Sermons

Fasting Part 2

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From there it will do a quick review of the things that we started studying last week and for those of us who were not able to be here last Sunday for revealing sake let’s go to Matthew chapter 17 starting from verses 14 all the way through 21 the Bible sees and I’m reading from the new king James version of the Bible and when they had come to the multitude of men came to him kneeling down to him saying Lord have mercy on my son for his in an epileptic and suffers severely he often falls into the fire and often into the water so I brought him to your disciples they could not cure him then Jesus answered and said all faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I bear with you bring him to me dear Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him and a child Was cured from that very hour then the disciples came out to Jesus privately and said why could we not test it out Jesus say to them because of your unbelief but shortly I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain moves from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you that’s the song we’re just singing here however this kind doesn’t go out except my prayer and fasting where we have been since last Sunday talking on the subject of fasting and prayer the place that it occupies the rules of fasting and prayer plays in real Christian life and in the life of a church fasting is essential we have no excuse for not fasting is it it’s not all

about you eating every single day from January First to January of December 31 and you go for one year for two years for three years without fasting in such a poor in such a way that you become dominated by my food is not remarkable but the fruit the thing that causes Adam and Eve to fall in the garden of Eden was fooled Satan could’ve tempted them with other things equal of tempted Adam by asking him to punch her her light out he could’ve asked her tempted Eve by knocking the silliness out of Adam or choking him or poisoning him or strangling him he could’ve done that why did he choose to give them to offer them food is there that is it possible that naturally do we do not pay attention to food food could actually be one of the greatest pleasure that we have and see how British people I’ve been told that British people celebrate With food and they celebrate with drinks and Americans we celebrate with food oh you got a promotion let’s go get together let’s go get some to eat let’s go to the hamburger joint down the road we’re going to celebrate that it’s your birthday let’s let’s eat inside we are so much controlled by our stomach by our stomach’s have you noticed it in March in chapter 4 when the devil came to tempt Christ the Bible says that he waited until Jesus was hungry and he didn’t tell me Jesus was close with shoes with jewelry with money with the other pleasures but he brought

 

him food and he said oh if you’ll be the son of God why don’t you turn these stones into bread why would the enemy of all the tricks in his bags settle down on some thing that has something to do with food is it possible that overcoming food addiction actually helps Asa put us in the driver seat and it’s one of those things that pulsates I do not Kevin to the pleasures of my body but I treat my body with discipline discipline myself so that I will not be rejected so just wanted to drop that seating you there but fasting is very important before we go in that scripture let’s just settle down for a minute and think about this what is fasting anyway what does fasting mean fasting is upstanding oneself for a period of time from food when you go out for a period of time whatever period of time is standing yourself from food now let me let me randomly ask you hear how many of us here of all the food you like during the day you’re most important food is breakfast you can do without the rest but as long as you get your breakfast you’re fine how many of us Oh good one how many of us you don’t really care about breakfast I’m coming to you I know I know will find some zombies and you don’t really care about breakfast OK so if we ask you like here tomorrow we’re gonna be fasting let’s just skip breakfast it won’t be asking you too much because you already are doing it anyway you already fast right now I think about it the first food you eat in the morning what do we call it break that means you must have been

fasting so fasting is something you naturally do by default right that’s what the first food you eat we don’t call it bread dinner or break supper will call it break your fast so by default you are already fasting fasting doesn’t start when you open your eyes fast things that’s when you close your eyes that’s when you’re going to fasting let’s say you get till you get your love Meal at 7 PM or at 8 PM depending on what time your body feels like adding fuel maybe eight maybe nine some of your 10 based on your time schedule or how busy you are that’s your last meal from that time to until you open up your eyes and say you get 6 to 8 hours of sleep you’ve already been fasting for six and seven hours or eight hours why don’t you be a grown-up and push it a little further just for the heck of it add four more hours to it no let’s say you eat your last meal at 10 PM right and you get your breakfast at 10:10 AM already been fasting for 12 hours you already fasted half a day 12 hours that feels good knowing your body this is a physiological from just a scientific standpoint of you your body anytime you put food in your mouth you stimulate a hormone called what What does Esalen do in your body your insulin it goes after the food to store in all the energy especially white sugar right so that you may use it further down the road when you’re sleeping when you’re not eating so insulin helps you to know when I when I eat food insulin has to receive the calories of energy and no strap right here let’s put a disclaimer I am not a medical doctor OK so don’t take my word as to say that no I’m I’m convulsing I haven’t been eating for 72 hours and I’ll call 911 no no no I’m just saying this just as a as a friend or friend I’m not a medical doctor OK direct no when you eat your food you raise your blood insulin that’s what makes some of us a little bit big around this area here some of us being around this area some of us Big brown so some of the area around right now when you raise your insulin if you keep raising your insulin what happens is all that sugar all the carbohydrates turns into fat turns into fat turns into fat no when you go for 12 hours do you have an eaten milk or sinuses

that if you add two extra hours to that you’re pushing to 14 hours your insulin stays low and your body starts to tap into all that food reserve that your insulin had kept in the store house in their area as what happened start to blues or weight and what happened also your brain begins to function a little bit better you start to feel much better and if you do you prolong the time Thomas 16 to 18 hours you start to feel a lot more energy than I feel good I feel good Because what happens is sometimes when we think we are hungry we are not really hungry it’s just that we have already programmed all body to expect to chew on something around a certain time window that’s probably between 6 and 9 AM your body expect either some coffee some hot chocolate some tea some bread some thing some eggs or some thing like that but it’s not like your body craves for it now if you don’t give your body that stuff around the time your body will start to tell you hey buddy hey dude hey girl what’s going on you need to feed me now you start to feel this growling in your stomach when things like that those pains in your in your stomach but it’s not it’s not like you are hungry it’s not like you’re really hungry it’s just that that’s what you have taught your body by repetition to do constantly If you prolong the time like I ask you some of you when you get up in the morning the first thing that comes to your mind is not even food you get up in the morning you can go without that breakfast or until 10 until you grab your first snack go until noon until you get your your meal and your body doesn’t bother you at all it doesn’t bother you no hunger in itself is psychological it’s not I don’t know about you but it

happens to me constantly when I know that next week I’m gonna be fasting for 23 days or one day that night before I start to shake a little bit I’ll keep one thing on my mind how much have I packed how much have I packed is there something that I need to add already to this full tummy just to get into it to get me through in the morning when I open up my eyes I start to hear of the field is tingling in my fingers in my The nerves in my brains tattoo to run a little faster and her and asked her to sing am I doing the right thing and I don’t know about you but to me even the morning that I know that I need to fast already feel hungry already feel a little bit lightheaded and I realize it’s not that I’m hungry it’s my mind playing playing tricks on me so the problem really is not that I’m starving my body I just have to have strong minded Ness I have to have the strong toughness of mine and my truck is this when I know I’m fasting Monday when I open up my eyes and I end up and I’m able to look around the first thing that I do is I pray to God and I begin to take them but I think you that today you have given me the power to fast oh man I tell you as soon as I say that it’s almost like I’ve already turn my mind off Going to keep my mind stayed on the Lord so the reason why I’m laying all these things out is to help you understand the fasting is normal no do you know the fasting is a normal part of every day life I showed you the breakfast you call it breakfast not break lunch you don’t call it break dinner which means by default you are already fasting but let’s let’s look among cultures in the world let’s go to the

Middle East for instants among Arabs do you know the Arabs every year there is a time after they have a name for that month the college some thing though the Ramadan that they dedicate themselves to fasting so as far as they’re concerned it’s just a normal part of behavior but here in America the natives all the Indian tribes in America historically often times when they face sickness is their first route do usually retreat Into a time of fasting every native Indian tribe you can name in the blacksmith and Cherokee Pisces Native American rathskeller come on go talk to me you don’t even the shower Keezer the Lakotas well who else the Pirates the Arapahos often times they will go into a timer for us but think about boxers the sportsman like the big heavy weight boxes back in the days they already retired the lowest Lenox the event hall and field all those guys they give them selves 90 days where they have to discipline themselves for fasting because fasting is part of normal life there’s so many places so many try tribal group in Africa were fasting as part of the day the routine why do you as a child of God Monday Tuesday and every day I’m in if it’s not chicken kebab you have to wash it down with a Pepsi as soon as you turn your back from there you go grab that meat pie as soon as you finish the meat pie give me some football with okra soup as soon as you’re finished that you have to go to M22 don’t forget them as well and then you’ll flip around the pounded yam to make sure that you have a little bit of Chito to my rice why do you do that constantly but we have to train ourselves to fasting now let’s get back to being a little bit serious here in Matsui Chapter 17 notice that Jesus is facing this case where the boy was suffering with lunacy with epilepsy the disciples tried

