Prayer and Teaching of the Disciples

Acts 13:2, 3 (NASB)
While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

A Theme to Remember:
Dedicating someone to the Lord’s work is not only a privilege; it’s a vitally important task. No one whose life is fully devoted to serving God – whether they are a pastor, a missionary, a Christian teacher, or are otherwise engaged in full-time ministry – will fully succeed without the regular, interceding prayers of fellow believers.

Words to Remember:
Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, and confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain what we seek for the Kingdom of God.
–Andrew Murray