October 2020 Fasting and Prayer Message — Saturday PM

This is a summary of the message from the October 2020 fasting and prayer weekend led by Pastor Praveen and held at our church. We had four sessions, Friday morning and evening and Saturday morning and evening (posted here). During our fasting and prayer sessions, it is usual for the Holy Spirit to speak to us through Pastor Praveen. Sometimes, he shares insights into the scripture that the Holy Spirit provides to him through revelation.

Introductory Remarks

Spend Time with God

We need to understand who our God is – His power, faithfulness, grace and mercy. Once you understand, you cannot keep quiet. You will praise Him always. Everlasting love, kindness, mercy, and compassion. What else do we need? If we know Him, we will praise Him. Each day, we need to spend time with our God. That is our calling. Many of us have busy lives. But if we move to spend time with God, He will help us and make time for us to be with Him. If we say, “I am busy, busy,” we will not have time to spend with Him. We must say, “Lord, I am busy, but you can make the way.” He will give us time. 

We Are Almost There

Again tonight, Pastor Praveen encouraged us, “We are almost there.” God is saying, “Get ready. Prepare for the harvest.” Don’t look at the problems around us. Look at Jesus. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:5). “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10). God spoke this last verse to Pastor Praveen 2009 in his hotel room in Saudi Arabia where God sent him on a mission trip. In early hours of the morning, Jesus appeared to him. His voice was like many waters, like thunder and lightning. The same God is with us now. We are never going to lack good things. 

Pastor Praveen’s Message – Power Was Coming out of Him and Healing Them All

The Spirit of the Lord

Luke 5:17 says, “The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.” Also, Luke 6:18-19 says, “…who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” 

Tonight, God told Pastor Praveen that He is going to heal the people. John 3:35 says, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” He has all authority and power without limit. This is the One who is in us. We should understand this. It is cause for great rejoicing.

Why was the power of the Lord with Jesus to heal the people? Luke 4:18 gives the answer – Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” This is our calling. The Spirit of Jesus is in us to do all these things. 

These are New Testament times. Our father Abraham waited 25 years for the prophecy about Isaac to be fulfilled. His descendants waited for deliverance from Egypt for 400 years. In New Testament times, deliverance is immediate because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we are thinking or speaking, He is hearing. Whenever we feel pain, at the same time, He is healing us. When we feel a burden or heaviness, at the same time He will roll away the burden from our hearts, set us free, and fill us with joy.

That is why when someone is preaching in the Spirit, people are healed. Because the Spirit touches them. That is why all the people were trying to touch Jesus (Luke 6:18-19), because the Spirit was coming out of Him and healing them all. Whenever we are hearing the word of God, the Spirit is moving for healing and deliverance. The word of God is alive and active and sharper than any double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). He is always looking for needy people. 

If you are hearing about healing, you will receive it. When Pastor Praveen preached recently in Seattle Washington, he did not even pray for healing. He said in the Spirit, “There is power in the blood of Jesus,” and the people started falling, receiving healing. 

Testimony – The Spirit Works through Prophecy

God works through the Spirit for healing, deliverance, and also prophecy. Pastor Praveen told of a time during his early ministry when a family received salvation and were baptized. The husband was sick and God healed him. However, things took a sadder turn. After a few months, the wife was attending a prayer gathering. God gave Pastor Praveen a prophecy to speak to her. His heart was burning because he did not want to speak it. But God told him, “You’re my prophet. Speak to her.” So Pastor Praveen approached the woman and told her, “Sister, don’t pray any more for your husband. He is going to die.” The woman turned her face to the wall and cried. Several days later Pastor Praveen received a call at 5 in the morning. Her husband had died. The word of God is sharper than any double edged sword. Pastor Praveen does not know why God did what He did, and he does not ask. He is the Creator.  

The Word is power. Don’t listen to the word of God with disrespect. If you respect and fear God, you will keep what you hear in your heart and put it to work against the enemy. When the enemy attacks you with sickness or something else, you will choose which weapon to use from the scripture. There are all kinds of weapons available. But don’t use the wrong tools or you will have trouble. 

Testimony – Deliverance and Transformation of a Young Girl

From Luke 6:18-19 we see that those troubled by impure spirits were cured by the power of God. The people all tried to touch Jesus. They were not trying to touch a “sub-station.” The main power station from heaven was in on the earth. In India, people avoid walking near electrical transformers in the rainy season because they might experience an electric shock if they get to close. God’s power is always radiating out in this way. His power is hovering over you, over your family, children, problems, sickness. Whenever you use the right tools, “I rebuke the sickness in the name of Jesus,” at the same time the Spirit will come and touch you and heal you.

Pastor Praveen gave a testimony about how God once used him in Houston Texas. He will never forget this testimony. At the church, many women were filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Children were sitting on the floor. He was praying for anointing for many people. He touched a 12 or 13-year-old girl as he walked by. She began to sway back and forth. People misunderstood. They thought she had received the Holy Spirit. This is a problem in many churches – there is a lack of discernment. When people are moving and speaking in tongues, it may be the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit you will know. If you have fire, you will see the fire in others. Otherwise, you will misunderstand. 

God sent Pastor Praveen back to touch the girl again. He knelt down before her, placed his hand on her and said, “I rebuke you right now. Get out of this girl now, in the name of Jesus.” She fell on the ground. At the same time, a 5-year-old girl sitting in the back with an older woman started to cry. The woman asked her, “Why are you crying.” She said, “When the pastor placed his hand on her and she fell on the ground, I saw a big serpent jump from her and flee from here.” The family of the delivered girl later flew to Maryland and Pastor Praveen baptized them. Now the whole extended family has been baptized and are worshiping in Spirit and Truth. 

The girl who was delivered had been partially autistic and enrolled in a special school. Before her deliverance, she always received “zeros” for her grades. After her deliverance, she was a straight “A” student. Since then, she has grown up and married a pastor. 

The enemy will flee from the presence of God. If your house is a house of prayer, “… no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:10). Our house must be a house of prayer. First, we need to worship in our own home, then come to church. This is what our forefathers taught. 

Pray with Humility and Compassion

Mark 9:14-29 tells about what happened right after the transfiguration of Jesus when He, Peter, James, and John came down the mountain. Jesus found the crowd arguing with His other disciples. He took up His responsibility and concern for His disciples. “’What are you arguing with them about?’ He asked. A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.’” (v. 16-18). 

The boy’s father came to Jesus with a heavy heart. Pastor Praveen believes he was crying before Jesus and Jesus’ heart went out to him. Jesus rebuked the Spirit: “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (v. 25).

Likewise, when we pray for people, we need to view their problem as our problem, with humility, as if we were experiencing it. This attitude will produce compassion. You will experience the Living Water, the Spirit of God, when you place your hand on the person. 

Concluding Remarks

We are experiencing a new beginning. God is going to send people to our church like he sent quail on the wind to the Israelites (Numbers 11:31). We will see God’s glory. God worked powerfully during this fasting and prayer weekend and people experienced healing and deliverance.