Day 106
Acts 13:3 Amplified Version
"Then after fasting and praying, they put their hands on them and sent them away."
Sometimes, a mission we are about to embark on can stretch our faith beyond the limits we have already experienced. According to Acts 13, the ministers who heard from God about Paul and Barnabas' ministry saw fit to fast before they sent them away. The church was still fairly young, and the trail Paul and Barnabas would be blazing was new. As Jesus pointed out in Matthew 27, fasting sometimes helps rid us of unbelief. As a result, our faith is strengthened.
Paul was about to face hostile Jews, who were rebellious against the message that Jesus was the Messiah. He would meet Gentiles, who were profiting from the worship of idol gods and would not sit quietly while their customers turned to the true God. Then, there were the intellectuals, who would scoff at the idea of someone being raised from the dead. Most of all, there was the unknown, which could always have brought fear.
Denying the flesh and concentrating on spiritual things through fasting and prayer always strengthens the spirit and allows faith to increase. Paul and Barnabas, along with the other ministers at Antioch, were very wise to fast and pray before launching their challenging ministry. May we humbly see and follow their example, as we are lead by the Spirit of God. We must know, however, that we are fasting to prepare ourselves and not to guarantee successful ministry. Successful ministry is guaranteed by obedience to God and by faith.
I will fast and pray to prepare myself for ministry. I will fast and pray to get rid of unbelief and to strengthen my faith.