21 Day Fast | Day 13

21 Day VICTORY Fast | Day 13
From Pastor Brian Gibbs
January 16th, 2021

Good morning, dear friends! Today is day thirteen as we have entered a very special time of consecration and humility and we open the door to a deeper, more intimate and more powerful relationship with our Father!

Bren and I are blessed that you have chosen to participate in the VICTORY FAST by setting aside 21 days to pray, fast and draw near to God. Fasting is not just an exercise for super-spiritual people. It is actually supposed to a part of every believer’s personal and private spiritual life. Personally, we have found there is no better way to reset our spiritual compass and bring about change and discipline in every area of our lives than through fasting.

We pray that you will experience the presence and power of God in an extraordinary way as you
commit yourself to Him over the next 21 days. May God continue to bless you and ignite your passion for Him as you seek Him first!

For these 21 days together, I will provide a daily biblical focus and some thoughts to encourage and strengthen you throughout the fast.

FASTING: GOD’S SHAPING PROCESS

Day 13

I Kings 18:43b-44 | NLT
“…Seven times Elijah told him to go out and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, ‘I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.’ Then Elijah shouted, ‘Hurry to Ahab and tell him, “Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!”’”

I’ve been going back over the phenomenal account of Elijah on Mount Carmel in First Kings during my fast. Wow! It’s just spectacular! How do I know God is going to say yes to my prayers? This is a common question many people have as they seek to have a confident prayer life. However, it’s important to recognize that prayer is not just about the answer—it’s also about our faithfulness of trusting and worshiping God in the process of waiting for the answers.

We are responsible to check our motives and trust that God hears us, and through the process of fasting and prayer God is shaping us for the answer He brings.

We see the process of shaping through prayer in the story of Elijah (1 Kings 18). Elijah had climbed to the top of the mountain to pray for rain to come. As he waited for the rain, he continued to pray, believing God would answer. When he finally saw a small cloud, he told Ahab to “get ready” because the rain was coming.

Elijah knew what to pray for, and God heard him the first time he prayed, but there was preparation that needed to take place in order to receive the answer to his prayer. It is no mistake that God waited until Elijah had prayed seven times before He answered. In the Bible, seven is the number of completion. In this account, seven represents the completion of God’s process in that time of prayer.

God does not want merely to answer our prayers — He wants to spend time with us to prepare and shape us for the answer that will come. Fasting is God’s chosen method of shaping us and conforming us into His image. Many times we want to skip over the process involved in engaging God in fasting and prayer as we wait for our answer. But it is this very process that works maturity in us and prepares us for the answers our prayers bring.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:4)

What prayers in your life are still awaiting an answer? Throughout the remainder of the fast, thank God for His process at work in your life and trust Him. Let’s keep pressing in and pressing forward to finish our fast strong together, keeping Him first. His name is still faithful and true (Rev 19:11).

Make it a great day and be blessed!
Brian
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