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Francis Harper Message for 6/29/2018
Dear Ones,
The body of Christ [the church] is sadly lacking in spiritual power today. One reason for this spiritual weakness is that only a few are fasting. We focus on the flesh first and ask: “What’s for dinner?” while our spiritual needs are simmering on the back burner! Remember the old-saying about “putting first things first?” We need to change our ways. Our prayers are not availing as much as they will if we add fasting to our prayers. The formula is F+P=MSP (more spiritual power and blessings).
The sons of Mosiah “had given themselves to much prayer and fasting, therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of God . . . They did suffer much, both in body and in mind; such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit” (Alma 12:5,9). “In spite of their sufferings in the body they rejoiced exceedingly” (Alma 12:2).
Fasting proves that our prayers are sincere. Fasting proves that “we mean business.” Fasting gets the Lord’s attention. Our fleshly appetites need to be curbed. Paul lamented: “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-26). By fasting we are strengthening our faith muscles; achieving dominion over our flesh.
I recall Ray Whiting preaching about the battle between the flesh and spirit. He suggested that we take a cold water shower saying, “Body get in there!” He would demonstrate the mind or spirit gaining dominion over the flesh, by acting out the struggle of “mind over matter.” I believe you can visualize his antics; jumping in and out of the cold water. Yielding to fleshy appetites ruins many lives.
One of my grandchildren is concerned about choices of career and a marital companion. God is willing to assist us with these decisions of great importance. He responds to prayers of faith with fasting and waiting. Fasting will assist in bringing us into alignment with his perfect will and the destiny he has planned for us.
Ezra was the spiritual leader of the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon. This man of God proclaimed a fast at the river Ahava. “. . . that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones . . . The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him . . . So we fasted and besought our God for this; and he was entreated of us” (Ezra 8:21-23). Ezra was especially concerned for the “little ones;” the younger generation, as we should also be.
My Aunt Inez had three sons for which she fasted and prayed for many days. Eventually all three were ordained as elders and served the Lord faithfully to the end of their lives.
Prayers become extra-ordinary when they are reinforced by fasting. And extra-ordinary prayers bring extra-ordinary results. The Weldon family was an example of this. They lived in California at the time their father became very sick. He had received the anointing with oil and the ordinance of the laying on of hands but his condition did not improve. Two of his sons took the initiative to notify other members of the family and asked for 3 days of fasting and prayer. After another administration, their father began breathing normally and recovered.
My Love to All,
Francis Harper
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Fasting and Prayer
In his sermon on the mount, Jesus gave his disciples some instruction on how to give, pray, and
fast; the three primary duties of Christians. He said, “But when thou doest alms, let . . . thine alms be in
secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, . . . shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:3-4).
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues . . . that they may be seen of men. . . But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:5-6).
“. . . when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces,
that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when
thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto man to fast, but unto thy
Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:17-18).
Whenever we give, pray or fast in secret, the Lord will reward us
openly. The Lord is pleased when we give, fast and pray without drawing
attention to ourselves. Jesus “. . . spake this parable unto certain men, who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous . . . Two men went up into the
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself; God, I thank thee that I am not as other
men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers; or even as this publican. I fast twice in
the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. But the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified, rather than the other; for every one who exalteth
himself, shall be abased; and he who humbleth himself, shall be exalted”
(Luke 18:9-14).
It was not the intention of the Lord to minimize the importance of fasting, tithe-paying and
prayer when he shared this parable. He spent forty days in the wilderness, fasting and praying, preparing
for his earthly ministry. He encouraged a rich young man to sell all he had and give to the poor. He was
simply teaching his disciples to guard against doing these things to draw attention to themselves and
their piety.
Fasting and prayer were of utmost importance in the life of our Lord and it should be the same
for us. Some might consider including prayer and fasting in their daily routine a duty, but in the eyes of
Jesus, time spent with the Father in prayer coupled with fasting must have been seen as a great privilege.
When we look forward to communion with God more than we look forward to our favorite food,
we are becoming more like Jesus who said: “I have meat to eat that ye know not of” (John 4:34). Job
desired to be in the presence of God. “Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to
his seat! . . . I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23: 3, 12).
What is fasting? Perhaps it could be said it is giving up the pleasure of feeding the body in lieu of
the joy of feasting at the Lord’s table which nourishes and satisfies the soul. It is written: “Verily this is
fasting and prayer; or, in other words, rejoicing and prayer (Doctrine and Covenants 59:3-b). Fasting
from food brings us closer to the Lord, and in his “presence is fullness of joy . . .” (Psalm 16:11).
Our prayers become mighty prayers when they are supported by fasting. When the disciples
could not cure a demon-possessed child the Lord chastened them, saying “. . .This goeth not out but by
prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21)
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