Behold The Lamb
2022 Fast
March 7 - April 15

There is nothing more dangerous than pride. The nature of evil has pride at its core, and therefore every temptation is interwoven with it. As a result of the Fall, the curse of iniquity gave us an appetite for sin and rebellion that makes us innately vulnerable to the seductive and deceptive nature of pride. Ever since we ate the deadly fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we ingested pride that believes, “I determine what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. I know what is best.” Consequently, pride’s pervasive undertone has influenced us to become consumed with self, and this vanity is pride’s conceit.

Pride is an evil power that separates and isolates us from God and others. The more pride that is in us, the more blinded we can become to its evil power at work within us, through us, and around us. There is only one thing that can rid us of this seditious appetite and destroy the power of pride: the power of humility.

Just like pride is the lifeblood of the kingdom of darkness, humility is the lifeblood of the Kingdom of light. Pride is married to deception, whereas humility is married to truth with nothing to hide and no fear of being in the light. Scripture declares, “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The Greek word for light is phos (Strong’s number: 5457), which explains, “God is light because light has the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality; of truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it.” In 1 John 1:6-7 we read, “If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 

‍There is nothing prideful or wicked in the nature of God. Truth is the person of Jesus, who personifies humility and its consequential power as we read in Philippians 2:6-11:

‍“Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

‍The Fall was a fall from humility—the beautiful union with God and dependence on Him. Humility, therefore, is to abide in God and God in us. Humility says, “I am not God. My life is His and I am hidden in Christ. I submit to God—His leadership, Lordship, and ways. God knows best.” Where pride has separated, humility opens the door to grace and connects us back to God and right fellowship with one another. Humility is the power of life and the gateway to restoration. 

The LGBTQ+ community has labeled its movement PRIDE. We see pride’s influence as desire, pleasure, and feelings become the driving “wisdom” that determines the creation and formation of self. We see this in gender fluidity and reassignment, removing moral boundaries on God’s plan for human sexuality, abolishing God’s holy design of true masculinity and true femininity, personal pronoun preferences, and the list goes on. This evidence suggests that God is no longer our Maker and Creator, humans are. God is no longer our righteous lawgiver; we determine our human rights. All of these lofty opinions are the result of having ingested pride through eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Humanity is still hearing Satan’s temptation that led us there, and we are gorging ourselves on its “knowledge.”

The only thing that has ever stripped and overturned the power of pride is the humility of God made manifest through Jesus Christ. As intercessors who are praying for mass deliverance from sexual perversion and its degrading effects on humanity and society, we must recognize the necessity to be utterly immersed in humility. Only by being in humility, fully surrendered and hidden in Christ, will we see PRIDE fall from its high place and bow the knee to Jesus.

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HUMILITY THROUGH FASTING

Fasting has its unique way of thrusting us into humility. As we consecrate the next 40 days to fast and pray, we must be submerged and sealed in Christ’s humility as our own. This is for our protection and our means of power. Therefore, it is imperative for all of us to declare war on pride within our own hearts. It is important to be very clear here. If you are unwilling to continually crucify pride in your own heart, it would be unwise (and possibly not safe) for you to fast and pray into LGBTQ+ issues. But if you are willing, enter into the joy of sanctification and get ready to be mightily used by God!In this 40 day fasting guide, each day has a unique prayer focus with accompanying scripture references. Please read and prayerfully contemplate the scriptures; pray them back to God. It is important to keep in mind that each day’s devotional is meant to be a launching pad for your own spontaneous engagement with God in intercession. If you find yourself wanting to go deeper into the topics provided (with more context, development, and prayer), we suggest getting a copy of the book: Piercing the Night: Strategic Intercession to Set the LGBTQ+ Captives Free, authored by Kathryn Lindsey Kiser and foreword by Lou Engle.
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HUMILITY THROUGH COMMUNION

During this Behold the Lamb fast, we want to strongly encourage you to take communion every day for the next 40 days. We believe this is strategic wisdom from the Lord. Before you partake of the holy elements, please ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of any overt or covert compromises to the sin of pride in your own life. Ask Him to highlight any places where you might be walking in unforgiveness. Have a space of listening prayer and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Also remember, God does not convict us to bring shame or condemnation, but to give us the grace to live in righteousness and freedom. Be quick to repent, forgive, and proactively eradicate pride’s influence from your thoughts and attitudes. As we do, our hearts’ motives will be daily purified, and consequently it will position our prayers to prevail in love.

