During the last days of the reign of King Saul the nation of Israel was in total chaos. Saul, who had been appointed by God to be the first King of Israel, had turned from God so far that in a last ditch effort to hold onto his throne he consulted the witch at Endor, an act, absolutely forbidden by God. David, as King Saul’s successor, having already been anointed by God as king, assessed the conditions of his beloved nation and wrote, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). As we assess the condition of our nation today, facing an election cycle that is unprecedented in our 240-year history, we might ask the same question. The foundation of our once great nation began eroding, as the secularists became the prevailing voice and control of the narrative. Our nations history has been revised to fit that narrative. What can the righteous do? Tuesday, November 8th, is Election Day. As a Christian you need to cast a Holy Spirit-led vote.
Bill Wheaton, who heads up our moral concerns ministry, and currently teaching a DLC class (Foundations of Freedom) each Wednesday evening here at Thomas Terrace Baptist Church, presented the following challenge to his class, a challenge we should all accept, as believers in Jesus Christ.
Day of Prayer and Fasting
On March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln called for a national day of prayer and fasting, in which he addressed what he called the need for "our national reformation as a whole people."
"We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God," Lincoln said, adding that it was our duty "to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness...."
How can we as Americans in 2016 do any less? The American Family Association (AFA) is calling for a national day of prayer and fasting. It is time that we, as Christians, recognize our need to repent of our own wickedness and cry out to the Lord for forgiveness - and that He might heal our broken land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
AFA has designated Monday, November 7, as a day when we join in seeking God's face. However you participate - one meal, two meals, all day - please join with those who will be crying out for mercy for our broken nation.
A word about Fasting: In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus says, “When you fast…” not if you fast. It is something He expects us to do.
A total fast is refraining from consuming anything for a period of time. A partial fast is refraining from consuming something (solid food, liquid, etc.) for a specific period of time. If you have medical issues, such as diabetes, check with your doctor before undertaking a fast.
A Biblical day begins in the evening (see Genesis 1:3) so to fast for Monday, November 7, we start at sundown Sunday, November 6 and go to sundown November 7th.
In Lynchburg, sunset on Sunday November 6th occurs at 5:13 pm (we go back to standard time the night previous). For those wishing to fast for a day, you should not eat anything after 5:12 pm.
Sunset on Monday, November 7th occurs at 5:12 pm so you may resume eating at that time.
