by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

As you step out in fasting for fire to learn how to position yourself to feast upon God, I pray these few tips help equip you in your journey. To dive even deeper check out the book Fasting for Fire which these tips are based up.

Be Led by the Spirit

Make sure you are led by the Spirit every step of the way as you venture out in faith to fast. Be wise and seek counsel or medical advice first regarding fasting if you have health issues. If you are pregnant, do not fast food but instead fast social media or something similar. For those who still want to participate in a fast but cannot because of health or weight issues, seek the Holy Spirit on how to be led in an alternative fast.

Start Small

If you have never fasted before, I suggest starting with a smaller fast and skipping two meals one day while drinking lots of water. If that is too hard, try drinking juice or a thicker liquid. For longer fasts, it is advisable to eat fruit just before. Remember that fasting is not just abstaining from food; it is also filling your soul with something better: the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Don’t avoid God by staying busy. Spend the time you would normally have spent eating instead in worship, silence, prayer, meditating on God, reading the Word, praying with a friend, or waiting upon Him. If you have a chance, go to an isolated place where you connect well with God. During your normal day, when you get hunger pains, turn your attention and affection toward God. The fast is the most effective when it is intricately woven together with communion with God.

 Uncomfortable

I find that days one and two are the hardest of any fast, no matter how long the fast is. This is when your body is detoxing. Usually after making it past day three, it gets much easier. During longer fasts, many times energy levels drop, and you may get cold easily. You may find yourself tired and needing to take naps or struggling to sleep throughout the night. Another thing to take into consideration is that many times one of the harder parts of fasting is not being as social since most events surround food. These gatherings are still fine to join but sometimes it is helpful to communicate with the host ahead of time so it is not awkward at the dinner table.

Refining

During a fast, be aware of what comes up for you and take time to journal and process it. Are you easily irritated, feeling out of control, or experiencing some other extreme mood shift? What things are you running to rather than food? What themes are emerging in your heart? What relationships is He bringing to the surface, and is He asking you to respond in a certain way? Is there anyone you need to forgive or be reconciled with? Is there anyone you need to reach out to or become more aligned with? Ask the Holy Spirit what is really going on during these times and what He might be bringing up within you to heal. Ask God to go to the root of any issues that emerge. I encourage you to press in, worship, pray, scream, dance, run, intercede, beat a drum, contend, or whatever you feel you need to do to respond to God when the hunger gets severe.

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the details and themes in what is being highlighted to you during a fast. Many times, we can hear the still small voice of God more clearly and see things we haven’t been able to see before. Also, be aware of possible new alignments God may bring to you. Who is God highlighting to you during this time? Who is reaching out to you during a fast? Are there potential divine connections or anointed alliances He is bringing? Is He putting a burden on your heart for a specific person or nation? Is He putting a new idea in your heart? Is He redirecting your steps? Don’t be surprised if God changes your plans or redirects you during a fast. This is actually very common. In the process of focusing on His face and His agenda more precisely, many times people hear things from God that seem “out of the blue.” These revelations are from God and can be expected during a fast. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel anything or see what you have been praying for during the fast. Setting yourself aside to feast upon Him alone is an act of worship, which He is pleased about whether you experience a tangible immediate result or not.

There’s Grace

It is important to give yourself grace during a fast. If you end up breaking the fast prematurely or before the original goal you had set for yourself, don’t beat yourself up or come under condemnation (Romans 8:1–4). Celebrate each small victory. If you have never fasted before and you were able to fast one meal rather than two starting off, celebrate that you are on your way. There have been times when I couldn’t even make it to the end of my one-day fast and I had to eat. The grace had lifted for me to continue, and that’s okay. The beautiful thing about fasting with pure motives and the right perspective is that we are not fasting to try and prove a point to anyone or even to ourselves; we are simply positioning ourselves to know God better. We fast to encounter more of God. There are no rules here. We do it to fall more in love with God. The more we practice fasting, the easier it becomes.

How to Break a Fast

Practically speaking, it is important to break a fast well to avoid injuring your stomach or harming your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so make sure to be wise and steward what goes in there. Breaking a fast is usually good with liquids, fruit juices, and then moving on to fruit and vegetables. Slowly integrate more regular foods into your diet depending on how long the fast was. Generally, you can come off shorter fasts with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way toward weightier meals. Coming off of a fast will vary for each person and depend upon how long the fast was. For longer fasts, be gentle and slowly ease back into your regular diet so that you don’t shock your system. It is important to replenish your body with the proper nutrients. Coconut water can be helpful to drink before, after, and sometimes even on a liquid fast because it is rich in electrolytes. Taking vitamin supplements can also be useful. The main thing to be aware of on the other side of a fast is that your body has gone without nutrients and will need some time to replenish them to get back to normal. Do some research to learn the best way for you to come off of a fast, and record what works and what doesn’t for future fasts.

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Join our FREE 3-Day Fasting for Fire Challenge Jan. 4-6, 2024 or our 4 week module and 21-Day Fast.

Learn more in Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God

Revival Series Part 2

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., Revival Historian 

Now that we have explored semantics and some development around the term revival and exploring its meaning, let’s go even deeper to the impact it should have on one’s life and what comes afterwards.

In the natural, if someone is sleeping, barely alive, or has suddenly died, they need to be awakened or revived. Many times, someone will use smelling salts (ammonia inhalants) to awaken a person who has passed out or become unconscious. They put this aroma under the person’s nose to breathe it in. Suddenly, when this happens, the person is revived from their previous unconscious state. Once this person has become revived from their formal sleeping state, they do not need to remain in a state of trying to be revived because they have already come back to life. There is no more need for them to inhale the smelling salts. This person must now begin to live more empowered since their awakening.

This can be a metaphor for revival. Some people have become spiritually unconscious or fallen asleep and they need to be re-awakened. Others have become dead inside and need to be resurrected back to life. Once they have been awakened and brought back to life though, now it’s time to move from the resurrected state to the empowered state of living, being transformed, and stepping into their destiny.

Revival is only just the beginning. Once a person is awakened, then it’s time to fully live.

In Hosea 6:2, it says, “After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.” Here we see that revival is not meant to be a continual state as much as what needs to happen whenever our spirits begin to wither away or die on the inside. Once people are revived, they then need to live the abundant life Jesus died for them to have (John 10:10). Transformation, reformation, revolution, and destiny must follow. Once revived, we must learn to live as burning ones on fire for Jesus constantly remaining full of the oil of His presence.

Jesus is Revival

All that said, at the heart of revival is Jesus. Jesus is the truest revival we will ever know. Beyond living for revival, we live for the Reviver. When we become awakened spiritually, we fall more in love with Jesus. When we fall more in love with Jesus, transformation takes place within our hearts, and we impact those around us. Revival is truly just more of Jesus.

