Monday, January 26, 2009

Fasting: Unleashing the Power of God

By THOMAS MATHEW

Of all the powerful spiritual weapons God has given His Church, the most neglected, underestimated and mostly set aside as inconvenient in our busy round the clock lifestyle is the weapon of Fasting. Very few Christians realise the tremendous impact fasting has in the spiritual realm.

Jesus, before He began His ministry was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He ate nothing for forty days. He used this time of fasting as a means of consecrating and setting Himself apart to do the work God had given Him. It was a means of humbling Himself and acknowledging His total dependence upon God as the source of His strength. It was a means of preparing for battle to defeat the enemy.

Let us look at Joel Chapter 2; the famous chapter where God promises to pour out His Spirit, which He later did as we all know on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 who were gathered in the upper room. Here there is a pattern revealed – first there is the command to seek Him with fasting “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting...” (Joel 2:12a) and if the same is obeyed, then there is a promise given of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). The two are linked; the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon you requires an obedient and prepared heart.

Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days (Dan 10:2) which broke through the spiritual hindrance. As he persisted and fainted not, he received his answer. When we fast, the hidden hindrances to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives start to get exposed. It unmasks the enemy before you. If you have been longing for God to use you and want to move in the power of His Spirit, then fasting & seeking the Lord in prayer is vital. It will position you to be endued with power from on high (Lk 24:49). You will become a carrier of His power to impact your surroundings and the angelic will be released to minister and aid you in the work of His Kingdom.

Personally I remember one time fasting for 3 days, the first 2 days were without food or water, and the third day was only water and no food. This was for a specific purpose, the Lord had drawn me to my knees regarding a time bound prophetic word I had given and nothing seemed to happen in that direction and I knew I had to contend for it just like Elijah contended for the rain (I Kings 18:41-42), and sure enough as I humbled myself in fasting and prayer, the answer came, perfectly on time and the outcome was miraculous.

There are 10 promises God gives in the book of Joel when we fast & seek Him:

1. Abundance of Provision (Joel 2:19)

2. He will drive away your enemies from your midst (Joel 2:20)

3. Rejoicing & Gladness will be your portion (Joel 2:23a)

4. He will give you the former & the latter rain. Nourishment to your seed (Joel 2:23b)

5. A Great Harvest (Joel 2:24)

6. Restoration (Joel 2: 25)

7. You will be satisfied (Joel 2:26)

8. You will never be put to shame (Joel 2:27)

9. He will pour out His Spirit upon you & your household (Joel 2:28-29)

10. Salvation & Deliverance in the land (Joel 2:32)

There is a level of operation in the anointing which can only be broken into by true biblical fasting coupled with prayer; Jesus teaches his disciples about this aspect in Mark 9:29 “So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

Many believers choose to minister in their own strength rather than relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Fasting humbles our hearts and touches the heart of the Father. He will not pour out the new wine of His Spirit on un-repentant and unploughed grounds of our hearts.

He pours new wine in new wine skins (Lk 5:38).

No comments: