Healing And Deliverance Tools
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Healing And Deliverance Tools
Understanding And Practicing Fasting- When To Fast
Have you wondered when is it appropriate to enter into a fast? Are there situations and circumstances that can signal a need to fast? How long should a fast be? Using examples and wisdom of scriptures we answer these and other similar questions in our teaching today. Get inspired, get enlightened, and rip the benefits of employing this spiritual weapon.
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Hi and welcome to our time of teaching, and we will continue with the subject which we are covering understanding and practicing fasting. We have shared a number of sessions together what fasting is, the physical benefits of fasting, the spiritual benefits of fasting, the different types of fastings that are available or seen in the scriptures, and today I want us to look at when should we fast? I want to emphasize what I've been sharing all the time, that, on this subject, I encourage you to listen to all the messages so that you can have a proper understanding of what fasting is and how likely to do it the right way and avoid the dangers which other people have plunged themselves in because they have done it the wrong way. Messages come up with your own conclusions on what you have learned and then, when you come into fasting, you find yourself reaping the benefits that come along with the spiritual discipline of fasting. Okay, so when then should we fast? I'll quickly mention about the time and the length. Now, first of all, in the Bible, there is no prescribed length of time which one is supposed to take in fasting. We look in the Bible. We see there are fastings from one day all the way to 40 days fastings and maybe even 80 days, like Moses. Those are there in the Bible when we come to the New Testament. I'm talking about the length of time.
Speaker 1:We see the teachings of Jesus saying when you fast. He didn't say how long you should, but he just expect that his followers will have times and moments and occasions when they fast. And so he said when you fast. And then he taught how not to do it. We have looked at that. And then he taught how to do it. He said you should not be a showman. You're not showing off, but lock yourself, put oil on your face. Okay, so he showed how not to do it. And then how to do it. You do it secretly, and then your father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. In other words, there is a reward in fasting when you are doing it the right way. And next time, when we come with our teaching, we will look at the different ways of fasting, the attitudes and all that. That's a subject for another day.
Speaker 1:So there is no prescribed length of time when it comes to when you should fast. This is something that you determine between you and the Lord, being led by the Spirit of God. Now there are times and moments when church leaders, your church leaders, will determine, or led by the Spirit, to set a time of fasting Maybe 21 days, maybe 30 days, maybe a week of fasting, maybe three days of fasting. Now, that is a determined length of time and because it is communal worship of fasting, then you find yourself within that length of time in your fasting Okay, of time in your fasting, okay. So, however, then, having said that, there are a number of situations that we see in the Bible which show us things that can trigger a fast in a child of God. Those are the ones that I want to share with you.
Speaker 1:What can trigger a fast, what can cause you to get into a time of prayer and fasting? So I'm going to mention this really fast. Number one it is during repentance, during times of judgment. Repentance during times of judgment what do I mean? You can find a nation or a group of people can identify that the things that are happening in the community or the things that are happening in the nations point to a judgment time and they sense or they feel, led by the spirit, that this is happening because we are being judged by God. Now, that is a time when the nation, for example, it can be on a national level where a fast is called. I'm talking about during the time of judgment. Maybe there is prolonged drought, maybe there is disasters that are coming, maybe the economy is going down and national spiritual leaders can come together and say we need to come to God and humble ourselves and repent for the sins of the nation.
Speaker 1:Let me take you to the Bible and read with you a good example in Joel, chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. You will see there the nation of Israel was going through a time of judgment. They were in captivity because they had been warned by God, but they did not heed God's warning until God came in and sent the nation to captivity. Look at Joel, chapter 1, verse 13,. He says guard yourselves and lament you. Priests. He says guard yourselves and lament you. Priests Wail. You who minister before the order Come, lie all night in sackcloth. You who minister to my God, for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Verse 14, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord, your God, and cry out to the Lord. You can continue down there if you wish. But there you see the prophet of God, joel, talking to the priests and the leaders to call for a fast, that what we are going through, what we are seeing around this, is a judgment from God and we need to cry out to the Lord. So this is a national or communal fasting, where the whole nation comes together and fast before the Lord. Now there's also possibility of a personal repentance, where it's not communion but it is you yourself taking a time to pray and repent before God.
