Patrick Grach - thoughts on life and leadership

Day 8

Read Daniel 10:1-14; Genesis 18:23-32; 32:24-29; Luke 18:1-7.
Each of these passages of Scripture illustrate the theme of importunity in prayer, which means “stubbornness.” They each tell a story of people who refused to stop seeking God until they got the answers they were looking for.
If you’re anything like me, and were honest enough to say it, fasting is hard work and it’s easy to get tired of fasting; of devoting yourself to abandoning the appetites and desires of the flesh to focus on God. I want to eat. I want to eat cheeses and buffalo wings and pizza and… actually, even a piece of bread would be great at this point. I am sick of the taste of water and juice! Forgive me, but the point of the fast is not to starve ourselves. But I also wonder how many miracles and answers to prayer have been forfeited for a lack of persistence. When prayer starts to not “feel” so inspired, fasting begins to loose its luster, or the “presence of God” seems to be missing from my prayer life. Do we stop? Give up? Throw in the towel?

When the devil starts hitting us where it hurts, when we get frustrated, discouraged, weary, this is not the time to quit! No! He’s hitting hard, because we’re hitting hard. He is fighting back only with the intensity with which he is being hit. So, the moment we start feeling “dry” spiritually or discouraged or doubting or defeated. This is the time to press in harder, to punch with the greatest spiritual force we can muster.
Now is the Time to BREAKTHROUGH! Daniel fasted for 21 days only because it took that long to get the answer to his prayer, but it seems to me that he would have prayed longer. And it took that long to gain spiritual victory over the demonic forces that were opposing him.
We not feel like fasting anymore, praying more earnestly, crying out to God for souls, and it may even be exhausting at this point. But don’t stop… Breakthrough! Now, when the answers to prayer are within grasp and the church will begin to see the power of God released is when we must push forward. We retreat only to our prayer time. Whatever you are praying for, keep seeking God. Don’t let the enemy have you quit right before you would have seen the hand of God work on your behalf.
Are the results worth it? We are praying for a city, for souls, for healings (financial, emotional, spiritual, physical), for leaders to be raised up. The answer to these prayers will rock this region for the Kingdom of God, heaven will be forever populated differently. STAY THE COURSE!