We are in the second week of Our annual 21 day fasting ! I’m preaching and teaching about fasting in order you be well prepared and with right understanding about fasting mean.
The first message of the series was : The Power of Fasting, the second message was : The Living Sacrifice and this is my third and last preaching about fasting: Fasting Releases The Unseen World
If you read the bible you are gonna see that Fasting is a spiritual discipline practiced by Jesus , his disciples and his followers as a source of power , strength and growth for believers ever since and today we gonna listen what happens in the unseen world when we fast !
Luke 4 said that Jesus fasted for 40 days , he was baptised , filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by the spirit to fast and pray for 40 days .
If it was not necessary to fast , Jesus our example and model would not have fasted !
The Bible says that Jesus was led by the Spirit to fast and pray and today the same Spirit is calling us to fast and pray !
This year, we Shalom in Ireland are going to have 12 hours of prayer every month and also I would like to challenge you to take part in it and also to fast at least once a week.
Because When nothing else works, Jesus said Fasting and Prayer are the only solution !
Today I want to start talking about Daniel’s life and he was not only a man of faith that went to lions den but a man of integrity, faithful and loyal to the Lord.
He was trustworthy nor negligent in everything he did to the king that he served and to the Lord his God that he was faithful .
Daniel was a man of fasting and prayer , he had the habit to pray 3 times a day going on his knees and give thanks to the Lord.
He started his faithfulness to God when he was a teenager as when he decided not to eat the food of the king.
But when he was about 80 years old after 65 years he didn’t change his habits of seeking the Lord , he was praying 3 times a day , it’s was a habit, it was a routine and he lived his faith every day.
My last preaching I said that we need to fast and pray not once a year , but prayer and fasting should be a habit or routine. Read the Bible’s habit, worship’s habit, tithing’s habit , because God’s habits is the seeds of integrity.
Are you faithful to seek the Lord as in the beginning of your Christian life? Are you faithful and are you serving the Lord with integrity?
Let’s see the results of his integrity when he was in the lions den:
“And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?””
Daniel 6:20
Look the effect that Daniel had in the king’s life , he called Daniel “servant of the living god” and “whom you serve continually”
“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him”
Daniel 6:22
Daniel was not harmed because he trusted in God , trusting in God give you integrity and trusting in God brings you salvation.
But many people are lazy, they don’t want to seek God, they don’t want to come to the meetings, don’t want to pray, don’t want to fast but they want God’s favour!
The story of Daniel that shows us how fasting and prayer affect the unseen world.
““In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.”
Daniel 10:2-3
If you read Daniel 1 you are going to see that Daniel was eating vegetables and drinking water and he gave up pleasant food.
He made a vow , he was fasting, praying, seeking God and what happened?
“Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.”
Daniel 10:10-11
Again you are going to see that because of his integrity another angel to come to him and say : you are greatly beloved !
The first time he was thrown unfairly into the lions den , an angel came to protect him and now God sent another angel to him.
When Daniel was in his 3 full weeks of fasting or 21 days of not eating pleasant food and seeking the Lord, the Lord’s responded to what he did and an angel came and said: you’re greatly desired by Me!
Daniel didn’t eat desirable food, pleasant food, and then an Angel came and said: you are highly beloved by God.
Don’t mistake His love for His favour. The love of God is fully free, and it’s yours but the favour of God doesn’t come to your life until you do certain things that get God’s attention!
The increase of God’s favour comes with obedience and sacrifice!
Daniel said: I ate no pleasant Food, no fancy food, no desirable food! But as a result at the end of his fasting God says: You are highly esteemed, you are highly beloved, you have my favour!
Daniel didn’t eat desirable food but He become desirable by God
The Angel came and said : You’re highly beloved ! Wow , how can we be highly esteemed in heaven ?
“Declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”
Isaiah 66:2 NIV
We can be esteemed in heaven and to have the favour of God when we are humble and contrite in spirit. When you humble yourself before the Lord in fasting and prayer then the floodgates of heaven are open over your life !
Let’s read what the Angel said to Daniel.
“Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.”
Daniel 10:12
The Angel said: because you kept fasting, because you humbled yourself, your words were heard! Your prayers were heard and I have come in response to them. The Angel came in response of Daniel’s obedience
Can you see how fasting releases the Unseen Word?
There is the connection between the physical action we do here and the spiritual power that is released.
When you offer your body as a living sacrifice, God releases his favour !
This is a time in which God is calling you and I to his presence.
It’s less of you and more of Him.
This is a time and strategic moment in our lives that God comes not with a demand but with a challenge!
