What Happens When

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Have you ever thought about how your prayers have been answered? what about when you really want to move that mountain in your life and decide to fast? 

Have you ever considered writing down certain prayer requests to see how and when they get answered? We have and here are our praise reports. Please feel free to add some of your own praise reports under comments at the end of this post.

            Please help us to lift up these prayer requests for June 2016

Pray For People To Find A Vision / Direction     Acts 9: 9 - 10

Pray For Your Homes     Joshua 24:15   

Pray For Families Across The World    Acts 16:31

Pray For Truth in the Land    Luke 10: 21 – 23

  Answered Prayers

But certainly God has heard me;

He has attended to the voice of my prayers.

Psalm 66:18

                       What Happens When You Pray and Fast

And as you may remember, we have several women who in the beginning of this year have committed to pray and fast one day a week for the entire year. We are now reaching the half way mark in June and they have been asked,

·        How has this commitment changed you?

·        What answered prayers have you had?

This is their story about What Happens When You Pray and Fast

Joanna Marmolejo

For me to commit to something is very hard because I am afraid I will mess up somehow and I rather just not even try. I committed to fasting and praying because i wanted to be closer to God. In the beginning it was very hard for me, I love eating, I eat all day long and I had never fasted before in my life, so it was a little challenging. I gave up breakfast, I eat after 12, I would forget and then be upset at myself once I remembered but I would try it the next day or not have lunch or dinner. It's still a little hard at times specially because Friday is the day everybody decides to bring pastries to work but it's not as bad as the beginning, I could handle myself better :)

Making this commitment has helped me tremendously, I pray more, I go to my bible for answers more frequently, something that I would just say but not do. I pray for people now. Growing up I was a very selfish person always thought about myself and that was it and in prayer I was the same way, I prayed for people here and there but only & maybe when they asked because I thought that was the only time they needed prayer (because they asked). Now I pray for people a lot more even if they don't ask and it feels good. I have a better relationship with God, I go to Him for everything, something else I didn't do. I always thought I could do it on my own and didn't want to bother Him with my problems, little did I know that He was always waiting for me with my problems, even the little ones. Not so long ago I caught myself doing it again, trying to do things on my own, I was so overwhelmed and frustrated, I cried out to Him and surrendered myself again and asked for His guidance because I know I can't do it alone, I felt such a relief because I knew I was going to be fine.

My relationship with my mom is a lot better now. My relationship with my whole family is way better and I feel loved by them again. My brother accepted Jesus in his life, the best moment of my life (aside from having my children), my ex and I are having better conversations little by little.  

I'm not a perfect person and I never will be and I am ok with that now, I know that if I fall, He will be right there to pick me back up again with no judgment. I now value myself because I know I was created in His own image & I am loved by Him.

I want to know more of God so I've been attending the Women's Bible study and I love it, I plan to join other bible studies, my kids want to learn more and there is only so much I know, in order for me to teach my children about God and my children to grow in the Lord I have to grow in Him first. 

All this are just bits and pieces of what praying and fasting has done for me, I didn't think that God had answered any prayers for me but as I wrote this I realized how much He has answered, more than what I had asked for.

I know I still have a long way to go on my fasting and prayer walk but I am happy I committed to joining this journey.

Yoana Hernandez

My way of fasting was taking out breakfast and sometimes lunch from my schedule.   I have been both challenged and changed by partaking in fasting and praying. 

Some of the challenges have been that I have never committed to fasting once a week for an entire year!  This has been a huge challenge because I love food.  Something I have struggled with for many years has been the overindulging of food as a way to comfort myself specifically when I’m going through trials. Food numbs pain that I feel when I’m going through rough storms. Through fasting and praying, the Lord has so graciously pointed out this huge weakness in my life. I am so thankful to the Lord for this because He is teaching me to walk into the pain and trust in Him completely with every bit of who I am.

I have learned to not just pray, but actually CRY OUT to our Heavenly Father for people, leaders, nations, and His church. I have learned to fight on my knees and to trust Him with the cries of my heart. I have also learned to become patient as I pray and wait on the Lord to answer the prayers.  Even if God doesn’t answer my prayers right away, I rest in knowing that my prayers are in the hands of my precious Savior.  In addition to all this exiting things I’m learning, God has been faithful to answer prayers for others. See below.

The mother of my nieces began attending a Christian church in Palmdale.  I have been praying that God would put Christian people in her life and the lives of my nieces/nephew for about 9 years.  I saw my nieces two months ago and they told me that they were very excited about going to a Christian church and learning about Jesus. I am praying that mom would surrender completely to the Lord. 

My daughter’s dad has been more consistent about being a father to Delilah.  He had not been there all her life.  But now he is proving through actions that he wants to be there for my daughter.  I have shared the gospel with him a couple times and he has respectfully heard me out.  I am praying that the message of the gospel will pierce his heart and that he too may surrender his life to Jesus.

