Fasting and Prayer Easter

The spirit by which we appraoch God.

James 4:7–10 NKJV

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

We have to know why we are here.

We are here to draw near to God

We are here to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts

We are here to humble ourselves in the sight of God.

As we come before God, to examine our lives, let us aproach God with a spirit of humilty.

Luke 18:9–14 NKJV

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The pharisee tought within himslef that he was rigtheous.

Why? he was comparing himslef with other people. When he was suppose to compare himslef with the Holiness standard of God.

He did not see his wretchedness, he was blind to his own sins, therefore instead of being justified he was condemend.

We have come to the house of God to pray, with what kind of spirit have we come, have we come with the pharisee spirit of with the spirit of the tax collector.

It is very dangerous to aproach God while being blind to one’s own fault.

May God to day open our eyes to what we don’t see

Isaiah 6:1–5 NKJV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah prior to these he had prophesied 9 Woes against all kinds of people because of their sins.

But when he eyes were open to God’s holiness, he suddenly saw himself enlight of God’s holiness and saw the unlceaness of his lips. Lips that have prophesied became unclean.

Therefore he pronounce a woe over his life.

May God humble us today and open our eyes to what we Don’t see.

Let us put ourselves in the mirror, let us focus on our lives.

Psalms 143:2 “2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.”

If we think in any way shape or form that we are rigtheous we are deceiving ourselves.

Jer 2:34-35 “Also on your skirts is found The blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, But plainly on all these things. Yet you say, ‘Because I am innocent, Surely His anger shall turn from me.’ Behold, I will plead My case against you, Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’”

Job Rigtheousness

Job saw himself as righteous

Job 23:3–4 NKJV

3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! 4 I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments.

He believed that deeply in his innocence and rigtheousness.

Job 40:1–5 NKJV

1 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Once the lord appeared and saw his holiness, he called himself vile

Vile defination: filthy, nasty.

He saw himslef as filthy before God.

Job 42:1–6 (NKJV)

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.

6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

When God opened Job’s eyes to his filthiness, unlcleanes in light of God’s holiness. He abhored himself, he was filthy and he repented in dust and ashes.

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

Prayer

open my eyes to what i do not see.

Reveal the hidden things in my life.