Talents and Character (part 2) - Day of fast 21/21

  BY Argie Simonis

In yesterday's message we talked about the importance of character and the motivations behind our actions. Today we will examine the character that the Lord calls us to shape according to the mind of Christ that we have:

"But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ." 1Cor. 2:14-16

How could I give all my goods to feed the poor and at the same time not have love, as Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 13:3?

We don't have to wonder, because we have a perfect example in Acts chapter 5 with the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Before I do any comments on it, let's read a little from chapter 4:

"Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made to every man according as he had need.

And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." Acts 4:34-37

We see how that true love was demonstrated as the believers sold land and possessions and gave the money to the apostles to be distributed and meet the needs of everyone.

Ananias and Sapphira then sold a piece of their own property and pretended to give the entire amount to the church (Acts 5:1-11). Their motive was to receive the praise of men, and this is what brought immediate judgment from God. Hypocrisy exists when people do something pretending to please God or help others, when in reality they are serving their own desire for recognition and fame.

Do you want to know what is this character of Christ that the Lord calls us to have? Let's continue reading from 1 Corinthians 13:

"Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love braggs not itself, is not puffed up,

Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;

Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;" 

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1Cor. 13:4-7

These verses we read teach us 2 main lessons:

1. It is impossible to do all this in our own strength and especially "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things", except with the help of God:

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zach. 4:6

2. This scripture is the list that contains the best method of evaluating our character. Imagine how different the world would be today if more weight was given to this method of evaluation over that of performance.

We tend to want to do something for God, but the Bible teaches us not to despise the little things:

"For who has despised the day of small things?" Zechariah 4:10

In other words, don't despise doing small acts of kindness daily. The accumulation of these small acts of kindness is what "sharpens" us, forms the mind of Christ in our character and brings true and continuous happiness into our lives:

"If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." John 13:17

In other words, we must first know the principles of love and its expressions and then apply them in our daily life. With God's help we can change the whole world and this change begins from within us.

Amen 🙏

Talents and Character - Day of fast 20/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing." A'Κορ. 13:1-3

Paul was saying that without God's love driving our actions, then speaking in tongues would just be making noise. The same applies to prophecy, knowledge, faith, our possessions and even if we throw our bodies into the fire does not benefit us. 

The motive behind our actions determines whether those actions are anointed by God or merely dead works (Heb. 9:14)

What is observed today, from politics, government services, social agencies, private businesses, even in the area of the Church, unfortunately the main focus is given to the performance and achievements of people. If you doubt this, with a simple search on the internet you can easily find out how many evaluation methods there are on the subject of performance and compare it to the corresponding evaluation methods on the character of people, especially those in a position of leadership/power.

In other words, in the world there is much more emphasis on what we do than on how and why we do it. Paul here in his letter clearly states that the motives behind our actions are more important than the actions themselves.

This is because God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and relates to us on a spiritual level and not on a carnal level:

"But the LORD said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1Samuel 16:7

For example, the gift of prophecy is associated with the understanding of all mysteries. Therefore, prophecy is not simply predicting the future, but understanding what is happening from God's perspective.

Jesus also spoke of faith moving mountains in Mark 11:23.

So how do we as Christians deal with people? Do we only judge them externally by looking at their talents and  skills and their performance or do we know them in the spirit?

"Why from now on know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now from now on know we him no more.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2Cor. 5:16-17

In the next message we will highlight the character that the Lord calls us to shape according to the mind of Christ that we have:

"But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ." 1Cor. 2:14-16

To be continued ...

We are the sweet aroma of Christ - Day of fast 19/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"Now thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the aroma of his knowledge by us in every place.

For we are to God a sweet smell of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

To the one we are the smell of death to death; and to the other the smell of life to life." 2Cor. 2:14-16

In Paul's day, the word triumph he mentions here was associated with the triumphal procession (parade) of a Roman general returning from a victory. He marched his army through the streets, together with the captives and spoils of victory, which were given to the people. In this parade there were also censers that dispensed a pleasant aroma.

