Daily Devotional for Wednesday February 5, 2020

Fasting is an act of sacrifice!

(Matthew 6:17-18)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, help me to draw near to You this day. I want to feel Your presence in my life and Your loving arms. I acknowledge that I need You every moment of every day oh Lord, and whatever I can do to enjoy that close, intimate relationship with You, let me do it! In the name of Jesus I pray...AMEN!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: Suicide rates amongst 10 to 14 year olds has tripled in the past several years. It has TRIPLED! If there is ever a time in life to look forward to the future, to have endless hope for the future, it is kids 10 to 14. The natural question is why? Even without a complete understanding of basic theology, going to church gives a child the comfort in knowing there is a God who gave each person life and loves them and is watching over them. Sadly, with the better percentage of the last 2 generations having never been to church, most children are growing up without that confidence something bigger than themselves exists and loves them. This sad statistic is also the reality of children growing up in broken homes, with blended families. Love, nurturing, stability, feeling protected, not being exposed to all of the evils of this world at a young age, are all critically important to young children and what a large percentage of children today don’t have! Unfortunately, so many children are growing up today and being indoctrinated at school and by peers with the false beliefs of this fallen world. With such turmoil at such a young age, it is no wonder why the suicide rate amongst children between 10 and 14 has recently tripled!!!

*Don’t miss the Liveprayer TV program, airing “LIVE” every Monday thru Friday from 11pm EDT to Midnight! For details on viewing options for the Liveprayer TV program, “LIVE” or “On Demand,” go to: https://liveprayer.com/liveprayer-show-about.cfm

Fasting has been one of the most misunderstood and misused practices in the Bible. The basic premise of fasting is giving up a normal daily activity as a sacrifice, to spend that time in prayer and seeking the Lord. It is NOT supposed to be a physical endurance contest to see how long you can go without eating.

Fasting is an act of sacrifice. It can be as little as skipping one meal, or not eating for 24 hours, or even three days. Fasting does not always have to be food. You can "fast" by not watching television for a period of time, or giving up any number of others things that you may do during the day. There is no magic formula.

Let me warn you that fasting can be very dangerous to your health! Anytime you fast over 24 hours you need to be very careful. I would strongly suggest that you contact your doctor to make sure you do it correctly.

The reason you fast is to sacrifice the nourishment to your body and spend that time nourishing your soul.

It is a way to focus solely on the Lord and to seek Him. Often fasting is done at times when there are major needs and you need to really zero in spiritually on the Lord, seeking Him for answers. I routinely fast one day a month, but during major events or times of great need, I will fast for 72 hours and try to spend much of that time just in prayer. I keep living my normal life, but use the time I would normally be eating to spend time with God.

Fasting does not make you more spiritual than someone who does not fast. It is not a way to prove how spiritual you are. Again, it is a simple act of sacrifice to spend that time in prayer with the Lord. It allows you to hear God more clear. It is a time to really get serious about praying over a certain situation or circumstance. It is a sacrifice on your part to get closer to God.

I would suggest that if you never fasted before, start with one meal. Use the 20-40 minutes that you would normally be eating, go to a quiet place and just pray. Talk to God about those things in your life He needs to clean up. Talk to God about problems that only He can fix. One powerful way to use fasting is fast and spend that time in prayer for someone else. Sacrifice that meal and spend the time praying for the needs of someone else. That is powerful!

Let me challenge you today. Take the opportunity this weekend to fast one meal. Just one meal. Use the time you would normally be eating, to spend that time in prayer. Pray for your family and the needs of your family. Pray for your friends. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for our nation. Please, pray for me and God's work here at Liveprayer. I promise you that you won't miss the meal, and you will be richly blessed in your time alone with the Lord!

I love you and care about you so much. Fasting is a great way to make a minor sacrifice in our daily life to get closer to the Lord. One day, all of those who have accepted Jesus will spend eternity with Him. Fasting is a small way that we can take a few moments during this life to enjoy that intimate closeness with our Lord.

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller