Fasting
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Spiritual Reset
Spiritual Reset
January 10th-31st
21 days of fasting
Break the fast with worship night and food on the last day of the month
Fasting: abstinence from food or drink or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. The abstention may be complete or partial, lengthy, of short duration, or intermittent. Fasting has been promoted and practiced from antiquity worldwide by physicians, by the founders and followers of many religions, by culturally designated individuals
Eating is a necessary and normal part of everyday life, denying yourself food disrupts the very rhythm of life
We have to eat and drink to be alive
This is an argument I have with my kids at the dinner table often
People change when they’re hungry
My dog turns into a different animal when it comes to food
You can survive without social media, internet, alcohol, weed-You’ve gone too far Pastor!
Fasting is specifically giving up food in one way or another
In a nutshell it’s the act of denying ones flesh in order to accept what God has for our Spirit
Where is the first mention of fasting?
If we go back to the beginning of man Adam and Eve were the first ones to be told to abstain from food
Although we have always had free will from the beginning
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
You can literally sum up our Christian walk in these two verses. Live off the fruit and promises I’ve given you
Abstain from the what the world and enemy has to offer you
Even in a perfect world God still has instruction for obedience
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eyes and the pride of Life
God gave them his word and the garden which would have sustained them forever!
That offer is still on the table
Types of Fasts in the Bible:
The Disciples’ Fast (Matthew 17:21) – For deliverance from sin, addiction, bondage. If we fast, we can break the power of sins and addictions that limit our freedom in Christ.
The Ezra Fast (Ezra 8:21-23) – For God’s help in solving problems and for protection from Satan. Ezra said that they prayed and fasted and God answered their request.
The Samuel Fast (1 Samuel 7:6) - For revival. The people were bound by idol worship and needed deliverance. Samuel called them to seek God and to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem. If we fast and pray for revival, God will pour Himself out on His people.
The Elijah Fast (1 Kings 19:4-8) - Mental freedom from emotional problems or habits. Through fasting, God will show us how to overcome emotional problems and destructive habits.
The Widow’s Fast (1 Kings 17:9-16) – Fasting to provide for the needy. The widow went without food to meet the physical needs of someone else. Because she sacrificed her food, God made sure that she had more than enough food.
Paul Fast (Acts 9:9) - For physical healing and to get direction from God. If we fast and submit our will to God, He will reveal His will to us.
The John the Baptist Fast (Luke 1:15) - To enhance our walk with God and witness. If we fast for the influence of our testimonies to reach others for Christ, God will use us.
The Esther Fast (Esther 4:16, 5:2) – For protection from the evil one. If we fast for protection, God will deliver us from evil.
The Jesus Fast (Matthew 4:1-2) - For spiritual power and victory over temptation, the flesh and the devil.
The Daniel Fast (Daniel 1: 5-21; 10:3) – Fasting for health and to seek God’s favor, purpose and vision for life.
All Fasts have some type of purpose behind them:
What is your purpose for yours
Think about it going into it
Chose someone you’re believing for this year: in town, out of town, out of state wherever
Types of Fasts:
Normal Fast – No food, water only.
Absolute Fast – Absolutely no food or water (Caution: Should not be undertaken over 3 days and only then if you have a clear directive from the Lord and are in good health).
Partial Fast – This could mean fasting certain meals of the day or abstaining from certain kinds of foods (i.e.: No meat or sweets, soup only, fruit and vegetables only, etc. In Daniel 10:3, Daniel ate no pleasant bread).
Juice Fast – Fruit and vegetable juices only.
Corporate Fast – A church or group of people who feel God has called them to
fast together for a certain period of time.
Jewish Fasting Period – The Jewish fast began at 6:00 P.M. in the evening and ended the next day at 6:00 P.M. (Some people follow this time period to begin and end fasts.)
Fasting is not a hunger strike:
Our hunger and desire should lead us to prayer
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
He’s graced us for the season we’re in
You might might feel overwhelmed but what you need he graced your for
You’re going to come through it
Fasting Plus Prayer — Remember, fasting should be combined with prayer. God called us to fast and pray. If you are fasting a certain meal of the day, use the time you would normally be eating to pray. The combination of prayer and fasting is a powerful way to focus on seeking God for breakthroughs and answers to prayer.
Why we Fast:
We are not fasting to move God
God isn’t the one stuck
It’s to break up our routine and get the focus back on Him where it belongs
Emptiness creates a hunger:
We have to empty ourselves in order to create a hunger
Physically and spiritually
Emotionally full on worldly junk food
Takis and sour patch kids
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Our mind can get informed to our experiences or what others are telling us but:
Whose report are you going to believe?
1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Compromise is when we consider a different outcome than what the word of God says
We have no capacity to digest spiritual things
We have to empty ourselves of our religion
Empty ourselves of the junk
We can choose to be emptied or we can become empty
We can humble ourselves or we can be humbled
Band come up:
I’ll show you the difference
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Jesus emptied himself out before God and filled himself up on prayer and the Spirit
I’ll give you all this stuff if you worship me
On the Contrary:
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
The only thing that drove the prodigal son back to the Father was hunger
When I started fasting and praying, my desires changed:
Addiction left my body
Fear left my mind
Anxiety left my soul
Does it try and come back, yeah it does
Start a practice of fasting in you life, it’ll change you
When we Suppresses our personal desire it elevates our awareness to His
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Aw Nagg- Delight yourself: become soft and pliable
What is it that your hungry for?
Are you hungry for change?
Are you hungry for something different in your life
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Let’s change our desires this morning:
Are you hungry for change in your life?
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”