The Three Fold Cord: Fasting, Giving and Praying

Though one may be overpowered by another,

two can withstand him. And a threefold

cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

It is fair to say that most of us would have heard the verse above referred to, in the context of a marriage ceremony or around the meaning of what it means to work and walk together, in unity and strength as brothers and Sisters of God's kingdom.

However, I realise that this same 'three fold cord' principle can be applied to the three key disciplines expected of a believer - FASTING, GIVING AND PRAYING.

Fasting, Giving and Praying are key disciplines every believer must practise and often. It is expected of us. When we fast, give and pray - (all together), I believe it connects us to one another (through such things as interceding and helping the less privileged) and to God (humbling ourselves before Him and seeking His guidance).

Mathew 6:16, reads "And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get".

The operative word here is 'when', and I believe it means that - there will always come a time when the need for a fast (to humble ourselves before God, to get direction, wisdom and much more) will arise.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Reads (note verse 17) "16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

The operative word here is 'NEVER', which means "at no point in time" , which we can relate to the verse above as thus; "at no point in time, should we stop praying". At no point in time should we stop having conversations with God.

Mathew 6: 2 - 3 reads "2So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing..."

We see that word 'when' again, in this passage, and in the understanding of the word 'when', reading the passage above, it teaches us that we are expected to live a life of Giving, it is something we must do, continuously. We must help the poor or those less privilege, those in need of our help and much more. It also tells us how we should go about doing it.

I believe that when we operate the three fold cord of 'Fasting, Giving and Praying (together), NOTHING shall be impossible!.

So, are you feeling stuck in a rut, needing direction and focus

or wanting to know your very purpose on earth or

the season you are in? Why not seek God's guidance

in Fasting, Giving and Praying.

When we want to decipher how a new product that we have just purchased works, we either speak to the manufacturer (creator) or refer to the manual that comes along with the product. God is our maker, He created / invention us. If we need to know His will for our lives, to obtain clarity of purpose and focus or find out how to get out of a rut that we might be in, we need to ask Him, and read the life manual he wrote for us - The Bible

When we read Matthew 17: 20 - 21 (story about Jesus disciples not being able to cast out evil suicidal spirits in a boy, and the father of the boy brought him to Jesus for deliverance - please read the whole chapter for completion)

The passage reads: "20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting

The key that unlocks the power of this passage is the word "Howbeit". Yes, the disciples of Jesus needed faith and the power (which had already been given to them by Jesus in Matthew 10) to cast out demons, but "howbeit - however or regardless" there are some type of demons (strongholds, blockages or curses) that cannot or will not be removed without fasting, giving and praying - done together.

Taking a step back, we must remember that not long before this incident took place, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Mathew 4, please read for completion), whereby He prayed to the father also, and we know that His life was about giving and helping the people.

If Jesus Christ was able to accomplish all that

He came to earth to do without fasting,

praying and living a life of giving,

then why did He do them? Selah...

"Students are not greater than their teacher.

But the student who is fully trained

will become like the teacher"

Luke 6: 40

Could it be that we are missing the very reason or understanding of our purpose in life? Could it be that we are missing the very combination that will lead to that breakthrough that we desperately seek, because we fail to understand the importance and ramifications of the three fold cord of 'fasting, giving and praying'?

I envisage the ramifications of this three fold cord as the thirty fold, sixty fold and hundred fold return Jesus spoke about in Mark 4;8, 20 (please read for completion):

• When praying is a constant part of our lives, we can release the thirty fold return


• When praying and giving - together is a constant part of our life, we can release the sixty fold, and


• When praying, giving and fasting is a constant part of our lives, we an release the hundred fold return.

When we hunger for God He will fill us. When we make time for God, pray to Him, have conversations with us, He will hear us and reveal secret things to us. When we live a life of giving, we show the good and perfect nature of God displayed through us.

Sometimes, when we are disciplined enough to Fast, give and pray, continuously, and we don't see or sense that anything is happening, there is the tendency to get discouraged. However, we must not be. We must hold on to faith, hope and expectation that God is good, and He has answered our prayers and accepted our sacrifices and He will reward our diligence. It's all about timing, all about His time.

We can also learn and be encouraged from the faith of our forefathers, those that were here before us. They went through most, if not all that we are experiencing today.

In Psalm 35:13 -14 David the psalmist said "13 Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. 14 I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother".

It was obvious David had not received the answers to his prayers, but he still waited on God in faith. Do not be weighed down with discouragement.

