What Are You Shouldering?

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Isaiah 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.

1 Chronicles 15-16 records David’s desire to bring the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s Presence into Jerusalem, near his home. He wanted to have God as close to him as possible. I love David’s heart and passion for God and His Presence. I desire the same in my own life. In the reading of this narrative it is easy to overlook some powerful truths. 1 Chronicles 15:15 The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses commanded by the word of the Lord. What’s the significance of this tiny passage? The shoulders of a man, Biblically are symbolic of government. In other words, what you are being governed by. When I was a kid I would watch Tom and Jerry cartoons. When someone was being tempted they would portray it with an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other. What that cartoon character surrendered to was what they were going to be governed by. When the priests lifted God’s Ark upon their shoulders they were lifting, or shouldering more responsibility than they understood. For God’s Ark, or the Ark of His Presence or Covenant symbolized so many things. It was a symbol of: Intimacy with God; God’s Voice; God’s Mercy; His Testimony; the Sword of the Spirit; the Holy Things or furnishings of the tabernacle or temple; God’s Leading and Direction; God’s Sanctuary; His Worship; His Power; the Future Reign of Christ; God’s Presence; God’s Throne, or Reign. This week we’ve been seeing all of the implications behind raising up the Fallen Tent of David. For us to truly raise this tent requires that we begin shouldering God’s Kingdom, and His Reign. When we do, all of the above begins to fill “David’s Tent.” Which in all reality is the Son of David’s Tent – Jesus. If you belong to Jesus you are His Tent; and if we are His Church, His Body, then we are also the Son of David’s Tent. Jesus said in John 12:32 And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself. When we are allowing intimacy with God; God’s Voice; God’s Mercy; His Testimony; the Sword of the Spirit; the Holy Things or furnishings of the tabernacle or temple; God’s Leading and Direction; God’s Sanctuary; His Worship; His Power; the Future Reign of Christ; God’s Presence; God’s Throne, or Reign – govern, rule and rest upon our shoulders then the Tent of David, the Son of David’s Tent, which ultimately is our tent – will be “lifted up.” Jesus will be drawing all people to Himself. Isn’t that what you want? Rev. 7:9 After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

God’s Divine Order

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1 Chronicles 16:1 “So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”

Two things you notice from this passage. First is that they brought the Ark, and second, who were the “they?” To understand the significance behind the first point you have to understand that the Ark was a symbol or shadow of something far greater than we can comprehend or understand. According to Hebrews 8:5 “[But these offer] service [merely] as a pattern and as a foreshadowing of [what has its true existence and reality in] the heavenly sanctuary. For when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was warned by God, saying, See to it that you make it all [exactly] according to the copy (the model) which was shown to you on the mountain.” Then it says in Hebrews 9:2-5 “For a tabernacle (tent) was erected, in the outer division or compartment of which were the lampstand and the table with [its loaves of] the showbread set forth. [This portion] is called the Holy Place.3 But [inside] beyond the second curtain or veil, [there stood another] tabernacle [division] known as the Holy of Holies.4 It had the golden altar of incense and the ark (chest) of the covenant, covered over with wrought gold. This [ark] contained a golden jar which held the manna and the rod of Aaron that sprouted and the [two stone] slabs of the covenant [bearing the Ten Commandments].5 Above [the ark] and overshadowing the mercy seat were the representations of the cherubim [winged creatures which were the symbols] of glory. We cannot now go into detail about these things.” Hebrews 9:8 concludes by saying: “Seeing that that first [outer portion of the] tabernacle was a parable (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age).” The Ark of the Covenant of God was a symbol of God’s throne, and His covenant with Israel. (There’s even more symbols imbedded in the manna and the Rod of Aaron but I will not get into that now). God’s throne is a symbol of His reign and rule over our hearts. When this is accomplished, God’s Kingdom has come through Jesus, the Spirit and the Word. When these have complete rule and reign over us God’s Kingdom and His Throne (His Ark) have manifested their reality in our shadowy lives. Thus David is bringing in God’s Kingdom, a symbol of Christ’s Kingdom, to rule and reign over Israel. The second thing that I want you to notice is the “they” of 1 Chronicle 16:1. “They” are the priests of Israel, who are made up of the men of Israel. There are several points I want to draw your attention to: (a) The priests were men. It was part of God’s divine order. (b) We are all now a priesthood before the Lord Jesus, as men and women of God. This isn’t an either or scenario but a both/and. God desires for the men to take their rightful place as spiritual leaders. Unfortunately many churches are filled with mostly women who believe that they need Jesus more than the other things that they have in their lives. In this day and hour God needs the men to arise and recapture what it means to be the man. Why is it that in many churches it seems that the only ones who appear to have a testimony of what God is doing in their lives is the women of the Church and not the men? Jezebel lives and has emasculated the men of our country, reducing their manhood to sports, hunting, fishing, entertainment, alcohol, and pornography. The men of Jesus’ Church can only arise to the fullness of who God has made them to be when Jesus has His rightful place on the throne of their hearts. When these two things take place, the Reign of God, and those who carry His reign in their hearts – then will the Tabernacle of David be raised across the land. Have mercy on us oh Lord.

Ministering to the Lord

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1 Chronicles 16:4 “He appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord and to celebrate [by calling to mind], thanking and praising the Lord, the God of Israel”

Ministering to the Lord. Now there’s a concept that’s out of this world -literally and figuratively. Several months ago our church’s mother’s day out program offered a Thanksgiving service whose participants were ages 2-5 years old. Parents, grandparents, relatives and friends of the family packed the church sanctuary to get a glimpse of a child or children who were part of their family. I was as fascinated watching them as I was watching the children bumble through their lines and lyrics while lighting up the room with their innocence and joy. Following that service I was praying in that same sanctuary and I sensed the Lord say something to me. He said, “That’s what I do when you sing to Me.” Our worship, and our prayers cause God to light up with joy, expectation, and delight as we seek to draw near to Him. Now that’s ministering to the Lord. What’s fascinating is David posted priests to perform this task twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Why? David had glimpsed the millennial, or thousand year reign of Christ, when all nations would gather before Him to worship Him on earth. David was getting the priests “warmed up” for the return of their Messiah. This week I wanted us to seek to do this. To warm up, if you will, for the return of Jesus. Why not conclude our fast in seeking to minister to Him?

Are You Becoming A Little Christ?

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2 Chronicles 15:12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to yearn for Him with all their heart’s desire and with all their soul;

Where did they go to look for God? Many scholars suggest that the covenant that was birthed from this passage actually aided in the birthing of Pharisaism. How can something that began as a pure thing; an honest desire to seek after and pursue God, evolve into a movement that many of its adherents Jesus called “sons of hell?”

Several things the Lord has been surfacing for me during the last few weeks: being a little Christ, raising up the fallen Tent of David, and the Great Commission. As I was praying today I realized that there’s a thread that connects one with the other.

Little Christ – Acts 11:26 “…and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. To be designated and characterized a “Christian” in New Testament times required that you be a disciple of Jesus. To be a disciple of Jesus implied that you were f-o-l-l-o-w-i-n-g…Jesus. When I first became a believer, surrendering my faith for salvation from hell and forgiveness of sins, I did not have an understanding that I was signing up to follow Jesus. Later I learned that this was “Christian-eze,” or code for being a Christian. In other words the question would go like this: “Are you a Christian, or Follower of Jesus?” One supposedly equated one with the other. If I had not been inoculated by religion and the tradition of my fathers, common sense would have begged the question, “How do you follow Jesus? Where’s He going? I can’t even hear or see Him? How am I to follow Him?” That would have been common sense – too much so. And there’s the problem: religion. Religion, man’s desire to cover his shame, fear, and nakedness with fig leaves of his own making – is what keeps us following these code words without really examining their meanings. Truth be known I wasn’t following Jesus. I was following what my traditions teachers and adherents said I should believe. Jesus called these kind of teachers “blind guides.” I’ve had a lot of “blind guides” in my life. Guides who were afraid to question the answers. Guides who encouraged the maddening march into the darkest of ditches. Guides who were threatened by the questions, and encouraged us to avoid them at all costs. Religions, traditions, and its teachers are designed to keep us in the dark, walking in circles, never discovering the way out into the Light of Reality. There’s the rub. Are you searching for reality or the comfort of the status quo? The assurances from blind teachers? The living, resurrected Jesus – is THE LIGHT! He is REALITY! Why do we settle in our search for more darkness and blindness? In your time of prayer and fasting ask these questions. Make sure you haven’t settled for reassuring blind guides, and more deafening, dulling, blinding darkness. One way to know for sure whether you have settled for the ditches of man’s religion, and traditions is by asking this simple question, “Are you becoming a little Christ?”

