Tag Archives: Fasting

June 2, 2016 · 9:52 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (6/2/2016)

I finished studying at 9 p.m. and went into the kitchen for a drink of water. As I turned on the recessed ceiling lights, I stopped dead in my tracks. A grotesque creature sat on a stool at the island counter. If the angel was the epitome of the Kingdom of Light, then this being was the dark side’s counterpart. Its gloomy eyes glared at me while its lips formed a sneer. Festering sores plastered the being’s face and neck. A filthy robe cloaked its torso and a stench of decay clogged my nostrils.

“Listen up, Chuck,” the creature said in a raspy voice.

Fear struck my chest like a baseball bat. I had trouble breathing. Confusion settled over me like a morning fog. I could not put two and two together.

“If you go to businessmen and tell them to pray over their financial gifts, seeking the Lord where they should give their money, some bad things will happen to your family. Your two sons will die in an auto accident and your wife will go insane. Do you hear me?”

I could not speak as my mouth went dry and a throbbing sensation sent stabs of pain through my mind.

The creature drummed its dirty two-inch long fingernails on the granite counter. The beat reminded me of a funeral march.

“I said, ‘Do you hear me?’” the creature hissed out the words.

I nodded.

“And I can do it. It will be easy. Just as easy as it was for me to come into your home. No one can protect you from me, not even God!”

The creature bared its brownish-yellowish teeth with a hideous grin as it stood up.

“Don’t you ever forget what I told you, okay?”

The being walked over to the door leading out to the deck, then without opening the door, he stepped through it, and left.

I collapsed on the floor and wept. My body convulsed in fear.

“Oh God! What have I done to my family?” I screamed.

(An excerpt from my novel, Deceived Dead and Delivered by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2013, Amazon eBook) 

Most believers will not have visible encounters with demons, but as C. S. Lewis wrote — “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”

My prayer today:

Lord, open our American spiritual eyes to see we’re in a life and death war against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places and that we’re not fighting against flesh and blood. Help us to be strong in You, in the power of Your might, and to put on the whole armor of God. (Based on Ephesians 6:10-12)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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May 31, 2016 · 9:34 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for One New Man (5/31/2016)

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

“But to truly understand spiritual warfare, you need to remember: Satan was an archangel who understands the government of God. When he rebelled, he became the father of lies and there’s no truth in him. Everything Satan attempts to do is a lying counterfeit of what God does and how God governs.”

He glanced at me, making sure I was on the same page with him.

“Satan’s army wears protective armor just like Christians do, but the demonic armor is the exact opposite of God’s armor. Their loins are girded with lies; their breastplates are unrighteousness; their feet are shod with chaos; they have shields of fear; they wear helmets of eternal doom; and their swords are the lying words of Satan. But there is one important similarity common to both God’s army and Satan’s forces. Can you guess what it is?”

I shook my head.

“Unity,” he said. “Both armies’ success depends on unity. God’s army is unified through faith in God, love of God, and love of the brethren. Satan’s forces are unified in their hatred of God and all Christians – and – their fear of God, Satan, each other, and bold believers.”

(An excerpt from my novel, Jonah by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2012, Amazon eBook)

As long as the Body of Christ continues to be divided into Jewish and Gentile branches, the Church will continue to be defeated by Satan and his demonic army here in America.

My prayer today:

Lord, we American believers admit that apart from You, we can do nothing. So, we need You to move by Your power to graft the two branches of Jews and Gentiles into the one new man, bringing us believers into unity and peace for today’s spiritual battles. (Based on John 15:5, Romans 11:23, and Ephesians 2:15)

Join with me on Tuesday’s to pray and fast for the one new man to finally come forth in the Body of Christ.

…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)

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May 26, 2016 · 10:09 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/26/2016)

 

Last night, Carol and I attended a dinner program which featured speakers from the Guardian Group, an organization that has dedicated itself to ridding America of sex trafficking. The facts and figures the speakers presented to us were eyeopening:

  • Human trafficking is currently the second largest & fastest growing crime industry
  • It reportedly generates a profit of $150 billion every year
  • The average age of entry into the commercial sex industry in the US is 12 years old
  • At least 100,000 to 300,000 youth are at risk for commercial sexual exploitation annually in the US alone
  • 80% are female and half are children (More facts can be seen here.)

My prayer today:

Lord, I fast before You and pray that You will loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the straps of the yokes, let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke of the sex trafficking industry on our children in America. (Based on Isaiah 58:6)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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May 24, 2016 · 7:58 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for One New Man (5/24/2016)

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

Do you need miracles in your life…and actually don’t we all need them? Maybe with health issues or relationships or finances or ministry or whatever.

