“A HEART FOR FASTING”

As we begin this New Year I know in my own heart I feel a sense of

urgency, I always do, to examine my heart and to examine my life and to examine

how I feel about God. Is He number one in my life? Is He the top priority and goal

and dream that I have for the New Year?

I’m going to teach you some brand new material that the Lord has given me

on the subject of fasting. Why do we begin every year here at the ministry with a

21 day fast? Simply because it releases God to do the unusual and to do what He

will not do until people fast and pray. I am convinced of that. Every year we begin

with a 21 day fast because the Bible said, “seek first the kingdom and then things

will be added to you.” That’s spiritual, physical, and emotional; in every area I

believe the addition comes as we seek the Lord in fasting and prayer at the

beginning of the year.

I want to teach you about preparing your heart for this fast. Most people by

this time at the beginning of the year are tired of overeating. You’ve eaten cakes,

pies, turkey and dressing and everything that you can imagine. And that’s all great

and that’s all fine and we should celebrate the season, but now its time to set

yourself apart to seek God for His agenda in your life for the New Year.

First of all, I want you to know that there are some things you need to ask

yourself before you begin a fast, three specific things. Number one you need to

ask yourself, “What are my motives for fasting?” Why are you fasting and is your

motive pure? To be very honest, some people do it, especially in a church like we

have here, because everybody else is doing it. Well, that’s good and I know that

there are fasts that are called and you ought to jump in on those fasts but I really

believe that you need to be led by God. I really believe that our motive needs to be

looked at. Some people fast to lose weight because they ate too much and their

pants are tight at the beginning of the year. So they see it as a good way to lose

weight and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re certainly going to lose weight

but that should not be why you’re fasting. The primary goal should not be, “I’m

going to lose weight.” If you go into a fast with a frivolous attitude that says, “I’m

going to fast chocolate” or something like that, then you won’t get serious results.

This is not about losing weight. This is about consecrating ourselves, examining

ourselves, seeking God’s face, emptying ourselves and saying, “God I desperately

need you.” “I don’t want to do this year without your best released into my life.”

Fasting releases God’s best into your life. You can do what you can do, but you

can’t do what God can do. Fasting releases God’s best for your family, God’s best

for your career, God’s best for your ministry. And so I want you to first of all,

examine your motive.

Secondly, you should consider some things before fasting. What results are

you looking for? What are the specific needs that you’re fasting for? Always in the

Bible when people fasted they did so for specific needs. They didn’t just go on a

fast to go on a fast. You should write your needs down. You should pin-point or jot

down what I call “a hit list.” Be it fasting for your children, your finances or

healing; target those areas with fasting and prayer.

And thirdly, you should ask yourself. “Am I determined on this fast to

minister to the Lord?” We always want the Lord to minister to us, but in Acts

Chapter 13 the Bible said, “and they ministered unto the Lord.” What thrills me

about what we’re doing as we go into this fast is that we are going to minister unto

the Lord. For some joining us it will be a partial fast. For some it will be a total

fast. Many of us will be fasting the whole 21 days either total fast or partial fast.

The bottom line is this: when you fast it’s a time that you minister unto the Lord

according to Acts the 13th chapter.

Zechariah 7 verse 5 is a very strange Scripture that explains why you need to

be very careful about your motive on a fast. It says, “Speak unto all the people of

the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and

seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?”

He is asking, “are you fasting for the things that glorify me or are you fasting for

the things that I desire?” “Are you fasting for me or are you fasting to get what you

want?” Check your motive as you begin this fast because it’s very important. First

Corinthians 10:7 says, “Don’t be as the idolaters who sat and ate and drank and

rose up to play and whose bellies are their gods.” Did you know that’s in the

Scripture? God said one way that we can become an idolater; a false worshipper is

to allow our belly to become our god. So what fasting does is it tears the flesh off

of the throne, fasting brings the flesh off of the throne, it dethrones king stomach.

First Corinthians 9:27 says, “I bring my body under subjection.” Do you know that

as you fast you bring your body under subjection and you get stronger in areas that

you’ve been weak? In those areas that you’ve been letting slide such as the lust of

the flesh; those areas as you fast, begin to surface and you get stronger in the Lord.

The Bible says, “Present your body as a living sacrifice.” There ought to be a time

every year when we present our body. I don’t know of any other way we present

our physical body to God greater than through fasting. I like what Paul went on to

say, “… as a living sacrifice.” Isn’t that powerful? A sacrifice was something they

killed and it was given to God forever. Well, I submit to you that when you fast,

the meals that you give up, you give to God forever, they’re forever as a memorial

before His throne…hallelujah. You can’t ever take back the days that you fasted

you can’t ever get back the sacrifice that you made. They become living always

before the throne of God. Do you have any living sacrifice? Have you presented

your body ever in your Christian walk as a living sacrifice to God? That’s what

we’re doing these 21 days.

