Jeremiah
32:27 -
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of
all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
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HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD I FAST? |
WHAT DO I PRAY WHILE I'M FASTING? IS
THERE A CERTAIN PRAYER? | WHAT
CAN I DRINK WHILE FASTING? | WHY FAST? Because, according to scripture, God hears your prayers when you do it.Isaiah 58:4I can tell you personally that for me, when I needed a miracle, Fasting was like "Bringing out the BIG GUNS" against Satan! Fasting, like persistence, is very powerful! But, make sure your prayers are lined up according to God's will during fasting.There are a few different points to the above scripture if you read it and the verses that follow it, but for the immediate purpose, I will just point out only that, "Fasting makes your voice heard on high!" If you are in crisis, If you need a miracle or answers to prayer, you will want your voice heard on high.Don't misinterpret me. The greatest mistake that most Christians make, is that they are all looking for the "Magic formula" or the "Magic prayer". They want the one thing that "they" can do or perform that will make something happen. (Sorry, that's called witchcraft) There is no substitute for a personal relationship, or one on one time with God! Sorry, not even the Lords prayer! The Lords prayer was something Jesus gave to us to show us "How" to pray, not "What" to pray! God does not like repetitious prayer. To fast or deny ourselves something such as food or sex, is to show reverence to God. (Putting him first) It puts us in the right frame of mind and gives us the right attitude to approach God and say: "Please help me in this area". And it works! There is not a set amount of days that one should fast. Throughout the bible, different people did it different ways. (but they did it) Esther asked all the Jews in Susa, to fast for her, three days and three nights. She asked that they also not drink anything. Esther 4:16 The Pharisee that Jesus spoke of fasted twice a week. Since Pharisee's were the very religious people of that time, we can assume that this was the acceptable amount of time in that day. Luke 18:12 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' Another example was when all the sons of Israel fasted for only the best part of one day. Judges 20:26 Then there is the most famous example of fasting, when Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:2 As far as "fasting" there is no formula to follow. It is different for everyone. I once fasted for 30 to 40 days when I was going through a very difficult time. (I don’t recommend that, especially to anyone with health problems, without first consulting a doctor) Some people will fast for a day or simply skip a meal and consider it fasting. (and for them - it is) I once heard Pat Robertson say to have some broth. Personally, I drank any liquids that I wanted to while I was fasting. My best advice to you is, like giving, do what is in your heart to do. You might want to try it just for a day, then try two days...and so on. There are no particular days that are better than others. Again, do what is purposed in your heart to do. Then just talk to God! Talk to him just like you would talk to anyone else. You don’t have to use a bunch of thee’s and thou’s. (God knows you don’t normally talk like that) I don’t know what your particular problems are, but lets pretend for a moment that your real life father was the richest man in the world and had all the political contacts you could imagine. If you went to him for help, how would you ask him? I recommend talking to the Lord the same way. HOW DO I FAST? In ancient days, they used to wear sackcloth and throw ashes on themselves and even sleep in them. However, Jesus under the new covenant says quite the opposite. Matthew 6:16 - "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. Matthew 6:17 - "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face Matthew 6:18 - 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. Again - this is a personal thing between you and God. It's not about what "you" do or what people can see you doing, it's all about attitude and being in the right frame of mind to talk to God so he will listen to you. (and he does!) Is your problem spiritual or demonic? All the more reason to fast. Matthew 17:21 - ["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."] As I stated above, there is no magic prayer! Fasting only puts you in a position that God will hear your prayers. "Canned speeches don't work!". Neither to eloquent rehearsed prayers laced with allot of thee's and thou's! You may speak with your mouth, but God hears your heart! This isn't a high school or college essay and your not being graded! Your success doesn't depend on quality of literature, it depends on quantity and sincerity of personal communication with God. Talk to him normally, like you would talk to anyone else. This is something you can do anywhere at any time. ACCORDING TO GOD Actually the question is: "Would God lie to you?" If you really want to make fasting work for you, do it exactly as God instructed. Isaiah 58:5 - "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?I saiah 58:6 - "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?Isaiah 58:7 - "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? "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.Isaiah 58:9 - "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,Isaiah 58:10 - And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.Isaiah 58:11 - "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.The magic words here are in Isaiah 58:8 - "And your recovery will speedily spring forth". What do "you" need recovery from? Failing marriage? Failing Health? Failing finances? Sure this does not appear to be easy, but there is a promise attached when you do it! I'm not saying, if you don't follow the advice in scriptures Isaiah 58:5-11, your prayers will not be heard, but I am suggesting that you think of it as an insurance policy if you do. Why? Because it pleases God! Lets recap Isaiah 58:5-11 and see what is pleasing to God
When you fast according to these three steps above, It does come with promises from God.
Joel 2:12 - Are you still wondering how to get a miracle? These principles not only worked for me, God has blessed me beyond measure! Why? Because I am so holy? Because I have led such a blameless, sinless life from birth? The answer is No, absolutely not! When I really needed God, I fell on my face, begged, pleaded, prayed, fasted and asked people to pray for me.To put it short, I used Faith! One does not waste time praying to a God he doesn't believe exists! One does not beg, plead, fast etc.. if he doesn't believe that God is able and willing to help them.If you are doing these things, regardless of what you are thinking or what your mind is telling you, you "are" putting faith into action, and you are pleasing God! And among other things, this is how you get a miracle.Dan Douglass ~ GIVE ONLY WHAT YOU CAN COMFORTABLY AFFORD ~
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Last Updated
06/07/2010 |
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