Here’s something I’ve learned over the last 31 years:

  1. Walk in the seasons of God, which means we need to know what season we’re currently in,
  2. and care about the things God cares about and then His ears will be more open to our needs and wants.

I believe with all my heart that we are in the season when one of the highest priorities on God’s heart is that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the Jew and Gentile, so making peace.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us to pursue peace with everyone,  but especially between the Jew and Gentile, and help us pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Based on Hebrews 12:14)

Join with me on Tuesday’s to pray and fast for the one new man to finally come forth in the Body of Christ.

…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)

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May 19, 2016 · 10:14 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/19/2016)

Although 635 million tickets were sold for a recent jackpot, the odds of winning The Powerball Jackpot Lottery is 1 in 292 million. These are approximately the same odds as being hit by a meteor while sitting in your backyard. Why do people spend their $2 on such a losing venture?

“Well, someone has to win, right? Why not me?” is the most common answer.

Now, if you asked these same ticket purchasers if they have prepared themselves for possible terrorists’ attacks and calamities in the near future, their answers would probably be:

“Are you kidding me? No! The odds of a calamity or terrorist’s attack affecting my life are about the same as a meteor hitting me while I sit in the backyard.”

Notice the logic here!

“If you put 500 or a 1000 ISIS against the San Diego Police Department I think that fight goes to ISIS,” Dan Gordon said. “The time it would take to mobilize the Marines, let’s say, at Camp Pendleton or the Navy Seals at Coronado Island, it would be at the earliest, a matter of hours. It simply takes time to get a unit locked and loaded and ready to deploy, and in that time ISIS terrorists could kidnap, murder and maim thousands of people. (Dan Gordon, author of Day of the Dead and veteran of six Middle Eastern wars with the IDF. See full article here.)

I wrote a book entitled, Planning + Preparation = Survival, because I don’t think our government or our police forces can protect us from calamities or terrorists’ attacks. It’s our responsibility and the time to plan and prepare is now.

My prayer today:

Lord, give us Americans ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches and willing and obedient hearts to act. (Based on Revelation 2:7 and Isaiah 1:19)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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May 18, 2016 · 12:37 pm

“My Church is a Bunch of Nice Losers” (Conclusion)

A little over twenty-five years ago, I read an interview in Charisma Magazine of David Yonggi Cho. In it, Cho explained the success of Yoido Full Gospel Church (830,000 members) and why America would never have a church that large.

“Yoido is built on prayer,” Cho stated. “All of our hundreds of pastors and elders average three hours per day in prayer. Hundreds of thousands of other members pray at least two hours each day. Our prayer meetings number over two hundred thousand participants and Prayer Mountain has over one million believers, visiting it to pray and fast for days at a time in special cubicles. I don’t believe Americans are willing to pay this high of price to have a church like Yoido.”

Cho’s words bugged me. So, I cut the article out of the magazine and hung it on my wall to spur me on to prove him wrong about us Americans.

Fast forward to today’s America.

I mostly now agree with Cho’s words because let’s be honest, okay?

How many people do you think will attend a church which announces ahead of time that its foundations are built on the 8 Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount with prayer, fasting, giving to the poor, self-denial, and seeking the Lord being our outward responses? My guess is that big buildings won’t be needed — an average sized closet should handle the attendance.

And salaried clergy? We won’t need them.

And sermons? There won’t be any unless the Holy Spirit anoints someone to speak.

And music? All of us should be able to make a joyful noise, maybe even a song of the Spirit.

Temecula may be 6,000 miles from Seoul Korea and Yoido Full Gospel Church, but it might as well be 6 million miles with crazy ideas like this one.

Yet, this is what the Lord has placed on my heart to pray for and start: churches and groups based on Matthew 5,6, and 7 or the Sermon on the Mount.

You see, when society unravels here in America – and it will – our neighbors will be looking for answers. They won’t find them in most churches, which are filled with nice people, but who won’t have prepared themselves ahead of time. This will be the day that Matt 567 groups will be needed, but the time for preparation is now.

My prayer is that the West Coast will soon be filled with these groups, assemblies, churches, or whatever you want to call them so that every neighborhood will have one nearby.

Okay, it’s a big vision, but I believe it’s a winning one for the days ahead.

