We are starting tomorrow 06/01 our Annual 21 days of Fasting!
This is my first message to help you prepare for our 2025 Fasting period.
Today I want to share with you: The Secret Power of Fasting.
Fasting is a hidden source of power. If you incorporate fasting into your routine, your spiritual life and health will be transformed.
Do you long for more of God? Are you hungry for His presence? Do you desire to experience God’s supernatural power? Are you in need of a significant miracle in your life? Are you feeling “spiritually dry” or lukewarm in your faith?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then join us in this fasting period. We are calling the entire church to join in this collective fast over these 21 days!
The discipline of fasting releases God’s anointing, favour, and blessings over a Christian’s life.
When you abstain from natural food and dedicate some time to fast for the Lord, your spirit becomes unburdened by worldly distractions and becomes incredibly more sensitive to the things of God.
If you read the bible you are going to see that Fasting is a spiritual discipline practiced by Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, Jesus, his disciples and his followers as a source of power, strength and growth.
Jesus fasted for 40 days. After He was baptised, He was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit to fast and pray for 40 days.
If fasting was not necessary, Jesus, our example and model would not have done it!
Let’s see what Jesus said about Fasting in Luke 5.
33 “They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?
35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
Luke 5:33-35,
Jesus gave us a revelation – He said: while I’m with them (his disciples) in my physical body, they don’t need to fast because they have everything in Me, but the time will come when my body will be taken away from them, then in this time they will have to fast.
Here Jesus is saying that: Since His body was going away, what they were going to lose, they could regain once again through Fasting!
Jesus was taken away physically, so now it is time to fast!
Fasting is not about trying to get more of God, fasting is about God getting more of you!
The secret power of Fasting is that it humiliates us, breaks us and transforms us and after being broken we are ready for the supernatural of God.
The real reason that I fast, to be honest, is because it helps me feel my own weaknesses, my unpreparedness. I must do what God called me to do but if God doesn’t touch and work on my gifts and talents, they mean nothing!
When I’m fasting I recognise my dependance on God for this new year!
When you’re fasting you’re saying: God I need you, I need the anointing of the Holy Spirit!
Fasting simply breaks you and brings your Faith to a new level.
Luke 5 Jesus continues the teaching about fasting……..
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
Luke 5:37,38
Jesus said: if you want new wine, you need new wineskins!
The reason behind this is to do with wine fermentation. New wine ferments, it has activity! The new wine represents the Holy Spirit. If you want activity of the Holy Spirit in your life during this New Year you need a new wineskin!
Jesus’ teaching is the following: When fast, when you deny your flesh, you’re producing a new recipient, a new wineskin !
When you fast, you’re presenting your body as a living sacrifice – then He can pour out His Holy Spirit into a new wineskin!
Remember how Jesus taught his disciples that fasting was a powerful weapon alongside prayer?
“So Jesus said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”” Mark 9:29 NKJV
Fasting works together with Prayer. In these 21 days of fasting you should have extra time for prayer too!
Fasting without prayer and without the Word is just a diet and a religious ritual!
You need to fast, pray and meditate on the word of God!
If you fast but don’t read the Word and don’t pray, it’s just a diet!
Extra time for the word and prayer is essential!
This is why we recommend that you should take a break from the internet, Facebook, Instagram, movies and other distractions too. You need to use your time wisely!
In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about Three duties of every Christian: Giving, Praying and Fasting.
Jesus doesn’t use the word if, He uses the word when. When you Give / When you pray / when you fast.
If you want to grow in God you need to grow in these 3 areas of your life: Make a vow with God to be faithful: In your tithes and offerings, in your prayer life and in Fasting at least once a week.
“16 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,”
18 “so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”. Matthew 6:16-18
Your Father, always sees what is done in secret, He will reward you.”
Why is fasting such a powerful tool in the Christian life?
Because fasting is a way of humbling yourself! The scripture says in the book of James:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
When you humble yourself you’re opening the doors for God to exalt you!
When God sees what is done in secret, He will reward you, He will exalt you!
The bible says in the book of Proverbs that pride goes before falling!
