by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it… It is the Lord’s Passover… Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. – Exodus 12:7,11,13
Years ago my friend had a dream of a mystic who had entered into the Great Cloud of Witnesses. In the dream, she held a container with letters coming out of it, floating in the air, saying, “Lou Engle now has the gift of faith for the Great Communion Revival.”
Again a dream was given in which another prophetic friend saw a chapel and lines of people as far as you could see were coming to this chapel. In the dream he prophesied, “All the revivals in all of history will not compare to what’s coming in the Great Communion Revival!”
Do you realize, once again, the brilliance of the Father’s timing of this fast? For those of us who started on March 1st, we ended our fast on Easter Weekend, when the Church celebrated communion worldwide and the global Jewish community celebrated the blood of the passover lamb! The Hebrew calendar and the Church calendar were synchronized in an historic and momentous convergence! C’mon! A global 40-day Jesus Fast converged with a global communion service! Literally, tens of millions took communion at the end of this fast! Could this be the beginnings of the Great Communion Revival?
Just as in the days of the Egyptian captivity, when a plague broke out, slaying all the firstborn of the land, a global plague has now broken out, slaying thousands around the world. In those days, the sprinkled blood of a lamb was more powerful than the plague, setting the Israelites free. Is not the blood of the Eternal Lamb of God even more powerful and, when applied in faith by the Church worldwide, will it not obliterate this present pandemic and set millions of captives free from the bondage of sin and death?
Who could have guessed that we would be living this moment in a worldwide pandemic similar to the plague during the first Passover. I believe Jesus is setting up the most glorious Passover moment in history. On this final day of fasting, we are calling men and women who are still quarantined in their homes, like the early Jews who were in their homes on Passover night, to take communion and celebrate the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. We are calling far and wide for the Church to apply the blood to the doorposts of their personal guilt, their family guilt, and their national guilt, and plead the power of that blood over the virus. Then, with the rod of authority like the rod of Moses, let the Church declare to this virus, this messenger of death, “Enough! Restrain your hand!” Let the Church declare, “Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea!” Let the Church declare, “This Coronavirus will be cut short!” Let the Church declare, “You will no longer hinder the evangelistic explosion going forward in the year 2020!” Let the Church declare to the masses of lost, seething humanity, “Go free in the name of Jesus!”
“And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” – 1 John 5:8
On the cross, the Passover Lamb was slain and the precious blood was poured out for the sins of the world. 50 days later, on the day of Pentecost (Hallelujah!), the Spirit bore witness to the blood. “They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).
Friends, do you see it? As we finish this fast with communion, the blood of Jesus will be exalted. Then, what if the Church worldwide will pray for 50 days for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the season of Pentecost in 2020? Will not God respond with a mighty baptism that will hurl forth witnesses to the ends of the earth?! It will be called the Great Communion Revival.
So on this final day of the fast, meet with a few friends if possible (in accordance with government regulations), let Jesus say to you, as He said to His disciples on that night, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15)! Feel His Presence in your midst and eat of the broken body and poured out blood of your Savior. Apply that blood over your company and over your nation and then stand as an Ekklesia ruling body and resist that virus in the mighty name of Jesus. Then pray together with mighty faith and command the doors to be opened for the most glorious evangelistic missional assault on the gates of Hades this world has ever seen! Then, my brothers and sisters, pray for a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit, from which you go now and preach the gospel!
Thank you once again for following me on “This dream trek, on this horrible, wonderful highway of commanding destiny” (Mark Rutland), called The Jesus Fast. Hopefully it has changed your life, and hopefully, it won’t be your last. Please join me as I will continue blogging periodically as the Holy Spirit directs at thejesusfast.global/.
-Lou Engle
by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
Be encouraged! You have passed through a wilderness which I’m sure has seen some great spiritual highs, but probably deeper valleys and dark moments. Isn’t that what the wilderness is about? But even a glimpse of heaven, or a phrase from God’s voice, or a quickened verse from the Bible will ruin you for everything else. I’ve experienced some dark days in this fast, but rarely have I heard His voice so clear. Some may say, “It was a dry and difficult experience,” but I remind you what Derek Prince said, “Every fast done in faith will be rewarded by God.” Friend, look to the reward. I am reaping the fruit of extended fasts I did 30 years ago.
The Gospel writer Matthew describes the end of Jesus fast and the beginning of His ministry. I want you to see this fast as the beginning of a new era of your life. Don’t just look back and say, “I accomplished a fast,” rather say, “I have begun the ministry.” As we approach the end of this fast, let us follow Jesus’ own story.
“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’” – Matthew 4:2-3
Dear ones, first of all, please beware of the tempter’s intrusion at the end of this fast. Usually Satan finds an opportune time after a great victory. Secondly, during the fast the temptation was to eat bread, now the temptation after the fast will be to eat too much bread. Don’t be a binge faster and lose the cutting edge of the spiritual alertness that attended you during this fast. Those carnal lusts will leap upon you like a thief in the night. Be self-controlled, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone Satan! For it is written…’” – Matthew 4:10
As we reach the 40th day of the fast tomorrow, let thousands declare the written word of God, “Satan be gone!” over their own addictions, insurmountable mountains over their lives and families, and obstacles of finance and future plans. Loose that word of faith. Declare it out loud all day long. “Satan be gone!” Dare to believe for a great deliverance.
“You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” – Matthew 4:10
Turn this day, and the days and months following, into a focused habit of praise and worship. Determine to turn your back on the idolatrous flesh hooks that held you in captivity before, saying, “I will worship the Lord my God, and Him only will I worship.” Determine to be a singer of His praise into these glorious new days.
“Then the Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” – Matthew 4:11
On this day, open yourself to the divine swirl of the angelic activity moving around you. I have found at times at the end of fasts, an overwhelming ecstasy, partly because I can eat, but mostly because I can feel the nearness of Heaven. Look for divine appointments, let your heart swell to the Spirit of God pulsing within you. Jesus came out of the fast in the power of the Spirit.
“He withdrew into Galilee… so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.” – Matthew 4:12,14
Step out into the new place and into the new direction God has called you to during this fast. Fulfill the prophecy which was written in the book God authored about you before you were born.
“From that time Jesus began to preach.” – Matthew 4:17
Preach! Do the work of an evangelist. Declare your life message. Come out of the caves of insecurity and let loose your light to shine on those who dwell in the shadow of death.
by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be in blazoned on heaven’s eternal page of fame. The spirit is brooding over our land again as at creations dawn, and the fiat of God goes forth. “Let there be light.”Brother, sister, if we all believed God, can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is this ascending to the throne night and day. Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself here long in the throes of a mighty revival by the spirit and power of God. – Frank Bartleman, November 16, 1905, Five Months Before Azusa Street
Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. – Luke 4:14-15
Dear brothers and sisters who have joined us on this epic Jesus Fast, you now stand before a door into the most outrageous adventure of following the Lamb wherever He goes. You can go through that door and take the risk of leaving all behind for the sake of the Gospel or you can turn back from that door and become a mere mortal. This is your watershed moment that will affect the rest of your life, your world, and the world around you.
Who could have guessed that the timing of this fast would be at the time of the coronavirus? The fast is not the finale; the fast was a preparation for your future-forward movement. Now you need to put feet to both your prayers and the revelation that you have received during this season. Jesus did not just say, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers” (Matt. 9:38), but He also said, “Go ye therefore” (Matt. 28:19). The coronavirus has ripened the fields of harvest in ways we could not have imagined. Men and women are screaming for hope and help, for a foundation on which to stand. You have the message they need. Even now, tens of thousands are giving their lives to Christ during online church services and web chats. 2020 is becoming the year of the most expansive evangelistic assault on the gates of Hades. You cannot go back to normal. In fact, the world cannot go back to normal. Now, keep the fires of your fast burning brightly by intentionally and purposefully picking up your sickle and joining the tens of thousands who are running headlong into the ripened fields of harvest. Do not let the multitudes of the lost and dying say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20)!
Get practical.
Join the GO2020 movement (go2020.world/home) that is calling for 100 million laborers from nations around the world to go into the streets this summer and evangelize, daring to believe for 1 billion souls to be reached! Join an evangelism team. Reach out with simple acts of kindness to your neighbors. Pray for 5 unbelievers who don’t yet know Jesus. Prayer walk your neighborhoods and, when God gives you the release, go home to home and ask if they need prayer. Pray for boldness to preach the Word. Pray for open doors. And when they open, throw yourself into them.