the best to drive out this demon out of the boy and the world able Jesus comes commence the demon demon leaves now privately they come to Jesus and ask the father oh Lord why won’t we How to drive a mouth Jesus told him because of your unbelief however this time does not leave but by fasting in my prayers no I told you last week and you mean do you self a favor to go back and listen to the message last week that the demon itself does not leave my fasting and prayer fasting and prayer that’s not scared the devil know what leaves you when you fast and prayer is your unbelief know we have a bad habit well we think that we need to increase our faith we need to increase my faith in Jesus count is that philosophy by saying this if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed you could speak to this mountain and commended Beadle removed from this location with the press transplant it to the other location if you had faith like a mustard seed it will Are you so the problem is not having a big face do you know that literally in the Bible there’s only one place when the disciples asked Jesus to augment the faith to increase the faith do you know where it’s when Jesus was asked by Peter how many times would I forgive Maya oh my neighbor those who offend me seven times Jesus I know 7×77 and you know what Peter told us that increase my faith what does that mean it means it takes more faith to live with people tend to deal with the devil that’s the only time we’re increasing your faith is mentioned in the Bible it’s in relationship with dealing with people but this concept of having a bigger faith it’s not biblical the problem is not having a bigger face it’s having a smaller unbelief because truly what do you like it or not you naturally don’t believe God naturally You do not believe God you have unbelief programmed in your body you do not believe God why

because God God never makes sense know if you hear something and it makes sense let me tell you that’s not God anything that God tells you to do will make no sense because what God sees is never meant to make says it’s meant to create faith and faith usually seems like the opposite of, but let me bring it down so you can see it look anytime God came through for his people in the Bible he always ask them to do something but make no sense who is this when you get a Joshua wanted to attack Jericho the common sense will tell them you get your general and you earn your self your trainer you go Charge but why did you tell them no you don’t do that you go around and just go blasting Trump it’s around no you tell me that that makes sense when they wanted to leave Egypt to go to the promised land common sense tells you you go to the dryland what did you tell them know you’re going to go to the Red Sea this man one of the child he only got one and his name is Abraham and he sees his help his future the Lord told me through this boy I will be a father of two nations no you kill them it was this woman whom the Lord had commanded her to feed the profit now the profit comes to her the Lord had told this woman that she will not die through the drought the profit comes to say hey can you give me something to eat the woman say I only have a little bit of flour a little bit of oil to make a pancake for me and my son and will die the property no no no you make that for me first let me eat first that makes sense right Everything the guy tells you makes no sense this one guy that he had on a stick and I send a staff in the Lord wanted to show him how powerful that that stuff in the hands of God was the Lord told him you throw that thing on the ground that thing becomes a snake not a lot of them are you grab that snake by the tail that makes a lot of sense to rob a snake by the tail and he’s going to turn around in and hit you right there what are you trying to tell us this

God knows doesn’t make sense God doesn’t make sense that’s why he calls this things that be not as though they are that’s why you can look like where you are today and a real man of God will look at you today and say you are the next millionaire who are you talking about it’s all about me it doesn’t make sense bingo when it doesn’t make sense it’s from God he was sent to go online to Lexi This man’s name is Samuel as soon as he stands at the fathers house they bring the first boy know this guys he’s he’s made of the real stuff the Pedegree of kings the Bible says that your stature he look like king material and I said you said wow surely I’m standing before the anointing of the Lord what are you gonna tell him don’t annoying to him but I have not talk to him for men looks at the outward appearance makes sense man looks at that which makes sense but God looks at the heart and they weren’t taking third all the way to the seventh seal in the common sense all these seven boys qualified and the father evil forgot the one who smelled like sheep that one who didn’t make any sense actually that guy look like God naturally you have This unbelief which makes it impossible for you to believe God know how do you overcome that unbelief it’s by disciplining your body by fasting and praying you know it takes a lot of faith to pray especially when you close your eyes because when you pray you close your eyes it’s as if you’re talking to yourself like a madman but what happens is when you close your eyes physically you open your eyes spiritually or you begin to see in the spirit smile naturally your body wants to control you your body wants you to be its slave it wants to lead you it’s time to sleep yes sir it’s time to eat yes sir but now we are taking our body and we are telling this buddy no we sleep when we tell you to sleep we eat when we tell you to eat and Jesus sees thank you this will help you to overrule to dominate your unbelief so when you are fasting When you are

