Beginning the Year With Fasting and Prayer
Notes
Transcript
What is Fasting?
What is Fasting?
Many people believe fasting is denying ones self in order to provoke a response from God. The issue I have with this is that it tends to make people believe that fasting is a way to bring God into action or to have a request that will be rendered in our favor, but something done in that mind set is a hunger strike not a fast.
Fasting is supposed to be a constant reminder that we are to draw closer to God.
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
They will fast—In Jesus mind fasting isn’t a question of if, but rather when. Jesus expected his followers to fast. This isn’t the only time Jesus took for granted that his followers will fast. That this would become an important part of their relationship with God.
So why do we fast. Essentially fast calls us to focus. Throughout the bible we are told to deny our flesh and to serve God and in a culture of me fasting helps us to realign who we are with who God is.
One of the biggest biblical topics of fasting is when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days. We aren’t going to read it for the sake of time, but you should read it when you get a chance. It’s Matthew chapter 4.
There are many topics to note in these 11 verses. First is the time: notice Jesus just receiving the Holy Spirit goes into a place away from the world to meet with God. Now we know Jesus as fully God and Fully Human and we don’t know much about Jesus before this time, but what we do know is that before Jesus was commissioned He took time to refocus. Before Jesus went public he secluded himself in private.
Just as every car eventually has to go in for a realignment Every human has to realign themselves. The more time your car has spent on the road the more often your car will need to be realigned. The same is true with humans. The more time we spend in the world the more time we will need separated with God.
When: before entering the world, before any battle, and when we need to be refocused on God.
How/why: Simply the how doesn’t matter. There are several different fasts mentioned in the bible. However, the key of every fast is a realignment. It is too reconnect with God.
This is important-If we cannot over come temptation in the natural how do we expect to overcome temptation in the Spiritual? Every day and at times every second of this fast you will be tempted to cheat. Understand I am not taking notes, nor am I checking in to make sure you are staying true, but you will be tempted. You must first understand what it is you are committed to fasting. If you don’t outline what you are fasting bending the rules will be easy.
It’s like life—I get asked why it’s so easy to go astray. And the answer usually is because if you don’t have a destination it’s easy to get lost. If you don’t have a goal it’s easy to wonder. We aren’t trying to bend God’s will—you are simply trying to clarify it. You are getting closer to God drawing closer in Spirit and allowing God control to do as he desires.
If I learned anything in 2020 is that I have to trust God with what I have at any given moment. We so caught up in statements like: If God does such and such it will be easier to do such and such.
If God finds a way to get me paid more I can tithe more—this is probably the most common statement I hear. However, your paycheck shouldn’t determine the faith of your tithe. Just like life shouldn’t determine your steps of faith—faith should determine your steps in life.
When we achieve a certain closeness with God circumstances don’t matter, our calling and desire to obey are the things that will matter and determine our actions. God wants to increase your faith when often it’s our desire to increase our paycheck.
Fasting summed up is this:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
That is why we are fasting at the start of the year---seek God first. Get close to God first. Then everything God has for your life will fall into place.
Why the Daniel fast-First because it’s the least restricted fast. You aren’t limited to the amount of food you eat Just the kind of food.
Why did Daniel do this fast?
There were two occurrences of this fast in the book of Daniel
The first was
“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
The result was
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
What Daniel knew when he started the fast was obedience, He didn’t want to defile himself with the kings food. Why? Because the king recieved food and drink that was given to false gods. Daniel’s only expectation was to not diminish in health-What he recieved was learning, skill and wisdom, and understanding.
When our desire is God He will bless us with more than we ask. If you go into this fast with a list of demands you may not receive one, but if we go into this fast with a desire to grow closer to God what we may receive is unimaginable.
I look at Saul when he first started out—God asked him what he wanted—Saul said the ability to fulfill your call-God’s response was—his blessing was unmatched by anyone since.
The second occurrence was
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
The result:
Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
Notice here again-Daniel didn’t come with a list---He came to understand and humble himself before God.
The result was a greater understanding in What God was going to do.
First you need to ask yourself why are you fasting? and if your answer isn’t to grow closer to God than you need realign your thinking. As I looked through the internet concerning the Daniel fast many people said the first thing we need to do is figure out why we are fasting and many of them gave lists such as:
Health, direction, restoration, guidance, healing, financial blessing. And my first was response was yes God all of it, but then as I turned deeper into scripture the question I heard from God through it all was:
But do you want me?
Search me and what I have is yours, but you must search and desire me. When David fasted it wasn’t for what he recieved it was to grow closer to God. To remove that which stood in the way of his relationship with God.
The rest flowed out of that desire. When Jesus fasted is was to draw closer to the father, the rest flowed from that desire.
While we fast desire God and allow God to pour out what he desires on us.