WASHING & ANOINTING

Read: Matthew 6:17-18

Jesus naturally expects that his disciples would fast, and he talks about how they can do it the right way. In Jesus's time, devout Jews fasted one day a week, Pharisees even 2 days. In doing so, they positioned themselves in places where they would be seen by everyone and visually emphasized their fast by smearing paint on their faces. Jesus was not concerned with the outward observance of religious formalities. He was always concerned with the heart. When he says to wash your face and anoint your head, vastly different dimensions are involved.

In the book of Ruth 3:3, Naomi advises her daughter-in-law before she meets her future bridegroom, "Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor".

When you fast, prepare yourself for encounters with God the Father, with Jesus the Bridegroom, and with the Holy Spirit. You can wash and anoint yourself outwardly, but you can also do it spiritually.

Wash
Cleanse yourself by asking Jesus to examine your heart and show you the areas that interfere with your relationship. Confess to him where you have drifted away in your heart. You can exchange all that is negative for the renewal and restoration that Jesus purchased for you on the cross.

Many people report that in times of fasting they are much more sensitive to the speaking of the Holy Spirit and He has shown them where things have crept into their lives that hinder their relationship with God, themselves, or others. Throughout the Bible, fasting always has an aspect of repentance, asking for forgiveness and realigning oneself.

Anoint Yourself
When the Bible speaks of "anointing oil", it often refers to the Holy Spirit.
Anoint yourself by asking the Holy Spirit to fill you anew.

Prayer

Father in heaven. Thank you for promising that you will reward my fasting. I am full of expectation for times of encounter with you and I want to consciously make time for you and your presence, this day and in the days to come. Jesus, I ask that you cleanse me completely by your blood from all things that displease you (if you can think of specific things here, pronounce them and exchange them at the cross). Holy Spirit, please fill me anew and anoint me. Amen

Get Free & Next Step

When you get yourself ready in the bathroom today and in the next few days, do it deliberately. When you shower or take a bath, you can use this as an outward sign of an inner process of purification during this fast. If you use creams, ointments, perfume, or aftershave, ask the Holy Spirit to fill and equip you and make you a pleasing aroma before God and men. Prepare yourself inwardly and outwardly for encounters with God during this fasting period.

THE SECRET

Read: Matthew 6:6-7 and 17-18.

How do you feel about fasting? Do you tell everyone how weak you are because you are currently fasting?

The passage today is to encourage you to fast and pray in secret. Of course, you can tell anyone who asks that you are not eating. But don't tell everyone without being asked.

Fasting and your personal prayer times are a matter of discretion, almost like a secret between your heavenly Father and you. It is not about going public so much as it is about times of encounter. Good friends or spouses share secrets with each other. Conversations shared in confidence, secrets that not everyone knows, are often especially precious.

The Father sees all that you covertly invest in His kingdom, which no one else sees. Jesus promises that the Father will reward your fasting.

Isn't that great?

He does not say which reward awaits you but be attentive and expect that God wants to meet you, that he wants to speak to you, that he has prepared good things for you.

Today, deliberately take time to talk to the Father. Don't just talk about him or read about him, but exchange ideas with him like with a friend. Consciously seek to meet and talk with him.

Jeremiah 33:3 says: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Prayer, Get Free & Next Step

Grab some paper and a pen and start your prayer with the following words:

"Father, here I am. I am purposefully seeking you today. I am here to meet you and to listen to you. Thank you for promising to show me secrets."

Perhaps it will help you to write down the thoughts, impulses, impressions, and Bible words that come to you in your conversation with God. Start with "My beloved son/daughter..." and continue writing from the perspective of your loving Father.

LET THE SPIRIT OF GOD GUIDE YOU

Read: Luke 4:1-2

Several things are noticeable about the time of fasting and prayer that Jesus spent at the beginning of his ministry.

It was a time initiated by the Holy Spirit and directed by the Holy Spirit who guided him.

It was a time in the desert, a place where there were few distractions. No noise, no people, no houses, no bustle.

It was a time of testing and temptation.

It was a time with the Word of God.

If we continue reading the story, we see that Jesus countered every temptation of the devil with the Word of God.

In today’s terms, we could say that Jesus deliberately went into a kind of boot camp at the beginning of his ministry, from which he emerged very much strengthened. He entrusted himself to the Holy Spirit like a coach during this time. He committed himself to a time in the wilderness, overcame trials, and used the Word of God as his weapon in the battle.

