Many pray. A growing number meditate. A few fast. How important are these to success in growing spiritually? Are prayers heard? Does meditation work? When was the last time you fasted?
Spiritually directed tools can be a powerful asset. But if not used with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, they could be a waste of time. It is hard for us to comprehend how to make these work. Even the disciples requested, “Teach us to pray.”
For a lot of people prayer becomes nothing more than begging, and that is not healthy. Religious leaders can often be heard making public prayers, and these, some think, are model prayers. But regardless of the sad state of prayer what we really want is to find out what it really is and how to make it work.
Meditation is somewhat like prayer only the difference is that nothing is said. Instead we shut down our mind, if that is possible, and go into a meditation or trance state. For a spiritual person this can be a very refreshing time. Sometimes meditation is a time that can be very valuable for dealing with life. We can go into a meditative state, become settled, and later find new insight and knowledge come to our awareness that is exactly what we needed to solve a problem or to complete a project.
Fasting is a powerful tool, but only used by a few people. It involves abstaining from eating. Sometimes, for short periods, the fasting person drinks nothing. Why do this? The thought of missing a meal is enough to make many people faint. Most people think that they will die if they skip eating anything for one day. But true spiritual fasting should take you past the point where food is no longer important or even desired, and yes, that actually happens on or about the third or fourth day.
Why should we even consider doing any one of these things? Are we nuts?
For any of these tools to be useful to our spiritual life, we must also have the needed prerequisites. It is kind of like dealing with computer software, some packages will not function unless other programs are already in the system. These packages have what are known as “dependencies.”
Prayer, meditation and fasting have dependencies and prerequisites. Prayer is not simply a matter of saying the “right” words over and over. Meditation is not just sitting in a lotus position, alone and quiet, waiting for some vision or mental flash. Fasting does not mean that going without food or drink automatically causes God to smile down on us.
No, before we can be successful, we must start at the right place.
For several years now, I have taught about something that I call the Elahim Connection. This is a true spiritual relationship with our Creator. Not just any kind of relationship but a special one. It is based on this law, “Love Eyahuwah, your Elahim, with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as you love yourself.” This is foundational. Upon this hang everything else in the Law or Torah and is the theme or spine behind the writings of the prophets, from Enoch and Moses to the Apostle John.
We must ask ourselves before any prayer, meditation, or fast: Does that “commandment” accurately represent our present and continuing state? If not, how then can we even consider that we will be successful in prayer, meditations, and fasting when we don’t even have the basic character upon which the relationship depends?
Eyahuwah is far from the wicked [those who are wrong-doers], but He hears the prayer of the righteous [those do are right-doers]. Proverbs 15:29
The prayer of a righteous man [or woman] is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Blessed is the man [or woman] who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [those who are wrong-doers] or stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his [or her] delight is in the Law [Torah] of Eyahuwah, and he [or she] meditates on His Law [Torah] day and night. He [or she] shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither, and whatever he [or she] does prospers. Psalm 1:1-4
Not only is focus and delight in the Law important to living in a spiritual relationship with Elah, but so also is attitude. Pride, having an inordinate self-esteem, blocks spiritual life. Before one can learn, one must recognize that Eyahuwah and the Elahim know everything. A Pharisee prayed:
“I thank you that I am not like other men. Extortioners. Unjust. … I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess.”
But his prayer was not heard.
For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who is humble shall be exalted. Luke 18:14
Those who like to be seen praying, or who make a show of their fasting, or who proclaim their generosity to the world, have their reward. But they do not have answered prayer, and their fasting does not make them spiritual, and their charity becomes a curse to them.
“Teach us to pray” is confusion. “Teach us the way of righteousness” is more on target and it is a prayer.
“When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courtyards? Stop bringing futile offerings, incense, it is an abomination to Me. New moons, Sabbaths, the calling of meetings — I am unable to bear unrighteousness and assembly. My being hates your New Moons and your appointed times, they are a trouble to Me. I am weary of bearing them.
“And when you spread out your hands, I hide my eyes from you, even though you make many prayers, I do not hear. Your hands have become filled with blood.
“Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Put away the evil doings from before My eyes. Stop doing evil! Learn to do good! Seek right-ruling. Reprove the oppressor. Defend the fatherless. Plead for the widow.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says Eyahuwah, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
“If you submit and obey, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:12-19, The Scriptures.
There is no secret to prayer, meditation and fasting. They are simple, easy and can accomplish much. But the relationship between each of us, individually, and Eyahuwah and the Elahim only comes with humility and right-doing. It is not the result of attending meetings, whether on Sunday or on a Sabbath or on any other day.
Why are prayers not heard?
“Your rulers are stubborn and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and runs after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow reach them.
