“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” {Matthew 17:21}
One of the reasons I fast is to keep sensitive to the Spirit and the voice of the Lord. Fasting helps me to tune out the world and just connect with the Lord. It helps me to know He’s still there, guiding me. Even though I know He is always there guiding me, fasting helps me to have the assurance in my spirit that He is still there.
I used to fast for a lot of reasons. I used to fast to get a request answered. When I used to work in a job I disliked so much, I would fast for a whole day so that I could make God hear me and hopefully get me out of that job right away. I didn’t get my request answered right away, but eventually He did grant me that desire and took me out of there. You can read about that in the blog I wrote: Overcoming Discouragements. In the process though, that time of fasting helped me face my miserable situation and get comfort from the Lord. That’s also one of the main reasons I would fast too, to get comfort. Whenever I get so unhappy and sad in my soul, I fast. I spend the whole day with the Lord just with my Bible, a journal, and my guitar and wait for His presence. I talk to Him. I don’t eat until dinner but only drink water and I stay away from talking on the phone and the Internet.
I can feel the effects of fasting right away even until a couple of days later. I feel more in-tune with the Lord and I feel more alert in my mind with Him. I can also feel more peace and deliverance in my soul – a sense of wholeness and tranquility. I feel His love more and His joy more.
Sometimes I would get in a rut and not hear His voice so clearly. Sometimes the enemy of my soul would bombard me with negative thoughts, and I just get so weary of rebuking and dealing with him. I know when I’m feeling overwhelmed spiritually it’s my indicator to fast. Whenever I find myself trying to figure out my day-to-day schedule and solving the world’s problems, I know it’s time to spend the day with the Lord and just focus on Him and find His voice. His voice brings comfort. Whenever I seek for His face and find it I get peace. I stop worrying about Satan and his negative thoughts, they stop affecting me and I don’t have to do much to rebuke Him. Sometimes I could just tune into the Lord and tell the Lord, “Please get rid of him for me?” And the Lord would say, “I’ll get rid of him for you” and sure enough he is gone and doesn’t bother me sometimes for days.
Remember, Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Without Jesus Christ we are all completely on our own. If we’re fighting the spiritual world on our own understanding and with our own strength, Satan will wipe us out. We don’t have enough strength to keep fighting him on our own will. Soon his lies will wear us out. Have you ever found yourself having a long imagined conversation with someone that had already happened in time’s past, and here you are again trying to re-live it and finding yourself justifying yourself? That’s one of Satan’s tactics to make us miserable. It’s already done, nothing you will say in your head will undo it, and yet it’s so tempting to go through the replay in your head to justify yourself. But you’ll never justify yourself. No amount of us replaying a scene in the past or even a scene in the future will make us control the scenario in real time and make it come out the way we want it to – except through Jesus Christ. He always has a way of working everything out for our good. The only way to run away from these types of replays in our minds is to resist it as soon as it starts, and to talk to the Lord and make Him our focus in our imagination. Talk to Him and bring our troubles to Him rather than trying to figure them out on our own. When replaying is becoming a habit and powerful in our lives, it is time to spend the day with the Lord. That’s what I do. I need to hear the voice of the Lord. I need to stop these frustrating scenes in my head. Even scenes that came through the news of people killing people and getting so mad and angry and creating scenarios of what should be and what we could do, on and on and on. It’s a merry-go-round that will lead to no-where. It’s one of Satan’s ways to make us frustrated and unhappy.
I’ve found again and again that when I turn everything off, the Internet, my phone, the world, and just spend the day with the Lord, my days afterwards are more peaceful. I can finally accomplish the things I’ve been meaning to accomplish for a long time. I can finally focus on things that are important and not get easily sidetracked. It’s really beautiful that the Lord has given us a way to overcome this life and live the abundant life He’s come for and died for.