So Paul here tells us that in the same way we are participating in the triumphal procession of Christ, spreading that fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere.

This fragrance spread by those who bring the message of Christ has two different effects on two different kinds of people:

1. To those who reject the Gospel of Christ, this message produces the odor of death:

"And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go your way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for you." Acts 24:24-25

2. To those who receive this message of Christ, it releases the fragrance of life:

"Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you this?

She said to him, Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." John 11:25-27

Is this smell just symbolic? I can't say for sure, but what if there were spiritual "odors" that come from our actions? Bad deeds releases a stench of death that attracts demonic activity, and good deeds give off the odor of life that is pleasing to the Lord. 

So, the rejection of the Gospel leads to death, and to those who believe it, is the sweet savor of eternal life.

Amen 🙏

Vengeance belongs to the Lord - Day of fast 16/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord.

Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom. 12:19-21

Paul here quotes from Deuteronomy:

"To me belongs vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste." Deut. 32:35

God's word is telling us here that we should allow the Lord to exercise His wrath on those who wrong us instead of trying to make it happen ourselves. The Lord will fight for us because He takes personally what happens to His saints, just as He spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus:

"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me?

And he said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks." Acts 9:4-5

When we leave vengeance to the Lord, He will deal with those who have hurt and wronged us much more effectively than us trying to do it ourselves.

Do you know that it is humanly impossible to implement this? This is where the supernatural power of God's faith that we talked about yesterday comes in and empowers us.

We need to let God be God in our lives:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding."

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." Prov. 3:5-6

Letting God defend us is a matter of faith. If there was no God that is just and brings people to repentance, then  turning the other cheek would be the worst thing we could do:

"But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you;" Μatt. 5:44

The Lord loves all people and it is in His will for everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2Peter. 3:9

Be sure that the Lord who loves people and hates sin, brings conviction even to those who wrong us:

"For whom the LORD loves Ηe corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights." Prov. 3:12

So since there is a God who has promised that vengeance is His and will bring justice, taking matters into our own hands shows a lack of faith and trust in God and His integrity.

Prophetic dreams (Part 1) - Day of fast 13/21

 BY Argie Simonis

During the period of fasting and seeking the Lord in prayer, an activity that is observed to a greater degree is the presence of the prophetic, and one of the ways that God speaks to us is through prophetic dreams.

The definition of a prophetic dream can be as follows: It is a supernatural vision given by God, that includes fortelling of future events.

Daniel in Babylon and Joseph in Egypt are two actual references in the Bible where the Lord gives the wisdom and the gift of interpretation of dreams.

Examples of prophetic dreams occur many times in the Bible and are experienced by people of all classes:

1. Prophets:

"In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head on his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters." Daniel 7:1

2. Ungodly kings (by extension politicians and leaders):

Nebuchadnezzar:

"And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him." Daniel 2:1

The 2 dreams of Pharaoh:

"And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river." Gen. 41:1

"And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up on one stalk, rank and good." Γέν. 41:5

If the Lord gave dreams to the kings and rulers then, what makes you think He is not doing that today? So if we pray for politicians and people in all kinds of positions of leadership, we will begin to see much better results. This is actually the advice Paul gives to Timothy:

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 1Tim. 2:1-2

and

3. Ordinary people:

 - "And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad." Gen. 31:24

 - Joseph (Gen. 37)

 - Mary's Joseph saw 4 dreams (the Lord led him as if through a minefield):

 A. - "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take to you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Μatt. 1:20-21

 B. - "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be you there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." Μatt. 2:13

 C. - "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life." Μatt. 2:19-20

 D. - "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:" Μatt. 2:22

Joseph saw these dreams during the periodof the Old Testament. Imagine how much more intense this activity is in the period of the grace of the New Testament we are in now. Remember what Peter said on the day of Pentecost:

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said to them, You men of Judaea, and all you that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known to you, and listen to my words:

For these are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" 