 

Walking in White

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Oswald Chambers reminds us of what should be happening as we seek God through fasting and prayer: our death. Jesus and the devil have one thing in common – they’re both out to kill us. Have you truly identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and Lord? It’s all about control and our surrender of it.

Romans 6:4 “…We were buried with Him…. that just as Christ was raised from the dead … even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral” — the burial of the old life…There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection— a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him…Have you really come to your last days?…Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death…Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day?…The moment of agreement depends on you.

Alone With God?

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Mark 4:10, 34 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable… And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Oswald Chambers has the following insights worth noting: Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls….We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage? We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride…His Solitude with Us. When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship— when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us….His disciples constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly explained things to them, but they didn’t understand until after they received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26)…..The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him.

Prepare the Way

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Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God!

I just wanted to let our church family know that of the 9 Affinity Groups six of the nine have been committed to. There are only three left: Central Asian Peoples, Sub-Saharan African Peoples, and Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples. If God is leading you to commit to one of these areas please let me know.

Yesterday’s message we were challenged to prepare the Way of the Lord through prayer and fasting. Prepare the Way through clearing away the confusion. Prepare the way through clearing things that stand in the Way – Jesus being the Way. Prepare the Way by putting your house in order. Lastly we were challenged to prepare the Way through making a way – for the Way! This is done through choosing the fast: media, Daniel Fast (fruits, vegetables, nuts), or sleep, or all food and liquids. But remember its fasting and prayer. Your goal is not to go without food, or the media. You goal should be to turn or return to God, seeking His Presence.

Making a way – for the Way is done through Position yourself to meet with King Jesus. Daniel had a dedicated time of prayer 3x a day – morning, noon, and night. Do you have a dedicated time of prayer? Do you begin your day with time in the Word and prayer? Making a way – for the Way is done through Entering through God’s Gate(s): (Isa. 62:10 Go through, go through the gates!) Before entering the gates you address them. Psalm 24:

Ps. 24:6-10 This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Selah [pause, and think of that]! Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; yes, lift them up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is [He then] this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

The generation of those who seek God’s face address the gates, and enter through them. We enter God’s Presence through the Holy Spirit. John 10:3-7 The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out. When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call. Jesus used this parable (illustration) with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about.  So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep.

The Watchman in Jesus’ parable is the Holy Spirit Who leads us to know Jesus, and Jesus is the Door He take us to and through. It is through and by the Spirit that we know Jesus: Jn. 15:26 But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me. In other words the Holy Spirit gives us testimony regarding Who Jesus is so that we can know Jesus.

We make a way -for the Way through Writing God’s Word Upon Your Gates: The Gates of your mind, emotions, soul, spirit, and your body. Your body alone had several gates: eye gate, ear gate, mouth gate, gate of touch. God’s Word of God of necessity has to be central to your life. It must be written over everything you do! Written over everything you are: mind, emotion, soul, spirit, body = eyes, ears, mouth, and touch. (See Deut. 6:6-10)

We make a way – for the Way through entering His gates with the giving of thanks. Ps. 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!

The Hebrew word for Thanksgiving is Todaw = which means “to extend the hand; to give thanks; to be giving. (See Eph. 5:18-20; Php. 4:6; Col. 2:6-7; 1 Thess. 5:18)/  and though being “thankful to Him,” Yadah = which means to “lift up your hands to Him.” Lastly we are to Enter His courts with Praise  or Tehillah  which is “singing a song of praise – especially spontaneously; standing in honor or respect (note: it can be the person or thing the person glories in); and shouting. NOTE: halal, as in Hallelu-JAH, is praise that is seen. But tehillah is praise that is heard! Praise is not only heard, but the idea is that we are louder for our God than we would be for ourselves.)

