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--February 22 2017--

Monday, September 19, 2011

Should We Fast? Part 2

Health Warning:
Google Image
You should not fast food if you are diabetic, have health issues or are prone to anorexia. Always consult your doctor before you go on an extended fast and you should always make sure you are taking in enough fluids and salt.

In our vulnerability we should direct our self to dependence upon God by fasting and praying, asking God to intervene at our point of need and feed our spirit with His Spirit.

Appeals to God for victory:

Jehoshaphat, a king of Judah learned prayer and fasting was key to military adversaries and the result was that God set confusion in the camp of the enemy.
 
2 Chronicles 20:3 NIV
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

v 22-23
As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 

Elijah was given great victory over the demonic principalities operating through Queen Jezebel. 1 Kings 18:16-40 show us how Elijah was fearless in front of King Ahab and 850 Baal and Asherah prophets, but he ran for his life at the threat of Jezebel because she was sanctioned by demonic principalities of witchcraft that intimidated him.

1 Kings 19:1-3 NIV
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

2 Kings 9:22 NIV
When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”
   “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

After a 40 day period of fasting and praying, traveling to meet with God, 1 Kings 19:1-14, God gave Elijah a message that assured him of the Lord's rule over political and spiritual forces. (This, along with Moses and Jesus' fast was a supernatural fast, directed and ordained by God).

1 Kings 19:15-18 NIV
The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Fasting places us in the position to receive protection from harm and victory over the enemy. God does not withhold these blessings from us but Satan blinds us into living below our privilege. Fasting and prayer open our eyes to seeing things in the right perspective so we shed insecurity and hold on to the continual blessing and favour that is ours as children of the King.

Safe journey:

Ezra was embarking on a journey to return to Jerusalem and he was ashamed to ask the king for an army to protect them so they fasted and prayed asking God for protection, and He answered their prayer. I also have this verse Ezra 8:23, as part of my blog title because the journey God has me on is one of intercessing. Healing from physical, emotional and spiritual ailments with the utmost healing being that of a soul, a soul given over to Jesus Christ and becoming a child of God. This is a journey in which we need the protection of our God for Satan is always on the attack and he would see people suffer and not become Christians.

Ezra 8:21-23 NIV
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

When your life is in danger:

Queen Esther fasted a full fast for 3 days and nights before she approached the king, which was forbidden to do. No one was allowed to approach the king unless they were called forward, but because of the dire need of her people, Ester decided to do this.

Esther 4:15-16 NIV
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

When we feel tension in our relationships:

Sweet relationships with other believers is a sign that God's grace is working in us.

1 John 1:7 NIV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

Fellowship means we are relating to others as equals, lack of fellowship means we think we are above or below them.

Fasting is an expression of the heart's longing to a greater intimacy in our walk with God, it assures a devotions that lasts. Regular practice of fasting and prayer helps assure consistency in our devotion to God because it develops a lifestyle of self-denial.

Luke 9:23 NIV
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Intensifies the worship of God:

Acts 13:1-3 NIV
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.  

The discipline of fasting helps us to give ourselves fully to the Lord by cutting off the tendencies we have that distract our focus on Him. We develop the consistency of devotion that will draw us into the presence of God in which He is pleased to walk and talk with us.  

Desire spiritual blessing and insight: 

Colossians 2:2-3 NIV
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Empowers us for spiritual warfare:

1 John 3:8 NIV
The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

Matthew 10:1 NIV
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 

Matthew 17:14-20 NIV

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
   “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Fasting nil's unbelief that hinders our prayer lives and is instrumental in empowering our ministries.We are to serve the body of Christ and evangelize the lost. Our desire should be to help others experience God's grace and goodness. We are to work together to see God's kingdom advance and the power of darkness leave.

Fasting and prayer does not change God, it changes us. It lines up our thoughts with God's thoughts and ways. It does not twist God's arm to get Him to work for us but it puts us in the position to receive the grace He freely gives and enables us to do His bidding.

Fasting makes sure we are humble, repentant and accepting forgiveness so we do not feel distant from God. It allows us to come to God for protection from harm over the enemy so He can overcome our weakness and vulnerability. It empowers us for ministry and allows us to light the pathway for others.

I am sure I have missed many other situations in which to fast, but I am sure you get the idea. :) Next up: How to fast.

Blessings,
<><

14 comments:

  1. Good Morning, Child of God,

    I completely agree with you. We should eat healthy food, not fast food which ruins our health.
    We not only nourish our body with food, but also our spirit with water and food for the spirit.
    The words of God are so powerful that resonate and vibrate in my ears at all times, so that they remind me to keep on the good track of the road in my lifetime.
    Praise the Lord!!
    Thank you, sister in the Lord, Child of God for sharing your wisdom with the world!!
    Every time I visit your blog, I must admit that I have been well fed. Thank you, sister, for visiting my inspirational sites!!
    You are an awesome Christian friend.
    God keeps blessing you!!
    Love in Christ,
    Poet Starry Dawn.