Speaker 1:Now a very good example is Saul, who later on became Apostle Paul. We know the story of Saul. You can go and read in Acts, chapter 9, in verse 9, where Saul had an encounter with Jesus Christ and he was struck down. He was blinded, but he had the voice of the Lord saying Saul, saul, why do you persecute me? And he was told rise up. He asked who are you, lord? He said I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now you can imagine the shock that Saul was. Saul was convinced that this Christianity was a cult, that he had to do everything to finish it, to stop it, that he had to do everything to finish it, to stop it, and he was rabid against Christians, making sure they are jailed and killed and stopped. And the Lord appears to him. He thought Jesus was a fake. There was nothing like Jesus, there was nothing like resurrection. This Jesus was a fake man. He was killed and he died and the disciples stole his body, and so he was determined to put a stop. And then he hears the voice from heaven calling his name and he was told go to damascus and you'll be told what to do. We see there.
Speaker 1:For the next three days, paul or Saul did not eat or drink. There was a three days absolute fast. I'm sure Paul was crying before the Lord. You can imagine for yourself. You know Paul was a learned man. Paul was somebody who was so committed to God. Then suddenly he realizes oh my God, I was so wrong, I was so lost. And here he is. I can imagine he was crying before God, remembering how he has tortured Christians, how he has oversaw the killing of Stephen being stoned to death, and he was determined to finish all Christians. I'm sure he was crying before God and confessing his sins, asking God to forgive him, asking God to forgive him, asking God to forgive him. He just didn't know that Jesus is real, jesus is alive. Jesus has spoken to me. So Saul was in a time of repentance. Now I need to point out this. This is important. Listen to me Now.
Speaker 1:We do not need to fast in order to be forgiven. I don't want you to leave here and say oh, when I was asking God to forgive my sins, I did not take a time of fasting, so I think I am not forgiven. No, that will be a wrong teaching. We are not forgiven because of what we have done. We are forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross, that he paid the price for our sins, and now we come to God with a repentant heart.
Speaker 1:The Bible says if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not enough. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just. To forgive us all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that's our God. That is in 1 John 1. You can go and read there from verse 8 and 9. You will see that we are forgiven. So you are forgiven. All right, if you ask God to forgive you, you are forgiven by the Lord. You are forgiven. Your sins were washed away. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sins and not what you have done. That qualifies you for repentance. So don't go around feeling that you are not forgiven or when you get into a fast, you feel like now because I fasted, then I am sure I am forgiven. That will be salvation through works. We are saved by the grace of God.
Speaker 1:However, having said that, you can get a time if you have conviction. You can get a time of consecration If the Lord has revealed something in your life, an area that he needs you to deal with. You can take some time of consecration, of just taking time in prayer, in humbling yourself, in telling God you are sorry, but just know that it is not your fasting that makes you forgiven. This is just a time of rededicating yourself, of committing yourself before God to hear clearly and being directed by the Lord. All right, so that is number one. I've spent a lot of time on repentance.
Speaker 1:Let me go to number two. What else can trigger a fast? It's very similar to the fast one, but it's different in its own way, and it is during the time of impending judgment. You are facing judgment, or the nation is facing judgment, an impending judgment. Now, what is the difference here? Here the difference is God has spoken through his prophets or through his servant and say say you were judged by God. God has judged you. Your sins have reached before God or the nation. God speaks to the nation through a prophet of God that God is about to judge this nation. Then that is a time that the nation or the leaders can call people to repentance.
Speaker 1:A very good example you can go and read for yourself in Jonah, chapter number three, from verse five all the way to 10. Jonah three, verse 5 to 10. I will not go there, I will just direct you to that. You will see. Jonah had been sent by God to go and speak against Nineveh. Of course he decided to run away, but later on God brought him through the fish right into Nineveh. And when he found himself in Nineveh he decided it is time to tell these people that God is coming to judge them. And the message of Jonah was very simple 40 more days and Nineveh will be no more. He passed from one end to the other and telling them God has sent me to let you know you have 40 more days and Nineveh will be destroyed. God is coming in judgment.
