“If you … witness courageously, the truth will miraculously win.” – Medjugorje June 2, 2015

"When you pray, pray first for the Holy Spirit because when you have the Holy Spirit, you have everything."        - Medjugorje April 4, 1985

The Old Testament book of Zechariah the prophet has several wonderful pearls for those of us fasters who are always seeking to learn more about fasting. To set the scene, the Jews who had been in exile in Babylon for seventy years had recently returned home to Jerusalem. One of the men of the remnant who had never left, came to the priests and the prophets asking whether or not they were still required to keep the fast “of the fifth month.” See, in Deuteronomy, there had only ever been one day of required fasting in the year, the Day of Atonement; at some point during the exile of most of the Jews, the remnant in Jerusalem had added more days of fasting, to commemorate the fall of the city, the burning of the temple, and other atrocities. Since the temple was being rebuilt, they were wondering if they could drop the fast commemorating the burning of the temple in the fifth month. Zechariah writes:

Thereupon this word of the Lord of hosts came to me:  Say to all the people of the land and to the priests “when you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, was it not for yourselves that you ate, and for yourselves that you drank?

Apparently, this question was a rhetorical one: no, they were not. 

So often by this time in Lent, our own resolve has faded-like a New Year’s resolution.

Perhaps we had given up coffee, or dessert, or alcohol, or we had added Bible reading or mass to our daily routines, but now perhaps our effort is waning. This might be a sign that we had done these things for ourselves - to test our own resolve. If we were truly doing it for the Lord, we wouldn’t cut corners because “no one really sees or cares.” If it truly is our small offering, then we will reframe our sacrifice and say “God, this little sacrifice is to please you because it makes me less selfish doing the things that I want to do and eating the things that I want to eat.”

It is a really good question to ask ourselves!

Was it really for me that you fasted?

The passage that follows in Zechariah 7 is akin to the famous fasting chapter, Isaiah 58 in which God explains that a fast without proper behavior towards widow and orphans, the foreigner, the poor, and one’s own laborers is not at all what He desires. When our hearts are right, then He receives our fast.

The Lord then describes a day to come when the streets will be teeming with joyful citizens at peace with each other and a flourishing culture. Then, He says in verse 19, those fast days will become occasions of joy, not obligations. At that point there will be great revival in which everyone is seeking the Lord!

As we offer our fast tomorrow, let us consider the Lord’s question to us, “Is it really for Me that you are fasting?” 

And let us rest and trust that God has got the victory, no matter what the news says.

Without Him, all our efforts are pitiful. But with Him, and trusting God to do the heavy lifting, we can bring about a revival like has never been seen before!

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.

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