Modern Day
Ministry Leaders Who Fasted for Results
“Faith and fasting go together. We cannot minister the gift of faith, or have a superabundance of faith if our lives are undisciplined. The undisciplined man cannot keep priceless gifts; the treasure leaks away.” David R. Smith
"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a
fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders…Let the…ministers of the
Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people,
O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule
over them: wherefore should they say
among the people Where is their God?”
"Then will the Lord be jealous for His
land, and pity His people. Yea, the Lord will answer…I will remove far off from
you the northern army…Be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things”
(Joel 2:15-32).”
“Lo, I give you power
over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).
J. G. Morrison says, "Every great leader who has moved
his age mightily for God was a faster."
Martin Luther was
a weekly faster and God used him to lift the curtain of night that had hung
over the world during the Dark Ages. Luther is criticized for fasting too
rigorously, to the probable injury of his health, but he moved the world toward
God.
John Knox fasted
regularly, and history shows he had power with God in prayer and prevailed with
God and saved Scotland from the darkness of Catholicism.
John Wesley fasted
two days each week. The pioneering Methodists had two weekly fast days and were
on fire for God. John Wesley says, "While we were at Oxford, the rule of
every Methodist was to fast every Wednesday and Friday in the year in imitation
of the primitive church.
"Now the
practice of the first disciples of our Lord was universally allowed. 'Who does
not know,' says Epiphanius an ancient writer, 'that the fast of the fourth and
sixth days of the week (Wednesday and Friday) are observed by Christians
through the world?'
In Colonial days, Jonathan Edwards was a regular faster. It was under his ministry that sinners seized the pillars of the church and the backs of the seats under the mighty conviction of the Holy Spirit, feeling that they were in danger of dropping into hell.
Seth C. Rees, a
successful soul winner, never attempted to hold meetings without appointing
days of fasting.
Tradition says that the apostolic church fasted each Wednesday and Friday and broke their fast at 3 p.m.
God is calling His ministers and people to days and nights of fasting, protracted, persistent, believing prayer.
William Booth: Leader of the Salvation Army
Prayer and Fasting Life: William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was known for his deep commitment to prayer and fasting. He believed that these spiritual disciplines were essential for maintaining a close relationship with God and for the success of his ministry. Booth often spent hours in prayer, seeking God's guidance and strength for his work. His dedication to prayer and fasting was a cornerstone of his leadership and played a significant role in the growth and impact of the Salvation Army.
William Seymour: Leader of the Azusa Street Revival
Early Life and Ministry: William Joseph Seymour was born on May 2, 1870, in Centerville, Louisiana, to former slaves. He became a prominent Holiness Pentecostal preacher and initiated the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906. This revival played a crucial role in the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.
Prayer and Fasting Life: Seymour was also known for his intense prayer and fasting practices. Before the Azusa Street Revival began, Seymour spent a month in prayer and fasting, seeking God's presence and power. This period of spiritual preparation was instrumental in the revival's success and the widespread adoption of Pentecostal practices such as speaking in tongues and divine healing.
Both William Booth and William Seymour exemplified the power of prayer and fasting in their ministries, leading to significant spiritual movements and lasting impacts on Christianity.
By D. W. Reynolds
Fasting As Well As Prayer
God is entreated
and moved by fasting-prayer in a special way. I have received special help
during days of fasting and prayer. It seems there is an entering into a closer
fellowship and more intimate relationship with the Lord as a result of fasting.
Faith is quickened
and prayer is deepened until the soul grips the promises of God in a greater
way. It has been my custom for some time to spend one entire day each week in
prayer with fasting. Naturally I feel weak in my body but there is a special
strength that comes as the result of gripping the promises of God, and most of
all the soul is enriched with a new spiritual vigor.
In this day of
extreme need when the church in general is slipping and worldliness is swamping
men's souls, and pulling them down to a lukewarm, defeated spiritual condition,
we need a real revival of a return to intercession with fasting and prayer.
If now every pastor will set apart one day each week for a full day of prayer with fasting for himself and people – as many as would enter into it – no doubt we would see a mighty strengthening of the people of God and a spiritual awakening that would save the nation from terrible doom, and would forward the kingdom of God on earth.
( D. W. Reynolds - Article taken from Herald of His coming @ https://heraldofhiscoming.org/index.php/347-past-issues/1994/sep94/3917-fasting-as-well-as-prayer-9-94)
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