I was in the secret place spending time with the Lord when He impressed upon me two glorious pictures of intercession, both involving strings. First, He showed me a large, beautiful wall tapestry. Father God was the visionary and commissioned the artwork. Jesus, the Great Intercessor, was the creative designer in charge of constructing and releasing the order of operations for this creative work. The Holy Spirit then took those orders and became the hands and fingers of God weaving the strings together with such mastery and precision until the entire picture and story was complete and thus revealed.

The strings represent our prayers. Can you see the strands of high-quality strings woven together by God from our prayers? As we set our hearts to pray, God reveals to us His choice strings, which are the revelations of His heart that inform us how to pray. As we see them, touch them, and pray them back to God with our heart’s agreement, He makes something not only beautiful but powerfully alive. As we partner with Jesus and press into intercession, the hand of God weaves, weaves, weaves—encircling and connecting every prayer with His. Fervent repetition likened to the persistence of steadfast love, is key for each string being set into place.

Beyond whatever we could think or imagine is the artwork of God’s redemption. How extraordinary that we are invited into His story and work. Our prayers are purposeful in the hands of God. As we consecrate ourselves to hear God and intercede, our prayers become God’s choice strings used by Him to make His masterpiece complete. In prayer, our voices fuel the movement and response of God.

As this glorious picture unfolded before my eyes, He turned the picture into sound. My spiritual senses opened to hear what it is like for Him to hear our prayers. Our interceding voices became stringed instruments in a dynamic symphony moving the heart and emotions of God. I saw Jesus conducting our sound into an elaborate instrumental composition with many movements in the piece.

What makes a symphony marvelous is that it requires a host of instruments—unique vessels of sound—joined together in unity over the same sheet music to create a living story of sound. Each instrument has its part to play in the composition’s journey. There are waves of crescendos and decrescendos, ebbs and flows of the Holy Spirit, tensions and resolutions all along the way. Likened to an orchestra, each of our hearts carry a signature sound before the Lord and is a needed part contributing to the whole.

As we unite in prayer, the sound of our voice releases a cadence increasing in tempo and gaining momentum. The piece in its entirety is building and climbing to its final peak demanding resolution. Here in the final moments, after all is said and done, our intercession meets God’s answer in a climactic moment like two halves of a percussion symbol crashing together bringing a powerful verdict with a symphonic burst. “Its crashing declares His Presence” (Job 36:33).

Oh, let our intercession rise! Let it build! Let us see our prayers bear much fruit–the fruit of transformed lives. My spirit is shouting Isaiah 54:1-3,

‘Sing O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,’ says the LORD. ‘Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.’” So beloved, run into the place of intercession. Do not lose heart. Where there have been no signs of life, God who is Life is going to burst forth!

I dare to believe that some of our waiting in the place of prayer is giving God the time and space to take into Himself the magnificent beauty of our symphonic sound filling His chambers. It is a lie to believe that our waiting is a sign of His disinterest. No, quite contrary; I believe He is basking in the light of our prayer’s sound and marinating the offering we bring. Our love and sacrifice move His emotions and heart. And because we intercede with His heart, our strings become something transcendently beautiful, captivating, and full of faith that takes His breath away.

May we not shrink back in feeling the depths of tragedy along with the heights of elation that intercession brings. Hold fast; hold steady. The stakes are high, but God will not leave us hanging in the balance. He will rise in the final moments to release His finale. The passion of our prayers will cause His heart to boil over with the pouring out of His Spirit bringing a miraculous deliverance of love no eye has seen nor ear has heard. God is going to respond beyond our wildest dreams. And on that day, when the final note is still lingering, we will be like the elders in heaven—rising in ovation with honor and praise to God and dropping to our knees in awe-filled adoration and thanksgiving.

As we receive the righteousness of Christ, as we hear Christ’s intercession, and as we agree and pray and tarry with Him, we behold Him and become like Him.
As His praying Bride, the power of His image and His love is then reflected back to Him and received by Him. Therefore, may we ascend into the heavenly courts of intercession and joyfully lay down our lives in love with prayer and fasting. May our faith in God and our great expectation of His answer, please Him to fulfill all that He wills.

Arise, therefore, it is time to begin. The curtain is rising. Together we will awaken the dawn of His appearing, and the glory of the LORD will be seen and known.