Expecting Results Through Fasting

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More from Dr. Bill Bright on Fasting:

Expect Results

If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God’s face; if you consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed. You will see answers to your prayers.

A single fast, however, is not a spiritual cure-all. Just as we need fresh infillings of the Holy Spirit daily, we also need new times of fasting before God. A 24-hour fast each week has been greatly rewarding to many Christians.

It takes time to build your spiritual fasting muscles. If you fail to make it through your first fast, do not be discouraged. You may have tried to fast too long the first time out, or your may need to strengthen your understanding and resolve. As soon as possible, undertake another fast until you do succeed. God will honor you for your faithfulness.

I encourage you to join me in fasting and prayer again and again until we truly experience revival in our homes, our churches, our beloved nation, and throughout the world.

How To Experience and Maintain Personal Revival

Fasting & Prayer

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life.
  2. Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you. Make restitution where God leads.
  3. Examine your motives in every word and deed. Ask the Lord to search and cleanse your heart daily.
  4. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard your walk against complacency and mediocrity.
  5. Praise and give thanks to God continually in all ways on all days, regardless of your circumstances.
  6. Refuse to obey your carnal (worldy) nature (Galatians 5:16,17).
  7. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Develop utter dependence on Him with total submission and humility.
  8. Study the attributes of God.
  9. Hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6).
  10. Love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).
  11. Appropriate the continual fullness and control of the Holy Spirit by faith on the basis of God’s command (Ephesians 5:18) and promise (1 John 5:14,15).
  12. Read, study, meditate on, and memorize God’s holy, inspired, inerrant Word daily (Colossians 3:16).
  13. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
  14. Fast and pray one 24-hour period each week. Prayerfully consider becoming one of the two million Christians who will fast for forty days before the end of the year 2000.
  15. Seek to share Christ daily as a way of life.
  16. Determine to live a holy, godly life of obedience and faith.
  17. Start or join a home or church Bible study group that emphasizes revival and a holy life.

While You Fast

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Once again I choose to defer to the wisdom of Dr. Bill Bright to be our guide regarding fasting:

Your time of fasting and prayer has come. You are abstaining from all solid foods and have begun to seek the Lord. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider:

  • Avoid drugs, even natural herbal drugs and homeopathic remedies. Medication should be withdrawn only with your physician’s supervision.
  • Limit your activity.
  • Exercise only moderately. Walk one to three miles each day if convenient and comfortable.
  • Rest as much as your schedule will permit.
  • Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety.
  • Expect some physical discomforts, especially on the second day. You may have fleeting hunger pains, dizziness, or the “blahs.” Withdrawal from caffeine and sugar may cause headaches. Physical annoyances may also include weakness, tiredness, or sleeplessness.

The first two or three days are usually the hardest. As you continue to fast, you will likely experience a sense of well-being both physically and spiritually. However, should you feel hunger pains, increase your liquid intake.

STEP 5: Put Yourself on a Schedule

For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be.

Morning

  • Begin your day in praise and worship.
  • Read and meditate on God’s Word, preferably on your knees.
  • Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
  • Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.
  • Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.

Noon

  • Return to prayer and God’s Word.
  • Take a short prayer walk.
  • Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community’s and nation’s leaders, for the world’s unreached millions, for your family or special needs.

Evening

  • Get alone for an unhurried time of “seeking His face.”
  • If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
  • Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.

When possible, begin and end each day on your knees with your spouse for a brief time of praise and thanksgiving to God. Longer periods of time with our Lord in prayer and study of His Word are often better spent alone.

A dietary routine is vital as well. Dr. Julio C. Ruibal – a nutritionist, pastor, and specialist in fasting and prayer – suggests a daily schedule and list of juices you may find useful and satisfying. Modify this schedule and the drinks you take to suit your circumstances and tastes.

5 a.m. – 8 a.m.

  • Fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed or blended and diluted in 50 percent distilled water if the fruit is acid. Apple, pear, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon, or other fruit juices are generally preferred. If you cannot do your own juicing, buy juices without sugar or additives.

