Prayer

Fast and be Victorious

Fast and be victorious

When we go through a spiritual fast, we not only get closer to God, but also become stronger mentally and physically. But trying hard fasting without God may not achieve the goal; It will only result in failure. What if fasting aimed at a good cause backfires? It can also happen. The Holy Bible makes it clear that a person can achieve the full purpose of fasting only by following the divine laws. Fasting has been practiced by people of all religions since ancient times. The purpose behind this was to grow spiritually. As time has changed, fasting has also been modified in the modern era! An increasing number of people are practicing fasting in a gradual manner with the goal of maintaining physical beauty, restoring beauty, and warding off disease. Those who fast to improve their beauty are mostly young women trying to become a slim beauty. The health of most of them will deteriorate later. People who ends up sick due to lack of any restrictions on diet are often prescribed to fast. But fasting without proper care and knowledge can only harm the body. “Anorexia nervosa” is a disease that affects such people. People with this disease would have no interest in food. They feel aversion to food. It is a disease that puts their lives at risk by not eating. By practicing fasting for beauty, it leads to a state where not only the beauty but the body itself is destroyed. The Holy Bible makes it clear that fasting leads to a return to God for those who are suffering from God’s punishments due to their uncontrolled life. Consecrate a fast,Call a sacred assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landInto the house of the Lord your God,And cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14 Why did God ask the people of Israel to announce a fast through the prophet Joel? “Swarm after swarm, of locusts, settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured” (Joel 1:4). In ancient times, people depended on an economy based on agricultural crops. Even in our country these days, farmers commit suicide when their crops fail and they run into debt. This is happening in the situation where banks, irrigation facilities, chemical fertilizers etc. are available. It would be good to remember how fearfully people used to farm in ancient times when there was no such facility. Natural disasters, destruction of agricultural crops, etc. are depicted in the Bible as God’s wrath. Natural calamities such as droughts, floods, etc. used to destroy the farmlands and then the people moved towards famine, poverty and eventual deaths. It was during such a time of divine wrath that the prophet Joel asked the people to enter into the presence of God through fasting. It was as if an army had come on the attack, as grasshoppers, locusts, caterpillars and green worms attacked the agricultural crops and wreaked havoc in the country. The fields were destroyed and the trees in the fields were gone. “Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.” (Joel 1:11,12). Not only in our country, but in many parts of the world, when people forget God, natural disasters, famine, murders, suicides etc. are on the rise. This has to be considered as God’s warning. When God asked the people to come to Him for a dwelling through prophet Joel, they obeyed. Look at God’s answer to this: The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, and his foul odour will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvellous things!Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit;The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:19-25 In this way, people and countries prepare for fasting to remove God’s wrath; Fasting is also a remedy that God prepares to come to Him when we are moving towards destruction with a sinful life forgetting God. Nations also declare fasting. The America of old was not the America of today. Fasting and prayer were an early source of power in America. Americans today are the descendants of the British who left England when a false, spiritually destroying form of worship was forced upon them. In 1620, when the church was devalued the Puritans left England in 102 boats to Holland. But even there they were not satisfied. When they saw that the sinful life there would lead their children astray, they prayed before God with tears in their eyes. They came from Holland to America after the divine message they received while fasting and praying. On the dollar, the currency of the United States, there is a note that says ‘In God we trust’. Although they got spiritual freedom in America, they had to face adversity even then. All that time they fasted and prayed. They declared a fast day on June 1, 1774 when the British blockaded the port of Boston. Early presidents of the United States have issued proclamations

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Prayer

Prayer : When? How? To whom?

There are no believers who do not pray. But the majority of those who pray are frustrated with prayer. Their complaint is that God does not answer their prayers. But they pray. Many people reject God when they don’t get what they want. When this happens, the believer becomes an atheist! In history, Jesus said the most about prayer. Jesus exhorted his followers to pray continually. He taught what prayer is and how to pray. Moreover, Jesus Himself set the example in prayer. Jesus emphasized prayer above all else in life. Time was found for prayer before breakfast. The Holy Bible says: ‘Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.’ (Mark 1:35). Even as the people rushed to see him, Jesus wanted to talk to God through prayer: ‘However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16). When Jesus stood by the dead body and prayed, the dead came back to life. When he prayed with five loaves of bread and two fishes, the hunger of many thousands was satisfied. Sinners were able to draw near to a holy God when they prayed on the cross. Why is prayer unanswered? The Bible says that there are some things behind the unanswered prayers from God. God does not bless those who pray but do not obey Him. God shares His desires and hopes through the Bible. The Bible is the written word of God. It talks about blessings and curses. The Bible makes it clear how we can receive blessings from God by obeying Him. Selfish interests also prevent the prayer to be answered. For example, if you pray to destroy the one who opposes you, God will not cooperate with it. ‘You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.’ (James 4:3). Prayer with doubt is not answered. He is a god. A prayer to show who it is will not work. When should we pray? People who pray daily, might set aside some time for prayer. This could be in the morning, evening or night. Some pray only when they are in some crisis or danger. But God asks us to pray to him at any time and on all occasions. We should pray not only in times of sorrow but also in times of joy. Only then will God be with us in times of trouble. Therefore, wherever you are, you should remember the God who gave you life and life; Pray. A prayerful man is stronger than any weapon. A person who constantly communicates with God through prayer can find a solution to any of his problems. The Bible teaches many things to receive God’s blessings through good prayer. Let’s see what they are. God loves his children Jesus asked us to pray, saying, ‘Our Father in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9). A father has duties to his children. Children can ask and get from their father. Moreover, the blessings of the father are the inheritance of the children. So the person who prays should become a loving child of God. How to become a son or daughter of God? The Holy Bible says: ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name’ (John 1:12). Those who believe in Jesus and live according to Jesus are children of God. When they pray to Jesus, their prayers are answered. Many people say that they do not know how to pray. But don’t take this as an issue. It is enough to pray like a son or daughter as if they are confessing things to their father. Jesus, who taught his disciples to pray, will also guide you in this matter. Pray with faith For a child of God, God’s riches and blessings are in store. So pray believing that you have received them. Jesus, who taught us to pray, says: ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:24,25). Obey God Only prayer from a heart fully surrendered to God will yield the desired results. The Bible says: ‘And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ (1 John 3:22). Obedience is the key to effective prayer. Jesus is the only person who lived according to all the commandments of God. So know what Jesus is asking. Live by it. Jesus said that His words are ‘life’. To whom should we pray? Jesus clearly says to whom to pray. Note: ‘And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.’ (John 14:13-15). Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24 Jesus makes another promise. Jesus has said that if two of you agree on anything they ask on earth, it will be received from my Father in heaven (Matthew 18: 19, 20). Why pray only to Jesus? The Bible reads: For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5). Seek God’s Will Most people pray to get their needs met. Before offering a prayer to God, one must inquire whether it is God’s will. Understand that God only gives

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