Fasting 101 Part 1

I want to start by asking a simple question How many of you are waiting for God to do something?I’m referring to waiting for a healing, or a restored relationship, financial provision, an answer to a question, or maybe a fulfilled prophesy.things that we know are God’s will for us to have, but we’re waiting none the less!Maybe like me you’ve been waiting patiently waiting for decades I Love prophesy, Prophesy has driven me at many key points in my lifeEg. When I was called to become a pastor..... But prophesy can also drive you crazy if you simply wait for it to come about Over 2 years ago I received a word from Shawn Bolz that put me on a path I thought was just in my dreamsShow video Shawn Bolz Prophesy 2:51 There are many parts to this prophesy that excite my heart, but one more than any otheryou may think, the promise of financial provision, or rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest ministries on earth but what excites me the most is entering the season of Full faithI just begin to imagine what God can do through me, when I have full faith!Faith to see everyone healed in this placeFaith to see Heaven’s provision poured out on His peopleFaith to see 100 million souls come to saving faithMy heart jumps when I think of all the possibilitiesBut there are times of discouragement when I see where one day I can be, but then realize where I am nowAnd the waiting.....the waitingGod has shown me some of the parts of How we will get there.I know its through this Church, which has an amazing history, and wonderful peopleI know its through the power and leading of Holy SpiritI know its through the activation of every member into their spiritual gifting’s to carry out the great commissionreleasing people into their mission & ministry But all these things are dependent, upon 1 very important thingIts the difference between being in a religion and being in a relationshipand that’s intimacy with GodIt has to be the primary driving force in everything we do!Even Jesus said in

​ NASB95“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

​ NASB95Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

The Lord tells us in how to fast, we are to do it unto the Lord.3) Who Should fast?The Lord tells us in that when we fast, in the passage we just read, He doesn’t say if we fast.Jesus expects His disciples to fast

I had a interesting conversation with God this weekI began with a complaint, never a good way to begin a prayer by the way!I started out “God you told me for my dreams to come about I need the Plan, the People, and the Provision.You said you help me to develop the plan, which your doingBut that you would provide the people and the provisionGod I’m waiting for the people and the provisionGod you promised to do all these great thingsThat’s was 2 years ago and I’m still waiting!Then He did it , He dropped the bomb!Shawn Your not waiting for me.....I’m waiting for you! All these things I’ve told you, all the things I’ve put in your heart. Are my desire for you. But in order for you to accomplish these things, I must first prepare you I need greater intimacy with you!I need you to desire me above all else! Humbled I asked God how do I do this, I pray almost continuously, I read your word regularly, I worship honestlyI thought we had an intimate relationship.God said…but there is so mush more. Then he began to impress upon me the principle of fasting Fasting is one of the least practiced actions of the modern Christian, at least in our cultureFasting is often ignoredI have personally fasted a few times, And enjoyed everyone of them.I must admit in my over 20 years of preaching I’ve only preached a handful of messages on FastingI don’t think I’m aloneI think this is a topic that is often neglected from the pulpit.Why is that? After all there are dozens and dozens of examples in the Bible of fastingJesus even taught on fasting, with the expectation that His followers would fast.I think one of the primary reason we do not fast is simple ignorance, an ignorance that is perpetuated, and supported the enemy that is fearful when God’s people fastAnother reason is we really like food and don’t want to give it up!Today I want to teach on the Power of Fasting. The Who, What When and Why and How, of Fasting?I want to answer some common questions, to dispel the ignoranceThe primary Biblical reason to fast is to develop a closer walk with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can focus better on Christ.So let’s get started1) What is fasting?Answer: Giving up something good for a time, to get something better!Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth. Specifically, we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life.1A) You can give up food & water Jesus may have fasted 40 days without food or water

​ NASB95Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

​ NASB95for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”

If you are His disciple fasting should be a part of your growth process4) Why Should we Fast4A) It is a way to humble ourselves before God

Moses fasted 40 days without food or water

​ NASB95But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.

