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Fasting To Revive Our Hunger and Thirst for God and His Righteousness
Dear Friends,
Last week we looked at what it meant to hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness and why we so desperately need to be motivated to be using our time wisely in pursuing after the things of God while we have the opportunity. To be called of God and to partake of His training program in becoming a priest for His Kingdom is a marvelous privilege.
Brethren, we really do need a revival, a spiritual awakening to our need for repentance and a restoration of God's truth; and to stoke a passion in rekindling our first love, zealously seeking out right knowledge, restored truth and a fuller understanding of God's Word, along with desiring more of the righteousness of God. We need to come out of this world and be a holy people as God is holy. Like someone digging for gold and silver; we, as God's people, need to be diligently searching out the gold nuggets of God's truth and then zealously instilling them into our hearts.
We as individuals and as a collective body need to be cleansed of all unrighteousness, of our false traditions and false doctrines, repent of looking to men and organizations as our authority rather than Christ, and repent of the Laodicean attitude that has crept into our hearts and which permeates most of the Ekklesia at this time.
What is the solution? How then can we individually and collectively begin to develop a vehement hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness? How do we start a REVIVAL within the Ekklesia of today in the years we have left before Christ's return? What is the solution if we find ourselves becoming Laodician and losing our appetite for the righteousness of God?
And how do we transform the inner man through the power of God's Spirit which enables us to grow in even fuller understanding of the whole Word of God; which when applied to our lives, molds and fashions the children of God to be fully mature and meet [fit] for the Master's use.
How do we rekindle the love of God and a love for His truth within us and begin to seek Him with all that we have? How do we start a revival in the Ekklesia?
If we want to start a revival in the Body of Christ, each member must begin with himself or herself. Each one of us can have an individual revival if we so desire if we turn to God and seek Him and His truth with all our hearts. Deuteronomy speaks about this very thing:
Deuteronomy 4:27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, [and we are scattered today in the Ekklesia] and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, [many of us live in areas where there is no one to fellowship or assemble with] whither the Lord shall lead you.
4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, [our idols] the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
There is definitely a need at this time for the members of the Ekklesia to go to God and pray that He will renew a passionate desire and longing in the hearts of His called-out ones for Him, rather than for the things of this world and for our leaders and our religious organizations. We have spiritual tools at our disposal and one of those tools is PRAYER coupled with FASTING!
Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
We all need to humble ourselves and seek God's will and direction for our lives. When we fast, we soon recognize the fact that we are nothing but clay. Fasting helps us to realize that we are nothing apart from God and that our true worth is only found in the eyes of our Creator, not in our own eyes or in other people's eyes.
Prayer and fasting are very powerful spiritual tools and weapons to fight sin and strongholds in our lives. If we are to overcome our faults and weaknesses, we must take full advantage of the indispensable tools that God provides for us to use in our spiritual warfare with the dark forces that are in the world. We may not even see any physical evidence of their presence, but the prince of the power of the air and his cohorts are always at work, looking for chinks in our spiritual armor or for portals in our lives in which he can gain access and either influence us or tempt us.
If the Son of God fasted to receive power from His Father when He was here on earth in the flesh, how much more we, mere humans, need to follow His example to receive the spiritual power we need to overcome and to know that we are to live by every Word of God which sustains us spiritually, just as physical bread sustains us physically.
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Biblical fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food and water in order to focus on communing and fellowshipping with our Lord. Prayer and fasting are often done together, but prayer or fasting can also be done without the other. On most days we pray without fasting, and some fast without praying for non-biblical reasons, perhaps for health benefits. But it is when these two activities are done together and both are dedicated to seeking God and His will that they become very effective tools in our hands.
To set apart a time for prayer and fasting should never be a way of manipulating God into giving us what we desire, or to get Him to do for us what we think should happen. It should be a period of time set aside to deliberately focus on God, concentrating on what He WANTS for us, trusting Him for the strength, provision, wisdom, and guidance that we need to live our lives for Him.
The Hebrew word for "fast" is tsum (Strong's #6684) and literally means , "to cover the mouth", in other words to "abstain from food". A true biblical fast by definition, involves covering one's mouth which indicates one is to abstain completely from food and drink.
