(Audio) Prayer and Fasting

Why did God touch Daniel in such a special way? And behold, a hand touched me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hand. He said, something supernatural happened to me. God touched my life in a new and special way. When I got this touch from God, on my face, I began to become a man of prayer. You know, he prayed three times a day, as it was. I was asking more. He was bringing this man to a crisis. Because, you see, when God wants to restore, when God wants to do a new thing, there's been ruin and the house of God has been threatened. Conscious decision, meet the face of God, to be men and women of prayer. God appears to them, sees this urgency to pray. God calls every minister to pray. I don't know why you've been in the ministry if you didn't get a call to pray. And almost every young preacher has this call. They have hourly time that they pray daily with the Lord. But as they get older and minister longer, they don't feel the urgency. They get so busy, they don't pray. I remember an old prophet coming to me. His name was Leonard Ravenhill. Remember what he said? David, preachers don't pray. He said, I see that all over the world. Meditate. They give God a certain time, moments a day. Pray to get a sermon. They count their study time as prayer time. Old preachers do not pray. I had a pastor and his wife asked me to have lunch with them. He pastored a church of 1,000. His wife was concerned. He told me, I'm a good pastor, 1,000 people, love my people, but I have not prayed in one year. I don't know how to pray anymore. She said, my husband is so good at this, can pastor a church without prayer? And I was shocked. I hear it everywhere I go. Daniel had been reading the prophecy of Jeremiah. He wanted to take his people back. He wanted to restore his church. One was seeking God. I began to fast. Three weeks, I went into a crisis. I didn't eat any pleasant bread, nor wine. I didn't anoint myself. 21 days, I was in with God. He was not shut in for 24 hours a day. The Bible said he did his king's business. He was the third leader in Babylon, a very busy man. But the Word of God had awakened him. God was trying to do something for the house of God. After 21 days of fasting, 21 days of seeking God, the same vision John got on the Isle of Patmos. Here's what God said. Seeking to find a man who would understand the crises, understand the times, and would give themselves, would make a decision, fast and pray. I could make them a voice. I would speak my words unto them. Someone has to touch God, and I want to hear. I'm not satisfied. I want to see God do something in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is in ruins. Temple is broken down. God said and promised he would do something. And I want to see God fulfill his Word. And one day you read the Bible. You saw that God said, I'll pour out my Spirit on all flesh. You began to read the signs of the times. The Holy Spirit began to tell you, I want to build up what has fallen down. I don't care who you are. You're not an old woman in the church, an elder, a pastor of a little church. But a day came when you said, I'm going to seek God. You'd been chasing yourself as Daniel did. You would not eat food. You would go into a fast, and you would seek my face. God knows the very day you start. That's why we're not ready. Because God has to have a praying, fasting people. He called me to give myself to prayer and fasting in the Word. To come into this pulpit and preach your kids under conviction. Family from going to hell. That's my job. I studied the life of Ezra and Nehemiah. I find the same thing. I set my heart and decision to seek the face of God. I am not satisfied. I will not live like this anymore. Either you move in my life, or take me home. You may never raise up some great church, but you'll become the man or the woman God wants you to be. Give you a message. Give you souls.