And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:" Acts 2:14- 19

When the people of the world need guidance, they turn to astrologers, fortunetellers and other non godly sources. We, as Christians, have a much more valid source. The Lord Himself is the One who guides us and reveals the future to us:

"Thus said the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command you me." Isaiah 45:11

We have the same testimony in the New Testament:

"However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." John 16:13

The word I had from the Lord today:

Let us thank the Lord and pray prophetically the prayer of Daniel:

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

I thank you, and praise you, O you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me now what we desired of you: for you have now made known to us the king's matter." Daniel 2:20-23

Amen 🙏

The law of faith - Day of fast 10/21

  BY Argie Simonis

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

Romans 3:27‭-‬28 

One of the greatest revelations we can receive from the Lord is that faith is governed by laws. Many believe that healing is just a random decision that the Lord makes for each person based on some unknown criteria and that we believe as best we can, but we are never sure if that is enough to grant our request.

There are laws that govern how faith works. We can rely on these laws just as we can rely on physical laws, as long as we know them.

Healing, prosperity, joy, peace, and every blessing that Jesus has offered us through His sacrifice (Eph. 1:3) is available to all, but we must know the laws that allow His power to flow.

For example, when we turn on the lights, we don't ask the electric company to turn them on for us. They generate the electricity and it is available for us to use. We just have to flip the switch.

This is what the Lord says:

"Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me."

Isaiah 45:11 

The power of God is at our disposal!

We are not the source of this energy and just to make a little humor, put a light bulb in your mouth and see if it will light up? 🙂

God's power does not flow until we "flip" the faith switch.

Let's look at the example of the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25–34). She came after Jesus in a great crowd and received her healing just by touching His clothes. Jesus felt power go out from within Him, so He knew that someone had touched Him in faith, but He didn't know who it was. This means that the Lord did not consider whether this woman met any specific criteria. She received her healing because the laws governing healing were activated.

The woman with the issue of blood put into effect a series of spiritual laws that caused her to be healed without Jesus' knowledge. Let's examine them one by one:

1. She heard of Jesus: 

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Romans 10:17

2. She acted in faith and at the risk of her life she approached Him. The Law forbade an unclean woman to be among the people. If she was discovered, the penalty was death: 

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

James 2:20 

3. She said:

"If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole."

Mark 5:28 

She spoke. This last one is a very important spiritual law:

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

Proverbs 18:21 

Faith is activated by our word. All the promises in Psalm 91 depend on us expressing our faith:

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust."

Psalm 91:2 

The Lord created all things by His Word and because we are made in His image and likeness, all things respond to our words, whether positive or negative.

Unfortunately, many Christians are ignorant of these laws, and just as electricity when misused can kill, so these spiritual laws can kill when broken. There is death and life in the power of the tongue and as the Lord said in Mark. 11:23, we will have what we say!

Amen 🙏

Discovering faith - Day of fast 9/21

 BY Argie Simonis

From the previous chapters in Hebrews up to chapter 11, it has already been proven that faith and not works, was what made us righteous before God.

Here from the beginning of the chapter, faith begins to be described in more detail. The author speaks very high for Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses and so many other heroes of faith mentioned in the Bible.

Faith has been greatly misunderstood . It is an awesome power and it is real. It's not wishful thinking. Some people think that if they believe strong and long enough that something is real when it actually isn't, then it will happen.

Faith has substance and evidence:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Hebrews 11:1 

In other words, it has substance and evidence for things that cannot be seen but do exist.

There are spiritual realities that exist and are subject to laws. Paul explains it in his letter to the Romans:

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

Romans 3:27‭-‬28

Let's see an example:

Electricity has been here on earth since creation. Man could observe electricity as in lightning and static electricity, but it was only when we understood that there were laws governing the activity of electricity, progress began to be made in using it for our benefit. It is the same with faith. Once we realize that there are laws governing faith and begin to understand them, we will enjoy more and more fruit.

It is foolish to think that something does not exist because we cannot perceive it with our physical senses. Take radio waves for example. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist. So, only by faith is it possible to know the invisible God who

"is a Spirit: and they that worship Ηim must worship Ηim in spirit and in truth."