We are born to live revived lives in the Spirit of God. We are made to be burning ones who don’t burn out. We are born to live loudly for our King of kings and display His glory through our lives. As we become awakened to King Jesus, our destinies begin to unfold in a greater measure. We step out in faith, hand in hand with our best friend Jesus, and can bring hope to a world that desperately needs it. From a place of intimate union with God, as we yield to and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we become agents of revival wherever we go. The burning flame inside spreads and ignites others whose flame has dwindled.

The Reviver by Rolland Baker

Rolland Baker, co-founder with Heidi Baker of Iris Global is a missionary in Mozambique, has experienced revival firsthand. His insights in the epilogue of his book, Keeping the Fire, are worth noting.

“I return at the end to where I began: with the Person of Jesus

Iris is not about us. It is about Jesus.

Revival is not about manifestations or miracles; it is about the Reviver, Jesus our Savior.

We have only one destination, one home, one reality, one resting place, one source, one

motivation, one reward, one possession, one point of contact with God, one source of real

satisfaction – and that is Jesus…

Everything we value has been found in Jesus. The key to our core values is therefore

falling in love with Him. 

Love is a gift of relationship, not just self-sacrifice. The secret place is not necessarily found in a prayer closet or a posture of soaking, or in battling for a just cause, or in a massive prayer and fasting effort. Even the most amazing miracles can leave us lonely and without relationship. We can run out of motivation advancing the noblest ideals and working at all levels to transform society. We can minister until we have no more strength, and still go home and lie in bed without the relationship for which our hearts are made.

Everything is okay with relationship. It is all that Jesus cares about, all that motivates Him. He could do many more amazing miracles to dazzle the world with His powers, but He is interested only in relationship. The entire creation, all the grandeur of the physical world, and all His works are designed to serve one thing: relationship. Revival has no content without it. Renewal and manifestations are pointless apart from it. Miracles only find their meaning it. Joy is shallow and groundless unless rooted in it. Without relationship we are the living dead…

Revival is all about Jesus.[i]

Revival Without God: A Warning

Revival can easily become an idol in our lives and take the place of Jesus. It can possess us and become an obsession. Not that there is anything wrong with desiring revival, but anything that comes before our passionate pursuit of Jesus becomes idolatry. We must always seek Jesus first, yield to the Holy Spirit, and pursue the God of revival. Revival never should become an idol in our lives. Our obsession above all else, including revival, must remain loving Jesus wholeheartedly. As we love God with all our minds, hearts, bodies, and spirits, revival is a natural overflow.

We don’t want to end up one day in front of God sharing how we released “revival” in the world but did it apart from personal and intimate relationship with Him. What would be the point of doing signs and wonders without Him and His presence or without love (1 Corinthians 13)? Moses could have easily had revival, stepped into his destiny, and saw his dreams come true. But without God’s presence, he wasn’t going to move (Exodus 33).

Revival without Jesus is not only empty, it is dangerous. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Casting out demons, setting the oppressed free, and performing miracles definitely feels like revival and that the kingdom of God has come in people’s lives. The only problem is that doing any of these works of revival is dangerous when not deeply connected to the Source of revival which is Jesus Himself. It appears from this passage that it is quite possible to do the works of revival without being known by God. This is unsafe ground to walk on. We must do the will of the Father and remain connected in relationship with Jesus as we do these works of revival. In their book about revival, Hansen and Woodbridge say, “You can have signs and wonders, but if you don’t have God, you don’t have revival. God-centered revivals withstand the temptation to treasure the blessings of revival over the one who blesses.”[ii]

More than anything, revival needs to be birthed from a place of a deep burning passion for more of God and from an overflowing relationship with Him. As we stay connected to the Source, His steadily burning and increasing flame within us will ignite and awaken many around us, releasing revival wherever we go. As we knit ourselves to other burning ones and learn how to live in the fire of His presence together, we encounter His love and power in a way that radically impacts our world. Let us be a people who burn for revival fire to be ignited in our own hearts and for that to spread to a lost and dying world.

See part one “What is Revival” in this Revival Series HERE

Join our School of Revival family or take a revival history course in our online School of Revival HERE

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NOTES

[i] Rolland Baker, Keeping the Fire: Sustaining Revival Through Love: The Five Core Values of Iris Global (Kent, United Kingdom: River Publishing & Media Ltd, 2015), 141-143 used with permission in an email dated 12/19/2022 from Tim Pettingale, Director of River Publishing & Media Ltd.

[ii] Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 25.

Excerpt taken from Chapter 1 in Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Fire to Feast upon God
by Jennifer A. Miskov. Ph.D.

My recommendation for the Christian church today is to call a moratorium on all activity and focus on coming into worship until the fire descends and engulfs us in the sacredness of His presence.(1)

—A. W. Tozer

Fire

Burning ones fast and fasting ones burn.

Fasting and fire are inseparable. There is something about fasting that ignites an all-consuming fire for God inside. Fire brings us to a place of intense focus. Fire can also represent passionate, burning love. No other lovers can compete for our attention when we are captivated, on fire, and intently focused on the face of Jesus.

Hebrews 12:29 says that our God “is a consuming fire.” Choosing to live in the fire is essentially embracing the fiery presence of God Himself. When doing this continuously, there is a unique purity and consecration that happens. In the fire, everything must be purified and refined like gold. There is a respect for the holiness of God by welcoming a life refined by the fire.(2)

Fire can also represent revival. If we define one element of revival as simply being more in love with Jesus and completely yielded for His purposes, then as we focus our gaze upon the fire in His eyes, signs, wonders, and miracles are sure to follow. We don’t need to strive for revival to be released through our lives when our hearts burn for the One Thing more than any other lover. Revival is something that will naturally flow from the fire of God’s presence in our lives and our intimate communion with Him.

Resurgence of Fasting

Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God originally came from a blog I wrote in 2014 entitled “Fasting: The Lost Art of Feasting Upon God.” Interestingly enough, this has been one of my most frequented blogs. This surprised me. I always loved fasting, but to realize others were also interested was a fascinating discovery. Because I have experienced God in powerful ways as I have adopted a lifestyle of fasting, I want to share more about this pathway to intimacy and show how easily accessible it is no matter one’s starting point.

We are alive at such a unique time in history when God is bringing in one of the greatest harvests of souls we’ve ever known. So many people will be entering into the family of God in this new season. How amazing would it be if, when people entered into the kingdom of God, they also embraced a lifestyle of fasting that was marked by intimacy, consecration, and revival from the very start?

Unfortunately, many Christians have yet to discover or embrace the gift of fasting in our day. But what if fasting were not something exceptional in our generation? What would happen if spiritual fasting became a regular part of the Christian life rather than something reserved only for the religious elite? Or better yet, what if fasting for fire became the norm? I wonder what deeper levels of union with Jesus and profound revelation of the Holy Spirit might be tapped into when more believers access this pathway to intimacy. What type of deeper communion, extraordinary miracles, mass salvations, defining moments, increased anointing, and power might be released when the body of Christ strengthens her muscles in this way? How many more revival fires might be ignited when a community of burning ones gathers together, praying and fasting to take hold of more of God?

