[I] warn you that satan, by every means possible, wants to ruin everything in you; but your prayers prevent him from succeeding. When you fill up all the empty spaces with prayer, you prevent satan from entering your soul. Pray, dear children, and your Mother will pray with you to defeat satan.

                                                                                                         -  Medjugorje March 21, 1988

What a gift it is when the readings of the day in the Church line up with our fasting day.  The following passage from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount was read, is being read, and will be read all around the globe today as the most widely studied gospel passage on the planet:

1 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

As in Jesus’s teachings regarding prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the principal idea is that all three should be done without fanfare or desire to be noticed at all. If our spiritual life is hidden from human eyes, then it is noticed by God, and rewarded for all eternity. On the other hand, if we boast, or just “let drop” “Oh. I’m fasting,” for the purpose of being admired, then that is all the reward that we will get - a second’s worth of fleeting admiration. 

Common sense would tell us that we are not to lie when asked why we are not eating a regular meal when others are. However, what matters most is the motive of our heart. If the case is that we want to spread the message of fasting to get more fasters activated in the spiritual battle, then by all means, we should explain. 

Many Christians hearing this passage today might let the fasting section pass through their ears, because frankly, priests are not preaching about fasting as an essential part of a faithful disciple’s life. So, please don’t let that be any of us. If you have just been reading the reminders and not fasting, you are missing the benefits for yourself and your family. When adding fasting, your prayers become extra strength. 

If you have time today, you will be blessed to listen to this 30 min talk by European preacher Torben, sent to us by Sara. His joyful demeanor is so pleasant, and he succinctly explains many basic elements of why Christians should fast. 

God bless and magnify your fasting and prayers!

Why We Fast – Our Core Fasting Intentions

1) We add the new fasting intention of taking back the church from evil. We submit the three-step process to achieve this victory is 1-Repent, 2-Prayer & Fasting and, 3-Imitate our Savior by throwing the evil leadership from the church. We will seek to emulate the Savior in our effort to End The USCCB, an organization that has been devastating to the church.  (“You shall know the spirit by the fruits” - Matt. 7:16)

2) For the Holy Spirit to reign down upon America, renewing our land as the Christian, capitalist meritocracy we were founded to be.

3) For the protection of our police, firefighters, military and their families from harm and that the Lord bless their courageous generosity on our behalf.

4) For the protection of the families who fast with us, and for God’s blessings of abundance upon them and that true to His word, we will be able to witness that He prospered us in famine.

Would you like to learn more about fasting?

We maintain a repository of ideas and information we have learned over the last decade while fasting weekly for America. From scientific studies on the benefits of fasting, to the differences between intermittent dieting vs intermittent fasting, to scriptural references regarding the power of fasting to the history of first century Christians who stated believers are obligated to fast weekly, we hope you will find numerous insights with our free resource located here.

Together let us also implore Heaven while fasting for intentions you have highlighted:

4) For all patriots who put themselves on the front lines in combatting evil and for all of the warriors who are stepping up around the nation to fight for the gospel – May The Father cover them in the blood of our savior,  protect them and their families from evil and bring victory to their endeavors.

5) For priests, ministers and all who aspire to lead others to the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will reign down upon them as at Pentecost filling them to overflowing. 

6) For the Americans jailed after January 6th who were admitted to the Capitol building by the police, and who were not found to have destroyed any property at the capitol yet who have been held captive ever since on our own soil - That God's Spirit will move quickly to bring justice back to this land and free them.


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