Christian Women Can Serve God With Prayers, Fastings & The Gospel
This includes you ladies too. The apostle Paul
mentions Christian women who laboured with him in the gospel. Philippians
4:3, “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which
laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my
fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”
Luke 2:37, “And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Whew, that's good stuff! Amen! This 84 year old widow waited and watched for strangers who came to Jerusalem seeking redemption in Jesus Christ. They had heard from afar in foreign lands about Jesus Who died, was buried and then miraculously resurrected from the dead after three days. They traveled all the way to Jerusalem to find out how to be saved. They wanted redemption in Christ and this dear old lady eagerly awaited for them in Jerusalem to tell them about Jesus. Oh how the world still needs Jesus.
So many multitudes today are still seeking the redemption of their souls. Satan has blinded them with the lies of evolution. Satan has confused them with thousands of different religions. Satan has misled them with hundreds of false Bible versions. Satan has offered them hope in the false religion of religious humanism, which makes men feel comfortable in their unsaved condition, leaving out the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the only way of salvation to them that believe. Ladies, whoever you may be, if you are a Christian, then you have a golden opportunity to share the gospel and to serve God with prayers and fasting. It is entirely a matter of faith.
Although God will answer prayers without fasting, fasting compels us to pray more fervently, since our flesh is unhappy that we are afflicting it by denying it food, et cetera. The flesh is our biggest enemy. Fasting is a means of subduing the flesh to boost our faith, letting go of the physical in order to grasp more of the spiritual. Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
The Philosophy Behind Prayer And Fasting (from Exploring Prayer With Dr. Jack Hyles)
Please understand that prayer and fasting, and
laying up heavenly rewards, have absolutely NOTHING to do with salvation
itself, which is the free gift of God by faith in Christ Jesus our Savior.
God Wants Us To Pray Mostly For OTHERS
Note in our text verse above from Colossians 4:12 that the apostle Paul mentions “LABOURING fervently for you in prayer.” Prayer is often only thought of in selfish terms, praying for ourselves. Prayer is sadly viewed these days as a means of satisfying personal ambitions, lusts and desires. However, we read in Colossians 4:12 that Epaphras was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ who laboured intensely in prayer for OTHERS (“for you”). There are NO coincidences in the Bible. Everything is written the way it is for specific reasons, whether we know what those reasons are or not. God doesn't make mistakes.
Having said that, I want to bring your attention to Matthew 6:7-8 and Luke 12:5-13...
Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
Notice in the preceding Scripture passage that God tells us NOT to pray long prayers, thinking that we are earning an answer to prayer or impressing God. God already knows exactly what we need before we even begin to pray. The reason why God wants us to pray is so that WE KNOW that we need Him. James 4:6 teaches that God resists THE PROUD who don't pray, but God gives GRACE to the humble. In 2nd Chronicles 7:13-15 God tells His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face (His approval) and turn from their wicked ways so that God will forgive their sins and heal the land. Notice that humility precedes prayer. Proud people don't pray. God turns His face against the wicked, which includes those who don't pray.
So we learn from Matthew 6:7-8 that we don't have to pray lengthy prayers to receive answers from God. The Lord just wants us to pray, evidencing that we trust upon the Lord and need His help, provisions and guidance in life. Now notice the convicting Scripture passage in Luke 11:5-13 which teaches us to PRAY LONG PRAYERS FOR OTHERS...
Luke 11:5-13, “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
How many of us spend most of our prayer time praying FOR OTHERS verses our self? The Lord thought about OTHERS while living on earth, and you can be assured that He still thinks about OTHERS today. Hebrews 13:8 proclaims “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” The same Lord Who cared about OTHERS, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,” still CARES about OTHERS today. Here is a precious poem written by the faithful man of God, Pastor Jack Hyles...
Lord, let me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.
