To achieve a corporate breakthrough, a God-fearing leader must call and gather the people to fast and pray. For example, when King Jehoshaphat heard a large army was coming against him, he did not move out in his own strength. He called the people to fast and pray until they heard the word of the Lord. Then the Lord spoke through Jahaziel, saying, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. … For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chr. 20:15). If you are a pastor or God-fearing leader, one of your responsibilities will be to spearhead corporate breakthrough by gathering the people to fast and pray.
Jesus received the Holy Spirit when He was baptized by John the Baptist. His ministry of power, however, was not birthed until after a time of fasting (Luke 4:1-19). Jesus then began His ministry of power, casting out demons and healing people of diseases.
The anointing was not just reserved for Jesus. It is also reserved for us who believe in His name. Jesus said we would do greater works than He did (John 14:12). He also said the servant is not above his master (Matt. 10:24). But we can only do greater works than Jesus to the measure that we’ve been anointed by the same Holy Spirit.
This anointing is weighty. When the anointing for ministry comes to rest upon you, you may feel it rest like a weighted garment upon your person. The Bible references this as an “ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18) and “eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17).
This weighty anointing rests upon our flesh. Since the Bible describes the Spirit being at war with our flesh and our flesh being at war with the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), this means that in order to sustain the anointing on our flesh, we have to put our flesh down through fasting and prayer. Through fasting, we present our bodies to Jesus as a living sacrifice and prepare our flesh to be made into new wineskins, capable of receiving the outpouring of the Spirit (Rom. 12:1; Mark 2:22).
Fasting and prayer is that which prepares our hearts to carry more of what we were made for. The kingdom of God is always increasing (Is. 9:7). That means we, too, should always be increasing. We do this through the power of fasting and prayer.
What is God saying to His church in this hour? He’s saying, “Don’t just pray. Fast and pray.”
Jennifer Eivaz is a vibrant minister and international conference speaker who carries the wisdom and fire of the Holy Spirit. She presently serves as an executive pastor with Harvest Christian Center in Turlock, California, and is focused on raising up a passionate and effective prayer community that is tempered with love and hears the voice of God accurately. Jennifer loves the Presence of God and is a prophetic voice to her church and to others. Her teaching style is authentic and aimed at the heart, having been built on her personal testimony of God’s incredible goodness and miraculous display in her life and in the life of her church. She is married to HCC’s Senior Pastor Ron Eivaz. She’s a featured writer for several online publications including the Elijah List and Charisma Magazine. She’s also written a book titled The Intercessor’s Handbook.
For the original article, visit jennifereivazblog.com.