10:30 a.m. – noon

  • Fresh vegetable juice made from lettuce, celery, and carrots in three equal parts.

2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

  • Herb tea with a drop of honey. Avoid black tea or any tea with caffeine.

6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

  • Broth made from boiling potatoes, celery, and carrots with no salt. After boiling about half an hour, pour the water into a container and drink it.

Tips on Juice Fasting

  • Drinking fruit juice will decrease your hunger pains and give you some natural sugar energy. The taste and lift will motivate and strengthen you to continue.
  • The best juices are made from fresh watermelon, lemons, grapes, apples, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery, or leafy green vegetables. In cold weather, you may enjoy a warm vegetable broth.
  • Mix acidic juices (orange and tomato) with water for your stomach’s sake.
  • Avoid caffeinated drinks. And avoid chewing gum or mints, even if your breath is bad. They stimulate digestive action in your stomach.

The Basics of Fasting

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The following is taken from Dr. Bill Bright, former Campus Crusade leader, who has fasted for 40 days or more:

How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these seven basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding.

STEP 1: Set Your Objective

Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution of problems, for special grace to handle a difficult situation? Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify His leading and objectives for your prayer fast. This will enable you to pray more specifically and strategically.

Through fasting and prayer we humble ourselves before God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches, and heal our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Make this a priority in your fasting.

STEP 2: Make Your Commitment

Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14,15) For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it. Before you fast, decide the following up front:

  • How long you will fast – one meal, one day, a week, several weeks, forty days (Beginners should start slowly, building up to longer fasts.)
  • The type of fast God wants you to undertake (such as water only, or water and juices; what kinds of juices you will drink and how often).
  • What physical or social activities you will restrict.
  • How much time each day you will devote to prayer and God’s Word.

Making these commitments ahead of time will help you sustain your fast when physical temptations and life’s pressures tempt you to abandon it.

STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

  • Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins.
  • Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
  • Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).
  • Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you.
  • Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15.
  • Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1,2).
  • Meditate on the attributes of God, His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion, and others (Psalm 48:9,10; 103:1-8, 11-13).
  • Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).
  • Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).

STEP 4: Prepare Yourself Physically

Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision.

Physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer.

  • Do not rush into your fast.
  • Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods.
  • Eat raw fruit and vegetables for two days before starting a fast.

Waiting for A Wedding

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When Jesus was asked a question on the subject of fasting as recorded in Matthew 9, he answered in a way that God’s people                       should well understand.  He used a wedding metaphor:

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.'” (Matt. 9:14-15)

The basic lesson of this metaphor is that fasting is like waiting for a wedding. Better yet, fasting is like the bride longing for the wedding and bringing it more quickly by that longing. It is asking the lover of your soul to come and make a holy visitation.

With this metaphor, Jesus explained that his disciples were not fasting at the time because he was with them. But when he would leave to go to heaven where he is now, note what he says will happen. Look at the last three words of verse 15: “they will fast.” Jesus expects Christians to fast.

Our Lord made that clear earlier in the gospel of Matthew. In the Sermon on the Mount, he gave instructions on a number of spiritual disciplines, saying “when you pray” or “when you give” in the assumption Christians will do these things. Then he said in Matthew 6:16-18, And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

In his book _Spiritual Disciplines, _Donald Whitney writes,
Until the ascended Bridegroom returns for His bride, fasting is a spiritual discipline His disciples will occasionally practice. This was the understanding of Christians in the book of Acts…and church history reports that since the days of the New Testament, the followers of Jesus have likewise engaged in fasting.”
The Lord wants you to experience communion with him in a way only prayer and fasting can bring.  Fasting is not presented by him as something to bind you up in legalism, like the Pharisees practiced it. Rather, Jesus encouraged what John Piper captures simply with the title of his book on this subject – _Hunger for God. _In another of his writings, Piper quotes Jonathan Edwards who wrote,
Our hungerings and thirstings after God and Jesus Christ and after holiness can’t be too great for the value of these things, for they are things of infinite value… [Therefore] endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of allurement… There is no such thing as excess in our taking of this spiritual food. There is no such virtue as temperance in spiritual feasting.” (John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p. 90)
Jesus’s teachings on fasting can be summarized this way. Fasting is either a religious rite you feel compelled to do to be seen by men to feed your pride, or a spiritual discipline you desire to do to be seen by God who will feed your soul. The former expression represents salvation by works; the latter salvation by grace.  The first is self-centered; the other is Christ-centered.