Sometimes fasting can be very challenging especially when I haven’t been doing it in a while. Sitting in one place or staying in prayer is not always easy. Plus the minute of course you decide to fast, your favorite meals will start popping into your head making it so enticing to quit even before you get started. Even as simple as a buttered croissant with a nice cup of hot tea can get me wishing my fast was over already. That’s why I wait on the Lord to tell me to fast. I talk to Him about desiring to fast and to spend time with Him, so He can tell me in my spirit when to fast. Because when He’s ready for me to fast I find myself ready for it too. He makes me ready. I find myself being able to accomplish the fast less painfully than when I just take it upon myself to fast. I have the desire and the burden and don’t think about food as much as I would normally do if I were just on my own. The Lord makes it easy and doable. He helps me to pray too. He helps me talk to Him and commune with Him and read His word.
Sometimes I would doze off during my fast. This is okay too, because the flesh and the spirit are fighting and the flesh gets weary so easily against the spirit once we decide we want to focus on the Lord. The flesh cannot handle God so it would want to doze off. That’s all right too because in the process the body is getting rest and the mind is getting rest. When it’s awake again it will hopefully be more ready to take on more of God. It’s a process. Getting into the presence of God and staying in communion with Him is not always going to be easy, especially when we don’t make it a habit. Even when we make it a habit there are still challenges that will come because we are flesh and we are fighting in the spirit. But if our burden to hear from the Lord is strong enough this will help us through. It will carry us through until the end. Plus with the Lord helping us we can do anything.
I hope to encourage some of you to fast because there truly is a benefit to fasting. Even the medical and the dieting world now are catching up on the benefits of fasting. They say it helps cleanse our system from some of the poison we put into our bodies when we eat, and it helps detox our bodies so that we can feel better about ourselves. Who knew? Yet since back in the ancient times people have somehow understood the benefits of fasting. They have practiced it without all these advancements of science and research. They have come to associate fasting as something so powerful that would bring them a breakthrough with God. Prophet Daniel fasted and had his breakthroughs. Talk about the breakthroughs he had with the Lord! Angels were getting sent to him to reveal to him the answers he was looking for. He fasted and spent so much time seeking after God that he was told afterwards he was greatly loved.
That’s also what I’m finding out again and again about God, He rewards those that diligently seek after Him. He loves those that take the time to talk to Him and be with Him. Fasting is not just about getting a miracle to transpire in our lives, fasting is truly about finding the face of God and knowing who He is. Once my fasting became just wanting to know who God is, that’s really when my breakthroughs happened in my life. I used to fast to get healing and never got it. But once I fasted just because I wanted to spend time in His presence, healing came automatically. Not only has He delivered me physically, He has delivered me emotionally and spiritually. I have been made whole simply because as He said, if we seek after His kingdom and His righteousness then all these things will be added to us.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” {Matthew 6:33}
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” {Matthew 11:28-30}
Prayer
Thank You so much Lord for a way to get closer to You through fasting. Thank You so much that through You I can overcome anything I am facing in this life, even the darkness the world is feeling today. Satan can’t overcome me when I have You because if You are for me who can be against me? I thank You with all of my heart Lord Jesus for Your great love for me at the cross and giving Your life away so that today I can live a wonderful and victorious life.
Father, please Lord Jesus, save me and help me today to know You more and draw closer to You. Help me to have You more Lord so that I can live a happy and peaceful life today even in the midst of this fallen and darkened, unhappy world. Help me Father to fast and spend the day with You. I know Lord You will help me once I determined in my heart to do this. You will not leave me powerless and without help. You will come to me and will strengthen me. Please Lord Jesus help me to love You today and be with You today. Help me to spend the day with You and make it a part of my life to always fast and commune with You so that I can know You more. I ask You all these things Father for the glory of Your name and for the betterment of Your church today, in Your most wonderful name, Jesus. Thank You so much, Father. Amen.
Image by Giani Pralea from Pixabay
Rp11/2017
