Vision365: Fast

Intro:

Zechariah 7:3–7 NKJV

3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? 6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”

A few weeks ago, I introduced [Vision365]. God is calling us to ask ourselves the same four questions every day:

Have I prayed today?

Have I read my Bible today?

Do I need to fast today?

Have I lived for Jesus today?

From 1857 to and 1947, India was a part of the British Empire. Meaning, Great Britain controlled the country. The king and queen were the emperor and empress of the nation.

Eventually, many Indian people desired freedom. They wanted wanted home rule, to have their own elected officials, free from any other nation’s influence.

When a revolution is on the rise, many people want to take up arms and start a war. That was not the case for Mahatma Ghandi.

Between 1913 to 1948 he went on seventeen different hunger strikes, ranging from three to twenty-one days. He abstained from food. Some might call this fasting, but he did not sacrifice for spiritual reasons, but for political and social reasons.

He is one a many political revolutionaries who have “fasted” or went on a hunger strike for a movement. Their names are not as important, instead, I want us to see why they went without food.

They will fast to attempt change political, social, economic, or environmental policies. Often, the media will celebrate those who make their protest by refusing to eat. They will assert their wants by making a statement.

We MUST be careful not to view fasting from a modern perspective. In Scripture, fasting, carries a different meaning. Fasting is NOT about asserting OUR will, but about opening ourselves to God’s work.

We are not strangers to fasting in our church. Since 2016, we have had a corporate twenty-one day fast every January. For seven years, we have sacrificed something for the Lord.

Fasting is an important part of the Christian life. Remember Jesus’s words in Matthew 6:

Matthew 6:5 NKJV

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Matthew 6:16 NKJV

16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

I always like to point out that Jesus never said, IF you pray or IF you fast, but WHEN. Coupling fasting with prayer produces supernatural results.

Fasting was a part of the lifestyle of both the Old Testament and New Testament believer. People knew that they should WANT to fast.

As I have mentioned though, these messages on prayer, reading our bible, fasting, and living for Jesus are not on what WE get out of these disciplines.

Instead, why does GOD want us to pray, read, fast, and live? How does OUR fasting benefit God?

There are moments in life when God wants to bless, touch, inspire, heal, reveal, or show Himself to us. Fasting is a way of removing distractions and becoming intentional on hearing from God.

In our text we read the words of the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah and the Prophet Haggai had an important ministry assignment. They spoke to God’s people after they endured seventy years of exile.

The Lord allowed them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and resume their worship to Him.

Upon coming home, many of the people began to reevaluate what they do for God. Some started to wonder, is it really important to fast?

Every summer for seventy years we fasted, do we need to continue that?

Why did they ask this? They wanted a pat on the back. I can picture it my head. Some people from Bethel travel ten miles south to Jerusalem to meet with the priests.

They explain, we have been diligent to fast, all these many years we have dedicated an entire month to the Lord, should we continue this dedicated practice.

Expecting accolades and appreciation, I would say they were surprised at how God responded. He asked, when you fasted, was it even for me?

Didn’t you do it for yourself? And when we worship me and celebrate the feasts, don’t you do that for yourselves?

Shouldn’t you do what the prophets spoke?

I want to point out something about dedicating EVERY DAY to God. This is not a legalistic quest. We are not trying to prove something or please God.

Praying, reading, fasting, and living for God are doorways to know the Lord more. We do not do these things for US, but we do them to make space for God to speak to us.

Many in Zechariah’s audience fasted, but they did for themselves, not for God. Let’s take the word God spoke and look back at what the prophets have to say about fasting.

Turn to Isaiah 58, and we will see three facts about fasting, [The Wrong Way to Fast], [The Right Way to Fast], [The Results When We Fast].

Let’s begin

1. The Wrong Way to Fast

Isaiah 58:1–4 NKJV

1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.

Prophets have the responsibility to speak for God. Sometimes God compliments people, other times He brings correction. In this instance, the Prophet Isaiah brings correction.

God tells Isaiah, SHOUT with a loud voice and get my people’s attention. Clearly God had something He wanted them to know.

What was God’s message?

The nation had failed. They lived a wicked and godless life, but loved to parade around as though they were Godly people. The fulfilled their religious duties, but their heart was not there.

They went to the Temple to “seek” Him

They acted like a righteous nation

And they even fasted

But they complained to God, we have fasted for you, why aren’t you impressed? We have been hard on ourselves and it doesn’t seem like you even notice.

They people lived in hypocrisy. They ignored their sinfulness assuming that their religious rituals would impress God.

The Lord spoke through the prophets more than once:

1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV

22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Hosea 6:6 NKJV

6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

The fact was, God did notice. When they fasted:

they exploited and oppressed their workers

they continued to fight and quarrel with each other

they indulged in wickedness

God noticed, He paid attention. So much so, He asked them a question.

Isaiah 58:5

Is this really the type of fasting I want? No way, this is the wrong was to fast. Can you really consider it fasting when there is no sincere desire to draw closer to Me?

I thoroughly believe in fasting and make it a regular practice in my life. But we have to make sure when we fast we do it with the right motivation.

Fasting is not to impress God or others. He is not impressed by giving up something for twenty-one days or for twenty-one hours.

God looks at the heart. Why do we fast? We do it to make space for Him to speak to us.

Doing it for ourselves and to impress others is the wrong way to fast. So what is...

2. The Right Way to Fast

Isaiah 58:6–7 NKJV

6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

What does God want from our fasting?

He wants us to fast with the motivation that our will and desires will conform to what God wants for us.

Isaiah spoke to a group of people who were outwardly religious but their actions did not align with what God wanted. They looked the part, but they did not live the part.