(Conclusion……if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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May 17, 2016 · 9:01 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for One New Man (5/17/2007)

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

ffoz.org/discover/publications/one-new-man.html

As I wrote in my conclusion of The Search For One New Man series last Wednesday, I feel the Lord has called me to pray and fast for the one new man — “…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two…(Ephesians 2:15)” — to come into being here in America.

I believe that most of the unity, most of the power, most of the manifold wisdom of God, and most of the Church’s growth has been stymied because the Jews and Gentiles have not been properly joined together as the one new man.

My prayers today:

Lord, I pray that Jews and Gentiles walk together in a manner worthy of their calling as the one new man, with all humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Based on Ephesians 4:1-3)

Join with me on Tuesday’s to pray and fast for the one new man to finally come forth in the Body of Christ.

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May 12, 2016 · 9:20 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/12/2016)

I was once a part of a merger between a Charismatic Church and a Southern Baptist Church. It was an interesting experiment with the Charismatics praying in tongues, prophesying, raising their hands, and dancing in the aisles while the more sober-minded Baptists looked on.

One of the senior Baptist elders said, “I love how you Charismatics worship God, but I couldn’t do that.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Well, I have more than a half century of being against Charismatics and their gifts to ever change my ways now.”

“Really? You don’t believe the Holy Spirit can change you?”

“In theory, yes,” he said, “but in reality, no. You see, it’s just too hard to unlearn all of my teachings.”

My prayer today:

Lord, help us American believers to strip ourselves of every weight that slows us down and let us run with endurance the race You have set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Based on Hebrews 12:2-3)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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May 11, 2016 · 10:07 am

The Search for One New Man (Conclusion)

During the reign of King Jehoiakim, and over fifteen years before Nebuchadnezzar carried off most of Judah to Babylon, Jeremiah had prophesied that Judah would be held in captivity for seventy years.

All of the scribes and priests had access to the prophecies of Jeremiah, but the Bible only states that the old prophet, Daniel, understood it was time for the captivity of Judah to be finished in Babylon. So, Daniel humbled himself with fasting, supplications, and prayers, interceding for the Lord to act upon Jeremiah’s prophecy.

While Daniel was still speaking, praying, and confessing his sin and the sin of Israel, the angel Gabriel showed up and said:

“O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you… (Daniel 9:22-23)

In the above example, we read how the Holy Spirit enlightened Daniel to pray Jeremiah’s prophecy into being. Then, while Daniel is still praying, Gabriel arrives to give the old prophet even more understanding.

Okay, this is the exact same place I believe we stand right now with:

...that he might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)

There is no use attempting to bring unity to the Body of Christ if the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers are not brought into the one new man relationship. We Gentiles need the Jewish believers and the Jewish believers need us.

Without the one new man coming into being, we will not attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the fullness of Christ. We instead will continue to be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

If the Jews and Gentiles in the whole Body are not rightly joined and held together, each part will not work properly and the Body will not grow and be built up in love.

Eventually, the one new man has to arrive at this level of power, love, and revelation:

so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:10)

Because I feel this is so important right now, I’m changing my Tuesday regimen of praying and fasting for the prisoners of Asia, which has been my practice for more than four years. But instead, I will be fasting and praying for the one new man to come forth in the Body of Christ.

Who knows? Maybe Gabriel will show up and give us understanding.

If you agree and feel the Holy Spirit is leading you to do so, join me on Tuesdays in fasting and praying for the one new man.

(Conclusion for now……if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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May 10, 2016 · 7:35 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (5/10/2016)

Qatar: 2.1 million people (87.4% Muslim and 6.3% Christian) Persecution Level: Severe

Qataris are the richest people in the world, thanks to oil and gas revenues. The Thani family has ruled for 150 years, and in 2013 the former emir transferred power to his son.

Life for Christians:
Though conversion from Islam is a capital offense, no one has been punished for apostasy. However, Christian converts and Christian migrant workers face constant pressure. The government allowed the construction of “Church City,” where thousands of foreign Christians worship. No Christian symbols are allowed in advertising or other areas visible to the public. (Voice of Martyrs)

90% of Qatar’s population of about two million is made up of migrant laborers. The Qataris (10%) enjoy the highest GDP per capita in the world. Expatriates and migrant workers are generally perceived and treated by Qataris as slaves. Forced labor and human trafficking are major problems. Working conditions for migrant workers can be inhumane and dangerous; they face underpayment, domestic violence, sexual abuse and lack proper living conditions. It is not uncommon for them to die at their work place. (Open Doors)

My prayer for today:

Lord, I pray that You open up the eyes of the Qatari people so that they realize how wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked they are without You. (Based on Revelation 3:17)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

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