After launching a corporate fast for one month at the beginning of this year, it is good to call the church back to the basics of fasting and prayer just for one day at the end of the third quarter of 2017.
So, the push for the corporate fasting and prayer for one day came on 29 September 2017. 122 Etab members signed up for this fasting and prayer – more than the 120 waiting at the upper room in the Book of Acts by 2 participants. The 122 engaged in the posture of physical denial for three meals – a feat that is easy for the veteran “fast-ers” but challenging for those who are first-timers and the “faithless”. Sorry to add the “faithless” as there are still a few believers who think that fasting will kill them with gastritis and giddiness- not knowing that fasting can detox our bodies and release the greatest power in our prayer.
Being an indulgent generation, many of us have become too dependent on food. The art of fasting and prayer is getting less popular among professing Christians. So, this is the best time for a body of Christ to deny ourselves just three meals and then to spend time calling upon the Lord. This is one of the few ways to check our carnality and to simply empty ourselves physically and spiritually before the Lord.
The corporate prayer that accompanied our fasting was a solid two and the half hour of intercession for the many issues besetting the world, Philippines and Iloilo City. Different Essential heads led in prayer last night for the Essential Community, Essential Christ, Essential Cell and Essential Commission. The church was led to pray in accordance to the LORD’S PRAYER taught by Jesus to his disciples. Much time was given for our people to return to our Pentecostal roots of solidly praying loudly and unreservedly in the Spirit in order to edify our spirit-man. There is power in praying in tongues – a practice which has been lost to many modern churches due to the trend to be a seeker-friendly church.
None of such restraint for the 122 last night! Our people prayed in tongues, worshipped and sang in tongues, prayed and cried individually for their own needs and corporately CONNECTED to the Father God in heaven; HALLOWED the name of the Father; SUMMONED the Kingdom of our Father to come upon this earth now in Abrahamic prosperity, in power and authority over the realm of Satan and sin; SURRENDERED to the will of the Father in heaven; PETITIONED for bread to be given to our city, country and even to our church; RELEASED forgiveness to our debtors and enemies and even to our own debts before our Father God; PLED for divine garrison and fortification against all our weaknesses and temptations – naming them out specifically before the throne of grace; INVOKED the power of God to deliver us from all these evil behind our every temptation and weaknesses; ATRRIBUTED all the glory and dominion to God.
The prayer meeting punctuated with LOUD CORPORATE DECLARATIONS OF WHO GOD IS TO ALL OF US.
Who is our Father God to us?
He is our good good Father – that’s who He is to us!
And we are all loved by this good, good Father – that’s who we are!
I could only surmise with one phrase about this one-day corporate fasting and prayer – IT IS GOOD FOR OUR SOULS!
When is the next time we can do this again corporately?
