TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022)
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:27-31
WELCOME TO THE 273RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
We bless the LORD our God for another day. This is the day He has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. Indeed, He has been our Day and has made us children of the day, by His blood and Holy Spirit who have been our guide and teacher all through this month on this platform.
The Bible says, the end of a matter is better than the beginning, especially if one began with God and made sure He guided the way all through to the end.
Something could be the will of God, but if you do not start it with God, and allow Him to guide you all the way, it could turn out to be a curse. In other words, something that is God’s will should automatically bless us. But if we do not start it with God, and allow Him to guide all through, it could turn out becoming a curse in our lives.
Today is the last day of our 30-Day journey with the Cry of the Spirit on Biblical fasting. We are glad we are having a good ending because we started with the word of the LORD, were guided all through by the word of the LORD, and today we are ending with the word of the LORD. That is why we are blessed.
The end of this matter has indeed become better than the beginning because now we have a full understanding of what Biblical fasting is all about.
We believe a fire has been kindled in our hearts on this beautiful act of worship in God’s kingdom. It may interest you to know that there are three acts of worship that will begin to flow out of your life freely when the Spirit of Christ lives in you; Biblical fasting, righteous prayers, and Spirit led giving.
Now, when we say Spirit led, we are not referring to the “God say” thing that we see in Church every now and then today. Most of what people say God say are not true.
There are proves everywhere that points to the fact that most giving among believers today is not Spirit led; they are flesh or religious spirit led. A lot of giving is even led by selfishness, that is why people give more if presented with what they will get in return when they give.
Spirit led giving has selflessness as one of its hallmarks. It is usually sacrificial and is motivated by the kingdom purpose it wants to meet, knowing well that GOD is naturally a rewarder of those who seek or serve Him with their substance.
IT IS WHEN GIVING IS HOLY SPIRIT AND TRUTH LED THAT GIVING WILL PRODUCED IN THE LIVES OF GIVERS.
Spirit led giving will always produce a miracle from Heaven because it opens a Heavenly portal over givers, especially after a season of consistent and persistent kingdom advance purpose driven giving. That is why your life will never remain in struggles and pains if you are engaged in Spirit led generosity.
So, three things will flow out of our lives when the Spirit of Christ take resident on our inside, especially after a season of revelation knowledge concerning each of them (like the one we had this month). The three are, Biblical fasting, Righteous Prayers, and Spirit led giving.
Friend, if Biblical fasting did not become natural to you after this month, it means the Spirit of Christ is not living in you. You may need to truly surrender your life to the LORD and ask that His Spirit come to live in you. After that you find a Church that has Christ at its center, not oil, salt, water, sand, prayer clothes or etc. and plant yourself.
As we come to the end of the journey, I want to touch few other areas we could not touch on absolute fasting. I believe this will be important to the health of those who want to begin a fresh life of fasting and prayer, after now. There is an important question we want to answer, and that question is, how do I start an absolute fast? Is it just by jumping into the fast? Also how do I end an absolute fast?
God will give us an answer of peace! But to start with, let us look at certain durations of absolute fast.
There are two major durations of absolute fast. We have short term absolute fast and long term absolute fast, it all depends on the spiritual burden in our hearts and what the LORD is driving us to do. Any absolute fast that the burden or Spirit of the LORD drives us to do from 6am to 12 pm (6 hours), or 6am to 6 pm (12 hours), or 6am to 6am (24 hours), or 6am to 6am on the third day (72 hours or three days and night dry fasting) falls into the short-term category of absolute fast.
THEY WILL ALL BRING FORTH THE RESULTS THE LORD INTENDS FOR THEM
However, such short term fasting may not need much preparation. But the one we call three days dry fasting (which should involve prayer and feasting on the word under the glory of GOD), may need a very soft landing at the end in the area of diet (i.e. what you eat after the fast).
After staying without food and water for three days and nights, you do not just end the fast by swallowing heavy food and all that immediately. You will destroy your health if you do. You end the fast by landing softly. The soft landing begins with liquid intake on the first day after the fast (basically fresh fruit juice and water, which you sip in gently), then vegetables after some hours, then solid food by the second or third day. That is how you end it.