I have been praying for the pastors and leaders of my church and that the Lord may fill them with His precious Holy Spirit.  I have also prayed for revival in me and in God’s people. My pastor announced last Wednesday that he has a desire for revival at the church.  He invited the congregation to join him on a 3-day fast and prayer in the month of June. Praying for revival!

God has blessed me with stable work as a substitute teacher.  I am also receiving full-scope health benefits for me and my daughter free of charge through my employer.  As a single mom, this means so much to me.  God is truly our great provider!! HE IS FAITHFUL!

May we continue to pray for one another and lift each other up. I pray that trough this fasting and prayer, God will bring revival in us and that mountains will be moved as we CRY OUT to Him. I pray that through our fasting and praying, people and nations will come to know the Lord as their Savior.  To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Matthew 19:26

Michelle Mapula

My January 2011 prayer requests since we started writing down our prayer requests onto cards.  

·        For my girls to surrender & fall in love with Jesus.

 Praise report

In 2014 my daughter Stephanie came back into Jesus’ arms. 

 ·        For my girls to doing something in service onto Lord

 Praise report 

In 2015 my daughter Stephanie is now serving at church, going to bible studies and is in fellowship.  

 In 2015 all of my (3) daughters & I have committed to doing a reading / bible study @  home and now my granddaughter Faith is also reading with us and she is 6 years old.

·        For my daughters to marry a godly husband.

 Praise report 

 In 2012 my daughter Regina was married.

·        For the Lord to move within my Mother’s heart and for us to get along & for our relationship to be healed.

 Praise report

In 2015 my mom and I are slowing beginning to talk and walls are coming down between us. Our talks are getting sweeter and this for me is a miracle and I praise the Lord for beginning the healing process in our relation.

 ·        For the Lord to bring a godly governed man into my life and to get married

 Praise report

In 2015 God showed me a godly governed man and I am praying for him.

·        My heart’s desire is to get closer & a deeper walk with God & grow more in Him

 Praise report

In 2014 God called me to lead the Single Moms ministry. This answered prayer has me reaching daily for the Lord and has given me a deeper walk with the Lord.

Yolanda Garcia

Yes prayer and fasting for me has been a blessing. I do not have any praise reports as of yet, but I know God will grant me them in His time.

As far as what I have learned thru prayer and fasting thus far is, that because of the prayer and fasting I have seen many opportunities to pray for the women and men at my workplace. I will not hesitate to pray for them.

The Holy Spirit has lead me to pray for strangers in the street when I sense sadness upon them. I can feel the Holy Spirit pressing upon my heart to just cry out and pray for them, as well as for my coworkers, our nation, the single lonely people and for our addicts!

With fasting I have noticed how it has made me sensitive to the Holy Spirit and when I pray I feel His sweet presence.

I have become more apt to pray for myself when I am feeling the stress coming on.

It's been an amazing experience for me because I know our King enjoys hearing from us. What a wonderful Friend and Counselor we have!  

Maricela Godinez
I am just taking prayer more serious, because prayer is powerful. I learned so much from our last year’s retreat in regards to prayer and I have seen the miracles that have happened with prayer.  I see it and I know it was God who made it all happen.  I believe that I have taken a step up in my walk by keeping this commitment of prayer and fasting this year. I feel I am a bit wiser. and more confident to speak to someone about what God expects from us with assurance of what the bible says. 

I have began listening to Revive Our Hearts and I have learned much. The studies just have me going through the bible and I am in Psalm 126. I am understanding about being captive and being set free. I thank the Lord, who is the only one who can make these changes within me happen. His promises are real, His word is true and His love is eternal. 

My older son and I have have started to reading the Word together and if he has questions he will ask them and I have answered. I love to see that he is searching and that he is being committed to reading and doing God’s will. I will continue to pray for my kids and family because I can see God working in them. 

I am asking the Lord to work in me internally. So right now I am searching, listening and running the race. “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom”. 

Lydia Gutierrez
I had been struggling in my prayer time with the Lord. I was anxious and not meeting Him as I needed to and I was just frustrated, so I stopped praying as I had committed to. 
After two (2) weeks, I missed our intimate time together and I had learned to miss His presence in my heart. I confessed to Him my ugly attitude and asked Him to forgive me. Our wonderful God is an amazing example of true forgiveness. He never slapped me upside my head or got angry with me. He just embraced me and I continue to have sweet council with Him. 

I would like to challenge you to answer these 5 questions and write out your answers in a journal. Then pray for your requests and keep a journal as to when and how your prayer are answered. Some of us have been doing this since 2012 and have see many prayers answered and others that we are still praying for. Every year we answer these same questions and its beautiful to watch how God is working in us.

question # 1 An impossible Prayer that you want God to answer?

question # 2 A commitment that you want to make unto the Lord.

question # 3 A change I want God to help me make.

question # 4 Something that God is calling me to be obedient about.

question # 5 What is my heart's desire.

Take the challenge and be blessed.

Enjoy....

 Answered Prayers

But certainly God has heard me;

He has attended to the voice of my prayers.

Psalm 66:18