fasting for ministry

Dear beloved: To some of you who are mature in your faith, God may be speaking to you about doors that will open in ministry. Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil v2 And after He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he became hungry.....so you see, the ministry of our Lord began with fasting and prayer. In that showdown with the devil, the devil tried to entice Jesus to serve him and his kingdom. v8 again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; v9 and he said to Him "all these things will I give you, if you fall down and worship me." v10 Then Jesus said to him " Begone satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and
serve Him only." v11 then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

You will notice that according to verse 2, it was at the end of the fast that the devil came to tempt Him. Stand strong as you near the end. Had Jesus not stood strong to the end, the outcome for all mankind would have been much different. Another example we have in God's word of fasting for ministry is in Acts 13, where several prophets and teachers had gathered to seek the will of the Lord for their lives. Acts 13:2 And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said "set aside for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." v3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. v4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Selucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus....So Paul and Barnabas began their missionary ministry in the same way that Jesus did, with prayer and fasting.

Last year as I fasted for 21 days with this group, then the Lord told me to go on to 40, so I was obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had been. I did not know what the Lord had in store for me, I was just following His leading. On day 28 of the fast, I was working at the farm and received a call on my cell phone from a lady in Georgia, who I did not know. She prophesied over me for about one and a half hours, in fact, my cell phone went dead and I went to a neighbor's house and we finished up for another 30 minutes, then sang a hymn together before we signed off! She prophesied 21 different points of ministry or personal doors that would be open for me in the days and years ahead. She said to me " You will never forget this day, 1-28-09, for as long as you live." , and I have certainly found that to be the truth. The number twenty, which stands for holiness, tried and approved, and eight, which speaks of new beginnings, has been burned into me and I stand amazed even today as to how the Lord orchestrated all the events of that day and the fast. I won't go into the details of the prophecy other than to say it spoke in great detail about ministry doors here nationally as well as internationally that would be opening for me, and she said that much of this would be happening quickly. I have already seen some of these prophecies come to pass, others are unfolding as we speak, and I can see more on the horizon, not only for myself, but also some of the opportunities are for my family members who are walking into ministry. So beloved be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and see where He leads you.

As you pray about your life, and the body of Christ, keep open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:18 and Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying " All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth. v19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, v20 teaching them all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Go beloved, for God is with you! God bless you, in Christ, Jim