Miracles to close out 2010!

Okay, let me start off the year with thanksgiving for what the Lord just did in the last two weeks. As a side-note, my wife and I do actually offer burnt offerings of Thanksgiving in our fireplace according to the Word (we present a grain offering of flour kneaded with milk, frankincense, oil... and salt it). If house-cat was an acceptable animal for sacrifice, I would gladly offer up our little "destroyer of carpet" but I digress.



The following have all happened in the last two weeks. In our weekly prayer service, we prayed for pain to leave a woman's neck and it left (although some stiffness remained) and we prayed for her leg and it grew out (about 1/4 of an inch). Then I had a chance to pray for her husband who had pain in the bend of his arms and the pain was 100% healed in both arms!

My wife's car had broken down and we had taken it to the mechanic. They tried to force the engine to turn over with a cheater bar and the bar bent. We went to clean out the car and I suggested we pray for the car to start. We prayed… it didn’t start… we prayed… it made a sound but still didn’t start… we prayed… the car started! The mechanics were stunned! It was fun explaining to them that prayer started that car.

Lastly, a friend and I were walking around the mall praying for people. As we tried a product he had a word of knowledge about the salesman's back hurting from a football injury. We prayed for it and it was healed! Then I had a word about temporary shoulder pain that "came when stressed", he had it. So we prayed and were believing it was also healed (he will test it next time he's at the gym). Then my friend had a word about him being a singer and by the time we left this young man's life was drastically affected!

Thank you Jesus for letting us minister to people for healing and words that spoke to their hearts. We ask for exponential increase of miracles such as these and more in the future! Happy New Year everyone, may God raise your expectation of Him and fulfill the promises of years past in 2011! Be blessed in Jesus name!

Fasting - Escort into His arms

The concept of fasting was foreign in my traditional Methodist/Baptist upbringing, but after only 1 day I saw results!  I had read about fasting and prayer in the Bible, but never actually partnered the idea with reality (this was before I had received the baptism of the wonderful Holy Spirit).  My wife, 2 year old son, and myself were all living at my parents house at the time.  The move from our apartment to my parents was instigated by my wife undergoing several hospitalizations and it had put a large dent in our finances.  My prayer life had recently come alive with passion as I was zealously praying to the Lord in the morning to deliver us from certain circumstances (specifically, we needed a place to live permanently).  For several days I felt the urge to fast, without explanation.  After considering the possibility that the "urge" could be the Lord, I took a day off from eating.  Within a month of that single one-day fast, my wife and I received a check for $14,000! 


So, why fast?  Because God will give you $14,000! But seriously, God responds to a heart that is willing to lay down the desires of the flesh to seek Him.  Some of the Biblical purposes of fasts are:

• Mourning
• To inquire of the Lord
• Repentence
• Deliverance
• Power
• Humility

If you need set free of an oppression, a response from God, or more of the power of God in your life... fasting should be partnered with your prayers.  Fasting is never done outside of prayer but coupled with it.  While many pastors are afraid to suggest fasting from food, there really is no other Biblical example of fasting.  Fasting from television and video games are certainly worthwhile pursuits, but if you expect to raise the dead after spending a week away from Call of Duty you may be disappointed.

In his book titled, The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting, Mahesh Chavda reminds the reader that,

Jesus didn't say, "If you should someday decide to try to fast, although I know it's almost impossible for you..." in Matthew 6:16-17.  No, He said, "When you fast..." He didn't give us the option not to fast.

Fasting is intended to be a part of your everyday Christian life!  Christ expects it of us.  We need to fast to continually die to the flesh and sustain a life of victory.  I've actually found that it's quite a joy to fast (once you get past the first couple days), because God's voice is so much clearer.  As the junk seems to filter out of my system, my ears open more... His presence is more tangible... it's almost as though my spirit becomes softened to respond to Holy Spirit and it's wonderful! So if you haven't experienced the joys of prayer and fasting, I encourage you to try it out.  Please share you testimonies and encounters you've had while fasting as comments as well.

Lord I pray for impartation for every reader that looks upon these words.  I ask that you would grant them the grace to fast as long as You have called them to Lord.  Grant them a willingness to respond to Your voice, which is calling Your people to the position of humility through prayer and fasting in Jesus mighty name.