Steve Porter: First Fruits - Starting the Year with Fasting and Prayer

 

"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase." (Proverbs 3:9 NKJV)

January is not just another page on the calendar. It is a threshold, a doorway into the year ahead. And how we step through that doorway matters more than we often realize.

Scripture teaches us a quiet but powerful truth: what we give God first, He blesses fully—not what is left over, not what fits conveniently but what is offered willingly, at the beginning.

Jesus never spoke about fasting as a rare spiritual achievement. He spoke of it as an assumption: "When you fast..." (Matthew 6:16). Not "if," when.

Fasting is not for the spiritually elite. It is for the spiritually hungry.

First Fruits Set the Direction

In the Scriptures, first fruits always belonged to God. They were holy, not because of their size but because of their order.

When the first portion was offered, the rest was redeemed. In the same way, when we give God the first days of the year, we invite Him to shape everything that follows.

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

January fasting quietly says, "Lord, You are first. You lead, and I will follow. This year is Yours before it is mine." (Photo via Needpix)

What we place first often determines what we experience later.

Fasting Softens the Heart and Sharpens the Ear

"So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer." (Ezra 8:23 NKJV)

Fasting does not persuade God. It prepares us.

"I humbled myself with fasting." (Psalm 35:13 NKJV)

There is a humility that comes when we lay down our appetites, a holy quiet that settles in when the flesh is no longer in charge.

"Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10 NKJV)

Stillness rarely happens by accident; it is chosen.

When lesser voices are silenced, the voice of God often becomes clearer.

Breakthrough Lives on the Other Side of Surrender

"This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:21 NKJV)

Some things do not move with effort alone. Some burdens loosen only when Heaven is sought deeply.

"Is this not the fast that I choose: to release the bonds of wickedness... and break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6 NASB)

Fasting creates spiritual traction. Prayer gives that traction direction. Jehoshaphat understood this.

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

What resists movement often shifts when God's people humble themselves before Him.

A Word About the Fast Itself

Fasting is not about comparison; it is about obedience. Some are led to a full fast, some to a partial fast, and some to a Daniel fast. For many today, the most revealing fast of all is a fast from noise: media, screens, and constant input.

Fasting is never just about removing something; it is about making room. What you lay down should always be replaced with prayer, Scripture, stillness, and listening.

A Call to Intentional Prayer

"Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62:8 NKJV)

This is not casual prayer. This is leaning in. This is lingering. This is bringing the year before God while it is still tender. (Photo via Unsplash)

Pray for your heart, your family, your calling. Pray for the Church to be pure and unified; for revival to be real, not rehearsed; for the lost to be gathered, and for the nation to be healed.

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things." (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)

Fasting gives prayer weight. Prayer gives fasting purpose.

An Invitation, Not a Burden

Do not fast because you feel pressured; fast because you are hungry for Him—even one meal, even one day, even one small surrender.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8 NKJV)

God honors willing hearts.

Beloved, if you are able, take a moment to stand—not as a performance but as a posture of surrender.

Prayer

Let us pray together:

Lord, we bring You the first days of this year. We lay down our appetites, our plans, and our distractions. We humble ourselves before You—not in our strength but in trust. Let clarity replace confusion. Let breakthrough replace resistance. We consecrate this year to prayer and fasting, asking not to be impressive, but to be close. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

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Steve Porter
Refuge Ministries
Email: G524walk@yahoo.com
Website: www.findrefuge.tv

Steve and Diane Porter have dedicated their lives to helping others experience a deeper relationship with God. Through their work with Refuge Ministries and Deeper Life Press, they have created resources that touch lives all over the globe. Steve has a special anointing to bring forth the deep truths of the Spirit, and his books, articles, and videos have helped people draw closer to God. The Porters live near Rochester, NY, and their greatest joy is to share the incredible love of their wonderful Lord.

 

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