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  2. Hi Starry Dawn,
    It is so good to be a healthy eater, gives you more energy. :) Likewise if we fill our spirit with God's word it will be very healthy and we will have the energy and the want to do what is right.

    I am so glad that the scripture I post feeds you well, it feeds me too.

    Thanks for your love, Starry Dawn, you are a gem.

    Love and hugs,
    <><

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  3. Oh....yes, excellent sequel to Part One. I was excitedly waiting for this!! What a blessing ~ you really have done a very thorough, excellent study on fasting, and I am reaping the rewards from your obedience to the Lord. Thank you, dear Friend. This is such an amazing blessing!!! lv alice

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  4. Hi Alice,
    I am glad you find this helpful and thorough. :) I believe fasting is a critical part of the Christian life, yet so few people do it today. It is not easy to fast especially will all the really tasty fast food places around.

    Love and hugs,
    <><

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  5. Dear Friend ~ I am going to be taking a bit of a break from blogging ~ mostly to partake in the very things you have been sharing about! I have some exciting news, though, I have felt like the Lord was leading me to strip down my blog, where there is no promotion of "me" and just make it a "one message" blog, to use it as a tract for non-believers. I began to just follow non-believers' blogs, didn't leave a message, just simply followed.....the result, I now have 320 followers and 95% are unbelievers. I felt the Lord telling me this was the purpose of my blog. Most will only look at it one time, and so He was showing me I needed to make it a simple Truth message for the one time view. WOW ~ I praise God that I can be His mere instrument. I wanted you to know I will still be reading your blog and praying, but I had taken down all of the prayer requests from my blog, as the Lord was showing me I was doing it to look "good" to others, than actually wanting to pray from a heart of selflessness for others. I love it when He strips me down....I can't hide motives from Him. I am so grateful for your blog, you have ministered to me in ways you will never know. I am greatly blessed by your love and passion for Jesus ~ you shine so brightly. Much love ~ alice

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  6. Hi Alice,

    I LOVE your honesty! :)

    I have noticed the large amount of followers you gained so quickly and I love the idea of a one time Truth message blog.

    I will be praying for you as you step into this new path God has you on.

    I am humbled and full of joy that I have been ministering to you through this blog. That is my hope that the Spirit of God will reach those who come here and He will minister to them right where they are at and draw them closer into Him.

    I think God is just so cool and how He works and orchestrates situations blows me away.

    I will be praying God's blessings on your blog and that it will draw in non-Christians and Christians alike and they will see God for who He is and His Spirit will touch their heart and become followers of Him. More brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, that is what we want, right? :)

    Hugs sister and I am praying for your up coming exams.
    <><

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Child of God,
    God never instructs us to do something just to give us some hoop to jump through. However, every Word of God is for our own good. When we are obedient to His Word, we grow and become a useful vessel for Him to use. He has all the wisdom of the universe, it is wise to listen to Him. You are right, not all people can fast for an extended length of time, but God looks on the heart.

    I have been quiet lately in blogger land. I hope and pray all has been well with you.

    Blessings,
    Ken

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  8. Thank you for continuing sharing on this subject. Appreciate reading the points. Blessings.

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  9. Hi Ken,
    It is so nice to see you hear! I have missed your posts. I hope you had a great bloggy break and a wonderful summer.

    I love how you said, "not all people can fast for an extended length of time, but God looks on the heart." It is a matter of the attitude of our heart and God knows our heart better than we do.

    Hi JBR,
    I am glad you enjoyed this.

    Blessings,
    <><

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  10. Thank you, sweet Child of God for sharing your wisdom with the world!! You are a gem too.
    I am glad to have met you in the Internet. I am glad to call you friend in Christ.
    I have felt to stop by and say hello to you this day.
    I enjoy reading your awesome blog.
    God bless you in all the ways!!
    Love in Christ,
    Poet Starry Dawn.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Starry Dawn,
    Hello to you too!! :) Thanks for stopping by again. I did receive your email and I will reply when I have a chance.

    Hugs and blessings sunshine,
    <><

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've missed out on Ken's posts, too! But blogger's being wierd, and won't let me comment on his latest... :( Sad Emmy.


    Thanks so much for posting all this info about fasting. :) It's a discipline I hope to get into more and more. But I'll be keeping that to myself when the time comes. ;)

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  13. Hi Emily,
    Sad blogger is being such a pain for you. :(

    Glad you liked this post. :)
    <><

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