“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry.” – Matthew 4:1-2 NKJV
After a fast, most of us overcompensate by eating everything we couldn’t eat and were longing for while the fast lasted. But no matter how full we are, we must eat the next day and every other day after that!
In the same way, our physical bodies require food daily to be healthy, our minds also require regular edification. So no matter how much you pray today, you will still need to pray tomorrow and every other day afterward.
There is a propensity to overcompensate after extraordinary seasons of consecration, such as attending a special camp gathering or a church program. You might even want to take a break and appreciate yourself for all of the efforts and time spent praying. You may perhaps believe that the time you spent praying should be sufficient to last you a few more days before returning to your usual prayer routine.
Friends, it doesn’t work that way. You can never have enough of praying. The Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It means that you must stay praying. Prayer is communion with God and there will always be reasons to commune with God.
From our anchor text, we see that Jesus was tempted after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights. One would think that the devil would only tempt us in our weak moments but this text shows us that it is possible to have just completed an extended period of prayer and fasting, and still be tempted by the devil.
The devil tries to take advantage of the moments when we feel that we ought to rest. Jesus was done fasting but He stayed alert, ready to withstand the enemy. We also must stay praying and watchful (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Resist the urge to overcompensate and instead fan to flames the gifts that you have received during those special seasons of prayer (2 Timothy 1:6). You don’t just write down prophecies and wait for them to happen, you must war with those prophecies through prayers and as you pray, you align yourself to the will of God.
A believer is always on alert, always on duty. Remember, there is “no holiday for Imago Dei”!
Bible Reading Plan: Daniel 10-12