When a generation embraces the fire of God by setting themselves apart to fast, we will see an unstoppable army of lovers running hard after Him regardless of the cost. These fiery, consecrated, and set-apart saints will turn the world upside down for His glory. And fasting will be one of the pathways to increase and sustain their flame of love for Jesus.

Hunger

In my studies of revival history over the last several decades, the number one attribute that is present in the beginnings of almost every revival I’ve looked at is hunger. I discovered that hunger was the strongest component that initially stirred people to pray, position themselves, press in, and be desperate for a move of God. This hunger was first stirred up in their own lives, which later became catalytic for everyone around them.

So, if hunger for more of God is one of the most prominent elements God has used in history to catalyze revivals, wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a way for us to cultivate greater hunger for God today?

What if I told you that there is something very practical you can do today to cultivate increased hunger for God? Or that there is something you can integrate into your lifestyle that will radically accelerate your spiritual growth? Well, I have good news for you. There is! Fasting done with the right motives is one sure way to grow your hunger for God and access deeper levels of intimacy with Him. Besides asking God to give you the gift of hunger, you can also choose to embrace a lifestyle of fasting to grow your hunger for Him. A lifestyle of fasting can also contribute to greater anointing and power working through your life as you continue to yield to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

Let me just say from the start that fasting is not the answer.

Jesus is the answer.

Fasting is not a formula to get God to do what we want. Fasting is simply one of the gifts or pathways to intimacy given to us that can help accelerate our growth in Christ and lead us into deeper union with Him. If signs, wonders, and miracles follow times of fasting, that’s amazing. However, that is not the focus of our fasting or our end game here. The point of fasting for fire is to get more of Jesus and allow Him to get more of us. Fasting is simply an invitation to know God more. It is all for Jesus. It must begin in Him, find its source in Him, and end with more of Him. In all of our fastings, may we get more of Jesus as our reward.

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1 A. W. Tozer, The Fire of God’s Presence: Drawing Near to a Holy God edited by James L. Snyder (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2020), 41.

2 See Leviticus 6:8–13; Matthew 3:11; Romans 12:1–2.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

Can thousands of people gathered together for one purpose shift a generation into the next Great Awakening? What if the date and location of this gathering tapped into one of the deepest wells of revival we’ve experienced over the last century?

On April 9, 2016, which was also the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, our generation was inaugurated into a new era. Lou Engle and TheCall, in partnership with Bethel Church in Redding, California, hosted over 60,000 people in an event called Azusa Now. People from all around the world gathered together in the rain at the Los Angeles Coliseum to make the name of Jesus famous once again. The day was filled with worship, prayer, healing, miracles, prophetic acts, and signs and wonders. During the week preceding this event, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Circuit Riders, Youth With A Mission, Iris Global, and many other ministries sent out armies of Jesus lovers to flood L.A. with the love and power of God. Deaf ears were opened, people got up out of wheelchairs, many were welcomed into the family of God, and signs and wonders were released.

Because of the prophetic words and impossibilities connected to the Azusa Now story, it is important to pay attention. This was not just another Christian worship event. Deep wells of the Azusa Street Revival (1906), which birthed over half a billion Christians and has spread to nearly every country in the world over the past century, were accessed on Saturday. At Azusa Now, many different streams of Christianity came together in unity for one purpose. Profound reconciliation occurred. Worship filled the stadium. Ripple effects that will impact the world and eternity will result from what was poured out at Azusa Now.

We Walk by Faith Not Sight

Something powerful and profound happened at Azusa Now whether we see and understand it now or not. Many stepped out in great faith to see God’s kingdom come to this generation. If all of this was done and only one person got saved or healed, it would have been worth it. What if that one person will later become the next D.L. Moody or Billy Graham we may never know. However, we do know that many entered into God’s kingdom and many others were restored, healed, and set free that day. We don’t know how many lives these ones will touch in the future but these will be the inheritance of what was poured out at Azusa Now.

In the evening session at Azusa Now, evangelist Daniel Kolenda shared how God marked him at TheCall D.C. over ten years ago. He was impregnated with a hunger and passion to see souls saved. He’s since brought thousands into the kingdom of God. The impact of what was released when he attended TheCall D.C. might not have become visible the next week or even the next year, but something significant happened that later contributed to the momentum of hundreds of thousands being led to the Lord. Whether we see profound results today or in the next ten years from what happened at Azusa Now, we said yes to what God asked of us. That is something to celebrate. We need to trust Him with the results as we continue to dive even deeper into His presence.

Healing on the Streets

When I was doing my Ph.D. on revival history while living in England, I helped my church set up Healing on the Streets in the city square where many youth gathered. We set up chairs in the middle of the square and put up a flag that said Healing. Anyone walking by who wanted prayer would sit in a chair and we would pray for him or her right out in the open. We did this every month and saw many miracles take place: legs grew, depression lifted, cigarettes disappeared, and people even grew taller. However, there’s one story I want to share that will help demonstrate the unseen impact Azusa Now will have in the future.

One time when we were out on the streets, we met a teenager named Ben. He had been hit by a car and his leg was in a cast. He was a rough looking kid but had allowed us to pray for him. As our team laid hands and prayed for him in the middle of the town square, the presence of God fell on him powerfully. However, when he left, he hobbled away, still on crutches with no visible sign of healing. Did we fail? Did we not have enough faith to bring him into his healing? I think not. I believe that every Holy Spirit-led act of faith is something to celebrate. Our job is to obey God. He is in charge of the results.

The next month we went back to the same spot and saw Ben running out to greet us. He shared how a week after we prayed, he was totally healed and even went out jogging!!! We hadn’t seen the effects in the moment we prayed, but God was working behind the scenes. Furthermore, one year after Ben got healed, we were all drinking coffee in a Starbucks and sharing testimonies after our ministry time on the streets. I noticed the Holy Spirit was doing something in Ben so I asked him what was going on. His grandmother had just passed away and he heard her favorite song come on which made him emotional. We prayed for him right there in the Starbucks and he began to weep. Then he said to me, “Jen, I never told you this before but a year ago when you all prayed for me, I had so much anger and rage inside of me that I was going to beat someone up that day. After you all prayed for me, that anger left and I have never been the same.” We found this out one year later!

We don’t always know or see the results of stepping out in faith, worshipping in unity, or doing prophetic acts led by the Spirit, however, in due time, these will surface. Azusa Now may or may not have been what we all imagined. We may have seen incredible miracles and salvations or we may not have seen what we were hoping for. However, something powerful was released either way that will impact generations. We must be content knowing that heaven is celebrating us each and every time we step out in faith to follow the leading of the Spirit. Yes, many people got saved, healed, and delivered which is incredible. However, Azusa Now was just the beginning of more to come.

