Prayer and Fasting in the New Year

BY: Nancy Conlan (CK Group Leader, Intercessor)

Since last Christmas, the Lord has been reminding me of one of His great gifts. Fasting. Years ago, at the beginning of the CK ministry, it was something that a lot of us learned more about in order to seek His will first, above all things. For years, I have still been practicing it on occasion, as best I could, but hadn’t heard it emphasized in a long time. I decided that maybe God was using me to remind my CK friends and family of its purpose and maybe to regenerate interest in doing it together. 
 
I remember years ago when my husband left, I was so distraught that I couldn't eat. Many of you can attest to that, I know. Once I began to heal and could eat once again, I continued to consciously fast, in spite of having to attend to the needs of three young children, working outside the home, and managing the family rental property. God sure did have me on the fast track to growing up mentally and spiritually. He soon became my Husband and my children’s Father. I went to Him for everything. That’s when I began to know Him intimately and understand that He had to be supreme in my heart above everyone else. He always came through me for me and I was glad to give Him that special place in my heart.
 
In those days, our CK group met every Friday night at my house. It was such a blessing that many of my CK friends had children of similar ages. Our kids grew up together, leaning on one another as we did. One of the things that I have truly enjoyed about the CK ministry is that we are all a family. We love each other with God’s love. We love each other's spouses and family, despite what we see in the natural. Come to any CK gathering (especially the annual conference in July) and you will feel the love of the Kingdom here on earth. There is a love and unity among us that is indescribable. 
 
Over the years, God has brought me to meetings, around the world, where I have seen that there is no greater love than His among us. We have one common goal for marriage and family healing and restoration. We love and forgive each other’s spouses and rejoice when couples are restored. This is why He impressed prayer and fasting on me. Mark 9:29 says, "And He said to them, 'This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting.'” (see also Matthew 17:21). Jesus was telling his disciples that there are just some things that require more than prayer. I believe marriage restoration tends to be one of those areas, that not only requires fasting, at times, but consistent and definitive prayer. 
 
Because of this God-given love and unity that we share as CKs, we have been joining again, on Wednesday afternoons, to fast and pray in one accord for each other. We have seen miracles already. On Wednesday mornings we wake up and begin fasting. We have then agreed to pray around 3:00 pm (in whatever time zone) in unified prayer for all of us and our spouses. If you’re working and you see the clock, just agree with us in prayer. If you’re retired or at home, like I am, and have extra time, you can pray, read scripture, and fall on your face like I do; whatever He tells you to do for that day. Remember, that man looks on the outer appearance but our God looks on our heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
 
If you are not sure how to fast, you can ask the Lord how to do it. He will show you. Sometimes I fast for the morning and afternoon and other times I fast until sundown. There is no condemnation in Him if you if you can only make it for so long. He honors whatever we can do. This is not mandatory and God does not want us to make it become an empty ritual. It’s His love through us, the unity, and one accord that counts. He will lead us. You may find that He may lead some of us individually to longer fasts, including days at a time. I would encourage you to read, in the Bible, about all the fasts that those before us engaged in. There are also many good books and teachings on fasting outside of the Bible. Always ask the Holy Spirit for His truth when you study. 
 
If you are looking for reasons why you should fast, Kristen Feola, in her article "Why Should I Fast? 7 Examples of Fasting in the Bible," (1/10/19, faithgateway.com) writes….
 

1. To prepare for ministry
2. To seek God's wisdom
3. To show grief
4. To seek deliverance or protection
5. To repent
6. To gain victory
7. To worship God

 
We would love you to join us this Wednesday, for prayer and fasting, wherever you are! We would also love to hear what He has taught YOU through fasting and how He has answered your prayers in the process. Leave an encouraging comment below about how the Lord has been faithful to you during your marriage crisis. I hope to see you and hug you all at conference this July. I can't wait to hear about the praises and victories we will all share then!!!

Love you,
Nancy