​ NASB95So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

​ NASB95Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

Body can only last 3 days without waterFor Jesus & Moses to live 40 days without water is divine sustenance. I do not recommend this without a direct word from GodThe Esther Fast- 3 days without food or water

4B) It brings revelation of our spiritual condition resulting in brokenness and change. 4C) It brings personal revival through the powerful moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 4D) It helps us better understand the Bible by making it more vital and practical. 4E) It transforms prayer into a richer and more personal experience.It’s all about intimacy 5) How long should we fast?We are never actually commanded to fast in scriptureIt is a personal decision on what to fast from, and how long to fastIn scripture we see people fasting for 1,3,21,40 days 6) When should we Fast?In the Bible there were many reason why people fasted6A) An act of repentance Ahab repents

​ NASB95“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

​ NASB95Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel. It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.

1B) Give up food Ezra Fasted

Nineveh repents

​ NASB95Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

​ NASB95Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

Israel’s Army fasted

Israel returning to God

​ NASB95They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

​ NASB95“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.

1C) Give up a type of foodDaniel Fast

Daniel repents of behalf of his countrymen

​ NASB95I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.

​ NASB95So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

Vegetables and water1D) Give up sleepJesus gave up sleep in order to pray

6B) Victory in times of PerilIsrael verse the philistines

​ NASB95Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

​ NASB95They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

1E) Give up sex Paul give instruction to married couples

Protection from the enemy

​ NASB95The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

​ NASB95Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.

1F) Give up the internet no verseCanadians spent 24.5 hours online per week in 2016, says report..that’s 3 ½ hours/day1G) Give up TV, Netflix, youtube etc. no verseA new report released by BBM Canada, the average Canadian adult watches a hefty 30 hours of television a week, which averages out to an average of four hours and 20 minutes of TV a day.

Salvation for the people of Israel

​ NASB95“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem

​ NASB95When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

If you are battling a habitual sin, I highly suggest fasting to get victory over it!We have this mindset in the church that God’s grace covers our sin,So if we sin….its OK God will forgive us.What we fail to understand stand is God’s grace is to eradicate our sinsGod wants you to have victory over your sin, not just white wash and ignore it!6C) Preparing for release in ministry Moses 10 commandments

​ NASB95So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Barnabas and Saul set apart for a missionary journey

​ NASB95While 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. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders

​ NASB95When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

The Prophet Anna waiting for the arrival of Jesus

​ NASB95and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

Jesus begins His ministry

​ NASB95for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”

Down through the years, godly people who have done mighty things for God have testified to the necessity of prayer with fasting.John Wesley, who shook the world for God during the Great Awakening that gave rise to the Methodist Church toward the end of the eighteenth century, is representative of such great spiritual leaders. He so strongly believed in the power of fasting and prayer that he urged early Methodists to fast every Wednesday and Friday.Other great Christian leaders who made prayer with fasting a part of their lives were Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Henry, Charles Finney, Andrew Murray, and many more.6D) Needing an answer

​ NASB95In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.

6E) HealingFasting for others to be healed

​ NASB95But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.

David for his adulterous child with Bethsheba

​ NASB95So Nathan went to his house. Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.

6F) Bad reasons to FastA diet planA hunger strike , a way to convince God to give you what you wantA religious act of pity We must be careful it is not simply a religious Act

​ NASB95‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

​ NASB95So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. “When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence.”

​ NASB95Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ ” And the people were weary. Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. “How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.”

​ NASB95‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

​ NASB95Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? ‘When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? ‘Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’ ”

7) Is it Spiritual Warfare

​ NASB95When I wept in my soul with fasting, It became my reproach.

Jesus tempted in the wilderness

​ NASB95Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

When you are fasting, you are growing in your relationship with God,The enemy does not like this, so he will do everything in his power to prevent you from fastingThe enemy also attacks when we are at our weekest.When you go without food for any substantial period of time you will become physically week.The enemy will attackWhen I am week He makes me strong

​ NASB95And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.

Eg man honking horn on ArgyllPersonalI am choosing to go on a 40 day fast from food, the internet and TVThe fasting trifecta Sounds extreme, yes, but like you I have a Destiny that I don’t want to miss out on This summer I received another word from Steve backlundSteve Backlund Prophesy 1:10I know what I’m called to do. Its far beyond me, I can only do it by drawing closer to GodThis Church is a part of my journey, and I’m believing for amazing things, But we must prepare our selves to receive everything God wants to give!Let’s pray