Advice on Prayer and Fasting

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. --Daniel 9:3

I hope and pray that millions of Christians will fast and pray for the upcoming election. My experience has been that many contemporary American Christians do not know much about fasting in conjunction with prayer. Here are a few insights, but it is neither exhaustive nor definitive.

1. Adding fasting to prayer is meant to intensify the prayer. Fasting is not a magical way to win God's favor. Rather, our emptiness and hunger for God is felt more deeply and focused in prayer.

2. We gain a sense of spiritual desperation and deep yearning by not eating. When we feel physical hunger, we should hunger and thirst for righteousness, as Jesus said. We should cry out to God with great earnestness and passion, as did David so often in the Psalms. Jesus himself called out to God, his Father, with great passion. See Hebrews 5:7-8.

3. We must be careful not to hurt ourselves physically through fasting. Some people cannot fast without endangering their health. Moreover, fasting may diminish energy, so you need to adjust your activities accordingly. Make sure to drink enough fluids. Dehydration is a serious problem. This is especially true in very dry areas, such as Colorado, where I live. You may also want to drink some fiber for digestive reasons. Going very long on just water can be physically hazardous. I rarely go more than half a day on just water. Consider getting some nourishment through fruit juice, vegetable juice, milk, etc. Know your physical limits. The body first starts living off of fat, then goes to muscle (which is not good). I can last a long time on fat; others cannot.

4. Try to spend extra time reading, meditating on, and praying through the Bible, especially those passages pertinent to your prayer/fasting focus. Isaiah 58 is apt for our present crisis, I believe. Of course, there are many other Scriptures to consume. Feed on the Word of God. We do not live by physical bread alone, but Jesus is the bread of life. Storm heaven through Scripture.

5. Jesus instructed us not to make a show of our fasting, as did the hypocrites. Secrecy is part of the discipline. However, that doesn't mean that no one can know. Those affected by the fast can be told without breaking the principle Jesus gave us in Matthew 6.

6. One can find encouragement by fasting along with friends. You can encourage one another in this endeavor of seeking God and perhaps meet for prayer during this time.

7. Posture matters in prayer. Pascal wrote that if we think posture alone is spiritually significant, we are mere externalists and thus deceived. But, if we think that posture means nothing, we are not taking our physical body seriously enough. Find the position that indicates reverence, submission, and desire for God's work in God's way, come what may! Getting on your knees or lying prostrate is advised.

8. Praying aloud may help your mind not to wonder and keep you from falling asleep.

Be countercultural for Christ: deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ--through prayer and fasting. Press into the abundant life he promised (John 10:10).

Voter's Guide

Here is a helpful voter's guide for Colorado voters put out by the Colorado Family Institute.

Times of London Reports What US Newspapers Will Not

Obama's African aunt lives in a rundown section of Boston. He probably thinks his economic plans will lift her out of poverty, so he doesn't have to spread his own wealth around (in the millions, given his best-selling memoirs) to help her.

Warning: Media Suppression of the Vote

Count on this: early in the election results on November 2, the major media networks will announce that Obama is winning in a landslide. This can--if heeded--have the effect of suppressing voter turnout. Why will they do this? First, they expect it on the basis of polls (which are often skewed). Second, they have favored Obama the entire campaign and cannot imagine him losing. Third, by announcing an Obama victory early on, they hope to stop those who have not voted for McCain to from doing so, since their vote would be meaningless.

In light of this, please do not believe them; do not let them rob you of your vote. This may be a very close election and much is at stake.

It Gets Still Worse: O's Anti-Semitism Connection

Here is a story about Obama's love fest for a PLO, anti-Jewish sympathizer. The LA Times refuses to release the video of this event.

If you haven't seen the pattern, here it is: O has terrible judgment about friends and associates; his political views (indicated by this associations and affiliations) are extreme and extremely wrong; he always tries to cover up these associations when found out; if he cannot ignore it, he reluctantly admits some half truths (Bill Ayers was at first "just a guy I knew in the hood") and then continues to try to impress ignorant Americans with his pseudo-gravitas.

America, wake up. This man is a danger to everything good America stands for.

Abortion and the Election

A very short interview with me on abortion and the election is available here. It is less than ten minutes.

