2009.
3. That Spirit-filled believers will pray and intercede for each other.
Mariano:
1. A true understanding of God´s will
2. A true repentance as a result of that in all Christian souls around the world
3. The daughter of a friend of mine who has a bad tumor and will be in the hands of surgeons next week... Her name is Lucia Blanchet.
Dustin:
1. Salvation for Daniel Gilliland. I'm attempting to witness to him. He's been spiritually searching for years, but is opposed to Christianity. He's extraordinarily intelligent, probably to his own detriment.
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27 comments:
Hello fellow believers and fasters. Happy New Year! May this be the year of our Lord's Return. AMEN!
I used to attend a church that had an annual "Watch Night" service on New Year's Eve. We would all meet and have fellowship, staying up until the midnight hour. We would all get on our knees and start praying in the old year and pray until everyone was finished
-sometime in the new year. We did not have a watch night service this year, so I welcomed David's idea of a 3 day fast to begin the New Year. Actually I started my fast YESTERDAY to fast out the old year, and into the new. I guess I am carrying over elements of the "Watch Night" service idea.
When I responded to David's challenge (you'd better mean business when you challenge the USMC), I forgot to enter my prayer requests, so I'll include three of them here (not in any order of importance):
1) My brother had quadruple bypass surgery two weeks ago -very unexpectedly. He had been having chest pains for a couple of months and finally went the the Dr. His Dr. scheduled him for tests at the hospital and they found four (4) major bockages. They took him immediately off the treadmill and checked him in on a Friday. He had the bypass Monday morning!
-The Dr. said he was in such a state that if he would have went out to get the mail and had an attack that he would not have made it back from the mailbox. Pray that my brother will QUIT SMOKING and live the rest of his life for the Lord. He claims a salvation experience.
2) Pray that the many who have lost their jobs, and maybe their homes, and are facing financial hardship will Trust Jesus. Many people turn to God when there is no place else to turn!
3) That God will keep our nation free until Jesus returns.
4) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "They shall prosper that love thee" Psalm 122:6
Byron Smith, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Indyusmcdad@gmail.com
Weight at beggining of fast yesterday, 208lbs.
This morning: 204lbs. -Lost a lot of water weight yesterday.
Nothing but water yesterday and a little juice last night. More of the same today. Good luck everyone. Trust Jesus to strengthen the inner man!
Fasting Day 1
"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders [and] all the inhabitants of the land [into] the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,"
Today is the first day of your fast. The Lord sees your heart in this undertaking and He knows where you are and where you need to go. Whether you've taken on a water, juice, or a daniel fast as the year draws to an end and a new year begins, I want to personally commend you for taking on a fast for His glory.
In this coming year, there is much to fast for and pray for.
-As a body of believers their are parts of the earth where we are persecuted much like the first church was.
-Unsaved loved ones, that keep us up at night wondering about their soul.
-Precarious finances and strained relationships.
-Uncertain futures and uncertain times.
I know that again and again the Lords timing is perfect, and he knows all. I also know that often times it doesnt seem at all like He knows what He's doing.
He does know. He's there for you in every situation and every circumstance.
He sees every situation from every possible angle.
He moves on your behalf to keep you ahead of the storm
He Loves you in a way so deep and so unlike human love that to merely feel a foreshadowing of it can be overwhelming.
As you go throughout the next few days, seek His face. In the midst of every circumstance know that he is looking back at you. That He is looking back with a face that has felt its crowning of thorns, and a body that has been crushed for our iniquity. He looks back with a face that was most likely beaten black and blue, who's eyes saw his body hung upon a cross, death, and then resurrection.
He Loves you.
Hello to everyone, this is Randy and Steph. We are off to a good start with much prayer this morning. Thank you to David for letting us be a part of this! We pray that all will be strengthened during the three days. What an incredible opportunity to join together with other believers to see a mighty movement of God in our lives personally and corporately! Love steph.
Fasting Day 2
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of nor standeth in the way of sinners, not sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night."- Psalm 1
Soon, the second day of fasting will begin. This is the day that calls for strength! At this point, tired run-down feelings may have set in and those beginnings of re-thinking you decision to fast, and the temptation to eat have begun.
