I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the
spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the
strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest
around the world.
Increasingly I have been gripped with a
growing
sense of urgency to call upon God to send revival to our beloved
country. In the spring and summer of 1994, I had a growing conviction
that God wanted me to fast and pray for forty days for revival in
America and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission in obedience to
our Lord's command.
At first I questioned, "Is this truly God's
call for me?" Forty days was a long time to go without solid food. But
with each passing day, His call grew stronger and more clear. Finally, I
was convinced. God was calling me to fast, and He would not make such a
call without a specific reason or purpose. With this conviction, I
entered my fast with excitement and expectancy mounting in my heart,
praying, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
I believe such a
long fast was a sovereign call of God because of the magnitude of the
sins of America and of the Church. The Lord impressed that upon my
heart, as well as the urgent need to help accelerate the fulfillment of
the Great Commission in this generation.
As I began my fast, I
was not sure I could continue for forty days. But my confidence was in
the Lord to help me. Each day His presence encouraged me to continue.
The longer I fasted, the more I sensed the presence of the Lord. The
Holy Spirit refreshed my soul and spirit, and I experienced the joy of
the Lord as seldom before. Biblical truths leaped at me from the pages
of God's Word. My faith soared as I humbled myself and cried out to God
and rejoiced in His presence.
This proved to be the most
important forty days of my life. As I waited upon the Lord, the Holy
Spirit gave me the assurance that America and much of the world will,
before the end of the year 2000, experience a great spiritual awakening.
This divine visit from heaven will kindle the greatest spiritual
harvest in the history of the Church. But before God comes in revival
power, the Holy Spirit will call millions of God's people to repent,
fast, and pray in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14:
If my
people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
The
scope of this revival depends on how believers in America and the rest
of the world respond to this call. I have spent fifty years studying
God's Word and listening to His voice, and His message could not have
been more clear.
This handy reference guide, Seven Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer,
will help make your time with the Lord more spiritually rewarding. I
encourage you to keep it with you during your fast and refer to it often
because it gives easy-to-follow suggestions on how to begin your fast,
what to do while you fast, and how to end your fast properly.
During
my forty-day fast, God impressed me to pray that two million Christians
in North America will fast for forty days by the end of the year 2000,
and pray for national and worldwide revival and for the fulfillment of
the Great Commission. I urge you to prayerfully consider this challenge.
Before you fast, I encourage you to read my book, The Coming Revival: America's Call to Fast, Pray, and "Seek God's Face." It will help equip you for the coming spiritual awakening.

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