And now, are you one of those heroes who will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances? You will be! You are coming out of this fast in the power of the Holy Spirit! You are not a common man or woman! Will your name be emblazoned on heaven’s eternal page of fame? The world is in expectancy of the coming of the Lord and the Spirit is brooding over your nation again. Those who sit in the shadow of death and darkness are about to see a great light. Friend, "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Would you make this decision today? Make this your declaration: I refuse to go back to normal! I am not a mere Christian; I am a disciple! I will be the answer to my 40 days of fasting prayer. I will go! I will go!
by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
“The first thing that was done, before the power ever fell on Azusa, was a united ten day season of fasting and prayer. If there was ever any sectarianism, fasting broke it down.” – Mother Craton
On April 6, 1906, William Seymour and his small group of believers began a ten-day fast to pray for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They were joined by Seymour’s friend from Houston, Lucy Farrow, who was the only one there who had received the Baptism. Three days into the fast, on April 9, Seymour and Farrow went to pray for Seymour’s host, Mr. Edward Lee, who had requested prayer for healing. Mr. Lee told them of a dream he had received the night before where the twelve apostles came to him and explained how to speak in tongues. In response to the dream, Seymour and Farrow prayed for Mr. Lee and he immediately received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues! Filled with excitement, they rushed to their meeting at the house on Bonnie Brae Street. Mr. Lee lifted up his voice and began to speak in tongues in front of everyone. Soon others were speaking in tongues and the full Baptism of the Holy Spirit was upon them!
Word spread quickly throughout Los Angeles of the phenomena. Frank Bartleman said that “the news spread like fire, naturally.” By the next night, the Bonnie Brae house was filled and the crowds overflowed into the streets. As Seymour preached, people from across the street would fall to the ground under the power of the Spirit and begin speaking in tongues. The meetings continued on Bonnie Brae Street without interruption for three days straight. The crowds thronged the house with such intensity that the front porch actually collapsed, though no one was hurt. It actually wasn’t until the fourth day, on April 12th, that Seymour himself received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit after staying up all night in prayer and fasting. As hungry seekers from every race, culture, and denominational background came to discover more of God, Seymour was forced to find a bigger building to accommodate the ever-growing crowds. On April 14, they moved to an old building on 312 Azusa Street that had most recently been used as a horse stable and motel.
At 312 Azusa Street, Seymour began hosting three services a day, seven days a week. The building was always full. Hosts of people experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in new tongues, and physical healing. In Bartleman’s book, What Really Happened at Azusa St.?, he described the revival by saying, “Suddenly the Spirit would fall upon the congregation. God himself would give the altar call. Men would fall all over the house, like the slain in battle, or rush for the altar en masse to seek God. The scene often resembled a forest of fallen trees…. Some claim to have seen the (shekinah) glory by night over the building.” God poured out a new day of Pentecost.
The Azusa Street Revival continued until 1915 and birthed the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Today there are over 600 million Pentecostal and Charismatic believers. Eyewitness accounts of the revival pointed to fasting and prayer as the fuel of the fire.
Glen Cook, said, “I had a room adjoining Brother Seymour. I know that Brother Seymour fasted for weeks at a time and only ate occasionally. There was much fasting and prayer in those days, and I believe that another Azusa could be here today if God’s people would get to travailing in much prayer and fasting.”
A.W. Dodson recalled, “They just waited on the Lord in fastings, prayer and the unity of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit spoke and moved, they moved. The Holy Spirit was their leader, and when the Spirit anointed, then that person spoke. There was no denominational barrier; nobody shut up another or told him to sit down. The Holy Spirit was there in operation, and this was brought about through intense closeness and communion with God by everyone forgetting about food and their cares. We just drank at the Fountain of the Spirit.”
Communion Preparation
We want to give you a special notice to prepare you to take communion on the last day of this fast. We want to join together in communion for what we believe is going to herald the Great Communion Revival. Gather your elements, your family, and then follow the devotional on the final day of your fast.
by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
In his excellent book, The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting, Mahesh Chavda tells one of the most moving stories about helping a broken child through prayer and fasting. This story is another example of the power of fasting and prayer to release captives from the power of darkness. At the time, Mahesh was working at a hospital for mentally handicapped children in Lubbock, Texas. Here’s his story:
I’ll never forget the day I met a 16-year-old boy whom I’ll call “Stevie”. Stevie was a victim of Down’s Syndrome, a moderate to severe form of mental retardation often characterized by reduced mental capacity and certain physical deformities. Steve was afflicted with something even worse. He was a self-mutilator who was driven to cry out and beat himself in the face constantly.
The staff psychologist at the school had secured permission from state officials in Austin, Texas to administer electric shock therapy to Stevie for a six-month period… administering electric shocks any time he beat himself. He just got worse and worse instead of better. By the time I was there, his face felt like dry alligator skin because he beat himself continuously.
Finally, the attendants tied Stevie’s hands in splints so that he couldn’t bend his arms to reach his face. The only problem was that the other children in his dormitory ward developed a new game once they figured out that Stevie’s hands were bound at his sides. They liked to run up behind him and push him so hard that he would lose his balance and fall down. Since Stevie could no longer instinctively shield his face with his arms because of the splints, every time the kids on the ward played their game and pushed him, Stevie would land facedown on the floor without any way to protect himself or soften the landing. Most of the time we would find him with blood streaming from his nose, lips, and mouth. Whenever I would come, Stevie could sense God’s love coming from me and he would put his head on my shoulder and just weep.