The Lord knows about all of that too. Call unto Him in your hour of need. You are worth more than many sparrows, and He's knows every single hair on your head.
"And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God" - Ezra
BRINGING OUR REQUESTS TO CHRIST
We sometimes fear to bring our troubles to God, because they must seem small to Him who sitteth on the circle of the earth. But if they are large enough to vex and endanger our welfare, they are large enough to touch His heart of love. For love does not measure by a merchant's scales, not with a surveyor's chain. It hath a delicacy... unknown in any handling of material substance.
--R.A. Torrey
Dear Friends,
I heard on a radio program this week that each hour of strenuous exercise adds two hours to your life span. If that be true (and I think that it is) then I am just as firmly convinced that fasting will add YEARS to one's life, or I would not have joined this fast.
Comments I've heard today:
"Honey, you look starved!" I looked in the mirror and did not think myself to look anywhere near a refugee from Darfur.
"Dad, This peanut brittle sure is good!"
"Dad, Have a Hot Dog."
"These French Fries are out of this world!" said a friend. I thought to myself, "You're going to BE out of this world if you don't quit eating so many french fries!"
Hunger is a normal reaction to fasting and we should expect it. It is not a bad sign, but it does show just how much power the "old man" has over the spiritual man. Some may have a fear of the hunger that fasting brings, but keep in mind that FEASTING is much more deadly than FASTING. AMEN.
Water all day, a little juice this evening. 1 lb lost today, 203 lbs. this evening.
Keep it up friends, I have two days down and one to go. If I can do it, so can you. If you find yourself thinking one little bite won't matter, who will know? The answer to that is of course, you know, and God knows.
Good Night and God Bless!
Byron,
I've fasted all day today, going to pray tonight. I thought alot about what you said today in the truck. Nothing is as important as God in your life...Thanks Dad for being the Godly man you are and serving as a mentor to me.
Love,
JJ
Day 1 almost done and the tough stuff is starting to hit. Please pray for strength. I am doing okay for now but Randy is starting to get weak. Thank you to all for the encouragement. It really has helped! God Bless as we press on! love steph.
Ha Ha, ya temptation is always around the corner during a fast.
One of my housemates played the Ryman News Years Eve show with Del McCoury and others. The after party occurred at the house. The ended up bringing all of the back stage catered food here.
its awfully hard to pray and fast when in the very next room incredible tasting food is accompanied by some of the worlds greatest musicians playin tunes in the front room.
This evening more people were over because my other housemates family was in town. He's an executive rated chef, and went to town making some Italian style buffet food.
I have this theory about temptation and doing things that are important to the Lord. In most cases I think they are directly proportional to the level of difficulty that we perceive them to be.
Stephanie, heres a fasting trick. If you are water fasting, try slamming a ton of water.
It resets my system alittle, as far as the bodies perceived need to feel "filled"
I will pray for strength for you right now.
Stephanie, since Michael Tartar mentioned Del Coury, I want to send this link to one of the best gospel songs I've heard EVER, and it is SO APPROPRIATE for our FAST. It's entitled "Get Down On Your Knees and Pray." :-)
ENJOY!!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otV_k-K5oN8
Wow! Thank you guys! I definitely can feel your prayers. I/we are into day 2 and I feel great this morning. Randy has a headache but doing well. It is amazing as you have said about temptation. Before I logged into the blog just now, we were discussing this topic with one of the children. How dieing to self is not easy but through Christ can be done. What great opportunities this fast has brought to us so far. We have had children discussions about the whole thing and in addition to that, we have been researching scripture and books on end times together over the past two days. Time we wouldn't have had otherwise. PRAISE you JESUS! Thanks again to both of you for the encouragement! I may be stronger in a fast then I have ever been before. :) love steph. p.s. I liked the youtube video. Have you heard "I Get On My Knees" by Jaci Velasquez? Cool song too. Also, yes, doing water only so did try the slamming thing. ughh! Unfortunately I never drink water on a normal day. So I don't tend to like it right now. I am praying that I will incorporate it into my life after this. Thanks again! Have a great day in the LORD!