The Rudder of Our Ship Has Shifted

The prophetic act of thousands of people worshipping together in one place, in one city, and on the anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival synergized and shifted us into a new era. What we did that day is like shifting the direction of a rudder on a large ship. Our generation may or may not recognize the radical change and the momentum that will carry on for generations from now from what was released at Azusa Now. However, even the slightest of changes on a rudder will re-direct the course of that ship. Over time, that ship will arrive at a completely different destination.

We are now going in a new direction, even if ever so slightly. This change will take us to a greater reality than any could ever have hoped, dreamed, or imagined. The New Jesus Revolution has already begun. Sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways. Never underestimate the power of Jesus working even in one small shift, one great decision made, or one person saved. Remember and record what happened in your life on Saturday April 9, 2016 and celebrate each seed of hope that was released. This is only the beginning. These seeds will one day grow and emerge into giants as they are saturated by more of the Holy Spirit.

I close by quoting a song by Bob Dylan. I encourage you to imagine God singing it over you and our generation:

“The storms are raging on the rolling seas

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain’t seen nothing like Me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn’t do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel My love”

God has already gone to the ends of the earth to make you feel His love when He sent His Son Jesus. I pray that in this new era, your eyes are opened more than ever before to see and to receive a fresh revelation of the Father’s great love. I pray that you become a target for His blessing, favor, and presence. May your heart increase in capacity to be able to receive the great love God is pouring out and to overflow it to others. May you be apprehended by God’s extravagant and unceasing love like never before. Hang on tight, we’re in for the wildest ride of our lives! 

*See book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, and Lou Engle to learn more about the Azusa Street Revival and the new move of God in our day.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, PhD and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson

Remember what life is like today because after Saturday, everything changes. At the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival to be held at the Coliseum in Los Angeles April 9, 2016, we take our first steps into a new era. The Call Azusa, where over 100,000 people will gather for one purpose, to worship Jesus and make His name great, will shift us into the next Great Awakening and a New Jesus Revolution. The name of Jesus will be celebrated once again. Being a Christian will be the coolest thing one can do. People will experience and receive Jesus for the gift He truly is without all the excess and baggage people place on Him.

Where two or three are gathered, God hears and acts on their behalf (Matthew 18:19). When the disciples and their friends were gathered together in unity to wait upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit fell mightily (Acts 2). When a handful of passionate saints met in a little home on Bonnie Brae Street April 9, 1906 for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their time, God crashed in and birthed a movement that is still having ripple effects to this day, over 100 years later. The flame that was ignited that day has brought more than half a billion people to Jesus and has spread the gospel to nearly every country in the world.

It only takes a few people to start a fire.

So if God poured out His Spirit in a powerful way through His twelve disciples and the others gathered on the day of Pentecost and also through those at Bonnie Brae Street, what might happen when not just a small handful of people gather for one purpose, but 100,000?  The prophetic act alone of worshipping in Spirit and truth with 100,000 other believers is sure to have ripple effects for eternity that will long surpass Saturday. God is awakening this generation once again.

The gathering at the Coliseum this weekend is no small thing. Make no mistake. Azusa Now will be something we will tell our grandkids and great grandkids about years from now. It will mark the beginning of a new era.

Do whatever you have to get there or to watch on live streaming. This is a once in the lifetime opportunity to be a part of something greater than we could ever dream of.

In June 1906, just months after the fire at Azusa Street was ignited, participant Frank Bartleman wrote the following:

Opportunity once passed, is lost forever. There is a time when the tide is sweeping by our door. We may then plunge in and be carried to glorious blessing, success and victory. To stand shivering on the bank, timid, or paralyzed with stupor, at such a time, is to miss all, and most miserably fail, both for time and for eternity. Oh, our responsibility! The mighty tide of God’s grace and favor is even now sweeping by us, in its prayer-directed course…It is time to ‘get together,’ and plunge in, individually and collectively. We are baptized ‘in one Spirit, into one body,’ - I Cor. 12:13. Let us lay aside all carnal contentions and divisions, that separate us from each other and from God. If we are of His body, we are ‘one body.’ The opportunity of a lifetime, of centuries, is at our door, to be eternally gained or lost. There is no time to hesitate. Act quickly, lest another take thy crown. Oh, church of Christ, awake! Be baptized with power. Then fly to rescue others. And to meet your Lord.

May a New Jesus Revolution emerge where the name of Jesus becomes famous once again and where being in love with Him is our one desire.

*Excerpts and inspiration from new book Ignite Azusa available here. See also Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson in video clip below where Lou also releases a blessing in the very end over Ignite Azusa.

*The following is an excerpt of Lou Engle from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov also including Heidi Baker and Bill Johnson. This excerpt is followed by a prayer of impartation by Lou over all who read.

A few years back, I visited Carrie Judd Montgomery’s healing home in Oakland, California, called the Home of Peace. When I was at this historic revival well, the host showed me the guest book from 1908 with an entry by Azusa Street Revival participant Frank Bartleman. Although I have never met Bartleman, he has always been like a spiritual father for me because of his deep passion for intercession to see revival. I feel he is up there in the great cloud of witnesses encouraging me on in these days. I discovered that he wrote out his own modified version of Isaiah 59:16 in the guest book: “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercession.” I felt the Lord say to me, “Let San Francisco and California have an intercessor right now.” Not long after, my team and I decided to spend our forty-day fast for TheCall Berkeley at the Home of Peace in 2014.

Just as Bartleman interceded before the birth of the Azusa Street Revival because he could sense a historic shift, so I believe that we are also at a tipping point in our generation. It will be important to draw from the well at Azusa Street to gain insights on how we can better partner with what God wants to do in our day and go even further. When California seeks God like they sought for gold in the early days, God’s glory will return.

I pray for each one reading Ignite Azusa that you would have encounters and open heaven visitations. I pray for revival days to explode and that God would restore the breech, and repair the fallen down walls and city streets’ dwellings. I pray that God would pour out His Spirit like He did during Lonnie Frisbee’s time and that there would be another wave of revival in California, a new Jesus Movement. I pray that each one reading this book would have an encounter with God that will set the next stage of history in California, in America, and beyond.

Thirty-one years ago I read a book called Azusa Street by Frank Bartleman. It imparted fire into my being. A book can shift your life and can shift history. My friend Jen Miskov just wrote a book called Ignite Azusa. We believe this little book will light fires and prepare a people for another great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So receive this book and as we put our blessing on this book, I want to pray you that you would receive an Impartation of a spirit of revival as you read it. I pray right now that the spirit that was on Azusa, that was on William J. Seymour and on Frank Bartleman would be released on those who read. Even now create hunger in their souls, desire and make them instruments of revival. In the name of Jesus, I bless you. Amen.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution (2016)

The Bonnie Brae House in Los Angeles is the place where the catalytic fire for the Azusa Street Revival was first ignited. In those early meetings at the Asberry house on Bonnie Brae Street, there were only about fifteen people including children, many of them coming from Julia Hutchins’ mission. Even though William J. Seymour had yet to receive the “evidence” of speaking in tongues, he continued to teach about it. On April 9, 1906, just before leaving for the prayer meeting, Seymour's friend Edward Lee began to speak in tongues after he laid hands on and prayed for him. After this, Lee, Seymour, and the others walked the couple blocks up the street to the Asberry home on Bonnie Brae Street for the 7:30 p.m. prayer meeting.

