Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. ESTHER 4:1516, NASB

In this passage, Queen Esther called her people to fast. This act released Gods power into the otherwise hopeless situation and miraculously spared the Jewish people from individual death and racial obliv-ion.

We should be equally willing to fast and intercede for those in our communities so that they may be saved from spiritual death. One of the most powerful and effective things you can do for the people around you is to fast and pray for them. The combination of fasting and prayer is the spiritual weapon our Lord has given us to help destroy the strongholds of evil in our world.

I had fasted from solid food many times, but never for as long as forty daysuntil God led me to do so in 1994. I knew He would not so lead me without a specific purpose, so I entered my fast with expectancy. God had burdened me with the sins of America and the church. During the fast, the Lord continually encouraged me, and I sensed His presence and was overwhelmed with His joy as never before. Most importantly, the Lord gave me assurance of a coming great spiritual awakening. Each year since 1994, I have engaged in a forty-day fast with similar results.

Ask the Lord how He wants you to fast and for how long. As you fast and pray, you will break down spiritual strongholds of evil in your personal life and in your community.

SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

As a lighthouse for Jesus Christ, I will fast and pray for my community, knowing that the eternal lives of people are at stake.