Every time I fast, I get closer to God… every time. I’ve never gone on a fast

whether it’s a one day fast or a three day fast or a 21 day fast, that I didn’t draw

closer to God. And the presence of God will become more real to your life. My

prayers take on a power edge when I fast. My prayers become empowered.

There’s something about prayer and fasting that go together. You need to pray and

focus and have seasons of prayer on the fast whether you feel like it or not. Pray,

pray, pray because fasting gives fuel to your prayers. It energizes, it activates your

prayer life.

I want to give you seven biblical reasons to fast. You may be asking yourself,

“Should I fast?” “Why should I fast?” Well there are certain times when the Bible

is very clear of when people should fast.

Reason number one, people should fast when they’re in crisis. In the book of

Esther the 4th chapter and the 16th verse, Queen Esther says to Mordecai, Haman is

going to kill all of the Jews. She tells Mordecai to have all the people fast three

days with her so that she would have favor to go into the presence of the king. Do

you know one thing that the three day fast will do for you? It will put favor on your

life in the time of crisis. When you get in a crisis the Bible is very clear that one of

the greatest things that you can do when you feel overwhelmed, when you’re being

threatened, when it seems like the enemy’s coming in like a flood, the thing that

stops him in his tracks is fasting. It worked for Esther. The attack turned around.

You know the story; Haman was hung on the gallows that he meant to destroy

Esther and her people with. Are you in a crisis? Are you facing overwhelming

odds? Fast, because it brings God on the scene.

In Acts 9:9, Paul fasted three days. He was in a major crisis because he was a

Pharisee who had been converted and the Pharisees were looking to kill him. So

Paul fasted for three days. I believe that if Paul had not fasted those three days

right after his conversion, that he would have been killed by the Pharisees. In their

eyes he was a traitor. But fasting brought deliverance in time of crisis. It will work

for you, right now.

Reason number two is found in Daniel the 10th chapter the 2nd and 3rd verse. It

says, “in those days I, Daniel was mourning three full weeks, (that’s 21 days), I ate

no pleasant bread neither came flesh nor wine to my mouth til three whole weeks

were fulfilled.” Daniel fasted for three weeks or 21 days. He ate no bread, he ate no

meat and he drank no wine. Therefore, when you do the Daniel Fast you are to not

eat bread, no meat of any type: fish, chicken, steak, and drink only water.

Why was he fasting? Daniel the 9th chapter 3rd verse, says, “I set my face into the

Lord to seek the Lord about the vision.” I want you to notice something here, God

had given him a vision. Do you have a vision? Just because God has given you a

vision, it doesn’t mean that it will come to pass. It could be a vision about our

families, a vision about our ministries, a vision about the call and the purpose of

God upon our life. But notice that Daniel went on a 21 day fast to seek the Lord

and the angel showed him that he was greatly loved and received understanding

about the vision. It’s a powerful thing when you understand that fasting releases

revelation and understanding and clarity about the vision God has for your life.

Many of you have a vision but you don’t know how to get there. Many of you have

a vision but it seems like you’re stuck in the same place. When you fast,

miraculously God will release it. I’ve watched God do it in this ministry. There

were many times that I didn’t know how to get from one level to the next. I had the

vision. One time I had a vision for TV, but we didn’t have money, we didn’t have

cameras, we didn’t have any of that. But as you fast He releases divine ideas and

insights. He releases understanding; He releases the right people into your life.

Fasting releases the understanding of how to accomplish the vision. Without a

vision people perish. If you want clarity, if you want to know how to go to the next

level in the vision God has given you for the New Year, you need to fast.

The third reason is found in Leviticus 23 and 27. Here it speaks of a one day fast.

He said, “also on the tenth of the seventh month then shall there be a day of

atonement for you and it shall be a holy convocation and you shall afflict your

souls and fast and offer an offering.” Notice what God was saying, He was asking

his people to fast for one day for consecration. It’s an annual fast to re-examine our

life spiritually. Isn’t that a powerful reason to fast? That’s what we are doing to

begin the year. We are fasting to consecrate ourselves and to re-examine our lives

spiritually. How am I doing spiritually? You need to ask yourself that. How close

am I to you God? How is my heart? Am I being loose? Am I living as consecrated

as I used to? Am I reading my Bible? How are you doing spiritually? That’s what

this fast ought to do in your life. It’s confirmed in Jeremiah 6:36, “therefore during

this day of fasting he said, therefore go and read the scroll of the words of the Lord

in the ears of the people in the Lord’s house upon the fasting day.” There ought to

be fasting days in your life where you just use them to re-examine your life, to re-

examine your self spiritually. We’re in the fasting day and we’re going to commit

to focus on His Word. When you read the Word and focus on prayer and re-

examine yourselves spiritually, God will bless you.

According to book of Matthew the 9th chapter the Pharisees fasted two days a

week, and Jesus said, our religion ought to exceed that of the Pharisees. I’m not

saying that you have to fast two days a week, but I’m just telling you that it was

part of their life. Martin Luther told converts, new converts, to fast at least once a

week. Isn’t that something? Once a week he had new converts to fast. Now we

have to follow up on them, we have to beg them to come back to church. But

Martin Luther taught that if you want to be a Christian, after you get washed in the

blood of Jesus and you want some power and some stability in your walk, fast one

day a week. I love that, I wished we’d get back to that. What will happen is things

will surface in our lives during the fast that have been grieving the Holy Spirit.

