Depressing Decisions

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? (Isaiah 58:5)

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (2 Chronicles 20:3)

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. (Ezra 10:6)

Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast to plead with God for salvation from an enemy army that he could not overcome himself. Ezra fasted to ask God's forgiveness for his people in the midst of a national revival. The people had intermarried with unbelievers and Ezra convinced them to divorce them.
Today God's people might be on the verge of a general revival. It is common for believers to marry unbelievers and be led into worldly thinking. Often the unbeliever in the marriage is a nominal believer. It is common for believers to follow their unrestrained passions into a marriage that is calculated by the Devil to destroy their effectiveness in reaching the world with the gospel. If Ezra used the doleful evil of divorce as a remedy for them, then how sinful must such marriages be? Do not even think about going there.
Jehoshaphat was victorious over his enemy because he humbled himself under God. When we allow God to be the hero in our lives he will show us what a hero he can be. In these last days we are called to fast. Not necessarily a literal fast; we will discover the kind of fast in later verses. But fasting means hating sin and wanting change, it means acting to bring about change in the way God has commanded.
If we humble ourselves under God he will give us victory over sin in our lives and victory in spreading the gospel. If we humble ourselves under God he will forgive us for the sins we have been involved in even though we may not have done the things ourselves. Ask the Father to forgive his people their sins and bring a revival of basic right living (primitive godliness) and be prepared to be part of that revival. Jesus deserves the power of God, and he has put it at your disposal. You need it. Use it.