Sorry, I forgot to type my name for the above comment. :O
Dont drink tap water. Esp. on a fast. Your body has no good way of dealing with the chemical "halo" from all the stuff in the water. On longer fasts, tap water has made me feel sick, then when I switched, within about 6-8 hours I began to feel better.
I didnt really drink much water until I got away from tap water. I dont want to sound too much like the tinfoil hat crowd, but the stuff they put in water is fairly unhealthy.
-Chlorine-used in your pool to keep stuff from growing. Probably not something you want to ingest...
-Fluoride-Chemical waste byproduct, Hitler mentions it in Mein Kompf as a way to keeping prisoners docile.
It rates a 4 on the EPA's toxicity scale. Lead rates a 3.
The fluoride that goes in our drinking water is almost exclusively raw industrial pollution from the Florida Phosphate Industry. It’s a waste that’s scrubbed from the smokestacks and trucked in tankers and dumped into reservoirs. That is a raw industrial poison.
I know personally that when I have a couple of glasses of fluoridated water, I get a headache, which is a typical reaction to your body dealing with a mild chemical contaminant.
If you've not already done so, go get some filtered water or spring water and drink that for the duration of your fast. If you were to switch over to non-chlorinated, non-flouridated water, You'll notice that you cant drink tap water, and that in some places (Like Los Angeles or Orange county) a glass of tap water will smell positively FOUL.
Just a suggestion. But I know from experience that it helps me. Keep up the fast everyone!
Please note that I've added two new individuals to the prayer request list: Mariano in Argentina, and Dustin.
Thanks,
David
I found it helpful to print out the list of prayer requests and have laid it next to my Bible when i pray.
Hi Dave,
Sorry for not responding sooner or joining you all in this endeavor. I had some other matters I had to attend to which have taken all my focus and attention.
I hope its not too late to contribute in some small way though. I just prayed for all of you participating, and I have a very good sermon I heard on fasting that I thought might possibly benefit you and the others.
I've attached it in mp3 format.
http://www.calvarylondon.co.uk/CCW/Sermons.CCW?ActiveID=1047
This is the link where I got it from. You can download over 1000 hours of free sermons from a British Pastor in London. He is very, very good. God has obviously Blessed him to preach and teach His Word. I've listened to all of Acts and most of Matthew so far. For those who follow the link, please choose Matthew from the drop down list, then choose the mp3 that starts with 192 if you want to hear the sermon on fasting. Please listen to Acts and Matthew and any others as well. They are excellent! I've been listening to an average of 2 or 3 per day.
I hope it is something you will enjoy and benefit from as well.
Your brother in Christ,
Dustin
P.S. Please, if possible, add Daniel Gilliland to your prayer list. I'm attempting to witness to him. He's been spiritually searching for years, but is opposed to Christianity. He's extraordinarily intelligent, probably to his own detriment. In our last communication, he made it clear to me that he wasn't going to respond to any of my messages if they had anything about Jesus in them. I'm planning on sending him one last witness, via email. I pray the LORD will soften his heart enough to read it.
Fasting Day 3
"And your Father who sees in secret will reward the openly"-Jesus
Today is a day of great victory everyone! We're in the home stretch! You can do it!
At this point you've probably experienced times when you want to do nothing else but quit. You very well may have experienced a terrible caffeine headache, and have certainly felt pangs of hunger strong enough to make you unable to focus on some tasks.
If you've taken the time to exercise or walk, you've noticed that there is no energy in your step. Its all gone!
Keep in mind this last day that you have taken up a difficult work and at the end of this day, you will overcome! Fasting is a serious discipline that neither the world nor the Lord takes lightly. Denial of self is perhaps hardest because food is nourishment, but also comfort to us. If we have a full belly, things are a little more managable no matter whats going on.
The Lord has seen you, He has seen whats in your heart, He has seen why you have undertaken this fast and He has watched you struggle in the hard times and call on His name anew for strength.
Fasting is an act that unites the Body of Believers from the very first saints, to the ones of today, and all the ones in between. In one of the many paradoxes of the upside down kingdom we all live in, by being weak we are made strong. Strong in the faith, drawing near to our Lord, perhaps so close we can almost feel His breath on our neck as He watches over us, or feel the dirt kicked up from his feet as we follow Him.
