I’m continuing the call this week for a Gideon’s Army SD season of fasting. Looking back in my life, almost every season of encounter, every season of growing deeper, every season of getting closer to God, and every season of finding clarity and strategy was preceded with fasting. It’s not at all that God wasn’t working in my life without the fasting, but the fasting created an atmosphere in me and sometimes around me that didn’t otherwise seem to be there naturally. Fasting, when done God’s way, truly has power to bring breakthrough. Sometimes we are our own biggest obstacle to God moving. When we fast, we humble ourselves and embrace our weakness. In turn we are able to see God’s greatness and in that place of surrender, we are more open to allow Him to move and display His strength. Sometimes when we fast we are going to battle, with every cell in our body focused and determined. We stand against evil spiritual power. We even wrestle with the enemy. We don’t do battle with our physical body. In fact we set aside the desires of our flesh to be more focused and consecrated to Jesus and we then more easily enter in to the victory He won for us.

These can seem like high and lofty matters, but nearly everyone can fast. Nearly everyone can also make excuses, and I can’t stop that. If it’s important to you to see breakthrough in an area in your life, your church, our state, our nation, etc... fasting is one of the ways throughout the Bible people have called upon God and been given answers. The question is- are you hungry for God? Really ask yourself that. I’m asking myself that! Is what we say we want God to do really important enough for us to disrupt our meals and our busy schedules to seek after? I think so. That’s why I’m staying on this subject for a bit. Time after time in scripture, fasting works. Yes it can disrupt business as usual, but if your still with me at this point that’s part of what were going for :)

So where do we start? I started fasting over 20 years ago. I very specifically felt God call me to fast when I was about 18-19. I was in Bible college and just wasn’t satisfied with all the talk- I needed to try some of it out! I really only had my Bible initially, but I think I did end up with a book or two on fasting that helped at least get me going. I can’t tell you how many days I tried to fast by just drinking water, only to find myself nearly going crazy in the evening. Many times I found myself driving to a gas station and buying potato chips and ravaging a whole bag at once. It’s funny to me now, but I felt kind of bad about it then. I didn’t understand why it was so hard. I didn’t really have anyone to help me through it either. Looking back I truly believe God smiled over me through it all, just being happy that I was hungry for Him. I wanted more and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Even in that season most people thought I was crazy. I was trying to follow biblical examples of fasting and many people at Bible college thought I was doing something dangerous. Well, maybe it did have an element of danger. I probably liked that a little even then.

After quite some time, I did finally get into a groove. I found a system that worked for me and I went with it. I went on an extended fast with a whole bunch of ideas about what kind of things God would do in me, for me, through me because of it. I may have set myself up for some disappointment in my immaturity. But God did do something that surprised me. He responded to my hunger for something more. I had more than usual opportunities to take communion in the months after that fast. Each and every time I became overwhelmed with tenderness in my spirit about what Jesus had done for me. I don’t think I had ever cried taking communion before, but in that season the tears flowed freely. It was personal to me. Jesus died for me and I felt that so strongly, so personally it would just overwhelm me. I think that’s really where we should all begin. In that personal place with Jesus, where He is everything. If you can fast a meal- great! If you can fast a day- great! If you fast on juice- great! If you fast “meats and sweets” that’s great too! Even if you can only fast chocolate for lunch like my 4 year old daughter- perfect! God smiles over you as you do what you can. As you’re faithful, you will see the increase in intimacy and breakthrough.

JOEL 2
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.

EZRA 8
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava,
that we might humble ourselves before our God,
to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves,
our children, and all our goods.
23 So we fasted and implored our God for this,
and he listened to our entreaty.

JONAH 3
5 And the people of Nineveh believed God.
They called for a fast and put on sackcloth,
from the greatest of them to the least of them.

Gideon's Army SD Prayer Points

1) Pray for Awakening- Pray that true disciples of Jesus would rise up and make more disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Pray that every soul across the state of South Dakota would be given a clear opportunity to turn to God through Jesus Christ. Pray for an awakening to come and influence every sphere of society for God's glory.

2) Pray for Families- Pray for awakening back to God's holy and original design for marriage and family to be proclaimed and for strength and grace to live it by example. Pray for a unique move of God among children and youth. Pray that fathers would turn their hearts toward children and children toward fathers. Pray that mothers would embrace their unique and priceless role in raising and shaping the next generation. Pray that love, prayer, and true faith in God would permeate daily life in every home. Pray for your family- for parents, grandparents, children, siblings, and extended family members to awaken to Christ and experience His redeeming power.

3) Pray for Churches- Pray for unity in the Body of Christ and for awakening across denominational boundaries. Pray for pastors and leaders to be gripped with prayer, fasting, and preaching boldly and without fear. Pray that churches would embrace their identity as joyful houses of prayer.

4) Pray for Educational Systems- Pray that truth would come forth across all subjects and to all students at all levels. Pray for reformation of the school systems and curriculums. Pray that God would move within schools mightily and reach students hearts in spite of man made restrictions.

5) Pray for State/Local Politics- Pray for South Dakota's state motto to be true- "Under God the People Rule." Pray for local/state government leaders to stand for righteousness. Pray for the right legislative action to be taken for the people of South Dakota. Here is a link to a great organization that can help guide our prayers- http://fhaaction.org/

6) Pray for Peoples & Cultures- Ask for God to move in and through every race, social class, and identity group in South Dakota. Pray that all the arts- music, writing, painting, and any creative outlet would be used to bring the light of Jesus Christ to a dark world.

7) Pray for our Nation- Pray for the Greatest Awakening to come to America. That our national motto would hold true- "IN GOD WE TRUST." Pray for the President, Legislative Branches, and Judicial Branch to stand for true liberty and justice- the pillars of God's throne. Pray that we would, as ONE nation under God, return to our nation's original purpose and that America's calling would be fulfilled.

8) PROCLAIM- Proclaim the love, light, life, and power of Christ into each area of prayer! "...speaking the truth in love..." Ephesians 4:15 NASB "...that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..." 1 Peter 2:9 NASB. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." Proverbs 18:21 NASB. "...I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16 NASB. Follow Jesus example by declaring God's Word to battle lies and temptation. "It is written..." (Matt. 3:1-11).