Fasting Releases Special Power

There is a story in the book of Judges that I find intriguing. One village in Benjamin had committed grievous sin. The rest of the Benjamites refused to hand over those who were guilty. The rest of Israel gathered together to wipe out this grievous sin from Israel. I'll let the Scriptures tell the rest of the story.

      (Judges 20:18 -35) Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The Lord said, “Judah first!”
      So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.
      And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”
      So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day.
And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
      Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
      Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times. So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
     And the children of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba. And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them. The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.

Why do I find this story intriguing? Because the Israelites inquired of God for direction in a battle. In today's terminology they prayed about it. God gave them direction, and they still lost the battle! They again asked God's direction and the same thing happened! They obeyed God's direction and they again lost. These losses translated to 40,000 Israelites being killed on the battlefield!

But they were following God's direction!

The next day the Isrealites fasted and offered sacrifices. This time when they asked for God's counsel, the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.” And that is what God did. The Israelites won the battle.

This passage reveals a truth that many people in the church today are completely unaware of. They sought God's direction, and followed it – yet victory eluded them until they fasted and sacrificed before the Lord. I believe this is the same type of situation that Jesus described when the disciples could not cast out a demon. “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Mt 17:21 NKJ)

There is a power released in the spiritual ream when we fast. This power goes beyond prayer and even beyond obedience. I don't claim to understand it. However, the Scriptures and Jesus' own words declare this truth.

Father, thank you so much for Your precious Word. Thank you for the privilege of being able to read it. Many people have not been blessed with even the most basic education Others who know how to read do not have a translation of Your Word in their native tongue Others cannot read Your Word because it is banned where they live. Father thank you for absolute truth. Post modernism proclaims that there is no absolute truth -- but there is no truth in that! Jesus tells us that Your Word is truth. We may not always understand it, but we do not have to understand it for it to be true. The Scriptures in this post describe a power available to us only when we fast. There are other Scriptures that describe a proper fast before You. Those must also be considered, but the truth remains that there are strongholds and demons that our prayers and obedience alone cannot defeat. Help me to be willing to fast as a way of presenting my body “as a living sacrifice,” that Your kingdom may advance. In the powerful and precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Serenity Prayer -- the complete prayer

There have been a tremendous number of hits to my posting of the Serenity Prayer.  That post included only the short version.  I have decided to provide the entire prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr.

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The Spiritual Discipline that is a Lost Art

I do not believe in coincidences.  I received this devotion yesterday.  Fasting is so important, and our self-indulgent Western culture needs to return to this spiritual discipline.

Cindy

 

	The Spiritual Discipline that’s a Lost Art BIBLE MEDITATION: “I, Daniel…set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel 9:2, 3 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Someone has called fasting “the weeping of the soul.” Fasting is a lost art in most of our churches, but it is one of the clearest taught doctrines in the Word of God, especially in a time of crisis.  When Ezra and his people were in a predicament, he “proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava…” (Ezra 8:21). Nehemiah said, “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). Jehoshaphat “feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast through all Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:3). Joel said, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly” (Joel 2:15). The Lord Jesus said, “Moreover, when you fast…” (Matt. 6:16-17). Most of us have never practiced fasting with consistency. Fasting is not just going hungry, and it’s not a way to lose weight. Fasting is the affliction of the soul for discipline and determination to humble ourselves before God and seek His face. ACTION POINT: When was the last time you “set your face” to seek the Lord? Is there a situation in your life, in your home, at your job or in your church, that merits serious, sustained prayer? If so, perhaps it is time to seek the Lord in fasting and prayer. View or Share online | Discover Jesus | Read the Bible | LWF.org | Today's Message
	Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. © 2011 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

Fasting -- What it is NOT

Fasting is not a way to show off your spirituality.

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.(Mt 6:16-17NKJ)

God wants our fasting to be private. A few "fellow fasters" to encourage one another is fine. The point Jesus is making is that we are not to use fasting as a way to show off how spiritual we are.

Fasting is not a “spiritual” way to lose weight. Losing weight is a by product, but that should not be the purpose of a fast. However, I have fasted for God to break my compulsive overeating behaviours. There has been tremendous progress as I learn to feed on God and His Word instead of feeding my sinful nature.

Fasting is not a means of coercing God to do our will. David fasted for his son born out of his adultery with Bathsheba, and yet God still took the child's life.

2Sa12:13-23

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”
So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.
Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

(2Sa12:13-23 NKJ)

God did not answer David's request, but David's response was still to praise God! He didn't say anything like “I didn't pray enough! I didn't fast enough! I didn't have enough faith! If only I had done more, God would have answered my prayer.” He understood that God sometimes says “No!” and yet He still is so worthy to be praised!

Next time we will look more at what Biblical fasting is.

Fasting

Happy New Year! I am sorry for the long silence on this blog. Life can get too busy sometimes. I pray that I will be better able to be consistent with my postings this year.

There is a story in Mat 17:14-21 that may be familiar to many of us. A man brings his son to the disciples because the boy was possessed by a demon and experiencing seizures, but the disciples were unable to cast it out. Now this confused the disciples because as recorded in Mt10:1, Jesus had already given “them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every sickness.”

The story continues:

And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.' ” (Mt 17:18-20 NKJ)

Most of us stop there. If we have enough faith, nothing will be impossible. Wow! That is so exciting – at first. After a while, that promise can become very discouraging for some of us. We fail to see the impossible. We begin to doubt that God will answer our simple prayers, let alone come through with a miracle. Our relationship with God becomes a routine, but it is stale, lacking the joy of seeing God's power at work in our lives.

Jesus, did not stop where many of us stop. His answer to the disciples question of “why couldn't we do it?” went beyond a mustard seed of faith! Jesus finishes with “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Mt 17:21 NKJ– not all translations include this verse)

Jesus fasted for 40 days before He started His ministry (Mt 4:1-11). In the sermon on the mount, Jesus talks about fasting as a normal part of a relationship with God, and says that God will reward you for honouring Him with a secret fast (Mt 6:16-18) In the North American church many people have never fasted, even though it is mentioned numerous times throughout the Scriptures.

A couple of years ago few of my friends started fasting, and they shared the amazing things that God was doing in their lives. I was excited to learn more and to imitate them. I have seen incredible personal transformation in my relationship with God as a result of privately fasting to draw closer to Him. This fall I fasted for specific direction in terms of what path to pursue for my source of living. He has answered that prayer for wisdom more powerfully than any other prayer I have prayed in over 25 years as a Christian! His answer, and the blessings that are accompanying that answer, are turning my unbelieving brother into a believer. Yesterday my brother told me that we need to write down all the “God-moments” in the start-up of our new business!

We cannot coerce God by fasting, or by any other means. However as we saw above, Jesus taught that not all prayers are answered by faith alone. Not all strongholds are demolished by prayer alone. There is reward promised when we fast. That reward may look very different from what you think you want, but reward is promised. The best reward absolutely being a deeper more intimate walk with our beloved Saviour!

Over the next little while, I plan to explore what the Scriptures teach on fasting.

Dear Father,

Thank you for a New Year and a new beginning! I pray that this year will draw each and every one of us into a deeper relationship with You! I pray that we will experience Your life-transforming power in our lives! I pray that You will banish Satan and his lies that say that the days of miracles are past. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever! You are still the God of the miraculous! You are still the God that wants an intimate relationship with each of us! You are the God of healing, the God of peace, the God of power, the God of battle, the God of hope, “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Rom 4:17b) I praise You and worship You in the name of Jesus! Amen