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Numbers 6:25-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace”
Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD”
Deuteronomy 28:7 “The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven”
September 20, 2023
FASTING FOR SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH
Text: Mark 9:29 “So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting”
Introduction:
Fasting and prayer are weapons/tools in the Believers inventory box and these are either abused or underutilized; prayer is one tool many assume that they use it often, while in actual fact abuse it (“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” James 4:3), while fasting on the other hand is literally underutilize it (“So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” Mark 9:29).
What is Biblical Fasting?
Biblical fasting is defined as abstaining from food for spiritual purposes, not because it is not available but rather in the presence of abundance one chooses to deny him/herself of the pleasure of food for the sole purpose of seeking God (“I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over” Daniel 10:3, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” Nehemiah 1:4).
Misconceptions:
Fasting is not in avoiding sin (“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Romans 6:1-2)
Some argue that as New Testament believers we are not required to fast (“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast” Matthew 9:14-15)
There are some who also argue that assigned days of fasting is unscriptural (“This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace” Zechariah 8:19),
Types of Fasting:
There are four (4) types of fasts shown in the scriptures, but there is a fourth that has come into play from modification of some of the types of fasting:
How does fasting work?
Proverbs 30:21-23 “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress” The presence and the ability received from food is identified as one of the issues that befall man and also history has shown that those who are filled with food tend to give themselves to flesh, so as believers the intention for fasting is to deny oneself of the
Fasting is a deliberate process to break down one’s body, so one can be more in tuned to the Holy Spirit (“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” Matthew 26:41, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” Galatians 5:17)
Fasting puts one’s body under subjection, so that the Spirit can gain control (“No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” 1st Corinthians 9:27)
Motivation for fasting:
The motivation for fasting determines if it is accepted by God or it is a show off for men which has no rewards in Heaven (“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” Matthew 6:16-18).
Wrong reasons for Fasting:
Right reasons for fasting:
Biblical Examples of Fasting:
Conclusion:
Yes, fasting is more than food for God desires that our fasting should not just be without food, while other important things are left behind, but rather we are to do these things too (“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7).
DECLARING HEALING OVER THE LAND
Confession: Job 5:19-27 “From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you. In famine he will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword. You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes. You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the wild animals. For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season. “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself”
Thank You Lord for the land:
Confessing the sins of the land:
Dealing with the horsemen and their horses
Breaking the strong hold of death:
Breaking down the walls:
Declaring healing over the land:
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