John 4:24 

So in faith we continue on the ninth day of fasting, knowing that the Lord is a just rewarder of those who seek Him. This was an introduction to faith. We will deal with this topic more in future messages.

Amen 🙏

Double mindnes - Day of fast 8/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

James 1:6‭-‬8 

This is a biblical principle that applies to everything we desire. We must believe that we receive it when we pray without wavering:

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

Mark 11:24 

Faith is a very powerful force, but as we have already said, the unbelief we allow in our hearts opposes our faith and prevents us from receiving what we pray for. We have all been given the same measure of faith (Rom. 12:3) and it is sufficient to obtain what we ask for when we do not waver.

A double minded person is one who thinks in two different ways. He believes in something but at the same time doubts. Fear is a door that allows that doubt to come. This is the reason Jesus in the synagogue said to the father whose daughter died:

"Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."

Luke 8:50 

How many times does the enemy come to sow fear and doubt in our heart, especially when we pray and seek the Lord?

"Where is your God?"

"Who do you think You Are;" 

"Do you really believe what God says? Look around you." 

These are some of the tricks the devil uses to discourage us and make us doubt.

I believe that more or less all of us have been in a similar position. What we must remember is that our faith in God is purely a matter of decision. We must put aside our logic and decide in our hearts that what God says is true, regardless of what the situations and people around us tell us:

"Let God be true, but every man a liar..."

Romans 3:4 

With these thoughts we continue on the eighth day of fasting, having the assurance that the Lord rewards those who diligently  seek Him with all their hearts.

Amen 🙏

The Fast of Jesus - Day of fast 7/21

 BY Argie Simonis

Fasting does not give us extra strength with God, but as Jesus said in Matthew 17:20-21 (that we commented in a previous message "The power of fasting"), fasting and prayer drive away a certain kind of unbelief and doubt.

The influence that comes from our natural senses is not a sin in itself, but it can lead us into sin if it affects our heart more than what God says.

Today we will look at the fasting of Jesus:

"Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Matt. 4:1

There was a reason the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. If Jesus who was sinless had to subdue his flesh, how much more must we do so in order to be able to cope with the spiritual battle we face every day?

"And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered." Matt. 4:2

Two of the three temptations of the devil began with, "If thou be the Son of God," that is to question who He was.

Jesus from childhood knew His true identity and what His mission was. At the age of twelve He amazed the teachers of the Law in Jerusalem with His wisdom and told His parents that He must be about His Father's business (Luke 2:46-49).

Satan was trying to get Jesus to prove His identity, and if Jesus fell into his trap it would have been in itself a sign of doubt and He would have sinned.

So we too must know who we are and what we can do in Christ:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

The devil is always trying to make us doubt our true identity and will try to make us identify ourselves with our actions, our mistakes and our failures, and not with who we are in spirit. We need to remember that the Lord looks at the heart and not the outward appearance and He does not see our mistakes as a failure, but as a lesson that will help us become better.

"And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." Luke 4:13

In other words, the devil used everything he had against Jesus. He has neither unlimited power nor unlimited tricks. His tactics are always the same and he uses them in three main areas:

"Τhe lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." 1John 2:16

It is certain that the fasting and the temptations exhausted Jesus both physically and emotionally. But God was with Him and angels strengthened Him:

"And Ηe was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Ηim." Mark 1:13

After this trial Jesus returned strengthened and ready to proceed in His ministry and complete the plan that God had for Him. This whole story gives us an illustration of our own lives as well. Fasting should be an essential part of our walk with the Lord. It trains us and prepares us to walk with victory in the call that the Lord has on our lives. When we fast we are not alone, but the angels of the Lord strengthen us. If we cannot subdue our own flesh, how will we be able to deal with all these demonic forces that Paul describes in Eph. 6?

The prophet Jeremiah says:

"If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?" Jeremiah 12:5

With these thoughts in our hearts we continue the 7th day of fasting with the certainty that we will have our reward from the Lord.