Excitingly, after this period of fasting, Jesus began his powerful ministry of signs and wonders.

The days ahead will be a bit like boot camp for you too. The Holy Spirit is your trainer. He knows how to exercise your spiritual muscles. He knows which trials will challenge you but not overwhelm you. A period of fasting is a special spiritual training time.

You have probably already made plans for how you will spend the days ahead. Consciously place the whole time under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show you what is important in these next days. Now, at the beginning of these days, take time again with the Holy Spirit, your coach.

Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians: " So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)

Prayer, Get Free & Next Step

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in and through this Fast and write down the impulses He gives you personally for this fasting period.

FASTING COLLECTIVELY

Read: Joel 2:12-18

Churches are increasingly deciding to declare special times of collective fasting and prayer. There is great power when we fast and seek God as a whole church.

In the first part of the Bible, God himself called his people here to fast and turn back to him. Today, our fasting is not about averting punishment or pleading for forgiveness of sins. Every sin and punishment were carried by Jesus Christ. But today, as in those days, the Father is concerned with the hearts of his children, not with outward gestures.

Read: Revelations 2:4-5a

The call found in the Book of Joel was to all the people - from infants to seniors. The spiritual leaders came before the throne of God in a special way to intercede. And today also, we are called to intercede as Christians, for example for our country, our government, for persecuted Christians, the powerful proclamation of God's Word, and for people being saved.

Especially in a phase in which the whole world is reeling from shocks, in which no one knows exactly what will happen next, where plans that were previously considered so certain suddenly become uncertain, the call to the church to turn to God with all their heart and to pray as a royal priesthood is more relevant than ever.

The Book of Acts describes how the whole church gathered in prayer for specific concerns and how God supernaturally intervened in response to their prayers.

Read: Acts 12:5

Let us turn our hearts to God together in a new way - in fasting and prayer - and pray in agreement with the heart of God that his kingdom will come.

Perhaps you would like to fast with your Lifegroup or with your spouse, or as a whole family. Maybe you can join with a friend. Join us for our daily church prayer meetings every night, either on our prayer conference call or Wednesday night service. Once you team up with someone else in fasting and prayer, there is an added special power because you are standing together as a group for one cause.

Immediately following the collective fasting in the book of Joel, you see God reaching out to his people again (Joel 2:18).  And in the section on the fasting challenge, it says:

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." (Joel 3:1)

Fasting can have tremendous effects. A new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Revival. Signs and wonders. Prophetic dreams and visions. But in all of this, God is always interested in our heart, to be close to his heart.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the many examples in the Bible where your people came together to fast and pray. Help me and help us to fast as you want us to. I turn my heart to you anew. Please touch my heart this fasting season with the things that move you. We long for revival in ourselves, in our churches, and in our country. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Amen.

FUNDAMENTALS

Read: Luke 3:21-22 and Luke 4:1-2

Today is the first day of our 21 days of fasting and prayer. Jesus himself fasted at the beginning of his ministry. We are following him. We want to learn from him and do the same things he did.

Before Jesus went into the time of fasting, he had the reliable assurance of the Father: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22). This is also our basis for every fast. The promise of God's love for you stands firm, and you are standing on that promise. None of your actions will make the Father love you more or love you less.

Your fasting will not increase God's love for you, and should you fail, the Heavenly Father loves you just as much as before.

Fasting is not about earning God's love, but about making time and space for the one who loves you so much.

Jesus Himself stated that the Father loves us as He loves Jesus. (John 17:23)
What a powerful promise!

When Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, the devil came and began the first temptation with the words "If you are the Son of God...". (Luke 4:3). The little word "if" was a trick of the enemy to challenge the firm promise of God's love.

At the beginning of this fast, realize that you are God's child and that the Father has promised you his unchanging love. Nothing can separate you from this love. That is your foundation.

The enemy will always try to rob you of that foundation. When we feel guilty because we have failed or when we have a bad day, we are too quick to project our feelings onto God.

The Bible tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. Consciously position yourself on the promise of God's unchanging love and don't let anything rob you of this certainty.

