Psalm 8:1, “I Love You, Lord” (Klein, 1978), and Psalm 16:2

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Zechariah 7. The Mind of the Spirit came upon the spirit of my mind in verse 5:

Zechariah 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

Fasting to God must be a contrast from fasting to be seen of men. Jesus warned us of this false spirit:

Matthew 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Matthew 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Matthew 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Along the still waters, I thought about our call to prayer and fasting, “For kings, and for all that are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1). Satan has established strongholds within our government, and we must use the “weapons” of our warfare to pull them down (2 Corinthians 10:4; see Ephesians 6:12-21). Devils defend those strongholds that are of the sort Jesus warned require prayer and fasting to overcome (Matthew 17:21).

It would be a shame if any of us fell prey to any false spirit that diverted our efforts from the objective to bring ourselves under God for His glory to serving something so small and carnal as bringing glory to ourselves.

I think we all know that we pray and fast to be seen of God, not of men. I believe the Spirit brought this to my attention to accent our focus on Him, not on one another. We fast together, as one body, to God. And our objective is that God would manifest His power against the devils that resist our weak efforts to cast them out.

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, the Spirit spoke Jesus’ words to my heart: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). So long as e are full of ourselves, we cannot be filled with Him.

At the table, my Shepherd anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy attended us as we rose from His table and entered the Harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