There, a handful of African-American saints gathered together because they wanted to encounter God in a greater measure. They had a song, a few prayers, and several testimonies released. Seymour shared the testimony of how Lee spoke in tongues less than two hours before. He then began to preach from Acts 2:4:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

Then something happened that they had all been waiting and longing for. God crashed into that meeting like never before and someone started to speak in tongues. Several others got baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as well. Ruth Asberry’s cousin Jennie Evans Moore, who lived across the street, was resting on a stool, when she suddenly fell to the ground and began to speak in tongues. She is known as one of the first women in Los Angeles to speak in tongues during this time.

She recalled that it felt like a vessel broke inside of her and water “surged” through her entire being. When this rush came to her lips, she spoke in six different languages that she had seen earlier in a vision. These tongues were each interpreted in English. Following this release, Jennie, who had never played the piano before, walked over to the piano and played it under the anointing while singing in tongues. She recounted the story in an article called “Music from Heaven” in the Azusa Mission’s newspaper called The Apostolic Faith:

For years before this wonderful experience came to us, we as a family, were seeking to know the fulnes of God, and He was filling us with His presence until we could hardly contain the power… On April 9, 1906, I was praising the Lord from the depths of my heart at home, and when the evening came and we attended the meeting the power of God fell and I was baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire, with the evidence of speaking in tongues…As I thought thereon and looked to God, it seemed as if a vessel broke within me and water surged up through my being, which when it reached my mouth came out in a torrent of speech in the languages which God had given me…I sang under the power of the Spirit in many languages, the interpretation both words and music which I had never before heard, and in the home where the meeting was being held, the Spirit led me to the piano, where I played and sang under inspiration, although I had not learned to play.

-Jennie Moore, The Apostolic Faith 1:8 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1907), 3.

A few days later on April 12, 1906, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after tarrying with a white brother and not giving up until he “came through” at nearly four o’clock in the morning.

Crowds of both black and white people from Smale’s First New Testament Church, Hutchins’ mission, and other Holiness groups in the area came to the house on Bonnie Brae Street to see and partake in what God was doing. At one point, the house swelled with people so much that the front porch caved in. No one was injured, but they realized that they had outgrown the house and it was time to get a larger place. Within a week, they moved to a vacant building at 312 Azusa Street, which used to be a Methodist Episcopal church before it had been damaged by a fire.

*The above is an excerpt from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with the following authors, Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. (Destiny House), Heidi Baker, Ph.D. (Iris Global), Lou Engle (TheCall), and Bill Johnson (Bethel Church in Redding, California) who partner together in Ignite Azusa to inspire courage to step into the momentum set before us today. They will also be in Los Angeles April 9, 2016 for the 110 anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival at the AzusaNow gathering. We are believing for a new Jesus Revolution in our day. Join us at The Call Azusa (thecall.com). Order your copies of Ignite Azusa HERE.  Also receive powerful impartation from the above authors on this video here: 

Ignite Azusa

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

We are on the verge of one of the greatest awakenings of all time. Many have prophesied about a new move of God on the horizon that far surpasses any we have ever seen. Our generation is pregnant with birthing a new Jesus Revolution and we have been given the incredible opportunity to step into something truly special in our day.

The Azusa Street Revival is not just something that happened over a hundred years ago, it prophesies into our future of what God wants to pour out in an even greater measure today. There is great momentum for us to step into that was initiated in the Azusa Street Revival, a move of God that has brought more people to Jesus than in previous centuries combined. Lessons and keys for our destiny are embedded in their story. We can access these to unlock even greater realms of God’s glory in our day. The fire from Azusa is still burning and available today.

The Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) was a significant spiritual awakening that played a crucial role in the emergence of Pentecostalism and the rapid growth of Christianity around the globe. On November 16, 1905, just months before the revival was sparked in California, an intercessor in Los Angeles named Frank Bartleman felt a stirring similar to what many of us might be feeling today. He said, 

The current of revival is sweeping by our door. Will we cast ourselves on its mighty bosom and ride to glorious victory? A year of life at this time, with its wonderful possibilities for God, is worth a hundred years of ordinary life. “Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it. Wales will not long stand alone in this glorious triumph for our Christ. The spirit of reviving is coming upon us, driven by the breath of God, the Holy Ghost. The clouds are gathering rapidly, big with a mighty rain, whose precipitation lingers but a little.

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame. The Spirit is brooding over our land again as at creation’s 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 ascending to the throne night and day. Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.[1]

Can you feel the stirring deep within your spirit? If we really believed God, can you realize what might happen? Many of us today are sensing the intensity and weight of what God is about to pour out in all the earth. We are indeed on the verge of the greatest revival we have ever seen. The momentum of those who have gone before us is great.

As you dive into the Azusa story, I declare that the weak be made strong, the hidden unveiled, the broken-hearted restored and made whole, and the wounded healed. I call forth the heroes to arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances. As you read Ignite Azusa, I pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite you with the fire of God like never before.

God, do it again in our day and even more. Whatever it looks like, we don’t care, just as long as we have more of You. Release the keys of intimacy and destiny that You want to deposit into our generation. Overshadow us and cause us to burn for You with a flame that will never go out. We are Yours forever, Lord. Mark us for your glory. We say yes to You, no matter what the cost.

*The above is an excerpt from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with the following authors:

Heidi Baker, Ph.D. (Iris Global), Lou Engle (TheCall), and Bill Johnson (Bethel Church in Redding, California) partner together in Ignite Azusa to inspire courage to step into the momentum set before us today. They will also be in Los Angeles April 9, 2016 for the 110 anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival at the AzusaNow gathering. We are believing for a new Jesus Revolution in our day. Join us at The Call Azusa (thecall.com).

Jennifer A. Miskov has a Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K. She is the founding director of Destiny House, a ministry that cultivates communities of worshippers who do life together and who launch people into their destinies from a place of intimacy with God and connection with family. She currently teaches revival history classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and facilitates Writing in the Glory workshops at various places. Jen loves to lead people into life changing encounters with Jesus through her writing, teaching, and ministry. Order your copies of Ignite Azusa HERE

[1] Frank Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles: As it Was in the Beginning. 2nd edition (Los Angeles, CA: Frank Bartleman, originally April 1925), 39 and now printed by Christian Classic Ethereal Library (Grand Rapids, MI). This book is accessible for free: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bartleman/los.pdf.  

New release by Rolland Baker Keeping the Fire is sure to cause you to burn for the One Thing (Psalm 27). I remember reading his doctoral thesis a year ago and how much I burned for more of Jesus after. I am so excited that his book is now available to the world! I am also in awe at the Holy Spirit’s creative synergy in the midst of the family of God. When I look at the covers of these two new releases, I celebrate God’s goodness. 