As we saw last week, just as food strengthens and maintains our bodies, the Word of God nourishes, fuels, and strengthens our inner man. Notice how both David and Jeremiah use the analogy of eating sweet honey and good food to the taking in of God's words and, oh, how pleasant it is:
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
When we fast to seek God and His will, we give up all food and liquid, and the hunger we feel acutely reminds us of our spiritual need for God: that our spiritual sustenance is of Him and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. We on our own volition choose for a set period of time to deny our physical cravings for physical food to focus on our spiritual cravings for the things of God. We deliberately focus on the spiritual food that God offers us in place of the physical things in our lives and we seek it like we would for our physical food. In this way we satisfy a spiritual hunger which takes precedence over our physical hunger. As we fast, we try to keep our focus on God and on what He wants to fill us with.
When we get pangs of hunger and experience the weakness and physical symptoms of not eating, they serve to keep us aware of our deep need for God's strength to resist our physical cravings and the temptations of Satan and of the world.
Fasting is not an attempt to make God do anything, or to impress Him with our sacrifice of going without food and it is not some kind of hunger strike until we get what we want. It should never be a religious ritual that makes us feel or look pious. It is a tool we use to humble ourselves to draw closer to God and to seek His will for us. By fasting, we replace our natural need for food and the pleasure that food brings, for the need to take in of the deep spiritual things of God.
Fasting is a way of drawing us closer to God and is something we need to utilize, perhaps more than we realize. Our modern day world is very much obsessed on food and drink and most think it very strange when they see someone fasting for spiritual reasons.
What is the purpose of biblical fasting? Fasting along with heartfelt prayer helps us to draw closer to God and allows Him to fill us with the eternal things that are more important than food and drink.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
We fast to humble ourselves before our Great God, to seek to draw closer to Him and His spiritual reality. When we fast we detach ourselves from the things of this world which free our minds to concentrate on God. We then can pray for Him to show us our hidden personal sins or deceptions that we may be blind to and ask for forgiveness and help to overcome. We fast to beseech Him for protection and deliverance from Satan knowing that we are powerless on our own to fight him off and resist his temptation.
God knows everything about us and He knows everything that we have need of. Fasting is a way of shutting down the world around us so we can tune out the sirens and voices that so easily distract us so that we can clearly hear God's voice and hear what He has to say to us. When we empty ourselves of our own desires and cravings, He can then fill us with His Holy Spirit along with a strong desire for the things that produce righteousness.
There may be a need to fast from the things and activities that have taken over our lives and schedules as well. Fasting helps us to get refocused on the things that really matter. By fasting from the many material things and activities that take up so much of our time, that too, serves to replace the desire for those things with the desire for the things of God.
If we have been allowing a hectic social life or all the different forms of entertainment and social media to squeeze out time for God, we perhaps need to fast from those things and run to our Father and ask Him to restore our hunger and thirst for Him and His Word to replace our desire for these things. Prayer and fasting helps us to reevaluate our priorities in life, and as we draw closer to God He will reveal things to us that we need, perhaps sins that we need to repent of, and to give us the strength to go and not do those things anymore.
In the natural world, health advocates stress the benefits of fasting to clear out all of the junk and toxicity that accumulates in our bodies as a result of living an unhealthy life style and consuming an unhealthy diet. Just like fasting for physical reasons, fasting for spiritual reasons can restore a person's natural desire to be filled with nutrient-rich spiritual food rather than craving the things that do nothing for our spiritual state and can even be harmful. Heartfelt prayer and fasting can help the Holy Spirit to clear out all the spiritual clutter and restore a healthy appetite and enthusiasm for the things of God.
Titus 3:7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Fasting is a tool to wage spiritual warfare against those things that we lack human power to overcome on our own. The Bible calls them strongholds for they are like chains that keep us in bondage to sin and sinful habits.
2nd Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Wickedness surrounds us and we are immersed in it just by living in this present evil world and as we all know, it is a battle to keep it from contaminating us and getting us down.
As God is pure, His children are to be pure from all sin, so we need to diligently seek to live a clean and righteous life, keeping all of God's commandments and striving to keep our lives undefiled from the corruption that is in the world and from our own human nature.
Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
It is not easy to be a faithful believer and to obey God in all things but the effort is well worth it for it is the only way that leads to everlasting life and a life that is going to be happy, full of love and peace, and glorious beyond our wildest imagination.
Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
It is God's goal for us that we become a holy people and we must make this goal part of our daily pursuit so that we continue to grow in the holiness and righteousness of God. We need to zealously apply ourselves in making the necessary adjustments to seek time to be with God and to abide in His presence every day. It pleases God when we are zealous to do whatever it takes to prepare ourselves for our future roles in His Kingdom and that we are making every effort to grow in the spiritual image of His Son.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus commands us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" and then He makes a promise: "all theses things shall be added unto you as well".
Jesus instructs us to seek above all else: His kingdom, His righteousness, His spiritual blessings, His favor, to grow in His image and to internalize His divine nature, and for a life that is pleasing to Him. As we see in God's Word, seeking to be righteous and holy as Jesus is righteous and holy must be our highest aim in life. This fits perfectly with the hungering and thirsting metaphor; it is not enough to go through life just saying this is what we should be doing with a lackadaisical attitude, but according to Jesus, God's Kingdom and His righteousness are the very top priorities in all of life; seeking God's righteousness in all that we think, say, and do should be pivotal.
Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Except for the Day of Atonement, the Bible does not give a direct command for believers to spend time in prayer and fasting. But Jesus implied that His followers would fast and pray.
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
When the father of the boy who had a deaf and dumb spirit petitioned Jesus to heal his child and the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast the spirit out, Jesus told them that they could only perform certain miracles by much prayer and fasting.
Mark 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Fasting in the Old Testament
Prayer and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble.
In the Old Testament we read that Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights when he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God (Exodus 34:28).
King Jehoshaphat called for a fast when his people were about to be attacked by the Moabites and Ammonites (2nd Chronicles 20:3).
In response to Jonah's preaching, the people of Nineveh heeded Jonah's dire warning, fasted and put on sackcloth, and repented of their wickedness. (Jonah 3:5).
David must have fasted often for we are told that when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had been killed he fasted.
2nd Samuel 1:11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
1:12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
And when David's child born of Bathsheba was sick and dying, David beseeched the Lord with fasting and prayer to preserve the infant's life.
2nd Samuel 12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
12:17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
David also fasted for his enemies.
Psalm 35:11 False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
35:12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Nehemiah sat down and wept and then prayed and fasted upon learning that the wall and gates of Jerusalem were still in ruins.
Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.
Darius, the king of Persia, fasted all night after he was tricked by his subordinates into passing a law that required that Daniel be placed in the den of lions for praying to his God (Daniel 6:18).
Fasting in the New Testament
The servants of God often prayed and fasted on all kinds of occasions in the New Testament as well. Anna, an elderly widow and prophetess, was known for her devotion to God. The Scriptures record that she "departed not from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37).
John the Baptist taught his disciples to fast (Mark 2:18). Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:2); the church of Antioch fasted when the elders sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2-3); and Paul and Barnabas spent time in prayer and fasting for the appointment of elders in the congregations (Acts 14:23).
The Kind of Fast that God Wants
Prayer and fasting is definitely something God's children should be doing. The purpose of fasting should not be focused on going without food and water but rather the purpose should be to focus our attention on God and what His will is for our lives and His will for the Ekklesia.
When fasting, all of our thoughts should be directed to thinking upon God and His Word while at the same time taking our eyes off the pleasures of this world. Jesus teaches that fasting (and prayer) is not be be for show but to be discreet and to let our times of prayer and fasting be kept between ourselves and our heavenly Father.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
In the Book of Isaiah we read about how the people of Israel complained to God that He was refusing to acknowledge their fasts or to listen to their prayers. Through Isaiah, God told the people why He was not responding to their fasts and their prayers to Him.
Isaiah 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Fasting and payer of itself is not a method to get God's attention if we are doing it as a ritual. The people in Isaiah's day were doing it as an external SHOW of fasting and prayer while at the same time their hearts were not really in it. By their words and actions they were not really keeping the laws of God even though they claimed to be God's people and were attempting to appear as if they were obeying God.
God answered their complaints by telling them why He would not acknowledge their fasts or hear their prayer:
Isaiah 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to theLord?