How would one go about fasting and prayer if it is an unfamiliar practice?  Here are five guidelines.

First, get hungry! Though fasting is a Christian discipline that has been practiced throughout the history of the church, and is still prevalent in other parts of God’s kingdom in the world, in the West we are not accustomed to practicing it.  Our comforts have lulled us to sleep in our spirituality. We do not hunger for God like we should and seek greater experiences of him.  So our heart is not drawn to it.

But, listen to this. If you fast and pray for him, Jesus will come to you.  As God has said, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).  Jesus told his church, “Behold, I stand and the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into in to him and eat with him, and he with me”  (Rev. 3:20). That’s a promise! Fasting puts the heart and hunger needed in our praying.

**_Make a plan! _**Fasting will not happen without planning. If you are going to meet with someone, you must put it on your calendar. Or, to continue with Jesus’ metaphor, think of all the planning involved in a wedding. So if you want to meet with your bridegroom, set aside a day, the amount of time that day, and the location (make sure it is a quiet place) where you will fast and pray. Be sure not to schedule other activities that will interfere.  This time should involve missing at least one meal. As far as possible, do not call attention to your fasting. Fasting in secret requires planning.

**_Change your diet!  **A.W. Tozer said that the church “appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment — she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers…Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God.” _Part of the reason we need to fast in our modern age is to remove our hyper-connectivity to technology and the entertainment mindset it encourages. So do not use technical devices while fasting. Decide what you will read during the time – the psalms and devotional literature are good sources.  Plan out what will you pray for and seek from God during this time. You are to be hungry for him! Will it be personal growth in an area of sanctification, victory over besetting sin, guidance and strength regarding a difficulty you are facing, wisdom in making a major decision, ministry plans for you or your congregation, or simply yet wonderfully just a deeper experience of God? Know what will be on the menu as you fast.

**_Build up to it! _**Because many of us are weak in the discipline of fasting, we need to be built up in this practice. Fasting is not one of those things you can just throw at yourself in one step. If you are wanting to build up a scrawny kid’s muscles, you don’t take him to the gym, put him under a 300-pound barbell, and tell him to start lifting. No, you start small and build up with repetition. In the same way, if you have not fasted before, consider missing at least one meal and set several hours aside for it rather than trying to do a multi-day fast. You cannot run if you cannot even crawl.

Finally, expect God’s visitation!_ _As stated above, if you fast as Jesus instructs, your Father will see and reward you with the great gift of his fuller presence through the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. The experience of others can encourage us in this regard.

David Brainerd was a missionary to the Native Americans in New Jersey during the first half of the eighteenth century. His short life (he lived to be only 29) has inspired many other missionaries, for he persevered despite great illness and discouragement. He was a man who sought after God. He wrote the following in his journal.

Monday****_, April 19, 1742. __I set apart this day for fasting, and prayer to God for his grace… In the forenoon, I felt the power of intercession for precious, immortal souls; for the advancement of the kingdom of my dear Lord and Saviour in the word; and withal, a most sweet resignation, and even consolation and joy in the thoughts of suffering hardships, distresses, and even death itself…I enjoyed great sweetness in communion with my dear Saviour. I think I never in my life felt such an entire weanedness from this world, and so much resigned to God in every thing. O that I may always live to and upon my blessed God! Amen, Amen. _
You see, as Brainerd makes clear, the expectation of fasting goes both ways. Jesus expects you to do it. And you can expect him to to visit with you when you do.

Is My Sacrifice Living?

/in /by

Genesis 22:9 “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there; then he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on the wood.”

Oswald Chambers: This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You…to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”

We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.

Precious Church family while you are praying about what to fast during our 21 day fast know that it’s not what you are giving up that matters to the Lord. Rather it is what you are in pursuit of. Are we giving those things up for the only ting worth having and that is Jesus Himself? The year of 2019 should be a year of pursuing Jesus. May God bless you with His Grace in this endeavor.