Amen 🙏

-------------------------------------

A word I received:

"Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see:

For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them." Luke 10:23-24

The Lord will give revelation and vision to those who show faithfulness and remain in prayer, fasting and seeking Him.

Daniel's fast - Day of fast 6/21

 BY Argie Simonis

When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he asked his servants to bring him

"children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans." Daniel 1:4

"Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:" Daniel 1:6

Daniel is one of the prominent figures in the Bible. A godly and humble man, he was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament and received revelations from the Lord similar to those described to us by John in the book of Revelation. A key reason he achieved this is the fact that he was a man of prayer and fasting:

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Daniel 1:8

"Prove your servants, I beseech you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink." Daniel 1:12

"And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat." Daniel 1:15

In chapters 9 and 10 we have two incidents of Daniel fasting and praying:

"And I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:" Daniel 9:3

"Yes, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation." Daniel 9:21

Daniel began to pray from verse 3 up to verse 19. It only takes a few minutes to read these verses, and Daniel said that while he was praying, the angel Gabriel came and gave him the answer to his prayer (Daniel 9:21). So, in less than three minutes or so, the answer to Daniel's prayer was already given. The angel Gabriel even tells him:

"At the beginning of your supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you; for you are greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." Daniel 9:23

This is an awesome revelation. God sent Gabriel at the beginning of the prayer, but it took about three minutes for him to appear to Daniel. This is completely contrary to the theology of many people. They believe that when God gives a command to an angel to do something, there is no factor of time, space or distance. From this story, however, we see that some time is required for the spiritual to manifest in the natural.

Daniel repeats the fast in chapter 10:

"In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." Daniel 10:2-3

Gabriel comes again:

"Then said he to me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, see, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:12-13

Both times Daniel prayed, the command to the angel Gabriel was given immediately. In the first case it took the angel 3 minutes, in the second 21 days.

Many times we get dissapointed when we fast, pray and seek the Lord but the answer does not seem to come. But what we see in Daniel's story is that the Lord responds immediately from the moment we begin prayer. There is a spiritual war going on (Eph. 6:12) and the resistance caused by the enemy sometimes delays the manifestation of the answer to our prayer. This should not discourage us. Rather, we must persist in fasting and prayer,

"for He is faithful that promised" Hebrews 10:23

Amen 🙏

Esther's fast - Day of fast 5/21

 BY Argie Simonis

The story of Esther is one of the most beautiful examples of godliness and self-sacrifice. Being an orphan since she was young, Mordecai raised her as his own daughter. When at some point King Ahasuerus wanted to choose a queen for himself, Esther was one of the candidate girls who went to the palace. The Lord made her find favor before the king and she became queen.

At one point Haman, a high-ranking official of the king who hated Mordecai because he did not bow down him like the rest of the people, conspired against him and managed to trick the king into issuing a decree to kill all the Israelites in the kingdom. It was a moment of great crisis and Esther made the right decision: She fasted and sought the Lord, even calling her people to follow her in this fasting:

"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:16

Without considering her life, she asked for God's guidance. Even if the Lord's direction does not always come clearly, Esther took a step of faith and that saved the lives of her people. We must let the peace of God rule in our hearts. We may not be at perfect peace with any of our choices, but we must choose the one that brings the greatest peace:

"​And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful." Col. 3:15

Esther here put her life in great danger, but the cause was worth the risk. We should all have a purpose more important than ourselves. For those who just love themselves, the Lord said:

"For whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Μatt. 16:25-26

So let us keep in our hearts these words of the Lord and the example of Esther. Let us not forget that even in the worst moment of crisis the Lord is with us, ready to guide us when we seek Him with all our hearts, with fasting and prayer.

