May 2020 Fasting and Prayer Summary

In this post, we share a write-up of my notes from our church’s May 2020 fasting and prayer meetings. We fast and pray for one weekend each month, gathering on Friday and Saturday for prayer meetings. It is usual for the Holy Spirit to speak to us through Pastor Praveen during these meetings.

Repent!

During this fasting and prayer gathering, Pastor Praveen repeatedly stressed that this message is for all nations – beginning with all church leaders from all denominations – repent! It is a message for this season – for everyone. God is bringing revival. However, if we want to be part of the revival, first we must repent. Only God knows the areas where we need to repent. Ask and He will reveal these areas to us. When we repent, He will use us.

There is a lot happening. We need to get ready for God’s plan and purpose. God will use those whose hearts are burning for revival. This is our season. Remember – what is happening in the world right now is God’s doing. A “great election” is happening – God will choose many people and also reject many. We must pray for repentance.

The Rejection of Saul as King

We know from the bible that God rejected Saul as king and raised up another – David, a man after God’s own heart. Pastor Praveen made the following observations (for the full account, see 1 Samuel 13:1-15* and 1 Samuel 15):

• God regretted that He made Saul king because he did not carry out His instructions. He rejected Saul as king (see 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 26)

• Saul admitted to Samuel that he had sinned and asked Samuel to forgive him. He begged Samuel to come back with him to offer sacrifices to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 15:24-25). But Saul was only thinking about his dignity – he was not repentant. He wanted Samuel to go with him so the people would honor him (see 1 Samuel 15:30).

• Saul confessed only to Samuel, the Lord’s instrument, not to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 15:24-25).

• Saul was trying to wrestle with Samuel, God’s humble servant, to get him to go with him (see 1 Samuel 15:27-29).

• Contrast this with Jacob, whom God accepted. Genesis 32:22-32 tells us that Jacob, when returning from Paddan Aram to Canaan, wrestled with God. When God asked Jacob, “What is your name,” he answered, “Jacob,” which means “deceiver.”

• Why did God accept Jacob, but not Saul? Because Jacob wrestled with God, admitted his sin (deceiver), and repented before the Lord. But Saul wrestled with Samuel and admitted his sin to Samuel – but without repentance. We also must wrestle with and repent before God, not God’s servant. God loves everyone – He shows no favoritism.

• God was not against Saul, but Saul would not obey. Samuel was not against Saul, but he wanted to obey the Holy Spirit (see 1 Samuel 15:26).

• Acts 13:22 says, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” God looks for people like that. “After His own heart” means willing to do everything God asks.

We need to ask God to give us and others this kind of heart. We want to go with God’s ideas, wisdom, and knowledge – not ours. Whoever is ready to do this – God will use them. Church leaders cannot leave the sheep to their own ideas, wisdom, and knowledge. God will reject such leaders. But He will keep and use leaders who give the sheep God’s ideas, wisdom, and knowledge. Only speak what you are given to speak.

David, whom God anointed as king and prophet, had the heart of a great shepherd. He cared about the people, his charges. As God’s servants, leaders must repent first, and then pray for the repentance of others. This is what Pastor Praveen does.

God Wants to Use You

Pastor Praveen discussed times of trial and testing in the lives of Elijah, Moses, and the Lord Jesus.

• When Elijah fled from King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, he sought the Lord at Mount Horeb (see 1 Kings 19). He was discouraged and feared for his life. He had just prayed for rain and it rained. He called fire down from heaven and God sent the fire. Still he fled from Jezebel when she threatened him. This is human nature.

  Elijah walked for 40 days and nights to get to Mount Horeb. Once there, he spent the night in a cave. In the morning, he had an encounter with God who spoke to Elijah in a whisper, telling him that his life’s mission was not finished. He told him to go back the way he came and to anoint certain people as God instructed, including Elisha, his successor.

• It took Moses 40 years after leaving Egypt to arrive at Mount Horeb for his encounter with God in the burning bush (see Exodus 3:1-6). Even as God sent Elijah back the way he came for His purpose, God sent Moses back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. By then, Moses was 80 years old (see Exodus 7:7). Likewise, your age and level of education do not matter. God wants to use you.

• God brought Jesus out of the wilderness for His purpose with signs and miracles after 40 days of testing (See, e.g., Luke 4:1-14).

God is speaking to us now. His children all over the world are facing many trials and challenges in the spiritual world – and saying, “I cannot go forward.” But God is calling: “Come out – your calling is not finished. How can you say ‘it’s over’ in the face of trials and challenges?”

God’s children are human beings, but our anointing is from God. Go forward! Challenges are part of our ministry and our calling. Jesus, who died for us, called us. Look to Him and go forward. Do not look to the left or the right, but straight at God. Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame (Psalm 34:5).

Be strong. Remember, God is going to bring out everyone for this season even as God brought Elijah out from the cave. There is another level of anointing and ministry for you. Everyone has a different ministry. “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)

What kind of anointing is waiting for you? There are different kinds of anointing. Saul was anointed with a flask of oil (see 1 Samuel 10:1). David was anointed with a horn of oil (1 Samuel 16:13). Elisha was anointed through a cloak (see 1 Kings 19:19-21). Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (see Matthew 3:16-17). After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples were anointed by the Holy Spirit in appearance of tongues of fire (see Acts 2:1-4).

Why the Call to Repent?

Why is Pastor Praveen calling for all spiritual leaders across the nations to repent? In 2017, when Pastor Praveen was crying to God for all people, God gave him a prophecy about events to occur after 2019. Pastor Praveen gave the prophecy during the May 2017 fasting and prayer session and I took notes of what he said. Recently, God reminded Pastor Praveen about the prophecy. He asked God, “That was so long ago, Lord, how will I remember it?”

Without knowing this, I also remembered the prophecy and passed the notes I had taken to Andy Pendergast, who in turn passed them to Pastor Praveen – only a couple of days after God had reminded him of the prophecy. Pastor Praveen praised our faithful God for preserving His word. You can read the prophecy in the blog post, “Prophecy: ‘After 2019’.”

The prophecy refers to disasters to come after 2019. We are in the midst of such a disaster now – the worldwide coronavirus plague. When Pastor Praveen asked God what to do and how to pray, God told him not to rebuke the plague – that He had a purpose for it. We must not abuse the authority God has given us in the name of Jesus to rebuke something He is using according to His purpose. Instead, God told Pastor Praveen to ask all nations to repent, beginning with the church – and within the church, beginning with the leadership – across all denominations. We must pray for this spirit of repentance.

We Need the Holy Spirit

During our concluding time of prayer, a strong theme emerged – our need for the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we can do nothing the Lord asks of us.

*Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations come from the NIV.