In Ezra, 8:23, he said, “so we fasted and besought our God for this and He was

entreated of us.” Why did they fast and seek Him? Because God always responds

to people who fast.

The fourth reason is found in Judges the 20th chapter. This is one of the most

amazing stories. It’s the story of Israel going against the tribe of Benjamin because

they had greatly sinned against God. God told Israel and the other tribes to fight

the tribe of Benjamin. The Bible said they asked God, “Should we go?” God said,

“Yes.” So they go and fight the battle and Israel lost 22,000 men in one battle. It’s

amazing to me that God could lead them to a battle and yet they were defeated.

God told them to go but instead of victory they had defeat. Some of you are in

circumstances that God lead you to; God told you to do it and yet you’re defeated.

But go back and read what happened. The Bible says they wept. They wept for 24

hours; they cried. Have you ever cried all day and cried all night? Your heart was

so heavy; you were so humiliated by what was going on. Maybe it was a situation

with one of your children and you were defeated. Even though you knew God told

you to do it, you tried and you failed. The Bible said they went back to God the

next day and they said, “God, shall we go?” “Should we go?” “Did we miss you?”

“God, what did we do wrong?” And God said. “Go, I’m telling you go fight them.”

They went and guess what happened? The next day and they lost 18,000. That’s

40,000 people! God spoke twice, gave them the direction, told them what to do and

yet they encountered disaster. Some times we know God has spoken to us and we

rush in to do what He’s told us to do but we’ve not prepared ourselves like we

should. Therefore, we suffer defeat. Verse 26 says, “…and all the children of Israel

went and sat before the Lord and wept and watched and fasted that day.” What did

they do? They fasted. The only difference between what had happened the

previous two times and this time when they’re about to go to battle is that they put

a day of fasting behind it. They offered burnt offerings before the Lord. They

fasted and they gave an offering and they completely defeated their enemy in the

next battle. What happened? What was the difference? The Lord told me to tell

you… never go into a major battle even when God’s given you the direction; never

go into a major battle without fasting. God didn’t say fast because they should’ve

known to fast. In verse 28 the Lord said, “go up for tomorrow I will deliver them

into your hand.” He said this after they had fasted. You see, you fast for

deliverance. Mark chapter 9 teaches that there are certain kinds of evil spirits who

hold and power will never be broken over people’s lives without fasting and

prayer. I believe that would include such spirits as drug addiction, alcoholism, and

sexual perversion. Deliverance from demons comes only through fasting and

prayer. See, they prayed and nothing happened. But when they prayed and fasted,

the victory came.

The fifth reason to fast is found in I Kings 21 verses 27-28. Ahab was wicked and

he was married to a wicked woman. He was a weak man married to a wicked

woman; that’s a dangerous combination. The Bible said that God pronounced

judgment on Ahab. He said, “the dogs will lick up your blood Ahab.” In I Kings

21: 27-29 it says, Ahab humbled himself and fasted and God said because he

humbled himself in fasting, I will not judge him. Even the most wicked people,

when they fast, can see judgment lifted. Do you know someone who’s living

wickedly and they know better? Fast for them on these 21 days because you can

lift the judgment off of their life and provide a space of grace.

The sixth reason is found in I Samuel chapter 30. Here we read about an Egyptian

who was sick and fasted for three days. Afterwards and he was healed. Fasting

helps the body eliminate itself of toxins. I believe fasting is one of the healthiest

things you can do for your body. Many physicians agree. You seek the advice of

your physician if you’re on medication. If you are having health issues, there are

certain diseases that would prevent you from fasting. But the bottom line is we

have watched it year after year there are some miracles of healing that come when

people fast. And I agree with you for your healing. Healing is released through

fasting.

Reason number seven to fast is found in Luke chapter 4. Fasting releases

dominion. Jesus went on a 40 day fast because Adam lost dominion by eating. The

first thing that Jesus did during his earthly ministry was go on a 40 day fast to

recapture the dominion Adam lost in the garden. Jesus got power back in the

wilderness. You can fast and see your breakthrough. The Lord told me to tell you

that you would see breakthrough on this fast. For those who participate in the 21

day fast there will come breakthrough answers to problems. Breakthrough ideas

will be released; insight and creativity. There will be breakthrough financial

provision; blessing of the Lord; unusual financial provision is tied to fasting.

There will be a breakthrough in health. Fasting is going to bring His presence, His

power and His provision. His best will be released in your life.

Father, I thank you that thousands of people are hearing the call to join us on this

fast. I thank you that you are going to give them the grace and the help to do it. We

agree for everything that we’ve learned to be released into people’s lives and that

this will be a time for great spiritual awakening in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen and

amen.

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