That Writing in the Glory and Keeping the Fire came out only months apart and that these covers were done separately without the other knowing causes me to praise Jesus because of His goodness and the synergy that happens in family. I love that simply by being a part of the same Iris family, we are tapping into a similar current of the Holy Spirit without even needing to talk about the aesthetics of our projects. Not only in appearance and timing are these books similar but also in heart. Both of these books are rooted and grounded in intimacy with Jesus and focusing on the One Thing (Psalm 27).  

In Writing in the Glory, I talk about the importance of being rooted in Jesus as the source of all creativity and about writing from a place of intimacy to light a fire that will impact the world. I share a few excerpts below.

Works that are birthed from a place of intimacy with God can have ripple effects for eternity. As you feast on God and contend for the One Thing (see Psalm 27:4), your covenant love with Him will naturally birth life.

Now is the time to strip of offenses, let go of bitterness, unforgiveness, doubts, or anything that might hinder you and run fiercely into the arms of the One who love you more than you could imagine. Now is a time to have no other lovers but Him. Today is the day to be single minded; to press in so you can release what God is about to birth in and through you. The time of awakening and birthing has come. It is here. It is now. Step in. Rise up. Don’t look back. Arise and shine. You were born to release this book.

In Writing in the Glory, Heidi Baker also writes

Apart from Him we can do nothing. But as we abide in Him and as we remain connected to the vine, we bear fruit that remains. All lasting fruitfulness flows from the place of intimacy and deep connection with God.

The fruit that remains might just be a book that impacts generations with the love, healing, and power of God.

Ask to be a holy habitation, a resting place for Him to come and abide. Open yourself up now to the glorious presence of God. Invite Him to capture your heart again.

In Keeping the Fire, Rolland, a leader in this generation and has seen the lame walk, blind eyes opened, and even the dead raised, shares about the core values of Iris and how Jesus is the key to sustaining of revival. A few excerpts are below.

Iris is not about us. It is about Jesus. Revival is not about manifestations or miracles; it is about the Reviver, Jesus our Savior. We only have one destination, one home, one reality, one resting place, one source, one motivation, one reward, one possession, one point of contact with God, one source of real satisfaction – and that is Jesus. We cannot overemphasize Him in any way. He is all we have and everything we need.

Love is a gift of relationship, not just self-sacrifice. The secret place is not necessarily found in a prayer closet or a posture of soaking, or in battling for a just cause, or in a massive prayer and fasting effort. Even the most amazing miracles can leave us lonely and without relationship. We can run out of motivation advancing the noblest ideals and working at all levels to transform society. We can minister until we have no more strength, and still go home and lie in bed without the relationship for which our hearts are made.

Everything is okay with relationship. It is all that Jesus cares about, all that motivates Him. He could do many more amazing miracles and dazzle the world with His powers, but He is interested only in relationship.

I wonder what the Holy Spirit is trying to say by birthing these two works with creative synergy in family at the same time. Maybe it’s another Ephesians 3:20 exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think or imagine moment. Maybe there’s something about intimacy with Jesus and living for the One Thing that will cause us to burn in this generation like never before. Maybe there’s a powerful synergy when reading these two works together. Either way, I encourage you to explore and receive this piece of our hearts. These can both be ordered on irisglobal.org's bookstore HERE. May our words start a fire inside you and cause you burn for the One Thing like never before. May Jesus truly be what this season is all about. Happy Christmas and may the fire burn hotter than ever before.

To read another account of crazy synergy that happened within the context of the Destiny House family, go HERE.

The following blog became the inspiration for my new book Fasting for Fire which builds and goes deeper into this theme as well as adds the voices and experiences of Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, and Lou Engle.

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by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

Part 1: Staying Full of the Oil

I want my lamp to be full of oil so that when it’s time to cast out demons, love the broken hearted, or release courage, I am ready. I want to be flooded with God’s love so much that the overflow spills out to those around me. I want to be one of the five virgins who remain ready for the arrival of the bridegroom. I want to enter into all that God has for me. It’s not about entering heaven and avoiding hell. What I am talking about is being totally possessed by the Holy Spirit and ever ready to step into the fullness of my God-given destiny. I want to be ready to advance the kingdom of God in season and out. I am talking about living the adventurous and abundant life that Jesus died for us to have, not just settling for a one way ticket to heaven. Fasting and other spiritual disciplines launch us into the world of impossibilities where we must learn to soar as our only option. If you are ready for an adventure into the depths of God’s heart, read on.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said, ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)

Let me rephrase the last line. Therefore keep watch, remain full, stay ready, for you do not know when God is going to act next. He wants you to be ready so that even if it’s midnight or an hour you least expect, you are full of Him and ready to partner with Him. One of the reasons why I fast as a regular part of my life is because I want to remain full, focused, and engaged in Him. I want to remain hungry for Him. Fasting is one way that helps keep me aligned with His heart and ready to step into all that He has for me.

The Purpose of Fasting

Fasting cultivates hunger for more of God. Fasting is feasting upon God. It is a way to accelerate and speed up your walk with God. It is an invitation to greater levels of intimacy. It is also a powerful weapon that can be used to tear down strongholds, set the oppressed free, heal the sick, align destinies, and stir up hunger for more of God. Our motives should be to seek the face of Jesus above all else (Joel 2:12; Zechariah 7:5; Acts 13:2)

Motivations for Fasting

• Grow in Hunger for God

• Regain focus

• Reposition or seek alignment

• Freedom from addiction or from habitual patterns of sin/bondage or to set others free (Isaiah 58:6/Luke 9:1-2)

• Spiritual Warfare (casting out demons: Matthew 17:21)

• Guidance in decisions (Daniel 9:2-22)

• To humble yourself (Psalm 69:10; John 4:8)

• Spiritually cleansing, renewing, refining fire

• Develop fruit of the Spirit, self-control

• Grow in intercessory prayer

• To sow into future seasons

• To prepare for stepping into greater measures of empowerment and anointing

Fasting to Bring Breakthrough

While fasting is one key to bring breakthrough, it is not always the only one God calls us to use in a situation. Sometimes breakthrough comes through fasting (Matthew 17:21) while other times it comes when loosing the chains of injustice and giving to the poor (Isaiah 58). Sometimes the key to breakthrough is found in giving away all your money to the poor (Matthew 19:21) and other times it comes when washing in the river seven times (2 Kings 5). Sometimes it is when your friends tear off the roof of a house so you can be healed (Luke 5:17-26) and sometimes it is simply in touching the hem of His garment (Matthew 9:20-22). The keys to our breakthroughs are different at different times. Sometimes what brought us a breakthrough in one season will not work in the next. That is why it important to spend time with God and be led by the Spirit in all things. With that said, fasting is one ready key that Jesus regularly states can bring breakthrough in different areas, especially in the area of freeing people from demonic oppression. Richard Foster states that “fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way.”[i]

Part 2: Secrets of the Inner Lives of Revivalists

Testimonies of Fasting Revivalists

Many of the great revivalists and strong Christian leaders we look up to regularly fast and stay full of the oil. Many of the spiritual heroes we look up to fast regularly or have even done 40 days fasts. Rolland and Heidi Baker and their Mozambiquan community fast every Monday as a part of their normal spiritual lives. When I was in Mozambique working in a refugee camp called Camp 2000, I was struck by 11 year old named Rafael who went on a seven day fast all on his own because his heart broke for the people in the nearby villages. What if fasting wasn’t something that is rare? What would happen if fasting became a regular part of life rather than something that’s exceptional? I wonder what type of extraordinary miracles, anointing, or power might be released when the body of Christ strengthens her muscles in this way.

