Daily Devotional Day 9

“Day 9: Is He Speaking to You?

At this point you should become more aware of the Lord’s presence all around you. Your hunger for His provision and His attention has intensified.

When we fast according to His plan, God says, “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am’” (Isa. 58:9). Remember what the angel told Daniel in Daniel 10? From the first day that Daniel began to fast, God heard. The only thing that held up his answer was battle in the heavens!”

“A woman who volunteers for Free Chapel gave the most amazing testimony to this fact. Her parents had been in severe financial trouble for over a year. They had been given notice of foreclosure proceedings if they did not pay $5,500. She called her unsaved brothers and asked them if they wanted to join her in doing something that would help her parents in this desperate situation. God backed her up! Her brothers agreed, and they began to fast. Within fifteen days of the house being foreclosed, her parents received a phone call. Her father had applied for disability in 2000, but it took six years for them to get around to having the hearing on his case. They called to inform the family that his disability application had been approved, and a check was in the mail that very day in the amount of—are you ready for this?—$86,000, which included the amount from 2000. In addition, he would be getting disability payments monthly. There is no way her brothers can deny that God is the One who brought about this miracle.

God’s promises don’t stop there. He also says:”

“God’s promises don’t stop there. He also says:

Then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations.

—ISAIAH 58:10–12, KJV

Your light will rise out of obscurity. In other words, in situations you face that are just overwhelming and you don’t know how to find your way through the darkness of obscurity and confusion, God will cause your light to shine on the path you are to take.”

“Though the path before you may be obscure, when you fast and pray in faith, God will reward you and guide you. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’” (Isa. 30:21).

Remember, it was during a fast that Paul received the call of God and the assignment for his life. Peter was fasting when he received his “rooftop revelation” from the Lord, who called Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles. What will God reveal to you during your fast?

Maybe you have rebellious children or sons and daughters who are committing fornication, but I’m telling you, fasting and praying will absolutely break those spirits off their lives.”

“On your ninth day of fasting, remember:

• Maintain your journal.

• Continue to meditate and listen.

• Mints will keep your breath fresh.

•

Thoughts for your journal:

(Write your thoughts in a separate journal.)

Reflect on the battle that ensues between the carnal man and the spirit.

How has God’s presence become more clear through this experience?

Prayer Focus Day 9: Family”

“No matter where I go, I never go by myself. What I mean is, I carry with me part of the past generation and the future generations. I often teach, “Every deed has a seed.” In other words, the deeds you choose to do in this lifetime create a seed for future generations. That businessman who takes a trip and watches pornography in secret in his hotel room is not just affecting himself, but he is also sowing seeds for generations to come. Similarly, if that same businessman chooses instead to worship God in the privacy of his hotel room, seeds of worship and faith are being sown into the future generations. Wherever you go, every deed is producing a seed. You’re either sowing iniquity for the next generation, or you’re sowing equity, spiritually and righteously, for the next generation. Today, pray for those in your family and those yet to come. Break generational curses and establish blessings. Lay a foundation for the next generation. (See Isaiah 58.)

Prayer targets for my family today:

(Write your thoughts in a separate journal.)

“May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and may you live to see your children’s children.

—PSALM 128:5–6, NIV”