58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
In Isaiah 29, the Lord declared that the external show of religious activities without the proper heart attitude was futile, and because the people were listening to men more than they feared God, He had hidden and taken away [godly] wisdom and [spiritual] understanding. This is what has happened today in the spiritual Israel of God, (the Ekklesia) amongst those who look to men and their leaders for their traditions and their doctrines more than they look to God and His Word.
Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
29:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
When a leader calls for a day of fasting and prayer for a specific thing to happen (i.e. for more income, or for more people to become members so that their organization is blessed with growth and with more tithes; or to keep members from leaving their group; or to bless their strategic planning, etc. etc.) but do not seek God's will, nor forgiveness of their sins and compromise of God's truth, is God going to honor their demands of Him?
God promises to hear our prayers but only if what we are asking for is in accordance with His will, not our wills.
1st John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
If we are willfully sinning or refuse to change when we find that we have been mistaken in our beliefs and practices (anything that is contrary to His Word), or if we have contention in our relationships or unforgiveness of others that we refuse to deal with, God will not hear our prayers.
Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity
Matthew 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
How can we know if we are fasting and praying according to the way God wants us to? Well...we can ask Him to show us. In the Book of James we are told:
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Jesus tells us that we can ask for the things that we need, and one thing we need is to be given insight as to our sins and shortcomings.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
David prayed that God would teach him the way to go (to go in His paths) and to lead him to God's truth:
Psalm 25:4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. 5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Those of us who are familiar with God's Word know what God's will is in way of keeping of His Commandments and His Sabbaths and His Holy Days. As we fast and pray we can be looking into God's Word to remind us of His will and ask Him to show us where we may be lacking, or perhaps the things we have not proven adequately on our own, asking Him to help us to prove all the things that we believe and practice.
Another way we can know that we are praying and fasting according to God's will is to ask ourselves if the things we are petitioning God for truly do honor and glorify Him? If we pray for things that are not honoring to God or we know from God's Word that something is not God's will for our lives, then God will not hear our prayers no matter how much we fast and pray.
Again, we can always stop and ask God for wisdom and to lead us to His truth as we are praying and beseeching Him for things and ask Him to help us to pray according to the knowledge of God rather than from our own emotions.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Fasting and Praying for Revival In the Modern Day Ekklesia
When we honestly look at the condition of the Ekklesia in these modern times, we can see that there are many problems in it.
Among other things, many false leaders have risen up to take over the Ekklesia and have led many astray by teaching their members that they must look to the leaders and ministers as their spiritual authorities; that to disobey them or to leave their group is to disobey God.
Over the years these leaders have been teaching the traditions of men that are contrary to what God says in His Word. There has been so much sin, false prophecies that did not materialize, mishandling of God's tithes, hypocrisy, much infighting and splintering for selfish reasons, and strange leaders that have gone way off course saying the most ridiculous things imaginable, that we have for the most part, become a laughing stock to the public.
We need to open our eyes to these things for God's people have been taught and conditioned to put too much faith in our leaders and therefore in tolerating all this nonsense in lieu of proving their leaders out (See Revelation 2:2) and/or proving all things that we have been taught (1st Thessalonians 5:21).
The things that we and our organizations do bring reproach on the name of God among the unbelievers just as Paul talked about; the same kinds of things that were happening in his day.
Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
It is really a spiritual warfare that is waging against the Ekklesia and many do not even recognize that we are in fact under attack and Satan that has taken many of God's people captive.
We have become so spoiled living in our affluent societies and we have been conditioned to become lackadaisical in our approach to following after God, which is the attitude of Laodicism.
Most of the people of God have let their guards down when it comes to discerning the enemy and have not allowed the whole armor of God to cover them.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Jehoshaphat's Prayer and Fast for Deliverance
It is recorded in 2nd Chronicles 20, that King Jehoshaphat feared God and set himself to walk in all of God's commandments and all of His ways. He brought many reforms and building projects to Judah and destroyed many of the idolatrous groves that the people had previously set up. But when the Ammonites and Moabites came up against Jehoshaphat and his people, the king at first feared greatly; but then sought the Lord to rescue his country with prayer and fasting.
2nd Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
The king proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and then gathered the people together to the Temple to beseech the Lord's divine intervention. Jehoshaphat stood in the midst of the congregation and prayed to God to help him and his people in the face of total destruction by their enemies.
