Devotionals for the Heart: How fasting and prayer helped me land a new job

How Fasting and Prayer Changed My Life
A devotional by Angela Anderson

“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”—Mark 9:29 (KJV)

“Effective next month, your job will be eliminated.”

I did not hear anything else my boss said after she uttered those words. I was under the impression that I would be in that particular position at work until I decided to leave, but in this case, my job was leaving me.

I started praying very earnestly about what to do and I began to complete applicatiaons and send resumes to available positions on-line. Even after all of those efforts, nothing seemed to work. No one was returning my calls, no one was responding to my emails, and no one seemed interested in my resume.

At the same time, a friend of mine who did not know anything about my circumstance approached me about fasting. There were people already doing it on Mondays and I was asked to join them in this exercise of faith. At that point in my life, I had never tried fasting for a whole day. The thought of it was unappealing to me so I declined, but something kept tugging at my spirit. I was in a desparate situation and nothing else was working. I felt like Heaven was locked in silence. I just wanted to do something to get God’s attention, so I decided to try fasting without telling anyone, including the friend who invited me to do this on Mondays.

After the first Monday of fasting, I had a meeting with someone who I thought would be able to assist me with finding a job. Unfortunately, that person could not help me, but she set up another meeting for the following Tuesday with someone else who could. I fasted the Monday before, praying for a good outcome from that meeting. When I finally had the meeting, I was instructed to send my resume. I was not thrilled at the idea because I had been sending resumes everywhere with no results. I sent the resume anyway and by that Friday, I received a call from a recruiter who scheduled an interview with me and a hiring manager for the following Tuesday.

On the Monday before the interview, I fasted again in preparation for the interview on Tuesday. By the time I was done with the interview, I was invited to a second interview that Friday over lunch. By the end of lunch, I was offered a position with higher pay and benefits, and a start date in June—the same date that my current position would be eliminated.

It's easy to look at this situation and automatically believe that fasting was the reason why my prayers were answered. However, it is important to understand that fasting and praying are not intended to manipulate God into getting our own way. Instead, fasting and praying aligns us with God’s will for our lives and prepares us for the work He is getting ready to accomplish in our lives. By fasting and praying, I thought I was getting God’s attention, but He was One who was getting my attention.

The exercise of fasting was more than just self-discipline for me. It allowed me to stretch my faith by just being open. I was introduced to a greater spiritual focus as well as a more profound experience of God’s presence in my life. Through fasting, I cultivated a deeper and more intimate relationship with God, and I built a stronger and more resilient faith.

I will never forget how God showed up for me in that moment. I truly believe that some things in life can only come about by fasting and prayer. This testing of my faith allowed me to overcome obstacles and achieve breakthoughs in areas where progress seemed impossible. I encourage you to be willing to do what God impresses you to do in order to reach that next level of faith in your relationship with Him.

Let’s Pray: Father, I believe that You can do all things, and these things will happen in Your time. Help me to exercise more faith and to be open to whatever is required of me so that I can have the level of intimacy that You desire. I give You my heart and my mind. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “When God’s People Pray” by Wayne Watson. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn (New York) and raised in New Jersey. 

She started writing at an early age and realized in elementary school that it was both a strength and a passion. She continued writing through high school, college, and into adulthood. Angela is the author of a devotional book titled Just When I Thought I Knew God. She is currently working on another devotional book.

This is Angela’s fourth year as a devotional writer for Alexis A. Goring’s “God is Love” blog. In 2021, Angela was a winner of a devotional writing contest where her words were featured in a book, Hope When Your Heart is Heavy, that was published by Proverbs 31 Ministries. The following year, another one of Angela’s devotionals was featured in Living Unbroken, which is another publication produced by Proverbs 31. Angela has a passion for inspiring and impacting others through her writing as well as speaking.

Angela is a life coach for mothers. She empowers mothers who want to identify their God-given purpose and live it fully while taking care of their family. Angela develops mothers into mompreneurs by providing them with the necessary tools to be successful and fulfilled in life. She works to help them to see their value, understand their importance, and reclaim their identity.

Angela is also the host of “The Angela Anderson Show”, a virtual talk show that launched in April of 2023 on YouTube and Facebook. The show is designed for mothers who want to pursue their dream while managing family life. The audio version of the show is also available as a podcast on Spotify.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson, for 19 years. Together they have two sons: Thomas (age 11) and Ryan (age 6). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling, and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family.

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Connect with Angela:

To connect with Angela, you can follow her on Instagram (angelanderson1104), Clubhouse (@angelize), and send a friend request to her on Facebook.

Subscribe to Angela’s YouTube channel @The Angela Anderson Show and follow the show on Spotify. Angela offers free consultations for mothers who want to pursue their dream while taking care of their family. Schedule here: www.ChatWithCoachAngela.com

You can also like and follow her Facebook page for her devotional book, Just When I Thought I Knew God.

Devotionals for the Heart: When you are under construction, built by God

God’s Construction Project
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

I have a fascination with construction projects. 

We live in a rural area, so we don’t see anything in the way of skyscrapers or really tall buildings, but watching the process of creating a road where once there was only dirt or seeing a shopping center rise from a plot of land is pretty amazing.

Do you know what I’m most amazed by, though? When a project completely changes the landscape.

A few years ago in our area, a hill that had been used for waterslides was leveled to make way for something new. Construction equipment moved tons and tons of dirt and completely flattened the land for an enormous building. The amount of work—through resources and manpower and equipment and time—that goes into a project of that scale is unbelievable to me. Anyone new to town would never be able to guess that there used to be a huge hill there.

God is also in the construction business. He wants to transform our hearts, our lives, our wills, into something He can use. We need to allow Him to do whatever work needs to be done. Sometimes that involves sledgehammers tearing down walls we’ve created through sin and idolatry. Sometimes He helps build bridges to reconciliation and healing for ourselves and others.

I love hearing people’s stories of how God has brought them out of addictions or the occult. Those dramatic witnesses are huge construction projects and important for the collective story of what the power of Christ can do here and now. But what if you and I have stories that are more like remodels than from-the-ground-up projects? Those are certainly important too. 

What if one day I realize I no longer feel a need to gossip? Or that the way I relate to my family or friends has become a lot more grace-filled? Those might not make headlines, but they are important steps to a better life for ourselves and a better world for everyone. 

Those small steps of transformation often lay the groundwork for something greater. Each time we see God’s handiwork in our lives, it becomes an opportunity for us to be of better use to Him in the world.

It’s a new year, which naturally brings a time of self-reflection and opportunity. What sort of changes would you like to work with God to bring about this year? Do you need an attitude shift or a major overhaul? Pray about it. Be humble about it. He is faithful and He is good.

Remember: There are no DIY (“do-it-yourself”) projects around here! These changes only work if God is the one in charge!

Let’s Pray: Father God, help me be humble enough to ask for Your help this year and always. Show me where I need a change. Give me the strength to let You build me or break me, whatever is the best for Your kingdom. You are the Great Builder and only through You can I do anything. In Jesus’s precious name I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume. 

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two college-age children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting.

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Connect with Glynis:

Website: www.glynisbecker.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckerglynis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlynisBecker7