Discipline The Mind Prayer and Fasting

 This piece will cover two topics. 

The first topic is meant to reiterate what Brother Josh spoke about on Sunday, September 16^th.  The topic was disciplining ones mind to be mindful of God.  If you were not present you should get a recording because it was very good. 



The other topic is going to be about the national day of prayer and fasting scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 29^th, 2012.  The two topics are tied closely together, and what is important to understand is that prayer and fasting will not be effective without the diligence that Josh spoke of.

 Brother Josh gave a very relevant and timely word on Sunday.  I would be shocked if anyone hearing that message was not inspired to do better.  To summarize, he spoke about training one’s mind to spend time with God and in His Word.  Josh compared this to training a child to stay in time out.  When one’s mind wonders from time with God, one must stop it and take it back to what it is supposed to be doing, much like putting a child back in time out when it gets up without permission.




For most of us, spending time with God is a choir.  We find ourselves falling asleep, our mind wonders, or we allow ourselves to be distracted by other things.  





Then, to make matters worse, we give in to sleep and distractions and do not complete our time with God.  When we do this, we are letting Satan know that all he has to do is distract us and we will leave our time with God, missing out on what he had for us.  This needs to change.  No one is going to be faulted for their mind wondering, but when it does, it needs to be caught and put back in its place.  No matter how many times it happens.  Eventually, like a child, the mind will learn not to wonder.  When the mind stops wondering, a person’s time with God will be more productive, and they will receive more revelation from God.

This relates to the national day of prayer and fasting in that Christians are going to need to be discipline not only on 9/29/12, but in the days leading up to it as well.  
I have been meditating on the date quite a bit, and God has revealed some things to me concerning the affect the day can have on the rest of eternity.  I will not get into what those thing are, but what it has done is help me to understand how important that day is.  A day of this important, with the sort of impact that it can have, needs to be approached with preparation and expectation.  The worst thing that the Body of Christ can do is treat 9/29 as another exercise.  If the day is not approached with seriousness by Christians, the day will be lost and it will not be taken seriously by the world.  I would encourage all believers to be in prayer now and in the days to come about how God would have you prepare for the day.

Disciplining one’s mind is a worldly exercise that takes time and training.  Most of us fall short of the discipline that it takes to kick start a national move of God.  God’s grace can supernaturally step in as a substitute for the discipline we lack in the natural.  That grace will allow us to focus on His will during this time of prayer and fasting.  There are certain things that God is having me do that will bring his grace upon me and my family.  Part of that grace is the focus and discipline that is needed to make that day a success for His Kingdom.  Christians need to be in prayer now regarding what God would have them do to ignite that grace.



What are you doing to prepare for this national day of prayer and fasting?  Do you believe that this date can change the course of this nation?  If you have not started to prepare, use these questions in your quiet time with God to figure out what He would have you do.  Force yourself to give God your undivided attention until the Holy Spirit speaks to you, and do not resist the assignment that God gives you.  As the Body of Christ we cannot afford to take this day lightly.  Remember, one will put a thousand to flight, two will put ten thousand to flight.  Just think of what and entire nation of believers can do.