But long term absolute fast is different. It is like a rocket that requires much preparation before takeoff, and like a plan that requires a very soft landing.
Long term absolute fast includes, 4-7 days and night dry fasting, 21-Days and night Dry fasting, 28 Days and night dry fasting and 40 Days and night dry fasting like the one Jesus and Moses did respectively. You do not begin any of these long terms fast in the flesh, neither do you just jump into them else you come out sick or even dead. You begin them in the Spirit (the realm of glory) like Moses and Christ did.
In the case of Moses, He was in the presence of the LORD with the rest of the elders for seven days eating and drinking in preparation, before being called by the LORD to come into the cloud (a more concentrated presence of God), where he stayed for 40 days.
THE BIBLE SAYS;
Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.
But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
So, Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.”
Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. Exodus 24:9-15 NKJV
I don’t know about you but this is one of my best scriptures in the Bible. That is why I get pissed off by preachers who throw stones on the integrity of the word of the Bible. This scripture contains the pattern to follow if the LORD put a burden in your heart for a long term absolute fast, or if the Spirit of glory rest upon you for it.
The seven days that Moses and Elders where together represents a necessary, perfect, and complete preparation that we must embark upon before responding to the burden of the LORD for a long term absolute fast. There are certain foods to eat for not more than seven days before you embark on a 4 to 40 days and night absolute fast, and certain food to eat for not more than seven days at the end.
Sadly, so many believers do not know this hence breaking down in health or even dying after their fast. I lost an in-law, a man of GOD who loves the LORD and led very dedicated Christian life to 40 days fast he did not end the Bible way. He broke it with very heavy meals and died thereafter.
Be guided by a dietitian on the food to eat seven days before and seven days after your fast. Mostly, fresh fruits and vegetables will be ideal for your take off and landing. Do not go taking beverages or coffee, or any heavy meals especially after such lengthy fast.
But if you are doing a short term absolute fast that will go for many days, like 6am to 6 pm for 7, 14, 21, 28 or 40 days, the take-off and landing preparations stated above will not be required since you will be eating during the night falls of your appointed days.
However, it also calls for caution, because the type of food you eat during the night time of your appointed days will also contribute to how you will come out of the fast at the end of the appointed days.
DO NOT EAT TOO HEAVY FOOD IF YOU ARE DOING THE SHORT-TERM FAST FOR 7, 14, 21, 28 OR 40 DAYS DURING THE NIGHT FALLS OF YOUR APPOINTED DAYS.
Eat fresh vegetables, fruits and some light meals that will keep you awake in the Spirit all through. There is so much we can share on these things but the little we have shared will go a long way to help someone whose heart is a good ground for this word seed.
As we bring this to an end, I want you to understand that Biblical fasting, either absolute or partial, is one way to flow in unending grace in GOD. It is one way we position ourselves in Christ to collect the power that the God who does not faint, grow weary, or come to an end, has for the human race. If you want to be flowing in unending strength in Christ Jesus, a lifestyle of Biblical fasting and prayer must be embraced.
A major portion of our devotional text says;
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:27-31
To wait upon the LORD does not mean to fast. You can still wait upon the LORD without even fasting. To wait upon the LORD means to be at the beck and call of God. Fasting only helps us to be sensitive in the Spirit enough to be at the beck and call of God.
I want to submit to you that waiting upon the LORD is a life time calling of the elects. Our primary call is to be people who wait upon the LORD. In other words, people who are always at His beck and call. That is what it means to be a true worshiper.
A worshiper is not a skillful or an anointed song leader. We erroneously call such breed worshipers, but worship is not singing but living. It is living a life that is at the beck and call of God. Fasting and prayer helps us to lead such lives on the face of the earth. It helps us to build a sensitivity in the Spirit that helps us to be at the beck and call of God.
On the flip side, Biblical fasting can also be an act of worship especially when we do it at the beck and call of God.
It is my prayer that what we learned this month on fasting and prayer will go a long way to helping us fulfill our eternal and prophetic destinies in Jesus precious name. Amen
See you in October.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37:3-9 NKJV