A Season of Fasting and Prayer

I feel that the Lord is drawing His people into a time of serious fasting and prayer–a time of sober reflection and seeking God especially about this question:

“How serious am I about Jesus? How committed am I to His cause?“

And:

“If I call Him Lord, do I really do what He says in every area?”

See, the Kingdom of Heaven is not something we can take lightly.

Jesus told us that it is to be a consuming passion that overrides other passions. Look at what He told us in Matthew 13:44:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44 NKJV).

The Kingdom of Heaven is certainly of more value than gold and silver hidden in a field. But the point is that the man who found the treasure in the field deemed it worth selling, literally, all that he had, so he could go buy that field.

And I believe, in this season, each of us needs to ask this question of ourselves, Holy Spirit, and Jesus:

“Am I really living sold-out for Jesus? Am I holding onto lesser things? Or am I willing to put aside every lesser thing and live completely consumed with Jesus Christ?”

Unfortunately, many people simply play at loving Jesus, and they have no intention of giving up anything for Him at all.

When we cannot be bothered to give Him even 15 minutes of our day, alone with Him one-on-one in a time of prayer and study of the Word (and you can’t get much done in 15 minutes, so even better 1-2 hours or more), how can we say that we are living sold out for Him?

It’s true: many people never read their Bibles at all, and the only prayer time they might have is calling on His name for help as they move about their day, traversing the roads or the workplace or taking the kids to school. And very, very few people ever bother to give financially to the work of the Gospel, even though God’s Word is clear that you have to give first in order to receive.

(You have to ‘prime the pump’ by giving before God will give anything back to you, even if you give all that you have to get the cycle started.)

But someone’s refusal to actually obey Jesus means that Jesus has no real place of His Own in their life. And the reality is that, to them, He is little more than a side piece; an idea they like to have in hand for when they need comfort, but Who costs them nothing.

And yet, Jesus said:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matthew 16:24-27 NKJV).

This is serious stuff.

If we want to truly follow after Jesus, we have to get up and pay the price. No, we are not dying on the literal cross–at least, most of us are not (although some people in the history have been martyred for Christ that way).

But instead, we are to pay the price of total devotion: getting up and putting aside every lesser thing, being willing to give up whatever Jesus asks us for in His Word, and be willing to turn over our whole life to Jesus.

Most people have no concept of the level of commitment that Jesus describes here.

If we can’t be bothered to read your Bible, pray, tithe and offer unto the Lord, go to church even when it’s raining, or generally give up anything at all, then you certainly can’t claim any level of commitment to Jesus. Why? Because He said:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NKJV).

But many people are not willing to do even a mediocre amount of commandment-keeping, let alone selling all that they have to buy the treasure in the field–living their whole lives devoted to this one thing: Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

O Father in Heaven, have mercy on us.

O beloved, we are at the crux of the matter, and we are at a crossroads. Going forward, will you begin to pay the price, if you haven’t already? Are you willing to deny yourself, take up your proverbial cross of death to self and obedience to Jesus, and follow Jesus?

I fear for the Body of Christ, beloved. I fear for you, for each one of us.

Because there is a price to be paid.

Jesus already paid the price for your victory, and for your salvation.

But, you have to keep your part of the bargain in order to walk in all that He has for you. And if you would call Him “Lord,” then you actually have to do what He says.

If you do anything else, then He is not your Lord at all. He’s someone you like, certainly. He may even be someone you admire or respect. He’s certainly someone you enjoy hanging around with in church, for in His presence is fullness of joy.

But He is not Lord if you do not obey Him. Period. Full stop. End of conversation.

O beloved. Is the Lord leading you into a season of reflection?

Are you ready to sell all that you have and purchase the field that contains the treasure, which is the Kingdom of Heaven?

Leave a comment below if you are!