“Pride goes before destruction” Proverbs 16:18
There many people they start well in their life with God; maybe you started your Christian life with a humble heart as the king Saul in the Old Testament.
He was anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel .
When he began, he was extremely humble, he started out in humility, he started out meek but he slowed changed and God had to replace him with David!
God said these words over Saul:
“Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.” 1 Samuel 15:17
What a lesson! God says: Pride is something that can cause you downfall! Pride goes before the fall and the destruction of your life!
Don’t ever get to a place that you feel like you can do it all, where you feel big in your own eyes, you think your talents, gifts and education are enough!
You will always need the anointing, the presence of God!
The more He raises you, the more you need to seek Him!
The more He blesses you, the more you need to seek Him!
It can be dangerous, as we start growing spiritually, growing as a church and getting busy and we may start to feel we have less time to pray, read the bible, fast…
It’s dangerous to have a growing ministry and a shrinking your passion for Jesus.
Some of you were unemployed in the past, you had no money, no documents, no citizenship, no medical card and you were seeking God, coming to all church meetings, praying, seeking God, fasting etc.
But now you’re so busy, now you have to work, you have to study, to do your own stuff, go shopping, to work more and more, because you need more money, more things and you have almost no time for God!
No time for meetings because you’re growing families, growing careers, education.
Please, don’t let your passion for Jesus shrink!
Saul was born in humility but died in pride!
It cost him everything, cost his family, his children and it cost him the Kingdom!
What is so powerful about fasting is that as you fast you’re humbling yourself before God! This is the secret power of fasting!
You’re saying: God, use me again! God, fill me up again! God, bless me again!
Our church is growing but we need to seek Him more now than we ever did before – that’s the right spirit!
Some don’t understand why we have these 21 days of fasting. Why do we do this every year? And also I fast every week.
We fast because t’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 even know it.
I usually say that Pride is like bad breath. Everyone knows you have it except you.
Those who are near you know it and they can feel the smell of your pride!
If you want to know if you are proud, ask people who are close to you, your parents, spouse, leader, pastor, because they know!
Did you know that the first sin ever was pride? The first sin in creation was pride!
Pride turned an angel into the devil!
Lucifer, according to the scriptures was an arch Angel in heaven and because of pride, he fell.
“You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.”
Isaiah 14:13 NIV
“For you said in your heart,”
Notice that Lucifer’s problem started in his heart. He had a problem with authority, with His boss, and he didn’t fix it!
If you have a problem with someone, with brother, sister, relative, your leader, please go to them, confess it and fix the situation before you fall!
Because of an issue not fixed, Lucifer started saying to himself:
13 I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
14 “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13,14 NIV
I, I, I, I, It’s all about me! That is pride! When you think only about yourself, you don’t help others, never serve others, don’t love your neighbour, don’t invest in others. This is pride and needs to be destroyed from your life.
And so he was cast out of heaven!
Think about it. Pride can turn an Angel into the devil!
Pride can prevent many people from entering into the Kingdom of God!
I don’t want pride to get a hold of me! That’s why I fast and humiliate myself!If we are to be honest we all have to say: there are times when we begin to become too self-sufficient.
That’s why fasting is so essential! That’s why we must start the year by saying: Holy Spirit I need you, Holy Spirit fill me up again, and I humble myself! This is the secret power of fasting!
You know you have a choice, God Said: humble yourself before the mighty hand of God – Or God will humble you!
So, you can humble yourself or God is going to humble you.
By doing these 21 days fasting one of the greatest things God will do is humble you.
You are going to look back and say:
I can’t believe I was acting like that,
I can’t believe I was thinking that way,
I can’t believe I talked to people that way!
Pride can blind you!
When you fast – God will expose the areas of your life in which pride is blinding you.
There is nothing wrong with succeeding, nothing wrong with been successful, but give God the Glory and don’t let the good things, the blessings of God, the Job you have or your family to take you out of God’s house and stray you from God’s plan!
Humility is not putting yourself down, Humility is lifting Jesus up in your life!
Lord, I give you the Glory , God you deserve the honour, God you deserve the praise of every achievement, in every success of my life to God be the glory, God you deserve my best!
Fast and you will see the Secret Power of Fasting in your life!