"In prayer you shall perceive ... the way out of every situation that has no exit." 
                                                                                                           - Medjugorje March 28, 1985

"Do novenas of fasting and renunciation so that satan be far from you and grace be around you"                                                                                                             -  Medjugorje July 25, 2005

Sunday’s Advent scripture reading brought us once again to the powerful figure of John the Baptist, the faster among fasters. As our readers may recall, John’s miraculous birth was announced to his doubtful father Zechariah in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the aged priest had prayed for a son decades prior, the answer to his prayer was delayed until his mother Elizabeth was well past childbearing. Nevertheless, she conceived, and her unborn son encountered the Messiah and leapt with joy in the womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to assist Elizabeth. 

Thirty years later, as the Gospel of Matthew recounts, John literally appears on the scene out of nowhere, a voice crying out in the desert to “prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight His paths!” The message he was preaching was one of urgency. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ While we read that people from the city of Jerusalem and all over the region were streaming out to hear this lean, no holds barred preacher, we must imagine why his message had such impact. 

First of all, look at him! He has no agenda other than to preach the message to repent. He is not enriching himself, and he gains no earthly power. His clothes are obviously handmade by him:  a rough tanned camel’s hair tunic cinched with a belt. He does not live with any sense of comfort as he lives presumably in caves in the desert region and forages for food. He lives in a continuous state of self denial, even before Jesus preached His famous words “whoever wishes to be my disciple must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow Me.” 

We hear the message augmented and delivered with anger when the self righteous leaders showed up out of curiosity. John erupts on them telling them that their pedigree as Abraham’s children is utterly irrelevant. God doesn’t need them at all. Literally, stones could serve as His children. Fruit! That is what God is looking for. Fruit! Then John says, “Even now, the axe is at the root of the tree,” implying that unless they start producing what they are supposed to produce, they will be chopped down. 

The part of the message that is most perplexing is the Baptist’s analogy about winnowing. The last part of a harvest is to throw the grain up and let the husks and chaff fly out into the wind so just the kernels remain. But, in John’s illustration, the chaff does not just fly off. No. It will be burned with unquenchable fire. This is serious, serious stuff. What doesn’t belong will be destroyed in an excruciating, unending hellfire. 

So this Advent, we are given an opportunity to reflect again on this message of need for repentance. Please reread Matthew 3:1-12 in your prayer time. Making straight the way for the Infant King could be clearing the hurdles out of our hearts. Let us scan our hearts for envy (jealousy), sloth, greed, gluttony, anger, pride, and lust. Make a beeline for the confessional if you are Catholic. Our Protestant brothers will appreciate a good guide to confession rather than a general prayer such as “Jesus, forgive me for my sins.” 

Taking stock of our soul is an urgent matter because we never know what tomorrow will bring. The axe might be sitting at the root of our very own tree. 

Thank you for fasting with us tomorrow.  First century Christians wrote that all believers are obliged to fast each Wednesday and Friday. You will be glad you made the effort for all of eternity.

Why We Fast – Our Core Fasting Intentions

1) For the Holy Spirit to reign down upon America renewing our land as the Christian, capitalist meritocracy we were founded to be.

2) For the protection of our police, firefighters, military and their families from harm and that the Lord bless their courageous generosity on our behalf one hundredfold.

3) For the protection of the families who fast with us, and for God’s blessings of abundance upon them and that true to His word, we will be able to witness that He prospered us in famine.

Would you like to learn more about fasting?

We maintain a repository of ideas and information we have learned over the last decade while fasting weekly for America. From scientific studies on the benefits of fasting, to the differences between intermittent dieting vs intermittent fasting, to scriptural references regarding the power of fasting to the history of first century Christians who stated believers are obligated to fast weekly, we hope you will find numerous insights with our free resource located here.

Together let us also implore Heaven while fasting for intentions you have highlighted:

4) For Mike Lindell who is putting himself on the front lines suing over the election fraud that has taken place and for all of the warriors who are stepping up around the nation to fight for the gospel – May The Father cover them in the blood of our savior,  protect them and their families from evil and bring victory to their endeavors.

5) For priests, ministers and all who aspire to lead others to the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will reign down upon them as at Pentecost filling them to overflowing with an understanding of what the Lord wants, courage and the desire to preach what He would have them preach and protection and strength from all evil that comes against them. 

6) For the Americans jailed after January 6th who were admitted to the Capitol building by the police, and who were not found to have destroyed any property at the capitol yet who have been held captive ever since on our own soil - That God's Spirit will move quickly to bring justice back to this land by freeing them while enlightening Americans how to bring God's justice back to our nation.

Who We Are