Speaker 1:We are told there that the people of Nineveh were afraid. They feared and proclaimed a fast and started fasting. And proclaimed a fast and started fasting, and when the message reached the king of Nineveh, he himself the king himself proclaimed a fast. Now we are not told how long they fasted no, there's no length of time, so we don't know whether it was three days or one day or a whole week. We don't know. All we know is the king proclaimed a fast and that fasting reached before God and God relented, our merciful God, our God of compassion. He relented from destroying Nineveh. He changed his mind and sent Jonah back, and Jonah was upset about that. What am I saying here? This is impending judgment. They were not judged yet. The judgment was coming, but through their prayer and fasting, god was moved with their humility and their turning away from their sins and Nineveh was spared for years before it came to be destroyed much later. Okay so, impending judgment.
Speaker 1:Let me go to number three, the third one. When else can we pray, get into fasting, seeking God's help in uncertain and risky situations? All right, seeking God's help in an uncertain and risky situation. If you are facing a situation that you don't know what the outcome is going to be. You don't know what the outcome is going to be. You don't know what's going to happen. It looks risky. Then you can unleash the help of God by humbling yourself before God is telling God I am helpless, I am looking towards you, I'm looking towards your help, and then God comes in to help you. All right, a very good example in Ezra. I think I will go there.
Speaker 1:Let's go to Ezra, chapter eight. Ezra was about to travel. Ezra was traveling with the children of Israel from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra, chapter number 8, from verse 21. Ezra, let me see if I can locate that. Ezra 8, ezra 8, verse 21 to 23. There we go.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let me read that. It says then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Eherver that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our position. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king saying the hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. Again, we are not told how long they fasted. All we are told is that Ezra called for a fast. And why was he calling for a fast? They were traveling through enemy territory. There were enemies around, there were terrorists on the ground, there were robbers, and here they were without an army. And here they were with the children and also with their possessions as they headed back to Jerusalem from Babylon. And so it was a risky journey. It was a risky situation. They didn't know what was going to be the outcome. They called on God, so beloved.
Speaker 1:Do you have something that is risky? Or are you traveling somewhere and you don't know? Maybe you're going to a foreign land. Maybe you're going on a mission and you don't know? Maybe you're going to a foreign land. Maybe you're going on a mission and you don't know what's going to happen there. Take time and pray. Take time and humble yourself. Enlist the help of God. This is sweet. I hope you're enjoying that. This is really nice. Take time and pray. Deny yourself a meal or two, I don't know how long. Maybe a day, maybe two days, maybe three days, depending on what you feel, and uh, see what god will do. So that is one that we can do seeking god's help number three. So let's go to number four. Number four is seeking understanding and interpretation of dreams and vision. Seeking understanding and interpretation of dreams and visions. All right Now.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you get a dream, sometimes you get a vision and then you do not have an understanding. Very good example is we know Daniel how. Daniel was a man who was gifted by God to understand mysteries, to understand visions and dreams and interpret dreams. Daniel was also a man of prayer, a man of prayer. So every time he needed to see God like in Daniel, chapter 2, verse 16 and 17, you will see him calling his friends Shadrach, meshach and Abednego to get into a fast so that they can interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. You can go and read that for yourself. Okay, we see him going in 21 days of fasting, we see him. So there are many times Daniel was fasting and we have shared that before, and so so sometimes I'm saying that sometimes you, you wake up in the middle of the night and you have had a dream and a dream.
Speaker 1:You really don't know what's the meaning of that. Now, understand, we dream a lot and I dream, you dream and some dreams I dream are crazy, stupid dreams, ugly dreams, so you don't need to pray about what's the meaning of that. You just hold them like a paper and trash them. But there are dreams that you get and a dream that is from God. Most of the time, when it is over, you wake up and suddenly you realize, wow, that is a message, but you don't know what it means. You don't know what it means so you can go into a fast. Now, I'm only talking about a dream or a vision that you don't know the meaning of. What does that mean? That you need to see God. But there are dreams. Sometimes I dream or I get a vision and I see and I understand. Immediately I wake up and I ponder a little bit. I know exactly what the Lord has said or what the Lord is saying. Now you don't need to fast about that.