Praise be his name!
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."-Paul of Tarsus
Thank you Michael. This is ending day 2 for us and it has been challenging yet amazing. We have been in prayer for all and all of the prayer request. I have felt unbelievably great today. Only due to the prayers being lifted up! Galatians 2:20 has been a theme in my life for about 2 weeks now. I love when the Holy Spirit does that!!! Thanks again for the prayers. Love steph.
Hello everyone! Thanks for this wonderful opportunity. I praise and thank God that He can use us for His plans and purposes.
Fasting? I find the evenings very taxing! It has been the most Blessed New Year for me starting this way. I wish you all a very Blessed New Year and have prayed for you all.
Barb in South Africa.
I do have one prayer request I would like to add. I have a friend who is going to Israel to meet with some clients.
I want to pray for his safety while he's gone. He's a real brother in the Lord and someone and an inspiration to all who know him.
Dear Friends and interested observers;
It is now the third day of the year 2009 and all participants are in the home stretch. (Anyone care to try for 5 days??) Haha. -Thats just a joke friends, -although I do believe it is attainable. :-) My weight this morning was just a hair below 200, so I have reaped a total of 8+ lbs lost in about 3 and ½ days. -Fasting, like bodily exercise, does profit a little.
I started my own fast on December 30th after the evening meal. I received David's email on Wednesday morning, and decided to start immediately. I had skipped breakfast Wednesday, and I have already stated my "WatchNight" motives in an earlier post; -Dad you might as well start NOW. It has now been 86 hours since I've taken a single bite of solid food.
I want to make a few more comments about the subject and doctrine of fasting before I break my fast with a light breakfast a little later this morning. I believe this project has been a spiritual endeavor. This 3-day journey has been a tremendous experience. It has been a physical, mental, and spiritual challenge. There have been a few surprises along the way. I didn’t think I would lose this much weight, but I’ll say “AMEN!” to that!
Fasting is not a major Bible doctrine, but its benefits and beneficial effects are largely overlooked by the church and most of society today. The health benefits alone are good enough reasons to fast regularly. If we cannot deny our flesh and fast occasionally, I suspect there are other more serious aspects of cross bearing (MK 10:21) that are much more difficult. Moreover there are strong warnings about fasting for the wrong reasons. Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. I know I have tried to participate in this fast for all the RIGHT reasons. I have no desire to be an ascetic; asceticism will get you nowhere with God.
There are many strong winds blowing that are indicating there are major changes coming upon the face of the earth, and they are going to come quicker than most of us realize. “Earthquake Resurrection” has alerted us to be ready when it first came out. The current war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza could quickly develop into the Psalm 83 scenario. An untested, unproven, and inexperienced Commander in Chief whose ideas are not going to help, but exacerbate our economic problems is a little scary. God never told us to get a cabin in the wilderness, store up some MRE’s and buy an assault rifle in these last days (He could have). He DID say in Matthew 6:25"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Our life does not consist of the abundance of things we possess. We are not to live by bread alone. We are to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. We can starve to death in a warehouse full of bread if God is not with us! With the changes that are coming in the United States and the rest of the world, we’d best be on good ground with God. One of the ways to be on good ground with God is by fasting for the right reasons. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and defeated Satan. Moses fasted 40 days when he was on Mt. Sinai. When he came down from the mountain he had the 10 Commandments in his possession, and his face glowed so brightly that he had to keep it covered to keep from blinding the rest of the people. David, I want to thank you for inviting me to join this group. It has been a blessing.
Finally a word about breaking our fast: In 1 Samuel 30 we find the story of David’s men finding an Egyptian who had been lying in the field for three days. When he was brought to David, here’s what David did: 1 Samuel 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 1 Samuel 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
Since the Bible is to be our guide for all faith and practice, here we have an example of what to eat after a fast. We are attempting to bring our bodies back online after a 3 day power outage if you will. It has required discipline to stick with this fast, and I think breaking our fast will require similar discipline. I would not recommend going to the Cracker Barrel and getting the Country Ham and Eggs with pancakes, grits, and a side order of fried apples this morning!