Finally I said, “Lord, You told me that You sent me here to love these children. What is the answer for Stevie?” Very clearly I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say, “This kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.” Although this may be a very familiar scripture to you, it sounded totally foreign to me. I had attended a Bible university for four years and had earned my Bachelor’s Degree there, but I didn’t even know that the Spirit was quoting a scripture passage to me from Matthew 17:21!
Another thing I’d failed to learn during my four years of Bible school training was the subject of fasting. I said, “Fasting – doesn’t that mean no food and no water?” So I didn’t eat and didn’t drink water or Coke or anything else for that matter. I was also unaware of the fact that when you do without water, your priorities will change. By the third day of my fast without water, I began to get jealous every time I heard someone washing their hands in a bathroom sink!
On the fourth day the Lord spoke to me and said, “You can drink,” so I started drinking water. But I did not break the fast until the fourteenth day and the Lord said, “Now pray for Stevie.” When I arrived for my shift at the school that day, I took Stevie into my little office cubicle and said, “Stevie, I know your mind may not understand what I’m saying, but your spirit is eternal. I want to tell you that I am a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I’ve come to preach good news to you. I want you to know that Jesus Christ came to set the captives free.”
Then I said, “In the name of Jesus, you evil spirit of mutilation, you let him go now in the name of Jesus.” Suddenly Stevie’s body was flung about eight feet away from me and hit the other wall of the cubicle! When Stevie hit the wall, his body was elevated about three feet above the floor, and then he slid down to the floor and let out a long sigh. Immediately, I smelled an incredibly foul smell of rotten eggs and burning sulfur in the room, which gradually faded away.
I quickly went to Stevie, cradled him in my arms, and removed his splints while he watched with wide eyes. Then Stevie began to bend his arms and gently feel his face. I watched him softly touch his eyes, his nose, and his ears; then he started sobbing. He had realized that for the first time he was not being driven to beat himself. He was gently touching his face and he had been delivered! In that unforgettable moment, the Lord revealed to me what a powerful weapon He has given to us to pull down strongholds and set the captives free. Within a few months, all the scabs had fallen off of Stevie’s face. He had begun to heal because he had stopped beating himself.
by Bruno Arnesi | Sep 16, 2020 | The Jesus Fast 2020
“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them–to the Israelites.” – Joshua 1:2
I write this devotional in a prayer grotto at Every Home for Christ in Colorado Springs. The name of the grotto is Issachar, named after the sons of Issachar, who knew the times and what Israel ought to do.
At the time that I was writing this, we had just received the news that Reinhard Bonnke, the great evangelist of Africa, had passed away. At the very time of Reinhard’s passing, his spiritual son and successor, Daniel Kolenda, was preaching to tens of thousands in a Christ for all Nations (CfaN) crusade. Daniel wrote that there couldn’t have been a more fitting legacy to Reinhard’s life than thousands being saved at the moment of his passing. Many times you can discern the times and the seasons of historic shifts by the passing of great men of God into their eternal reward.
Two years ago, God spoke to us that when Billy Graham died, an evangelistic explosion would be released like there has never been before. Now, two years later, Reinhard Bonnke, whose crusades saw millions saved in one gathering, has died. For the past ten years we have pondered the passing of these two men and the coming of stadium Christianity, where mighty evangelists would rise and fill stadiums and thousands would be saved and healed and the media would not be able to ignore it. In fact, we put pictures of Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke on the walls of our prayer room. As we looked at these pictures of their massive gatherings, we cried, “Lord of the Harvest, hurl forth laborers into the harvest field!” We believe this is a sons of Issachar moment, to discern the times of a new generation who will arise with a double portion anointing of these two men.
In the transition from John the Baptist to Jesus, when the baton was being passed, Jesus, the ultimate evangelist, seized His moment, fasted 40 days, and came out in the power of the Holy Spirit. The earth has never been the same since!
Is the call to this 40-day fast at the very passing of Reinhard Bonnke an accident? No! With all my heart I believe the globe will fast 40 days and follow Jesus’ ancient pathway to power. The globe is in a moment of a divine reenactment of Jesus’ fast for Jesus’ power.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you that Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke shook the world, but we believe that their ceiling is our stepping stone. Let men and women all across the globe seize their divine moment and lay hold of this 40-day fast for the greatest harvest in history! Amen.
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