Speaker 1:I got a good example, which I gave is one time I had a dream and I was dreaming and I was seeing my sister-in-law who was pregnant. I see my sister-in-law who was pregnant and she was in hospital and she is crying. She was carrying her twins and she is crying and crying and then in the process. She's crying that she's lost her babies. Oh, the twins the boys have been expecting. My twins are gone and she's weeping. She's in the hospital crying. And then she picked the phone. And then she called her sister here in America. And the sister picks the phone and she listens and my sister-in-law is crying and crying oh, the babies are gone. And then my wife wakes me up. I'm dreaming. My wife wakes me up and says oh, wanzah, here, wanzah, she's crying the babies, she's miscarrying the babies. And my wife puts the phone on my ears and I'm listening to my sister-in-law and she is crying and crying oh, the babies are gone, the babies are gone, and she is weeping.
Speaker 1:And then, immediately I woke up. Wow, when I woke up I said wow, what a dream. My wife is deep asleep, what a dream. And immediately I knew there is warfare against the children, my sister-in-law's children, and I told my wife, I woke her up. I said well, you are waking me up in the dream. Now I'm going to wake you up for real. I woke her up and I told her what the dream I've just had. And right there we got into a battle, man, we fought, we got into prayer. I got into a spiritual battle and we were praying in tongues, battling against the demons that were sent against those twins to cause them to be aborted or to miscarry the pregnancy. We fought until I got a breakthrough in my spirit and then, from then on, I took that message and prayer to our intercessory team and we prayed through and through. I told them there is warfare against the twins my sister-in-law is carrying and God has shown me this. Let's pray through until the babies come. And indeed we prayed throughout and praise God. God gave my sister-in-law the twins.
Speaker 1:So sometimes God gives interpretation. You don't need to fast. God gives interpretation, you don't need to fast. But when you don't know, when you are disturbed, when you want to understand it, take time and pray and the Lord will reveal that to you. All right, that is number four. Let me go to number five Seeking direction and blessing on an assignment. Seeking direction or blessing on an assignment If God has given you an assignment, if God has given you a commission, that is a very good time to trigger a season of prayer and fasting. You determine that with the Lord, to seek direction on what to do.
Speaker 1:I'm going to read Acts, chapter 13, verse 1 and 3. Okay, we've been reading Old Testament, so let me just read this one. In New Testament, acts, chapter 13. Here we will see the prophets of God. Okay, acts 13,. Verse. We will see the prophets of God. Okay, acts 13, verse 1 through 3.
Speaker 1:Now, in the church that was at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers Barnabas, simeon, who was called Niger, lysias of Cyrene, manine, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them, verse 3, then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. What a good and clear example beloved. You see it very clearly there that the early church was a praying church. The early church was a fasting church. We find these are prophets, these are teachers of the word, and they were spending time for communal prayer and fasting. And during one of these seasons the Holy Spirit clearly said now separate Saul and Barnabas for the work which I have chosen them. And then we see something very interesting here Even before they send them away, they enter again into a season of fasting and prayer. Why are they doing that? They are enlisting God's help in the assignment ahead and all of them prayed and fasted and laid hands on them to send them away into the mission field. So every time you have an assignment, every time you have a commission, every time you have something that God wants you to do, it is a good time to spend a season of prayer and fasting, of prayer and fasting. Now you can go and read for yourself in Acts again, chapter 14 and verse 23. For Acts 14, verse 23, you will see Paul selecting elders there and then taking time to pray and fast and commission them to the work of the Lord. All right, paul and Barnabas commissioned elders through prayer after fasting and praying.
Speaker 1:Let me share the last one here, the last one, number six, going to number five. This will be number six. Keeping the flesh under control and remaining focused on assignment. Here is a good one. This is keeping the flesh. Fasting helps to keep the flesh under control and remain focused on the assignment. Very, very critical and important here. All right, we are living in the flesh, we are living in this body and if you are not careful, this body can cause you to abort the plan and purpose of God in your life and purpose of God in your life.