Besides Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, Peter, John, many others, and Jesus Himself, here are a few specific testimonies of how some of our heroes regularly fasted and the impact it has had on their lives. All of the following mentioned below were included in the book I helped Bill Johnson write called Defining Moments.

John Wesley (1703-1791) and his community formed this group they called the Holy Club. They fasted every week together as a community, training themselves to walk in the fullness of all that God had for them in their generation. He was a part of forming the Methodist church.

Charles Finney (1792-1875) prepared for revivals by sending and organizing teams to pray, fast, and spread the word before he arrived. His prayer warrior Daniel Nash went in before him for a few weeks or even months, to pray, fast, and prepare the fallow ground for the seeds that were about to be sown. Finney became known as the father of modern revivalism.

Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) who moved in great anointing and power, fasted every Sunday and he never remembered “seeing less that fifty souls saved by the power of God in the meetings with the children, in the hospitals, on the ships, and in the Salvation Army.”[i] Following a turning point in his marriage and deep conviction to turn back to God, Wigglesworth decided to give ten days to praying and fasting to get his heart right. Following this time of sanctification and consecration unto the Lord, there was a marked change in him. His temper and moodiness left.[ii]

One fun story of how God used fasting in Wigglesworth’s life to release the kingdom happened later on in his life when he received a telegram to pray for a dangerously ill boy in England. Once he arrived in the town, his determination to see the boy’s healing caused him to go another nine miles on bicycle to get to the farm where the boy lay. When he arrived, his mother told him it was too late because her son was nearly dead. Wigglesworth told her that God never sends him anywhere too late. He prayed and fasted and then asked the parents to dry the boy’s clothes so they would be ready to put on. Smith then went off to church and came back only to find that the parents had not done as he asked. He went and got the clothes and had someone put the boy’s stockings on him. Then he asked everyone to leave and he shut the door behind him. When he began to pray and touched the boy’s hand, the power of God invaded the room and knocked Smith to the floor. He laid there in the glory for over 15 minutes. During this time, the boy regained his strength so much so that he was shouting joyously. After the boy dressed, he ran to tell his parents the great news but found them on the floor in the kitchen as a result of the glory that filled the house. “The daughter who had been brought from the asylum and whose mind was still affected was made perfectly whole that day. That whole village was moved and a revival began that day.”[iii]

Rees Howells (1879-1950) valued the hidden life. He entered one season by embracing aspects of the Nazarite vow. During this time, he fasted two meals a day. He also set himself apart by not wearing a hat during a time in the U.K. when that would have been seen as a cultural embarrassment. During this season, he also spent three hours every night on his knees from 6:00-9:00 p.m., two hours reading the Bible and one hour of waiting on God. Howells recalls of this precious time of prayer and fasting,

“Although we may be away from the presence of people, how hard it is to silence the voices of self. But after a time the Lord brought me to the place where the moment I shut the door at six o’clock, I left the world outside and had access into the presence of God.”[iv]

John G. Lake (1870-1935) went to prayer and fasting for 9 months waiting on God before he had his Spirit Baptism electricity encounter in October of 1907. It was after praying for 9 months and virtually giving up, while praying with Hezmalhalch for a sick woman, the Spirit possessed Lake afresh like lightning and he received his Spirit baptism and spoke in tongues.

Randy Clark (1952-present) had a series of prophetic words and impartations that marked his life and prepared him for what would prove to be the launching point for his ministry in 1994, the Toronto Blessing. He also is known to have gone on several 40 day fasts as well as other smaller fasts. He fasted while he traveled to conferences because he was so hungry for God and to receive impartation.

Heidi Baker (1959-present) a few months after her conversion, while on a 5 day fast, she was taken up in a vision for a few hours and heard the call to minister in Asia, England, and Africa. It was during a fast that she received her life defining call. In her own words she reflects on this time.

“In May toward the end of the semester I went on a five-day fast to find out more from God about what to do with my life. On the night of the fifth day I expectantly went to the Roarks’ little Pentecostal church in the country and was drawn to the altar. I knelt down and lifted my arms to the Lord. Suddenly I felt taken to a new heavenly place. Pastor Roark was preaching, but I couldn’t hear his loud, powerful voice at all. God’s glory came to me again, wrapping me in a pure and brilliant white light. I was overwhelmed by who He is. I had never felt so loved, and I began to weep. This time He spoke to me audibly. ‘I am calling you to be a minister and a missionary,’ He said. ‘You are to go to Africa, Asia and England.’ Again my heart was pounding and racing. I thought I might die.” [v]

Most of the leaders mentioned above had powerful movements and ministries. They all had one thing in common in that they regularly fasted at different times in their lives. For some it was preparation and proceeded great outpourings, for others it was simply a discipline of remaining full. Still others experienced life defining calls, increased power and anointing in their ministry, and greater intimacy with the Lord.

If you notice from these testimonies, there are seasons for feasting and there are seasons for fasting.

“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, ‘How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but you are not?’ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” Mark 2:18-20 (NIV)

Be led of the Spirit always.

Destiny House Rhythm

As Destiny House, we fast as a community every Monday. Then on the Monday evening, we break fast together and have a family meal. Corporate and regular fasts can be powerful. When something comes up that needs a miracle or breakthrough, we are already fasting so we can link arms in prayer. When we eventually are able to host missionaries and leaders who come to visit, we will be able to fast and pray ahead of time for the breakthrough they are seeking. Learning the discipline of regular fasting will help prepare each one if there is ever a season that God calls them to a longer fast. We also do a week fast once a year to prepare, pray, and sow into the upcoming season. This has a powerful impact on the whole year following because powerful seeds are sown. These smaller fasts help prepare people so that when it’s time to step into longer fast as they are led of the Spirit, they are trained, prepared, and ready.I want people to be ready if they feel led to fast for 3 days, or a week, or even for 40 days. Because we are practicing fasting in the peaceful times, we will be ready when the battle arises. It’s kind of like how the Navy Seals train and prepare rigorously so that when it’s time to be sent on a mission they are ready. They don’t get ready right before they get sent. They live ready.