God speaks, when you fast:

let me change you.

Let me take you right where you are and make you like me.

Let me take your thoughts and motives and give you my heart

Fasting makes us like Him. So He calls them remove the distractions for THIS is the fast that I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned

lighten the burden of those who work

let the oppressed go free

remove the chains that bind people

share your food with the hungry

provide shelter for the homeless

close the naked

help those in need

When I read this, it reminds me A LOT of what Jesus did on earth.

Luke 4:18–19 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Isaiah wanted them to know, fasting the right way will provide supernatural assistance to do ALL God wants of His people.

They had a choice in front of them, will they fast God’s way or their way?

On a personal level, Jesus has done all of this for us, he has set us free, given us the gospel, healed our hearts, set us free, and give us His favor.

Therefore, when we fast, our motivation should not be, what can I get out of fasting, but what does God want to SHOW me through fasting.

It is less about the actions and more about the heart. Is our heart in the right place when we fast.

There is the wrong way— ignoring sin and pretending to live righteously.

There is the right way— to simply be with God and do what He does for us

But what are...

3. The Results When We Fast

Isaiah 58:8–12 NKJV

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Fasting the right way, includes coming before God to simply hear from Him. We should LONG for Him to make us more like Him. When people fast with the RIGHT motives— something supernatural occurs.

He shines His light on us

There are times when we need God’s direction. We do not know what to do or where to go, the future seems so bleak and dark. In those instances, we should ask, God do I need to fast?

When we do, with the right heart, He can open up the sky and give us divine direction.

He heals us

What about when we are sick or have someone in our lives who needs healing? What a perfect time to fast.

But sometimes healing is not physical, it is emotional or spiritual. I can say from personal experience, there have been times I have had fractured relationship with someone.

My feelings were hurt or I was offended. Instead of walking down the road toward bitterness, I fasted and God healed my wounds.

He leads us

Who has EVER needed direction? There are many places we can go, but God knows the way. It is beneficial to fast for God’s leading and guidance. Not for us, but that we might know HIM more.

He protects us

Attacks from the enemy are endless. When we fast, the glory of God comes down and He guards us, keeping us in the way He wants us to go.

He answers us

There have been times when I could not hear God’s voice— I realized I needed to go on a fast. Removing the distractions, be it food, social media, TV, or even some people, helped me hear from God.

He sets us free

If we continue to struggle with the same temptation, continually falling into the same trap of Satan, fasting can be a great help.

Fasting produces great results. He helps us, then we can do what He called us to do— feed and help those, shining the light of God into the darkness of this world.

How do we know fasting the right way works?

Scripture is filled with people who fasted:

Moses fasted forty days before God gave him the Law

David fasted when his friend Jonathan died

Nehemiah fasted when he heard the walls were broken down

Esther fasted when the Jews fasted extermination

Daniel fasted when he needed to hear from God

The prophet Simeon and prophetess Anna fasted for the coming Messiah

John the Baptist fasted in the wilderness

The Early Church fasted to fulfill their assignment

And most of all Jesus fasted, forty days in the wilderness as He faced temptation from Satan.

Each person’s fast was unique, but the results were the same, GOD CAME AND HELPED THEM!

Close:

—> Fasting is NOT about what we do FOR God, it is about make space to BE WITH God… (repeat)

After seventy years in exile, some people came to the Prophet Zechariah and asked, do we need to keep fasting?

God’s answer, are you doing it for you or for me? Go back to the prophets and see what they have to say about fasting.

We looked at one of the prophets— Isaiah. He shows us the wrong way to fast, the right way to fast, and the results of fasting.

Fasting opens a door to the supernatural.

Matthew 6:16–18 NKJV

16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 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.

We have been on church-wide fasts in the past. That is not what this message is about. I feel God is calling us to live willing and ready to fast every day.

Not telling everyone, but privately sacrificing something to Him. Here is how this fasting works— on the outside, we look normal, going to work, or whatever daily routine.

But on the inside, we know and God knows. We are in a constant state of worship and prayer, through our fasting.

And if we will place this practice in our lives, God will reward us, because we have the right motives, fasting the right way.

It is not a hunger strike, it is not a weight loss routine, it is a sacrifice, a way of saying God, I want to be like you, so I give to you what is important to me, removing the distraction so that I can hear from you!

I was sitting in class in Springfield in March, and the topic turned to fasting. The professor asked, does anyone have anything to share about fasting, and before I knew I was the first one to speak and I couldn’t stop talking.

It tickled me later as I thought of my fasting journey. There was a day when I though, I CAN’T fast, I could I give up FOOD for any amount of time.

Then I tried to start fasting. I was in Salem on first three day fast. I made it a day and a half. I started on a Monday. Then came Tuesday, I lived right by the Taco Bell, and for Taco Tuesday they had $0.80, I bought ten and ate seven.

It was not until 2013 that God got me addicted to fasting. After the worst twenty-one days of my life, God’s light break forth like the morning, His healing power began to spring forth, His glory surrounded me.

Everything changed that day, the last Sunday of January 2013. I began to love fasting.

I can’t say I love giving up food. I do not enjoy the actual sacrifice part, but I love how close fasting brings the Lord to me.

I want to encourage EVERYONE, beginning May 1, ask the Lord every day, do you want me to fast?

If He says yes, it is because He wants to do something in us.

I can make this promise, a fasting lifestyle opens the door for God to:

shine His light on us

heal us

lead us

protect us

answer us

set us free

And He will speak to us, THIS IS THE FAST I WANT, and we will humbly follow.

Let’s come to the altar and enjoy the effects of a fasted life.