A Call to Prayer and FASTING

I was awakened one morning last week during the fourth watch by the Spirit who wanted to show me something through two short visions.

The first vision, the one to which I awoke was thus: I was looking out the front window of a building when a roof collapsed. At first I thought it was the front porch of the house I live in, but it was quickly shown to me that it was a much larger structure. In this vision, a group of people were standing around helping our youngest daughter, who was crying. They asked her if she was alright, but she was pretty dazed and was asking what happened (situational memory loss/confusion). I then asked where our son was, and it was shown that he was under the rubble. As people worked to remove the rubble, I started praying. In a flash, it was revealed to me that it was now five days later and (in the vision) I was still praying and had not eaten. They found my son with a piece of sheet metal embedded deep within his skull. He was rushed to a hospital who pronounced him DOA. Normally, in a situation like this, you are not in the triage room and are later asked if you want to come in. In this vision, however, I was already in the room and was asking the staff to leave the room, but to stay close. I continued to pray and yell, saying things like "This is Your child! He is not to be dead yet!" and "Don't let the Enemy take him! I know You are the Great Healer, and I believe that You can heal this child." I picked up my son, held him in my hands and lifted him as high as I could above me, again yelling, "THIS IS YOUR CHILD!!!" The next thing I was shown is me leaving the room and walking up to one of the doctors and telling him in a stern voice, "Now you go and tell your friends [other doctors was implied] that God has brought my son back to life!" The doctor's face was that of total shock. At this point the scene repeated, but this time I left the room in a typical fatherly response throwing the door open yelling at the top of my lungs, "MY SON IS ALIVE! MY SON IS ALIVE!"

Then the second vision occurred: I was walking with my three children on a paved street or driveway for a small private subdivision that pointed up a hill (not sure why that's important, but I can still see it). We came to where another drive/street on the left met the one we are walking on. My son took off down the intersecting drive/street which was damaged or unfinished...either way, there was a cliff at the end (with no barriers). This street/drive was going downhill. Our son (8yo, btw) took off full-boar down this intersecting street/drive and our oldest daughter (10yo) took off after him, calling him. I told our youngest (6yo) to stay put while I chased after the two of them. Seeing the length of this street/drive, realistically, I would not have been able to catch up to my son before he reached the end. But, I somehow did catch him and grab him by the arm. As he spun around, there was laughter coming out of him and I yelled, "Get out of him!" Then it was impressed upon me that this was not a spirit to be removed by command, but by prayer and fasting. Then we were walking and my son was bound and wrapped, shoulder to waist, in rope (think of the way a cartoon or old movie wrapped people). I was then shown the meaning of these visions.

The main point of these two visions was that there is a key piece that is missing in our prayers today, which is fasting. The secondary point was that my son represented the church. At first, I believed that it was the modern church, or the church system, but now I believe that the word "church" I "heard" is the True Church Body. In the first vision the church was killed when the head had a fatal injury, then was brought back to life after prayer, fasting and pleading supplications. In the second one, it was shown that an Enemy has invaded (possessed) the Church Body and could ONLY be removed by fasting and prayer. I can already hear the argument, "If it was the True Church, how could it have been killed?" The only answer is that since the injury was to the head, it represents when our Messiah was killed on the cross. I could easily be wrong as to this answer, or even what "church" it is. But I, like others, am watching a resurgence in the desire to follow the instructions outlined in the Old Testament. In fact, I am part of that resurgence. The Adversary has invaded this resurgence in many ways. There are false teachers and there is twisting of what the Bible says. That's nothing new, right? There are many people who are not hearing the Holy Spirit's guiding voice and follow these false teachers blindly and in ignorance. Again, nothing new. I think that this resurgence and being shown that these instructions are still for us today is only a small part of the bringing this Church Body back to life. I have already heard of miracles happening, including people being brought back to life after being dead for minutes or even days.

This is one reason that Messiah would start or end his teachings with "those who have ears to hear and eyes to see." The people who have the "ears to hear" are those who are open and willing to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Those that don't sit in church buildings, conferences, synagogues, or even in their own houses and read the Bible to learn or to hear someone's view on what they are teaching. But those people don't listen to the one Teacher they should be listening to. This opens a door for the Adversary to get a foot in the door and whisper fallacies and suggestions in their ears.

We believers pray at meals, when someone is sick, when we need guidance, and for a host of other reasons. But how often do we fast while praying? A couple of weeks ago I did a two-day fast, having only a cup of coffee in the morning and water throughout the rest of the day. My fast ended when I had dinner at the end of the second day. The fast prior to this was for a single day a couple of months ago. Both of these fasts involved reading Scripture and prayer regarding different situations. I was asked if it was hard going without food. My answer was "no," and then I added, "it gets easier each time." When you are focusing on something other than a physical and fleshly need, it is actually easy to go without that need. After each of these two fasts, I made the statement that I could have gone beyond what I did, because I was not hungry. It was because I was being fed a different way. When you are fasting, your prayers are different, and your "ears" are more open to hearing the voice of our Teacher.