Speaker 1:We see several areas in the Bible saying humble yourself. We see how sometimes the Bible says, like in the book of Hebrews, say we have besetting sins. Now, all of us know areas that we are struggling with and I'm bringing this If you have an area of the flesh that you know that you struggle, this is my area of weakness. This is where I struggle. I struggle with a lot. I fall, I fail, I find myself failing and faltering. Well, one of the things that can help there is getting seasons of prayer and fasting the work of the flesh. The flesh cannot be beaten by casting out a demon. You can't cast out your flesh, but the flesh can be kept under by the cross, taking the cross and crucifying the cross.
Speaker 1:A very good example is the life of Apostle Paul. When we read about the story of Apostle Paul, paul was a man who was on a mission, on a mission sent by Jesus Christ. Now, even though he was called by God and Jesus said I am sending you, you are my servant, paul was a man of prayer and fasting. If you look to 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 27,. Let me go there. I need to read a few examples in the New Testament 2 Corinthians 11 and verse number 27.
Speaker 1:All right, here we see Paul is talking about some of his testimony of how he has been living. You can read that from behind, all the way from verse 22, how he has been suffering for Christ. But I'm only reading in verse 27 here, going down. He says in toil, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness, often in hunger and thirst. Here we go In fastings, often in cold and nakedness. You see, there Paul says this is how I've been living. I know I've been beaten, I've been in the sea, but some of the other things that he mentions. Sometimes I'm tired, I am weariness and toil. Oh my god, I go through this a number of times in sleeplessness, often in hunger and thirst. And then he mentions fastings.
Speaker 1:Often paul was a man given to fasting. Often, all right, not always, but often he'll get into some time of fasting why he wanted to keep his flesh under, and we see him describing this when we go to 1 Corinthians 9. All right, 1 Corinthians 9 from verse 24. Let's go there, maybe finish with those scriptures. 1 Corinthians 9, verse 24. Let's go there, maybe finish with those scriptures. 1 Corinthians 9, verse 24. 1 Corinthians 9,. I'll read from verse 24, 25, 26, and 27. Listen to his testimony Again, his testimony.
Speaker 1:He says this do you not know that those who run in arrest all run but one? Listen to verse 26. Therefore, I run first, not with an uncertainty. Thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. There is Apostle Paul, one of the men that I love to read about in the Bible. He says he disciplines his body. I buffet my body, I bring my body under, I subject it so that I am not ruled by my body, I am not controlled by my appetite, but I am led by the Spirit of God. Paul was a man.
Speaker 1:Fasting is one of the ways to buffet the body, to bring it under. So if you are struggling in an area, if something that you want to bring under, oh, take some time in prayer and fasting. You know, and this is some words that I heard from a man of God, brother David Hernandez. He says the more you weaken the flesh, the stronger your spirit becomes. I love that. It's either your spirit or your flesh that is under. And Paul says these are in competition one with another. So we have to be led by the spirit. We have to be controlled by the spirit. Wow, so we have shared a lot. Take some time in prayer, bring the flesh under. So these are some of the areas that can trigger a fast. There will be others in the Bible, but I've shared those six.
Speaker 1:I hope you are blessed Next time we come together. We will look at how, then, should we fast. We look at when Now we go to other areas of fasting. Don't miss our continuation. God bless you. God, do you good. God, meet you as you stretch out towards meeting God in your time of fasting. We'll see you again in our next teaching. Amen. Hope you are learning and receiving something from the word of God. Well, that's all the time we have for the moment.
Speaker 1:And as we finish, maybe you're saying, pastor, I need some prayers. Well, we will pray together. I just need to direct you to our website, gilbertmachiacom, and the website there. I have recorded some messages where you can join me together and we pray. Let's agree for a miracle. Look, scroll down, and you'll see a message entitled there it's Time for your Miracle. Share a word of God there to prepare your heart so that you can come alongside, so that we can pray. Don't stop praying, even if you have prayed. Let's pray again, let's fight on, let's believe God for a miracle, because God is still doing miracles today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
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