It’s Time To Fast Part 1
The Bible Basically Identifies Three Main Forms of Fasting
• A normal fast found in Luke 4:1–2
• The absolute fast found in Acts 9:8–9
• A partial fast or Daniel fast found in Daniel 10:2–3
Arthur Wallis- Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven. The man who prays with fasting is giving heaven notice that he is truly in earnest… Not only so, but he is expressing his earnestness in a divinely appointed way. He is using a means that God has chosen to make his voice to be heard on high.
IMPORTUNITY | Cambridge English Dictionary: the quality of repeatedly asking for something, in a forceful and annoying way:
Tertullian said, feed prayer with fasting.
Luke 4:1–2 (ESV) 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
Matthew 6:16 (ESV) 16 “And when you fast, (not “If you fast) do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
1. God’s Presence.
Luke 5:33–35 (ESV) 33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
Penned Truth: The same is true for us today; we become more aware of God’s presence when we fast.
2. New Wine.
Luke 5:37–38 (ESV) 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
3. Breaking Strong Holds.
Mark 9:28–29 (NKJV) 28 “And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
1. Are you in need of healing or a miracle?
2. Is there a dream inside you that only He can make possible?
3. Are you ready to have heightened sensitivity to the desires of God?
4. Is there a friend or loved one that needs Salvation?
5. Do you desire to know God’s will for your life more clearly?
Final Statement: Fasting brings a more intense, focused time of prayer that brings us to a greater communion with God. It unlocks greater empowerment of the Spirit to be released into our lives and a greater earnestness in our souls for change. God has changed my life through fasting, setting the captives free, and much more. Are you ready for change?
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