"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting,
with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments."
Joel 2:12-13a

We see fasting and prayer throughout Scripture: Judges 20:23-28, 2 Samuel 12:16, 2 Chronicles 20:3-17, Ezra 8:21-23, Ezra 9:1-10-6, Nehemiah 1:1-11, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Psalm 35:13, Psalm 109:1-31, Isaiah 58:1-12, Daniel 9:3, Joel 2:12-17, Luke 2:36-37, Luke 5:33, Acts 13:1-3, and Acts 14:23. We are shown all throughout Scripture, and by these many examples, that prayer and fasting go together. Why, then, do **WE** (generally speaking) not follow those examples?

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:13-14

But how are we to pray?

We all know "the Lord's prayer" listed in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. But people forget the beginning of Matthew 6:9: "Pray, then, in this way:". Did our Messiah instruct us to recite, word for word, the words He spoke? No. We are to pray in a manner following His example. If He was our Example that we are to follow, why would this little piece be any different?

We are to pray to YHWH. (Numbers 21:7) We are to find the courage to pray. (2 Samuel7:27) There are references to pray towards Jerusalem. (1 Kings 8:30, 2 Chronicles 6:21, Daniel 6:10) We are to acknowledge YHWH's name. (1 Kings 8:33,44) We are to pray with a repentant heart and mind. (1 Kings 8:48) We are to pray humbly. (2 Chronicles 7:14) We are to pray in secret. (Matthew 6:6, Luke 5:16) We are not to pray using "empty" phrases. (Matthew 6:7) We are to pray earnestly. (Matthew 9:38) Paul prayed with his spirit as well as his mind (mouth). (1 Corinthians 14:15) We are to pray without ceasing. (Daniel 6:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:17) We are to pray for others. (James 5:16, e.g.) We are to pray in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 1:20) We are to have purity in our prayers. (Job 16:17) Our prayers are to be free from deceit. (Psalm 17:1) We are to pray having faith. (Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24) Our prayers are to have thankfulness. (Colossians 1:3, 4:2)

When Yeshua/Jesus began his prayer with "Our Father," how many people would know that be speaking in a Hebraic manner? Please see Isaiah 63:16 and 64:8 for what I am referring to. Here are verses that some of the other lines pertain to:

Who is in Heaven - 1 Kings 8:30, 2 Samuel 22:14 and Psalm 11:4, e.g
Holy is Your name - Isaiah 57:15, Psalm 111:9b
Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven - Psalm 143:10, Daniel 4:35
Give us today our daily bread - Exodus 16:4
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors - Jeremiah 30:31, Mark 11:25, OT states to forgive debts every seven years, and on the fiftieth year.

Did He end His prayer with, "and I ask this in My name'? Of course not. We have been taught to put a tag line at the end of our prayers, "In Jesus' (or Yeshua's) name, amen." But what does that really mean? Who else in the all of Scripture had things done in their "name"?

Deuteronomy 10:8 - The Tribe of Levi was to bless in YHWH's name.

1 Samuel 25:5 - David sends two messengers to greet Nabal in his name.

Jeremiah 14:14 - Prophets were prophesying lies in YHWH's name.

1 Corinthians 1:14-15 - Paul was happy that no one could say that they were baptized in his name.

How do we use that phrase in today's world? How about "Stop, in the name of the law!" Here is a quote from an interview with an soldier:

"I hope they forgive me as a soldier, because I carried out a mission in the name of the country and its legislative branch, because of my belief in the country's values. But I feel that that as a country, I betrayed them."

This soldier's country gave her the authority to do her job because of her belief in her country. When we do something in the name of Yeshua, we are doing it with the authority granted to us because of our faith in Him. Faith is not simply believing...it goes beyond that. Sure, He says that if we believe in Him, we are to be saved. But that is just part of the equation.

The Hebrew word translated as "believe in" is aman. According to the Brown-Drivers-Briggs lexicon:

1) to support, confirm, be faithful

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish

1a1a) foster-father (substantive)

1a1b) foster-mother, nurse

1a1c) pillars, supporters of the door

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm

1b1a) to be carried by a nurse

1b1b) made firm, sure, lasting

1b1c) confirmed, established, sure

1b1d) verified, confirmed

1b1e) reliable, faithful, trusty

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in

1c1a) stand firm

1c1b) trust, believe

In Greek, the word translated as "believe in" is pisteuo. According to Thayers:

1) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in

1a) of the thing believed

1a1) to credit, have confidence

1b) in a moral or religious reference

1b1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul

1b2) to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith

2) to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity

2a) to be intrusted with a thing

So, did the meaning change? No. In English, we translate these words to "believe in," but that is a very poor translation because our meaning has changed over time. We can believe in the strength of a chair, a table, or the wind. We can believe in the force of water, the sanctity of marriage, or the ethical behavior of a person. We believe in traits. This is where English differs from Hebraic thought. Even Greek thought can't portray it correctly. Using the Greek word pistis, which has been translated as "faith," Thayers defines it as:

1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it

1a) relating to God

1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ

1b) relating to Christ

1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God

1c) the religious beliefs of Christians

1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same

2) fidelity, faithfulness

2a) the character of one who can be relied on

Even this definition of "a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah" is a far cry of what faith is. One can have the faith that a chair will hold your weight, or the faith that a bottle will hold the water inside it. These both follow the Greek definition and thought. The Hebrew word for "faith" is emunah. Defined from Brown-Drivers-Briggs, emunah is "firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness." But this is STILL not what faith is. Again, this is where English fails us.

When a person has the faith to bend a spoon, how does that fit in with any of these definitions? We need to look at the text of Hebrews 11:1 for what the real definition is. It's amazing that out of all of the dictionaries ever published, THE best definition was given a couple thousand years ago in a letter to a group of Hebrews.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)
It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (NLT)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(NIV)
NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, just as it was the substance of things which have come to pass; and it is the evidence of things not seen (Aramaic Peshitta)

Faith is an ACTION!!! It is not a simple noun as we make it out to be. Sure, we can still use it as a noun, like "having faith," but put it into ACTION. The root word for "believe" and "faith" is the same - man (pronounced mahn). The Hebraic thought on this is to have strength, to be firm (a spouted seed standing in water). aman (a-mahn) means to stand firm as a support. emunah (ee-moo-nah) means firmness. Now...take all of this and put it together:

To have FAITH in something is not the same as BELIEVING IN something. Let's take spoon-bending as an example. A teacher I listened to classifies spoon-bending as "misguided faith." You can bend a spoon with your hands. You believe in your own strength to do so. But can you bend it on your own? You have believe (have the faith) that the spoon is bending as you are looking at it. Your belief is the "substance" of what you are hoping for (the end result). And the end result is the EVIDENCE of what has not been seen. This is how healing works. You believe that the person's leg (for an example) is being healed, or is already healed, while you are praying over it.

This is where things get...umm...a little tricky. When the spoon is bent, or when the person's leg is healed, do you say that you did it, or that YHWH did it? We would all answer "YHWH, of course!" But, when excitement steps in and realization that because of you (intentional use here), a person's leg was healed, it becomes quite easy to say "I healed them" or "It was because of me that they were healed." But instead, the correct way to react is with humility, praise and awe! The ONLY part that you had was asking IN THE NAME OF YESHUA for the leg to be healed or for the spoon to be bent.

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
Matthew 21:22

Do you remember Yeshua talking about a mustard seed? Let's look at two verses:

Matthew 17:20 - "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
Luke 17:6 - And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

What He didn't say is that there is an opposite of this that works the same way - doubt. If your faith is strong, and you are trying to heal that person's leg, but are doing so with doubt in your mind, that leg will not be healed at that time. If you tell the mulberry tree above to uproot, but because of our knowledge of weight and mass doubt creeps in, it's not going to happen. BUT...if you put that "science" aside and put your faith first, it will, as Yeshua said, obey you. How do you think the sea parted for Moshe? YHWH told him to raise his staff...he did without question. His faith made it possible for YHWH to show His might and power at that time (not that YHWH needs a forum to do so). Moshe's faith also caused water to spring from the rock (big oops on his part). YHWH didn't prevent it from happening, did He? Moshe just hit the rock and water sprang forth because he had the faith, the firmness of his belief, that water would come from the rock.

Do you have the faith to move a pebble by your word? A boulder? A mountain? This is something I have been working on and it's not easy!

Have you fasted recently? At all? For reasons other than diet and health? Did you let your physical cravings get in the way of your craving for the Word and voice of our Creator?

What about your prayers...are they by rote or do they come from your inner-most being? Do you feel the Holy Spirit when you pray? Does your heart cry out to your Abba l'Shamayim (Father in Heaven), or do you pray flippantly?

These are questions only you can answer? If you are struggling with your faith, pray about it and ask for your faith to be increased and your doubt to be removed. If you are struggling with your prayer life (and most of us do at some point), drop me a note so I can pray along with you, or call a friend who is not struggling with their prayers at the moment. And if you have not fasted for the purpose of seeking our Father's face and intentionally putting yourself in a position where you NEED His words, I would STRONGLY suggest you do so.

Take these words to heart, my brothers and sisters. War is on our doorstep, and I'm not talking about Iraq, Russia, or North Korea. I am speaking of the spiritual war that has been going on every day and every night for millennia.