ACCEPTABLE FASTING
(First part)
Memory verse (Isaiah 58: 3) “ Why have we fasted, they say, and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice? ”
Fasting is one of the oldest spiritual disciplines that pave a way for God’s power to flow and do wonders. Amazingly both in the old and new testament we see men using this discipline but we don’t see any one who took effort to exhaustively teach on this subject. Jesus taught briefly about it, how it should be done and that we ought to do it. (Matt6: 16-18). The only exhaustive teaching about fasting was done by God himself in (Is58: 1-14). In this text God began by teaching the wrong way of fasting (Is58: 3-5), then he taught the right way of fasting, (Is58: 6-7) and thirdly he taught the benefits of true and acceptable fasting (Is58: 8-14).
The goal of fasting is to be heard in heaven when we pray (Is58: 4c, 9a). The purpose of fasting is to empower our prayer. That’s why they always go together i.e. prayer and fasting. When we fast and pray in the right way that pleases God, our voices are heard in heaven. And once our prayers get the attention of heaven then we can expect mighty things to happen (1Jn5: 14-15). The nation of Judah was attacked by three nations with a great army in the days of king Jehoshaphat, the king feared but he summoned the whole nation for a fasting to seek the help of the Lord. God heard their fasting and prayer and intervened mightily by destroying their enemies (2Chr 20:1-22). They only prayed, fasted and worshipped the Lord and heaven dealt with their enemies. Esther, Mordecai and the Jews in the empire of Persia were with problem of termination of their existence, they fasted and prayed for three days and nights. Heaven heard them and intervened with great wonders that left their enemy Haman hanged, all their enemies were killed and God promoted them and blessed them. Elijah fasted, Moses fasted, Joshua fasted, and many prophets fasted, John the Baptist fasted, Jesus fasted, apostles fasted, apostle Paul fasted often and Jesus taught that certain things don’t go away except by prayer and fasting (Matt17). Fasting will cause you to break into certain levels power, freedom. Fasting will bring major turn around in your life, family, ministry.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ Wrong way of fasting”
