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WHY
FAST?
Because, according to scripture, God
hears your prayers when you do it.
Isaiah 58:4
-
"Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked
fist. You do not fast like
you do
today to make your voice heard on high.
I 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!
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD I FAST?
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
- "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not
eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast
in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according
to the law; and if I perish, I perish."
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 all the
sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus
they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening. And
they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
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
And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became
hungry.
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)
WHAT TO DRINK
WHILE FASTING
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."]
WHAT DO
I PRAY WHEN 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.
WOULD I LIE TO
YOU?
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?
Isaiah
58:8 -
"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
- A day for a man to humble himself and bow his head
(Isaiah 58:5)
- To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands
of the yoke (Captivity) (Isaiah 58:6)
- Too feed the hungry and give shelter and clothes to
the poor (Isaiah 58:7)
When you fast according to these three steps above, It
does come with promises from God.
- Your recovery will speedily spring forth and God
will cover your back (58:8)
- God promises to answer quickly when you call (Isaiah
58:9)
- Your light will rise in darkness. (If your ever in
court being falsely accused, you'll then know what this means) (Isaiah
58:10)
- The Lord will continually guide you through future
troubles (Isaiah 58:11)
Joel 2:12 -
"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And
with fasting,
weeping and mourning;
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.
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POWER OF FAITH MINISTRIES