You don’t have to do it, you’re not going to be “more” saved if you fast, but this is a divine challenge and also obedience.
What you do physically in obedience to God releases the spiritual world.
I want to show you what happens in the unseen world when we fast and pray.
I want to speak about a true story from the book of Exodus because it has a profound lesson to teach us today. In book of exodus 17 there is a tremendous story about prayer, fasting and the Spiritual World.
This is the story of Moses and the Amalekites. Moses , Joshua and the children of Israel fighting against the Amalekites.
God told Moses to go up the mountain and lift his hands towards heaven and and said to Joshua goes to the battle field to fight against the Amalekites. God commanded Moses to keep his hands lifted up to win the battle.
“And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”
Exodus 17:11 NKJV
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
As long Moses had his hand up, as God told him to do, as long he was in physical obedience, He was winning the battle in the unseen world because of his physical obedience!
But when Moses became weary and his hands began to come down the Amalekites would begin to defeat Israel.
As long as he was in physical obedience he was winning the battle in the unseen world!
This story is important because it reinforces the fact that physical obedience brings spiritual release!
There is a connection between what we do physically and what happens spiritually.
What we do here with our physical body makes a difference in what happens in the spiritual world!
Angels were released in that battle when Moises raised his hand physically! If Moses hands started coming down then the enemy started winning the battle!
The bible is full of mentions of angels, but today we don’t hear much about angels, the modern church doesn’t talk about supernatural things and we don’t hear about angels.
But the Bible says:
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve (to render service) those who will inherit salvation?”
Hebrews 1:14
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Psalms 34:7
The angels of God are spirits to render services for those who are saved!
Here is the point:
As long Moises obeyed God’s commands – what God told him to do – a Physical Act – The battle was won because of what he was doing physically with his body.
If his hands went down they began to lose the battle!
Many defeats in our lives it was not God’s will , it was our lack of fasting and prayer.
Some people say I don’t need to do anything physically because God know I love God in my heart!
I feel that I love the Lord and I worship Him on the inside, on my heart and I don’t need to go to church, I don’t need to take part in Cell Meetings , I don’t need to fast , I don’t need to pray , because God knows I love him.
But if you tell your wife or husband: I love you on the inside but I can not show it on the outside with my actions, they are going to question you!
Do you really love me?
Jesus asked to Peter : Peter do you love me ? Yes Sir , then Feed My sheep ! If we love Jesus He expecting something physical and practical from us.
Do you love Jesus ? Offer your body as a living sacrifice! Do you love Jesus invest your time in kingdom of God !
Do you love Jesus ? Come to the prayer meetings or online meetings.
Do you love Jesus ? Take part on the Cell Meetings.
Do you love Jesus ? Give back to God your tithes and offerings.
We should express our love to God physically.
Everything gets reduced down to internal stuff in the modern day church and there is no physical obedience.
God says: sometimes I demand of my people a physical act of obedience before I release spiritual reward.
Fasting is one of those acts of obedience and fasting it’s a way of humbling yourself!
Fasting is a way of saying: I don’t want pride in my life ! Some people are proud and they don’t know.
I use to say that : Pride is like bad breath. Everyone knows you have it except you.
Those who are near you knows and can fell the smell of your pride !
If you want to know , ask for people around you , your parents , leader , pastor , because they know !
Did you know that the first sin in the bible was pride ? The first sin in creation was pride ! Pride got turned an angel into a devil!
According to the scripture Lucifer was an arch Angel that was in a holy place , in heaven and he was cast out of heaven !
Think about it ! Pride can turn an Angel into a devil !
Pride also can prevent many people to enter into the Kingdom of God !
I don’t want pride to get a hold of me !
If we would be honest we all have to say : there are times where we begin to became self-sufficient !
That’s why fasting is so powerful ! That’s why in the beginning of the year we are saying: Holy Spirit I need you , Holy Spirit fill me again , and I humble myself!
Humility is not putting yourself down , Humility is lifting Jesus up in your life !
I challenge you keep fasting and keep faithful in this 21 days. If you did not fast , or if you are in a trip and can not fast now , start your 21 days next month or when you’re back , but please have your 21 days fasting.
I also challenge you to have fasting as routine , every week have a day fasting. As we tithes and pray and read Bible we have to fast.
Remember praying and fasting release the spiritual world , release the angels to work and help you .
Fasting is one of those acts of obedience and fasting it’s a way of humbling yourself!
Do you love Jesus ? Then offer your body as a living sacrifice !
May the Lord bless you