2nd Chronicles 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
20:6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
20:9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
20:11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
20:13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Jahaziel (a prophet) stood up and told Jehoshaphat not to worry for God had shown him that He (the Lord) would fight for them and that the king and all the people would see a great miracle occur the next day.
Jehoshaphat believed the words of the prophet and even though this was the day before they were to go to battle, he led his people to bow before God and worship their Mighty Deliverer by singing songs and praising the Lord God of Israel for the victory that was promised by the Lord and for the fact that He was going to fight this battle for them. They had faith that the Lord would do just what He said He would do even before the battle began.
2nd Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
The next day, instead of cowering in fear, Jehoshaphat encouraged his people by telling them "Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." ( 2nd Chronicles 20:20) (For the rest of this amazing account, see whole chapter)
Because Jehoshaphat had set his heart to walk in all of God's commandments and to put God before all else, he turned to God for help and God heard his prayer and delivered him and his people.
And like Jehoshaphat; as we see what the enemy is doing within the Ekklesia, we need not crouch in fear and become despaired but to fast and pray and beseech God to show us our sins and to repent and then become zealous to do all of His doctrines and all of His commandments.
After God saved the people from being destroyed by the Ammonites and Moabites (types of spiritual enemies) Jehoshaphat praised God and extolled Him for His great power and might.
2nd Chronicles 20:6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
The Ekklesia is being threatened within and without by Satan and his forces and the story of Jehoshaphat is a kind of analogy (and example) of how leaders and their followers should seek God when we come under attack by both physical and spiritual enemies.
Jesus promises in His Word that the gates of hell will not be able to destroy the house of God which is the Ekklesia.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church [Ekklesia]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
From the example of this righteous king and from God's own promise, we can know and have faith that God can and is willing to fight the battles and do MIGHTY DEEDS for His people when we look to Him for our deliverance and seek Him with the powerful tools that are available to all who will use them.
Daniel's Prayer for Mercy
Another example of prayer and fasting for repentance and for the revival of God's people was Daniel.
Daniel, God's prophet, prayed the following prayer for the nation of Judah after they had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar for their rebellion against God and when it was about time for them to be restored to their land.
Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
9:4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
9:14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
9:15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
This prayer was for the nation of Judah and all of Israel, but this can be applied to the modern day Ekklesia. Just like ancient Israel and Judah, we, too, have done wickedly; we are in bondage to all sorts of sins and false doctrines and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws which he set before us by His servants the prophets (as written in the Holy Word of God).
So far, the Ekklesia has not been taken captive physically and forced into concentration camps nor have any of us fallen by the sword, but we have been scattered into hundreds of small groups all through the land. We are no longer able to do much of a work in spreading the Gospel and to be a witness to the world of God's ways and to be a light to others of unification and harmony among the people of God. Daniel's lament and prayer for forgiveness is duel in nature and pertains to the spiritual Israel of God as well as to the ancient people of Judah and Israel.
"O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee." (Daniel 9:7)
The day is coming when things are going to get much worse; those who are staying close to God walking in all of His ways and His ordinances can see the handwriting on the wall. We are getting closer to when the Ekklesia will have to go through sore trial/correction commonly known as the tribulation (those who have not prepared their hearts and have not sought revival in their own lives).
As a Body we need to stop going after men who set themselves up as our leaders and then lead us to worship and obey them as idols. We need to study our Bibles, fast and pray, so that when we hear false teaching we will immediately be able to spot it and turn from it rather than to embrace what these false teachers teach that is not in line with God's Word.
When false prophets and false teachers are in our midst, we will see them for what they are and rebuke them and not allow ourselves or our families to be swayed by them.
Now is the time to be fasting and praying, and drawing as close to God as we can that we may see the storm as it gets closer and closer. Some of us can hear the thunder in the far off distance, events in the world are speedily coming together to fulfill the end time prophesies.
Will we be ready and do whatever God shows us that we must do to escape all the things that are going to come upon this nation and on the rest of the world?
Oh my Brethren, let us "draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto us if we cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts". Pray that God will help us get off the fence and to choose this day whom we will obey.
Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man
1st Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Job 22:22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
22:23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Next week we will look at the Scriptures that are calling God's people to return to Him, a call for Renewal and Revival.
Have a wonderful Sabbath everyone,
Constance
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