Knowing God's Calling

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions … So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:21, 23 NKJV)

But why is fasting so powerful when added to prayer.

Fasting means to abstain from food and/or drink for a specific time frame in order to seek the Lord by denying the physical in order to focus on the spiritual.

Adding fasting to prayer cleans out the junk and allows our spiritual man to get connected to God where we can hear the still small voice of the Lord more clearly.

This was the testimony for the prophet Elijah. For 40 days he went without food and arrived at Mount Horeb. He went into a cave where he was able to hear God’s still small voice over the all the commotion that was going on around him. And the Lord gave Elijah directions to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, and to choose Elisha as the prophet who would secede him, (1 Kings 19)

Now while prayer and fasting is a powerful tool, we need to be careful not to make it into some magical formula to gain God’s favor. God cannot be forced or coerced. We’ll still have trials and tribulations in this world as Jesus said (John 16:33), but when we fast and pray, God will strengthen us giving grace, mercy, and faith for the journey ahead.

Praising God

The Psalmist tells us that we are to enter into the Lord’s presence with joyful songs of praise (Psalm 100).

We often hear about the need to pray through the problem. We like to quote the acronym P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens). But let me recommend another “P” for P.U.S.H., and that is “Praise Until Something Happens.”

This was how David handled the many difficulties and problems he faced. Now I’m not talking about the average run-of-the-mill problems. I’m talking about outright hostility by those who wanted to kill him where he literally soaked his pillow with tears over what he was going through.

Through it all David not only prayed, but also praised God. He sang about his problems and about his faith and trust in God to see him through these stressful times. That’s why they are called Psalms; they are literally songs and hymns.

The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). This means that praise is a vehicle that brings us into the presence and power of God. It’s one of the most effective ways we can take to find guidance for our lives.

Praise is therefore more than songs we sing at the beginning of a worship service, it’s a way of life for every believer in Jesus Christ. But it is more ...

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)

When we begin to praise God in everything and giving Him thanks, not only the good, but the bad as well, then we’ll see God change us in becoming more like Him.

In fact, God calls believers into a holy and royal priesthood for the express purpose of offering up to Him praise. (1 Peter 2:9)