“If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen…Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Mark 4:23-24 (CSB)
One of the chief goals of fasting is to purge our lives of distracting influences and pay closer attention to God. This is, after all, the age of distraction; we need help more than ever. We have ten thousand podcasts, movies, apps, games, feeds, hobbies, books, restaurants, emails, and demands on our calendar. We literally have the power to go anywhere and do anything. But do we have an appetite to shove these choices to the backseat so we can spend time with our Father in prayer. Jesus warned us, pay attention to what you pay attention to.
Wartime accounts describe how chaotic battlefields are—filled with the volley of rifle fire, canon, heavy artillery, shouting, and the clash of steel. In the haze of smoke and hand-to-hand combat it’s easy to get disoriented. Above the noise of the clamor and shuffle we have to be trained to hear the sound of our commanding office. Where is he? Where is the enemy? Where are we? What’s the strategic objective?
The American landscape is changing—rapidly. We are in a spiritual war with escalating physical consequences. I believe this is a time to be sober minded and alert. We need to hear clearly what God is saying, not what everyone else is saying. Fasting trains us to hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit for our family, for our ministries, and for the people we are trying to reach. If we listen, God will lead us in his ways. Here are a few reminders during this week of prayer and fasting on how to practice listening to, and discerning, the voice of the Spirit.
God’s Word
The Lord speaks through his Word. His Word is timeless, “the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8). His Word is also incredibly timely; the Spirit breathes across the Word to give you nourishment for today, “man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3). We are living in the days when all authority, truth, and trust is being contested. There is only one solid rock jutting out of the sea of confusion and opinion and that is God’s Word. Make sure you are reading more of the Scriptures this week.
God’s Spirit
The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. We don’t always know what is on God’s heart, or how to pray for specific situations. The Spirit enables us to pray in specific ways for God’s kingdom to come to earth, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26); “no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God…now we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:11, 16). Invite the Holy Spirit to come and guide your mind to focus on what he wants you to prayer for, and to fill your heart with his passion.
God’s Family
You need to be surrounded by other followers of Jesus who are also responsive to the voice of the Lord. He often gives each of his family members a piece of the puzzle; we move forward together; “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). We need to be in right relationship each other, listening and working together towards God’s common purposes. I’d encourage you to pray with one or two other people this week; ask others what the Lord is saying and doing; and adjust to what God is saying, not what you want him to say.
Holy Silence
Just because you don’t hear something from God doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Some of my favorite times with my children are when they are quietly curled up on my lap and we are just breathing together. The Heavenly Father doesn’t always communicate intellectually through your brain. Often it is a relational communication through your spirit, “remain in me and I will remain in you” (John 15:4).
In moments of silence or uncertainty learn to continually turn your attention back to visualizing God on his throne, and giving him the thanksgiving and worship he deserves. When we abide in that posture of worship it teaches us to adapt to his environment. It also teaches us to grow past the immaturity of basing our worship of God on our feelings or experiences.
Final Thoughts
These weeks of fasting and prayer can be especially difficult. They can also be especially valuable in training us to reduce the clutter and focus on God. My prayer for the Church in this season is that nothing would distract us. I believe God is repositioning his Army Bride. He is reawakening us to our First Love and realigning us for the next season of ministry in which we partner with him in leading his lost children to Jesus. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen…Pay attention to what you hear.”
Tags: prayer, holy spirit, listening, god's word, fasting