“I shall turn My hand against you, and shall refine your dross and remove your impurities. And I shall give back your judges as in the days of old, and your counselors as at the beginning. After this you shall be called the city of righteousness, a steadfast city.”
And it shall be in the latter days that the mountain of the House of Eyahuwah is established on the top of the mountains [large nations], and shall be exalted above the hills [small nations]. And all nations shall flow to it. And many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Eyahuwah, to the House of the Elahim of Jacob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Zion comes forth the Torah, and the Word of Eyahuwah from Jerusalem.” And he shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many peoples. Isaiah 1 & 2
I agree with Tim. A life without doing what is right in the sight of the Lord is so vital to a walk with the Lord. Prayer, fasting and meditation is a waste of time. Our wrong choices and wrong doings will create a gulf between us and our Creator. We first should always remain humble in heart and mind(thoughts). The Lord always sees the heart and sees a humble heart. When we as children of the Most High have a true encounter we will discover the true nature and attributes of the Creator and realize EL is Holy and HE along is Holy. In HIS light we discover we are in dire need of HIM and not the other way around. What is so amazing when we have this kind of relationship with our Creator HIS attributes will begin to change us from within and without. HIS nature will begin to be seen through HIS children because we are HIS offspring born of HIS seed. It is so amazing.
Please don’t misread the above comment and think, prayer, fasting and meditation is a waste of time.
Our highly effective spiritual connections are with two entities and often with their Messengers. Those two are EL or ELOAH, and His son whose is known as the “Chosen” and the “Son of Man” who was given the name, “Yahua,” which means “He exists!” That name reflects back to, believe it or not, that He was born of EL, not in the flesh, but as the Son of EL. The reason I used the Hebrew name “EL” and not “God” is because “God” completely delivers the wrong message. Each person has a different view of “God” and they are all wrong. “Narrow is the way, and few find it.” So stated “Yahua” when He came in the flesh, and was given the Name, “Yahushua,” which means “He who exists is our deliverer.”
If we understand, we can have a relationship with both EL and Yahua — the Father and the Son. I have made the mistake of thinking that the Father and Son took place with Yahua came in the flesh. But I was wrong, and I will need to go back over my writings and make corrections, so that readers can understand the truth. This clarification is important because, if we don’t have the Father (EL) and the Son (Yahua), and instead miss the point that they existed before anything else existed. The fact that the Son was given the name “Yahua — He exists!” goes back to the time when only EL existed and when He through deep meditation within His Self gave birth to the Son, who was given the name “Yahua” after the Son made everything that exists. Then He was presented before all He made, and given the Name.
Now here is a secret that very few understand: it is EL’s desire for us to learn to pray directly to Him and to do this in the Name of His Son, Yahua. Why is this so? Because EL loves His only Son. At the present time, there is only One Son of EL, who as I said, did not exist until EL gave birth to HIM. Then to all creation EL gave His Son the name “HE EXISTS!”
So we are given a direct connection to EL, the Father. And it doesn’t rely on any rituals, acts of attrition, keeping religious holidays, self flagellation, human sacrifice, repetitious chants, oaths, hymn singing, Apostle’s Creeds. special clothes, or hair treatment — whether curls or baldness, home-made rituals, incense burning and so on. It only requires understanding and trust. EL gives to ALL liberally — if we understand and believe that.
However, the connection with EL’s Son requires that we understand Yahua’s instructions. He made us and everything else that exists by drawing upon the power and essence of EL. He left us instructions, a calendar, Feasts and High Days, promises to our fathers, revelations to the Prophets and the Apostles and students. But if we don’t hear His words and take them to heart and follow His commands then prayers will not be answered, and meditation and fasting will become a waste of time.
EL has made His Self available to all. And EL will lead us as a shepherd in whom we can place complete trust. And EL will introduce His SON, Yahua, to us. But we must not waver or be halfhearted. Then we will have both the Father (EL) and His Son (Yahua). And Yahua will no longer hide His Self from us.
Dear Dr. Sakach,
It is unclear to me as to weather we are to fast on the weekly Sabbath. Also, what are the instructions, and how do we follow the instructions for the different Holy Days (in the Enochian Calendar) in modern times?
Please excuse my confusion. Learning is a process for me.
Peace,
Dominica
I don’t know where this idea is coming from. There is nothing in the Scriptures that says one must fast on the Sabbath. But there is one Sabbath day year that is truly a fast day and that is Yom KPR. For the rest of the Feasts, I will need to publish a document that describes these days. They are important learning days, rich in symbolism. Some are even part of a period of weeks and days that all blend together. But the most important act is to know and understand these days, what they mean, when they happen and why that is important. We cannot simply do our thing when and if we want, otherwise we miss the lessons and eventually lose our way.
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