So, do you want to know the Will of God for you life? Do you seek a breakthrough in any particular area of your life? Do you want to do great and mighty great exploits as Jesus declared? Do you want to see changes in your life for good?

If so, why not weave up a three fold cord of Fasting, Giving and Praying, seeking God's help, wisdom, and knowledge; calling forth that breakthrough, giving you tremendous testimonies to strengthen your brethren, glorifying God's name, and making Him famous along your way.

Much Love

Remi

***Pictures by photobucket***

A Time To Seek God's Face

Isaiah 55:6 - 7 reads "6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously" .

In my sanctuary, this month is set aside for fasting and praying, as I mentioned in this post: And when you fast, to go Deeper and Higher into the presence of God.

Today, is the first day of this fast. It is a time for us to seek the face of God like never before. A time to lay down everything, that has hindered us from continuously seeking the face of the Lord. A time to lay down everything that is contesting for our time with God.

Did you know that even God's blessings can stifle our hunger for God? Can deter us from constantly seeking his face, can dampen the blazing hunger we should feel daily as we strive to live according to his will?

Yes, we can get carried away with God's gifts and blessings such as gardening, watching TV, even our relationships, marriages or families, reading magazines and so forth.

This is better explained in Luke 8:14 explains it further as thus "The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity."

So, this morning in the service, we commenced this journey with a bang! We left everything that consistently fights for our attention with God, that constantly dampens or dulls our hunger to reach out to God and to seek him as we know we should; and we take up the strength of God, we reach for his power, his wisdom and understanding. We reach out to God through our prayers, fasting and our giving for his will to be done and for his kingdom to surely come.

As we journey on, I invite you to take part, I invite you to take some time, and put aside the daily grind that we call life and focus solely on the God that can make everything that is wrong in your life better, that can make you a better creation, that can propel you to be all that you are meant to be; all for His glory.

It is the season, it is the time to prepare prepare and condition our hearts, aligning our lives to the will of God, hiding his words therein, so that they never depart.

A Time to Seek

In the middle of challenges,

in the midst of striving to live

the reality of God's will, it is time to seek

the beauty of his face, a time to

hunger for his presence, through his grace

In the middle of everything going wrong,

in the jubilation and victory,

it is time to seek the face of the one

who changes not, through centuries

Like birds know and detect seasonal changes,

fly south in search for food

It its time to awaken the hunger within hearts,

in search for wisdom and understanding through God's word

like Solomon wrote about, from days of old

It is time to break hollow ground

prepare our hearts, minds and soul as

fertile and solid ground

A time to seek renewed revival

A time to hunger for his holy presence

© Remi Banjo, June 2008

Have an awesome day preparing your minds, hearts, spirit and soul for God's presence, whilst making him famous along the way.

Much Love
Remi Banjo
***pictures by photobucket***

And when you fast

Mathew 9: 14 - 15 reads: 14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast[a] like we do and the Pharisees do?” 15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

The dictionary explains 'SOMEDAY as 'some unspecified time in the future'. From the verses above, it is safe to say that the unspecified time would be when the groom (Jesus Christ) will no longer be with the guests (his people).

Mathew 6:16 - 17 reads: 16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.

The dictionary explains 'WHEN' as 'the time or in the event that' So it is safe to say that 'when' in the verse above means that the time WILL come for the need for us to fast.

And finally, 'FAST' is defined as 'the act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food'

Fasting it seems, is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in the life of most Christians. The bible does not specifically command us to fast, however, prayer backed up with fasting can bring forth tremendous changes in our lives. Sometimes, fasting and prayer is the simple, yet powerful combination we need to bring forth a breakthrough; to release strongholds, and to bring us that much closer to God, so much so that we can feel his very breath on our faces.

Fasting helps to take our focus off the things of this world and focus on God. When we fast, it brings us closer to living out the realities of 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads : "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land".

Why is that so you ask? Fasting helps us to see who we really are, it brings forth repentance and confession of sin, making us humble before God. When we fast we are stirred up to simply seek God's face. So what are the Bible's guidelines on fasting? Isaiah 58:6 - 9 presents the perfect guidelines. It reads (NLT):

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. 7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. 9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

Isn't that awesome, this passage explains the shape and nature of the type of fast we should embrace. It teaches us that when we fast, we should:

• embrace the spirit of forgiveness - verse 6 which reads "Release yourself and those who have wronged you into forgiveness
  
• Share with the hungry - verse 7. When we fast, we should always remember those who are less fortunate than us, for example the day we fast, we should find someone to help in any way,shape or form - we can donate our money, time, food, and much more. We should be helpful

But guess what? It does not stop there, the passage goes on to further explain the benefits and blessings we WILL receive from God, when we fast (it really is for our benefit to fast isn't it?)