I Like to Fast

Yes, I am one of those weird people who actually enjoys the spiritual discipline of fasting. It’s not that I don’t enjoy food, it’s just that I love that I can position myself to experience more of God by setting myself totally apart just to hunger after Him. He is my portion and my prize. The reasons I fast at different times vary. Generally though, I fast to grow in my hunger for God and to keep my lamp full of oil. I want to stay prepared and to stay filled. If one can take dominion over their body with self-control, they will be able to take dominion over other things as well. If one can’t have self-control over their body, they may have limited authority over other things. Fasting is also practice for taking dominion over spiritual strongholds.

It is important to keep fasting in balance and not to come under the law, judgement, or condemnation with it. Only the Holy Spirit can really sustain you on a fast and you should always be led by the Spirit into all things. It’s not by our own might or power, but by His Spirit that we will be sustained during a time of fasting. Make sure God is on it or else you may just fast to get hungry. Other times, you may feel that you want to initiate a fast because you want to honor God, consecrate yourself, sow into future seasons, or do it simply as an act of worship unto God. As long as your heart remains pure and you are not doing it to try and manipulate God or for personal and self-righteous gain, there are great rewards in fasting (Matthew 6:16-18).

Here's Why I Fast

• To be more desperate for God

• To commune with God

• To be hungry for God

• To be purified and sanctified afresh for His purposes in my life

• To be set apart for Him

• To sow into the next season of my life

• Because Jesus fasted

• To tap into the wells that other revivalists have tapped into

• To stay ready to step into what God is doing

• To keep my lamp full of oil

• To see breakthrough

• To stay focused on the things of God

• As an act of consecration and worship unto Him

Part 3: Practical Tips for Fasting

What fasting looks like practically is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. It is regularly linked to prayer. You can also fast for a time from things like T.V., secular music, Facebook, social media, shopping, sugar, coffee, etc. Fasting is not explicitly stated as a commandment in the Bible possibly because it was assumed that believers fasted as a regular part of their spirituality. There seems to be an assumption in Scripture that if people followed Jesus, then they would regularly fast because He fasted. Further, in a similar way in which He said “when you give to the needy,” implying that that was normal and expected part of spirituality, Jesus also said in Matthew 6:16 “When you fast…” He did not say “if” you fast. If Jesus is our model and He regularly fasted, then we ought to follow in His footsteps.

Jesus fasted as He was led by the Spirit for preparation for a new season (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13). Immediately after He returned from His extended fast, He was launched into His ministry. Longer fasts have proven significant for many leaders in launching them and their ministry into a greater measure of destiny as will be mentioned more.

Different Types of Fasts

• Absolute Fast: no food or water (sometimes done in emergencies: Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9; Deut. 9:9,18; Exodus 34:28)

• Full Fast: water only fast (Matthew 4:2)

• Partial Fast: a restriction of diet but not total abstaining from food (Daniel 1:15, 10:3)

• Private fasts: the most common fasts, should be done undercover (Matt. 6:16)

• Regular fasts: done once or twice each week as a discipline (Zech. 8:19; Luke 18:12)

• Public/Corporate fasts: sometimes called in times of group or national emergencies (Joel 2:15; 2 Chron. 20:1-4; Ezra 8:21-23)

Start Small

Start small and celebrate your successes. Start with a partial fast and skip two meals one day while drinking lots of water. If that’s too hard, try drinking juice. Remember that fasting is not just abstaining from food but it is also filling our bodies with something better, the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Spend the time you would normally have spent eating, alone with Him in prayer, in the Word, or on waiting on Him. During your normal day when you get hunger pains, turn towards God in prayer. For longer fasts, it is advisable to eat fruit before. Come off the fast with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way towards weightier meals.

Uncomfortable

“More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.”[i] -Richard Foster

I find that day 1-2 are the hardest of any fast, no matter how long the fast ends up being. Usually after making it past day 3, it gets much easier. Be aware of what comes up for you during a fast. Are you easily irritated, feeling out of control, or experiencing some other extreme mood shift? What things are you running to rather than food? Ask the Holy Spirit what is really going on during these times and what He might be bringing up within you to heal. Ask God to go to the root. I encourage you to press in, worship, pray, scream, dance, intercede, contend, or whatever you feel you need to do to take hold of God when the hunger gets severe. There have been some times where I went days without eating and avoided God by being busy to mask the hunger pains rather than turn to Him. I have been pleasantly surprised by rich encounters in His presence when I chose not simply to abstain from food but more importantly during that time, to instead feast on the living God. Songs have been birthed, Scripture has been revealed at new depths, healing has come when I have positioned myself at His feet instead of trying to stay busy to avoid the hunger. Fasting is not just going without food, it must also be feasting on God. The fast is the most effective when these two are married together.

How to Break a Fast

It is important to break the fast well to avoid injuring your stomach or harming your body. You body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so make sure to be wise and steward what goes in there well. Breaking a fast is usually good with liquids, fruit juices, and then moving on to fruit and vegetables. Slowly integrate more regular foods into your diet depending on how long the fast was. Come off the fast with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way towards weightier meals.

One thing I do want to share is that in many of my fasts, I don’t feel anything during the time I am fasting. Most of my major breakthroughs, increased anointings have come in the season following my fast. Several of my books including Silver to Gold, Water to Wine,  and Life on Wings were birthed after longer fasts. Destiny House came right after a long fast as well. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel anything or see what you have been praying for during the fast. While you are setting yourself apart for the Lord, He is at work behind the scenes on your behalf.

I hope this has been a helpful start to deeper engagement with the living God. Be led of the Spirit into fasting, it should always draw you closer to Jesus. May you be inspired to seek the Lord in more desperate measures. May fasting be a strength and one of the ways to help position you to feast more upon God. Join our Destiny House family as we regularly and corporately fast on Mondays. As you embark in this adventure into the heart of God, may you experience His love in greater measures and be perfectly positioned to enter into the feast with the bridegroom.

Further Resources

Check out podcast on Focus, Fire, and Fasting

Check out another blog called Positioning Ourselves to Feast Upon God: Revival of the Disciplines

In Jen’s Walking on Water Encounter E-Course, she shares her heart, personal experiences, practical tips, and testimonies from the role fasting has had in her life and in others and how you can position yourself to tap into even more that God has for you today.

Walking on Water

Encounter E-Course with a session on Fasting

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References:

Part 1: [i] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1978, reprint 1998), 60.

Part 2: [i]Stanley Howard Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (London: Elim Publishing Co., Ltd, 1949), 5-6.

[ii]Smith Wigglesworth, Faith that Prevails (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1938, 1966), 61.

[iii]Stanley Howard Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (London: Elim Publishing Co., Ltd, 1949), 30-31.

[iv] Norman P. Grubb, Rees Howells: Intercessor (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2008 reprint from 1952), 114.

[v] Rolland and Heidi Baker There’s Always Enough (Sovereign World Ltd, England: 2003), 23-27.

Part 3: [i] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1978, reprint 1998), 55.