O in, Liberties Out

If Obama gets in, civil liberties will be in danger, says David Limbaugh. I agree. We have already seen his squelching of criticisms.

Rational Fear; Irrational Hope; Rational Hope

Tonight on TV Obama tells us to "Chose Hope Over Fear." It is a slogan without meaning. One should fear the outcomes of an Obama presidency:

1. Fear Obama's abortion policies: signing The Freedom of Choice Act, overturning the Hyde Amendment (banning tax dollars to support abortion), supporting partial birth abortions, etc. Hope for good in these areas is irrational.

There is reason to hope that John McCain will be as pro-life as his record shows and his words proclaim.

2. Fear Obama's economic policies: higher taxes that inhibits economic recovery; huge increases in governmental spending; "spreading the wealth around" through confiscatory taxation and social engineering. Hope for this economic shell game is irrational.

There is reason to hope that John McCain will control spending and keep taxes low, thus leaving more money in our hands and generating more tax revenue (as did Reagan).

3. Fear Obama's foreign policy: defunding an already overstretched military; losing Iraq to terrorist rule; bargaining with rogue leaders of Iran, etc., with no sense of their dangers and evils. Hope here is irrational and dangerous.

There is reason to hope that a long time Senator and military hero--who was right about the surge in Iraq--will do the right thing and be strong in the face of international evils. John McCain is that man.

4. Fear Obama's lack of executive experience and moral character: he has written two memiors, but no significant legislation; he is a first term senator with a very shady background (close associations with William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, ACORN, etc.). Hoping in this man in irrational and dangerous.

There is reason to hope that John McCain's proven character will continue while in The White House.

Slogans do not make for coherent political philosophies. Evil outcomes should be feared and thus avoided. Hope should rest in rational projections, not in irrational and romantic wishes.

For these reasons, do not vote for Obama and be sure to vote for John McCain. No, he is not as charismatic, but that does not matter. We need a proven leader with strong character and wise policies, not an "historic" celebrity who lacks the needed credentials for the most influential office on the planet.

Obama's Foreign Policy: "Utterly Immature" (and Dangerous)

Last update - 10:32 28/10/2008

Sources: Sarkozy views Obama stance on Iran as 'utterly immature'

By Barak Ravid

Tags: Israel News, Nicolas Sarkozy

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government. Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate's stance on Iran as "utterly immature" and comprised of "formulations empty of all content." More

It Gets Worse and Worse: Obama's Ties to Kenyan Terrorist

Obama's Kenyan cousin is a violent revolutionary who supports violence against his opposition. Many have been killed. Obama has supported this man, Raila Odinga (who is either a Muslim or who has strong Muslim sympathies), when he visited Kenya. They are of the same Luo clan.

This is from The Washtington Times story:

In return for Muslim backing, Mr. Odinga promised to impose a number of measures favored by Muslims if he were elected president. Among these were recognition of "Islam as the only true religion," Islamic leaders would have an "oversight role to monitor activities of ALL other religions [emphasis in original]," installation of Shariah courts in every jurisdiction, a ban on Christian preaching, replacement of the police commissioner who "allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists," adoption of a women's dress code, and bans on alcohol and pork.

Note: Sharia courts. That means Islamic law.

No Taxes for Abortion

M E D I A A D V I S O R Y

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) allied attorney Barry Arrington and Colorado citizen Mark Hotaling will hold a news conference on Wednesday, October 29th at 2:15 P.M. in the Senate Press Room of the State Capitol announcing their $18 million lawsuit against Governor Bill Ritter, Planned Parenthood, Boulder Valley Women's Health Center (BVWHC) and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment for illegal taxpayer funding of abortion.

The lawsuit comes less than a week after plaintiffs learned of the illegal taxpayer funding made by Governor Ritter and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment to Colorado's leading abortionists. The funding directly violates Article 5, Section 50 of the Colorado Constitution which states that no public funds can be used "directly or indirectly" for the performance of an abortion.

In 2001, then Governor Owens finally implemented Article 5, Section 50 to strip Planned Parenthood and BVWHC of more than $1 million in illegal tax subsidies after an independent audit found and Planned Parenthood recently admitted that it's impossible to separate their abortion activities from their taxpayer subsidies.