• Vs 8 boldly declares that "our salvation will come like the dawn" Hallelujah - salvation means "to be preserved or delivered from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
  
• Verse 8 also says "our godliness will lead us forward" . To be godly means that 'we conform to the laws and wishes of God', which means that we will be lead constantly and daily by God. Isn't that awesome?.
  
• Verse 8 further declares that "the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind". As we go about our daily business, the devil is busy throwing arrows at us from all angles, front back and sides, and we do need God's constant protection on all sides. He knows what the devil is up to and so he protects us from all sides.
  
• Verse 9 proudly states "then when you call, the Lord will answer" - now tell me, how much do you really need to hear God's voice in that matter that is so close to your heart.

Now won't you agree with me that, the blessings that comes from fasting is nothing compared to depriving ourselves of the world's comforts; food, tv, magazines and much more.

So how do I fast, I hear you ask? Well there are various types of fast one can undertake (for medical reasons, please do consult your doctor before embarking on one).

Some fasting methods are:

Normal Fast: This is a no food fast and only water is allowed. Jesus set an example as we read in Matthew 4:1-4 -"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 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."

Absolute Fast: This is a no food, no water fast. (this should only be undertaken if you have a clear directive from the Lord and are in good health and monitored). An example of an absolute fast in the bible can be found in Ezra 10:6 -Then Ezra left the plaza in front of The Temple of God and went to the home of Jehohanan son of Eliashib where he stayed, still fasting from food and drink, continuing his mourning over the betrayal by the exiles.

Partial fast: This fast requires abstinence from certain kinds of foods (e.g. no meat, fish, sweets, e.t.c). An example of a partial fast can be found in the book of Daniel 10:2-3, it reads "During those days, I, Daniel, went into mourning over Jerusalem for three weeks. I ate only plain and simple food, no seasoning or meat or wine. I neither bathed nor shaved until the three weeks were up."

Juice fast: This type of fast has emerged in recent times, and usually embraced for weight loss. It involves consuming fruits and vegetables only. It is a form of partial fast.

When fasting, one should fast as the Holy spirit directs, the above is just a summary of the types of fasting methods one could follow.

An invitation...
At my place of worship, every year, the month of June is set aside for fasting and praying (I know right in the middle of summer! all those bbq's). We are encouraged to come together in unity and fast and pray as one body for 30 awesome days; to go deeper and Higher into the presence of God. Personally, I can tell you that God works wonders from the very first day of that month and beyond.

So, here is me inviting you to join us on this journey of going 'deeper and higher' into the presence of the most high father. An expectant and receptive spirit is all you need on your part.

Have an awesome time in fasting and praying, whilst presenting a sacrifice of praise; not forgetting to make the most high God famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

Brotherly Love

And…let the weekend begin!!!
The end of the week, the start to the weekend










Here is me reminding us all to:

Reach out and show love to someone
Demonstrate the nature of love and kindness
Show love and appreciation to someone

Make that phone call
You never know, it could be
The highlight of their day

Honour that visit
Don’t leave it till next week
We don't own the next minute

Send that thank you note
It's worth it's weight in gold

Say to someone those magic words
Tell someone "I love you with God's love"
©Remi Banjo, April 2008

As part of the body of Christ one of the greatest commandments given to us is to Love one another.

Hebrews 13:1 reads "Let brotherly love continue"

Now, the operative word here is "continue". Brotherly love can ONLY continue if it has already started.

The dictionary explains brotherly love as "a kindly and lenient attitude toward people". That means to be kind, to be nice, good and pleasant. To take into consideration other people's attitude and make allowance for their mistakes as they make allowance for yours. It means to wrap up in and live out the reality of loving one another.

So, as we step into the weekend, here I am encouraging us all to let brotherly love flow with us into the weekend. Let brotherly love continue, and if you have not started in your hemisphere, I encourage you to, ignite, activate and propel its very essence into motion.

Have a wonderful start to the weekend, revelling in brotherly love, whilst making God famous along the way.

Much Love
Remi Banjo