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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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