In 2006 during Governor Ritter's campaign, he publically pledged to restore the funding to Colorado's abortionists despite the voter approved and affirmed Article 5, Section 50. Then in June of this year, Governor Ritter awarded these abortionists $9 million a year for two years.

"Their actions are an outrageous and arrogant disregard for the people's will and common decency," stated Hotaling. "Abortionists like Planned Parenthood are so eager to get our tax dollars that they are willing to ignore the will of the people and the Colorado Constitution," he added.

"Fundamentally, this case is about the rule of law itself. Bill Ritter thinks he knows better than the voters who amended the constitution to prohibit tax dollar subsidies to abortion providers. We are asking the court to tell the Governor the people are his boss, not the other way around. It's that simple," concluded Arrington.

Additionally, representatives from the Yes on 48 and Yes on 54 campaigns have been invited to attend and be available for interviews to give their perspectives on this lawsuit.

Contact Mark Hotaling with questions at (970) 556-0097

Taxing Times

Thomas Sowell, columnist and formerly a professor of economics, explains why Obama's tax plan would hurt everyone. It will not "spread the wealth around" but decapitalize Americans in general, especially as corporations put their money in other countries as a result of higher tax rates here. Moreover, higher taxes on corporations hurts those with pensions dependent on corporate profits.

Sadly, many Americans are emotionally manipulated ignoramuses when it comes to taxation and the philosophy of the state. They are sentimentally moved by inflated rhetoric about "taxing the rich to help the poor." Then those who do not support this confiscation are attacked as insensitive or even unChristian. The truth is this: "The power to tax is the power to destroy."

Protocal

If I have disabled posts on a particular post of mine, I will not publish responses to the disabled post under another post. I delete these. For example, I disabled posts to this post. So, I will not allow anyone to complain about it under another post.

Why do I do this? I cannot keep up with the responses--good, bad, and ugly--to every controversial post I make; and some take me to have lost an argument when I simply fail to give one.

Jesus in an Age of Controversy just Translated into Indonesian

Please contact me for information about how to purchase the book.

"Sarah Palin is a Brainiac"

Believe it or not, Elaine Rafferty, a former editor of Ms. Magazine and a pro-choice Democrat, has written a positive piece on Sarah Palin, crediting her with real intelligence and castigating Rafferty's liberal feminist friends for dismissing Palin.

I Exhort You to Do What Kristi Burton Encourages: Pray and Fast for Proposition #48

Dear Friends,

We are so grateful for your support over the last few months and year as we've worked to protect every human being, no matter how small. Let's pray even harder these last few days, and commit this work to the Lord. We can plow the fields, but He must bring the rain.

Please pray that God would touch the hearts of the voters...even at the last minute as they enter the voting booth. Please pray that they would know and vote according to the truth, and that the truth would set them free.

We are specifically creating a "3 Day Prayer Team." We're asking people to commit to prayer and fasting (if they are able) for 3 days, just like Queen Esther and her people did. So this means Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (Election Day). Prayer and fasting do change things!

Ask everyone you know to keep praying for Amendment 48 to pass and for lives to be saved, both physically and spiritually.

Thank you again for standing with us in the battle for life.

Blessings,

The YES on 48 Campaign

--
Kristi Burton
Initiative Sponsor
Colorado Personhood Amendment
www.personhoodcolorado.com
(719) 661-8827

Vote "YES!" on 48…Every Person Counts!

"The Sacrifice of Truth to Power"

Melanie Phillips, UK author of Londonistan, has written an important piece on the US presidential election and how the mainstream media is hiding the real Obama from us. Things have become "Orwellian," in her words. Indeed. (Now, have enough people read Orwell to know what this adjective means?)

Health Plan

Learn about the McCain/Palin health plan. Don't believe the Obama class warfare spin machine.

Why No Action?

Low life in West Hollywood have hung Sarah Palin in effigy. How can they possibly get away with this legally? Why is there no cry of outrage about this kind of unbridled hate (and perhaps tacit death threat)? What if someone hung Obama in effigy? They would be rightly arrested. But what of Sarah Palin? I guess it is open season if you are a Republican female. God help us.

I Miss the Gipper

Be inspired by a few minutes from a great man, Ronald Reagan.

And there is no national politician alive more antithetical to this spirit than Barack Obama.