Renewal! Don’t you love a new year, a time for new beginnings, a time to re-access life and the direction you are going? At the most recent meeting of the Board of Directors for the International Order of St. Luke the Physician, a suggestion was made to each present to add a day of fasting each week to our daily prayer for the Order. We all got so excited; we decided to send the clarion call to each member of the Order. Let’s look at a few ways that adding fasting to our discipleship can benefit and some how-to’s.
In our Rule of Life, we have the admonition to daily pray for the Order and to seek such health of body, soul and spirit as will make us capable of maximum vocation. Adding a day of fasting to our discipline will bring power to bear in our goal to bring healing to the church. Fasting is a powerful weapon in overcoming the assault of the enemy and in bringing health to our bodies.
The OSL is experiencing an alarming drop in membership, in the number of new chapters being formed, as well as a reduction in the number of healing missions each year. We realize the obligation we have to reach the younger generations, to “pass the torch” for the ministry to them. Looking to the history of the God’s people, prayer with fasting was the first solution when facing overwhelming difficulty.
2 Chronicles 20:3 is but one of many examples in the Bible:
“Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
You will remember the rest of the story, God thoroughly routed the enemies His children!
In San Antonio, my husband, Jack, and I have helped to establish a healing center: Christ Healing Center. We are open for prayer appointments and healing services, as well as training prayer ministers. Wanting to see more healing, more power and more revelation come into the lives of those we touch, Jack called the team to add a day of fasting each week to our commitment. The results have been staggering! We are adding new team members, seeing more healing and moving into our spiritual gifting in greater measure. We are almost “batting 1000” on seeing depression healed! Fasting has made the difference.
Twenty five plus years ago, Jack and I were serving in a small, rural-community church. We were frustrated, not seeing any breakthrough with the young people. We decided to pray and fast for 21 days. At the end of the fast, a traveling evangelist arrived at our church. After he preached, he gave an altar call. Every single one of our teens went forward to receive Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit! Wow! Those kids began to witness to their friends at school. There was such a move of God in that high school; it impacted all the churches in town. Those kids set their school on fire with the love of Jesus! Our church tripled in size. God answer the cry of our hearts! Through fasting, power was released into the very atmosphere and lives were transformed forever!
Fasting also is noted for bring health to bodies that have suffered with all kinds of troubles. In our time, the foods we eat are known to have many chemicals and growth hormones, antibiotics etc. that our bodies have a hard time metabolizing. Consequently, they are stored in our fat tissue. When we fast, we give our digestive system a rest, allowing that unused energy to clean up the rest of the body. There have been cases in which benign tumors have disappeared, high blood pressure has been healed and many other conditions. Fasting allows the body to heal itself!#
One warning: If you are taking prescription drugs, do not fast more than two meals without your medical doctor’s supervision. It would be better to fast like Daniel. (Read chapter 9 in the book of Daniel.) He ate no meat, drank no wine and ate no fancy food. God sent the angel Gabriel in response to Daniel’s prayer and fasting. Seems good enough to me!
The first time you fast, I recommend a 24-hour fast spread over two days. The first day, have a healthy high fiber breakfast and a nice vegetable salad for lunch. Fast from dinner and spend the time reading the Bible and meditating on what you read. Pray, especially for the Order. Pray for the Board, for the North American Director, the Regional Directors, and all who are involved in the leadership. Pray for the office staff in San Antonio. Journal all you pray and feel. Pour out your heart to God; listen.
Drink plenty of water and go to bed early; rest. In the morning and again at noon, while fasting, read and pray during the time you would normally spend eating. Journal the new insights you are getting.
Break your fast with a light supper, being very careful not to gorge. I cannot stress it enough: always break a fast slowly and with healthy foods like fruit and vegetables! A good rule of thumb is for every day that you fast, take a day to break it. For example, in the 24-hour fast I described, you would not want to break the fast with a cheeseburger! The following day after your first meal should be meals of fruits vegetables and grains. Save the heavy Mexican food for later!
Keep writing in your journal. You will begin to see results to your prayers like never before, and we will begin to see growth and wisdom for direction for the OSL in 2010! Join us, won’t you?