Amen 🙏

Fasting is humility - Day of fast 3/21

  BY Argie Simonis

"If Μy people, which are called by Μy name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek Μy face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2Cr. 7:14

Here we have another very beautiful promise of the Lord that was fulfilled on the cross of Calvary. Our healing and the forgiveness of our sins are already available through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. What I want to focus on is that when prayer and seeking the face of the Lord is done through fasting it is much more effective. With this act we humble ourselves before Him and when we do this there is a promise:

"But he gives more grace. Why he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"... and before honor is humility." Prov. 15:33

Here I would like to say a few words about pride. Many believe that pride is arrogance, self-exaltation and a tendency to be superior and better than others. Yes, this is one form of pride, but not the only one. Anything that tends to lead us to self-centeredness is pride. Some examples:

Worrying about what others think, being ashamed to speak our mind in public for fear of what they will think of us, is pride. When we settle for something we don't agree with, that comes against our principles and don't speak the truth for fear of offending someone, it's pride. When we see a man walking badly and do not warn him for fear of being offended and spoiling our relationship with him, it is pride.

Proud is someone who seeks his own glory and puts his own image above the truth and by extension above God, because God is the truth:

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6

But when something like this happens, we no longer have the devil in front of us, but God himself because "God resists the proud..." James 4:6

So we continue the fast with these thoughts and trust that as we humble ourselves before the Lord, His grace will abundantly cover our lives.

Amen 🙏

The power of fasting - Day of fast 2/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"However, this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting." Matt. 17:21

In this story (Matt. 17:14-21), Jesus does not tell us that there is a special class of demons that are cast out only through prayer and fasting. There is no demon, not even satan himself, that does not respond to the name of Jesus and do not believe in His name:

"You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19

If the name of Jesus was not enough to cast out every evil spirit, then we would be in real trouble:

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:10-11

Jesus here is not referring to the specific demon He cast out of the child, but to the kind of unbelief that prevented His disciples from casting it out.

It was not their lack of faith, because His disciples had cast out demons again. This time they couldn't. Remember Peter who had enough faith to walk on water, but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus he almost drowned.

What we need to understand is that faith and doubt/unbelief can coexist within us.

Unbelief can be divided into three main categories: Unbelief due to ignorance, unbelief due to misinformation, and simply physical unbelief.

Unbelief due to ignorance or misinformation is dealt with by receiving the truth from God's word:

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17

However, the unbelief that hindered the disciples in this case was not about whether God was able to bring deliverance, but it was a human nature of unbelief/doubt that hardened their hearts and they were more sensitive to what they saw and not in what they really believed. Now see what they were looking at and imagine yourself there with them:

"And they brought him to Him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming." Mark 9:20

It is important to remember that prayer and fasting affect our own heart and not God's. It has great power and it doesn't just cast out a certain category of demons but Jesus was saying that fasting and prayer are the only ways to cast out this kind of unbelief, the doubt that is created in us when we focus more on what we see than on what we really believe.

So we continue to stick to the fasting and prayer we started, with the assurance that the Lord will reward our faithfulness with revelations and answers to our prayers.

Amen 🙏

Fasting: A Matter of the Heart - Day of fast 1/21

 BY Argie Simonis

"Moreover when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to fast. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;

That you appear not to men to fast, but to your Father which is in secret: and your Father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly." Μatt. 6:16-18

Here the Lord emphasizes that fasting has to do with the motives of the heart. He said exactly the same about prayer:

"And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward." Μatt. 6:5

So, what is the purpose of fasting?

I believe that fasting is the opportunity for man to humble his soul, and repent of his sin and carnality. But the Lord says that real fasting is more than these physical things. It has to do with the attitude of the heart:

"Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?" Isaiah 58:5-7

The main purpose of the Lord's kind of fasting, is freedom. Isaiah tells us here that it will loose the bands of wickedness in us and we will be freed from our burdens. It will free us from oppression and break every yoke that the devil has put on us. This way we will be able to better hear the voice of the Lord, His instruction for our lives and see more answers to our prayers. When we stop being the center of the world and start blessing others, help the poor and give our time and help to our family and those around us, the reward comes not from men, but from Heaven:

"Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If you take away from the middle of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;" Isaiah 58:8-9

"And the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11

Praise be to God!