fasting let me ask you this question when you are fasting does God begin to love you more no so what I’m trying to say is this when you are fasting you are not doing God a favor you are positioning yourself you are telling yourself my body is not in charge I am in charge and just like by the foot you are already fasting when you get up in the morning you just count when is the last time I ate OK I ate a lot of my last meal at 8 PM what time is it now it’s five so I have been fasting for nine hours why don’t I just add nine more hours and I’m gonna take this time to actually focus on the lot when you do that you build a good habit of fasting no rain with me here first Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 17/1 Corinthians let me just read that no you’re not but you are Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you if any man defile the temple of God him shall God destroyed for the temple of God is holy which simply are sick what policy is this we have to discipline our body but we don’t have to abuse our body so when you are fasting you are not abusing your body not show you what abuse in your body is abusing your body is becoming a jerk and say I’m not going to eat any food and I’m not gonna drink any water all right doofus go head and do it if you want to when you fast it’s always good to drink water because what we are doing we are not abstaining from food but we are not abstaining from water we are abstaining from food and water is not food no why because food increases your calorie in the body water does not increase your color So when you are fasting what can you what can you drink you can drink water yes you can drink coffee that’s good you can drink tea drink just feel

bad coffee is good do you know that when Jesus was fasting for 40 days he was not eating food but he was drinking water let’s go there Matthew chapter 4 verse one through four I want a few things to stand out for you in the script are you there OK talk to and I’ll get out of your way in a few minutes then was Jesus lead above the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil and when he had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights he was afterword hungry noticed that after 40 days and 40 nights it doesn’t say that Jesus was thirsty Did you say Thursday in the scripture so you must’ve been drinking water because if you go 40 days and 40 nights but no without food which one do you think will be the most important to you water not food because you see your human body rate has for basic necessities you need oxygen how long can you go without oxygen you can go six minutes without oxygen but after six minutes your brain begins to be damaged a woman can go to minutes longer than a man the second thing that you need after areas water so naturally you can go for seven days without water and ALF and by the time you’re destroying your body because 70% of your body is water your brain needs water your blood needs water you’re everything needs water your eyes your mouth you need water so we have oxygen Water what is the third necessity that you need sleep you need to sleep sleep is more important than food if you don’t believe me go for five days without sleep you might as well say that kingdom come Lord will see you on the other side even if you recover after that you’ll be seriously damaged and has not ever happen to you if you want to go to three hours of sleep you become

very irritable everything makes you mad you just just wanna punch somebody and if you went longer without sleep you can’t even drive safe because you need sleep and then the full thing you need is food so you say the food is not that important it is very important you need food to live but it’s not the first thing know when you are fasting Jesus when he was fasting it was drinking water let’s continue and when the temperature came to him he said if they’ll be either the son of God commanded these stones be made Read Satan did not take Jesus with water attempted them with food if he had tempted them with water it would’ve been a joke why because Jesus been drinking water all the 40 years anyway 40 hours and 40 days anyway but he is in sane it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God so when we are fasting we encourage her to drink as much water as possible when you drink your water preferably the water is not too cold because the cold or the water it’s gonna be hard on your stomach try to make it a little bit warm and drink it and drink it and get you some coffee get you some tea and you’ll be just fine now in the old testament one day fast they fast because they committed a sin all because they were in trouble we saw last week that that David had committed a sin and it was chaos so he fasted but in the New Testament we don’t sass like that Let’s go to Matthew chapter 6 quickly and see a few things Matthew chapter 6 I have so many scriptures I want to read let’s start from those five and when you pray she’ll not be like the hypocrites for the love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the street that sounds like some people I know and that they may be sent by men assuredly I say to you to have the award but when you pre-go into your room and when you have shut your door pretty your father who is in secret place and your father who sees in a secret but reward