Prayer

Father, thank you that you love me as you love Jesus. Thank you that this promise is the foundation on which I stand. I want to know your heart more and more these days. Let me know the breadth and length, depth and height of your love more and more. Help me to quickly expose every lie of the accuser and resist his temptations. This I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Next Step

Is there something that will remind you for the next 21 days that you are loved? Maybe as a symbol, picture, Bible verse on the bathroom mirror, or wallpaper on your smartphone or in your wallet.

It’s Christmas and there's nothing like a road trip to make it special!

Whether it’s a ride to enjoy a seasonal holiday lighting event, or a road trip to visit family over the holiday season, this month is known for travelling. The first Christmas story was filled with this familiar feature too. Mary and Joseph had to travel to Nazareth for the birth of Christ, then flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod, only to find themselves once again on a journey back home to Nazareth. However, there was great eternal purpose in their road trips that also revealed much about the character of the God they served, who loved them deeply.

What an incredible water baptism service we experienced this past Sunday! The testimonies of people’s journey to faith in Christ were varied, powerful, and astounding. We heard how God is continually reaching out with his incredible unconditional love and compassion for the souls of people. How the Lord uses whatever means possible and necessary to draw people and reveal himself to them to bring them to a confession of faith in Jesus Christ.

The fall season is now upon us and with it comes three major Jewish holidays that have great prophetic significance for us as believers. The three fall feasts are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Each of these feasts has a universally accepted meaning to Jewish people in general, but to those who have received Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, there is a deeper, more prophetic meaning. Let’s look at each of them in turn and pray into the prophetic meaning of each of these holidays on our day of fasting and prayer. Interestingly, our October day of fasting and prayer falls on one of them – Yom Kippur!

More than ever, schools need our prayers. We are in a fierce battle for the next generation. The enemy is targeting children younger and younger. The biggest spiritual battles are being fought in our preschool and elementary schools, not to mention our high schools, colleges, and universities. It is so important to pray for our schools, teachers and administrators, bus drivers, crossing guards, parents, and caregivers.

The enemy is waging an all-out war to indoctrinate children with a secular worldview that is in direct conflict with a Biblical worldview. One of the most important things we can do as Christians is to pray. No spiritual battles are won without prayer. Prayer makes the difference. Nothing of eternal value happens without it. So, let’s give ourselves to fasting and prayer as people head back to school this fall…it will make an eternal difference!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. —2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT)

This powerful Trinitarian benediction found at the end of the Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians speaks to the reality of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Like a three-legged stool, it provides us with the spiritual foundational blessings each person of the Trinity offers to us.

This month we celebrate the Canada Day holiday commemorating the birth of our nation. On July 1, 1867 Canada became a new federation with its own constitution by signing the Constitution Act - formerly known as the British North America Act.

Canada’s national anthem declares we are, ‘the True North strong and free’ and asks that ‘God keep our land glorious and free.’

Many people are struggling today with mental health issues and various forms of spiritual oppression. The crisis of the past couple of years has created an environment that has fostered these issues.

Isolation from others and the social interactions that are necessary for creating healthy relationships and influences in our lives has been a major contributor to the struggle. Unfortunately, it has also created the stage for many to open the door of their lives to ungodly influences. This has allowed the enemy to harass and oppress them spiritually.

Many people are struggling today with mental health issues and various forms of spiritual oppression. The crisis of the past couple of years has created an environment that has fostered these issues.

Isolation from others and the social interactions that are necessary for creating healthy relationships and influences in our lives has been a major contributor to the struggle. Unfortunately, it has also created the stage for many to open the door of their lives to ungodly influences. This has allowed the enemy to harass and oppress them spiritually.

There is a difference between knowing about a lot of people and knowing them personally. Social psychology says that actually knowing someone requires personal and private knowledge that comes from being with someone over time and building up a level of trust so that they let them in. Knowing about someone is just the first step toward actually knowing them.

We want to provide you with the latest update from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada on the Ukraine war situation and the status of our missionaries and their work in that country. We are calling our PPT family to join us in fasting and pray for peace in Ukraine for this month’s day of fasting and prayer.

Morning

Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.

Evening

Ephesians 6:10-11
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Morning

Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.

Evening

Ephesians 6:10-11
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Morning

Colossians 2:6-7
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Evening

Psalm 128:1-2
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Morning

Colossians 1:9-10
For this reason we also, since the clay we heard, it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Evening

1 John 2:17
He who does the will of God abides forever.

Morning

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Evening

Psalm 56:8-9
You number my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle; are they not in your book? When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.