Here’s what I’m going to do: We do happen to have a can of raisins at my house, so I’m going to eat some raisins and have a hot piece of buttered toast with fresh Smuckers blackberry jam, and coffee. MMMmmmm. I can taste it NOW! After that maybe a salad this afternoon and a more regular meal of pasta with a little meat sauce this evening. The key is BE GENTLE and MODERATE. Our stomachs have shrunk in the last three days. Let’s bring our bodies back online slowly and gently.
I’m sure many of you will have interesting comments. I have enjoyed all posts that have been written. Michael Tatar your posts have been very interesting and helpful. I like your bluegrass style Bro.
We have all learned the lesson that we can fast. It just takes a little discipline. Let’s make it a habit!
Indyusmcdad@Gmail.com
I agree with all, this has been the biggest blessing to me. I cannot think of a better way to start a new year, but by fasting with fellow believers. How special it has been to fast with ones I know and with ones that I have never met! When I have fasted this way in the past I have always struggled severely. This time however, I have not and I praise God beyond words!!!! I beleive that people have been praying and that God has heard our prayers!! I believe lives are going to be changed for all eternity because of this time! I feel it has been an honor and blessing to fast with all of you! I will continue to pray beyond the end of this 3 day fast for all of you and the request that have been given. I am expectant and excited to see all that God has in store for us in this coming year. It is an amazing time in which we live, to be living for HIM! God Bless you all on this last day. Love Steph
Just received this email from a reader named Mariel and told her I would post it on our message board:
***************
David,
I have been living in my husband's hospital room for about l2 days, where he struggles to breathe with aortic stenosis. So we are definitely on a fast.
I eat what I must eat from the hospital menu. I realize more and more how selfish I have been, and how this has brought it into perspective. But he was not as selfish, so I pray for the rapture to come right away for his sake, and for mine.
They give us no hope, but I hope in the rapture. If not that I will have to learn how to be brave and so far don't know how.
I get "sick" if I fast, and even in the hospital they have given me a phlebotomy to keep emotional overflow in check. You know I have a rare disease which my husband put up with for 40 years of marriage, even though it was not immediately diagnosed.
Pray for us, too on this last day of your fast. I don't have close friends or relatives to help me with grief. I fear madness but am trusting the Lord as much as i possibly can.
I am home briefly to pick up mail.
Mariel
Mariel,
Thank you for sharing your need for prayer.
You have us to pray for you now or later as you need it.
The Lord is with you and keep trusing in Him and the blessed hope.
If you wish,contact me anytime to talk.
kimmerlee42353@gmail.com
Mariel you have been prayed for. I will continue to do so.
I can only glimpse at the situation you are in right now, as I have never been married.
The Lord looks at people born again in the holy spirit as closer than blood. Your family of spiritual brothers and sisters will continue to lift you up and pray for strength, ,and deliverance for all involved.
I want you to know that myself and Im sure a great many others are praying for you.
Your spiritual brother
Thanks to David Lowe provoking us to good works (Hebrews 10-24) we got off to a good start towards regular fasting in the year of
2009.
After our 3 day fast was over, I kept up a one day weekly fast until two weeks ago. I firmly believe regular fasting is an important key to good health and maintaining body weight, as well as getting in touch with God. For six weeks after our 3 day fast I continued on my own to fast and pray on Thursday of each week until two weeks ago. In the last two weeks I have gained 5 lbs, and am back at the weight I was when we started the year. :-(
I am looking for someone, or a group of someones, who would be interested in fasting one day per week for both physical and spiritual purposes. We now have a hard line Marxist in the White House and conditions are going to get VERY BAD in the not too distant future. Food may be hard to get eventually. It would be a good idea to be in the practice of denying ourselves at least one day per week and getting in touch with God. After all, our dependence is on Him, not the govt. and I believe fasting and giving ourselves to prayer shows God that we are serious about the things God cares about.
Anyone who is interested in joining me, please email me at usmcdad@comcast.net
Thanks, and God Bless America.
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