1. A life well lived with the practice of Prayer and Fasting! (Luke 2:36,37)

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”

2. A life well lived with the practice of Prayer and Fasting made her a great WITNESS and WORSHIPPER! (Luke 2:36,37)

“And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Introduction: If fasting was good for Jesus, it seems good to me! Although we are not Jesus Christ, yet we are to follow Him, submit to Him, obey Him, and allow Him through His Spirit to live in us – as we are conformed to His image.
Knowing what was ahead in His earthly ministry prompted Him to start off by FASTING – 40 days and 40 nights – a supernatural fast!

1. The Living Word used the written Word while fasting against the devil! (Matt 4:3,4,7,10)

“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Imagine the hunger pangs. Satan hits us when we are weak, and where we are strong. But as we “fine tune” our spiritual senses, the flesh decreases while the Spirit increases! It is amazing how that works!! Could you use alittle more of the Spirit? Spiritual power?

2. The Living Word used the written Word to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil while fasting! (Matt 4: 6,7)

“6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Temptation comes knocking on our door. Do you know what to do? Send Jesus to the door! Is the devil tempting you to sin against God? Lean on your own understanding? Take credit. What should you do? Pray. Fast as the Spirit leads.

3. The Living Word through the written Word becomes the fleshed out Word by Fasting! (Matt 4:8-11)

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

Do you want to get rid of the devils accusations and temptations? Try fasting and praying. Did you notice how our Lord exercised power over the enemy?

Introduction: Does your family need a “BREAKTHROUGH”? Try fasting….of course with the right motives and for the right purpose. When Ezra and the people of God were rejoicing because of the GOODNESS of the Lord, they were also needing His BLESSINGS for what was ahead. Truthfully, we can all relate! Check out and see if you are led to “FAST for the FAMILY.”

1. Fasting for Focusing on your Family! (Ezra 8:21)

“21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”

Here is the burden – our families, “the little ones.” Every family has spiritual needs. Some of these needs will only be met through prayer and fasting. Such was the case throughout the Bible (see Mark 9:14-29). Is your family worth it? Is God’s glory worth it? While no one may ever know your secret alone with Jesus, He knows! That’s all that really matters!!

2. Fasting for Fighting our Foes! (Ezra 8:22,31)

“2For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us….. 31Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.”

In this case, fasting released God’s restraining power over Israel’s enemy. It appears we can conclude that our Lord heard His people’s cry and honored their sacrificial faith directed to Him. Is Jesus the same today? Yes! (Heb 13:8)

Introduction: After salvation, the process of sanctification takes place. Both mentally and Spiritually, the Spirit of God is changing us – setting us apart… making us more like Jesus. But how? This devotion will share a few ways this process takes place.

1. The Life changing Power of the Word of God! (Col 3:16)

“16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1Pet 1:23).

Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s Word is forever!

2. The Cleansing Power of the Blood of Jesus! (Rom 3:25)

“25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”

By faith in the blood of Jesus, our sins are forgiven. And by continual faith in Jesus’ blood, we can stay in fellowship with our Lord.

3. The Filling Power of the Holy Spirit! (Acts 1:8)

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

The power of the Holy Ghost is the secret element in witnessing. Do you have it? Are you being a witness?

4. The Supernatural Power of Prayer! (Eph 3:20)

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Think about it. Whatever we ask our Lord, He is able to do more. Wow! Makes us want to ask for more!!

Conclusion: God’s will for every believer in Jesus Christ is to be conformed to His image.

Introduction: 
When is Rosh Hashana?
What is this Jewish feasts?
What is its significance?
How does it relate to Bible Prophecy?
While it has an agricultural, historical, and prophetical significance, this devotion will focus primarily on the prophetical.

1. This Ordinance (A Time out) in Israel will be celebrated starting Sun Sept 25, 2022!

“23And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.” (Lev 23:23-25)

This is Israel’s NEW YEAR. Much like our JAN 1st. This is the first of three of the Jewish Feasts celebrated in the fall.

2. How does the Feasts of Trumpets correspond to the Second coming of Jesus Christ?

“29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt 24:29-31)

Did you notice the trumpets will be blown? However, these trumpets are not the same as the trumpet of God in the RAPTURE. Some CHRISTians get confused on this text and claim it is the RAPTURE. But in order to interpret this text the right way it must be translated in its proper context. What is the context? Judgment. Jesus’ second coming. This will take place during the tribulation (Matt 24:29).

Jesus will come again! In this return, called His second coming (not the rapture), Jesus will come back as the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS! (Rev 19:11-18) His wrath and Judgment will take place against the ANTICHRIST armies gathered in the valley of Jezreel. Compare & contrast the rapture….”comfort and bliss.”

1. What did Jesus mean?

“34…..This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Remember. Who is Jesus talking to? Israel or the Church? The answer is to His disciples who were questioning Him when will the end be…

“3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3).

Introduction: A Pastor friend sent me a text this morning at 6:00 AM asking a great question, “what is a generation?” Here’s my brief answer.

Bottom line: It depends on HOW & WHERE the word “GENERATION” is used in Scripture. Normally it is used for all the people living at the same time or around 30 years. But in some passages it can mean a longer age or an extended period of time.

1. The Hebrew word “generation” is in the following:

In Exo 1:6 the word “generation” (dor) seems to refer to those who died during the time Joseph & his brothers lived.

In Num 32:13, this is a reference to the Israeli’s over 20 years old & older.

In Psalm 78:8, this passage stretches beyond 30 years and seems to refer to all of history of Israel who rebelled against God.

1. a begetting, birth, nativity:

2. that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family..( Matt 1:17)

3. the whole multitude of men living at the same time: Matthew 24:34
“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

I believe in this eschatological passage Jesus meant those living when He returns in His second coming …this “generation.”

Conclusion: As you know and can see, the word “generation” in the Bible can have different meanings according to how it used in its CONTEXTUAL and GRAMMATICAL setting.

Introduction: Are you distracted? Does your mind wander? Is it difficult to concentrate? When PRAYING do other things consume your thought processes? Why? What can you do? Is there help? How can this lack of concentration be overcome? Have you ever tried PRAYER and FASTING? If this was not important, then Jesus would not have
emphasized it. Do you agree?

1. For starters, WHAT did Jesus teach about FASTING in the context of PRAYER? (Matt 6:16)

“16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Speaking to His disciples about “HOW” and “WHAT” to PRAY, Jesus gives similar instructions on FASTING. Notice He said, “WHEN you FAST,” not IF you FAST!

This is in the context of that great model PRAYER:

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ” (Matt. 6:9-14)

It becomes abundantly clear that PRAYER and FASTING go together. Check out all the biblical saints who practiced PRAYER and FASTING including our Lord Jesus. My conclusion… it must be important.

2. Next, HOW did JESUS instruct His disciples to FAST? (Matt 6:17,18)

“17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”