you openly for 16 OK moreover when you’re fast are you there for 16 more over when you’re fast don’t be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance for the disfigured their faces that they may appear to meant to be fasting assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you’re fast annoying to your head and wash your face up I see it’s it’s wrong for you when you’re fast the day that you’re fast you still have to continue going to work but don’t go to work and now people try to do something fasting today but don’t give me don’t you know that I’m fasting that’s wrong first of all in the workplace be a team player don’t be near you in in in the workplace you’re like the laminate amongst everybody you stand out like a sore thumb and nobody likes to be around you know be the Choreo person in fact the day that you’re fat be the most joyous it’s not OK for you to do you know when we are fasting you put it on Facebook one day down two more to go who do you want to impress 21 days fasting no you don’t have to let everybody know that you’re fasting Jesus sees that that’s what a hypocrite does but what do you do when you’re fast don’t sit down in the ground and look up Decided no just say take a

good bath look bad and put some perfume on yourself don’t let anybody know that you are fasting now let’s go to accept the 13 let me show you something versus one and to ask chapter 13 verse one and two now in the church that was at Antioch the words certain profits and teachers Barnabas Barnabas Simeon who was called Nigeria oh no no the walls of the word in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon the post called Niger Niger and Lucius of Sirene Sirene less than African guy as well and Manahan which had been raised with a brought up with air of the truck and soul Loris as they minister to the Lord and fasting as they minister door fast in the Holy Ghost see separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work work Until I have called them notice that in the New Testament we are still fasting but Christ says that when we fast we have to wash our selves we have to look good we don’t have to look all sad and the cranky don’t touch the talk to me too much I can’t help you I’ve been fasting that I’m so tired I can’t no no no Jesus say you have to look good just be cheerful do you work fine oh you mean I don’t have to hide hide in the house go out there go for a walk go to work if you have children at home cook them a meal and just be active just just be OK it’s it’s it’s not you’re not punishing yourself you’re disciplining yourself no here it says that in the news just at Antioch they were fasting and ministering out to the lord what does that mean fast thing is not a time to MoveOn father why have you forsaken me oh my god oh god oh no no no I know it’s a time to just minister anthem you you you are lying yourself with the purposes of God you just thanking him on blessing you because in the New Testament fasting is not a time of morning it’s a time of disciplining yourself no as they were playing noticed that the Spirit of God spoke sick I believe that God still speaks today this is one of the outcome of the fasting what happens is your spiritual senses becomes very sensitive to the Lord you begin to hear more of the Lord you begin to realize that you are not more inclined to the things of God because you’re

disciplining yourself you begin to operate in more wisdom it says that as did the fast and the Holy Spirit spoke the Holy Spirit spoke and he said support and to missile and more will you are going to do gods work you need to dedicate yourself to do gods work Gods work and spiritual work when you stand up here’s a story shot and just some ministering singing it’s not only given good tunes you are also fighting the enemy you are attacking the devil when you preach when you said yourself aside to do gods well you are dedicating yourself but you don’t want to be 1 foot in and 1 foot out what do you want to do is to be totally connected to the Lord and fasting is the thing that does the trick for us I begin to dedicate myself why do you think Jesus started his ministry by fasting for 40 days because he was preparing himself no go with me to accept the 14 which is just a page after 13 here consider with me versus a 21 through 23 acts chapter 14 verses 21 through 23 and when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many Turn the game to Lystra and to Iconium and Antioch confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God and when they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting and praying with us they commanded them to the Lord on him deeply see when the church was about to install some people in leader ship so that they can do the work of God Paul and Barnabas lead the church into fasting weight as a spaz church springs of life church we are getting ready this month to give some people the authority and power to properly minister the

word of God and to do it you have to dedicate yourself through fasting and praying does it make Yes cause the work of God you don’t just do the work of God with your brain you do the work of God with empowerment remember Jesus even told the disciples don’t leave Jerusalem until you have received empowerment from on high so fasting is going to help us help you stay with the real power the power is going to be really sunny till to come back on this next week but as we are going forward some of you in this room were called into ministry who are called into leadership you need to dedicate yourself through fasting because you are not just doing man’s work you’re doing spiritual work and spiritual work demands spiritual empowerment and then praise the Lord let’s stand on our feet because my time is gone