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I want to talk to you of course today
for a few moments about fasting when you
say the word fasting that word alone
seems overwhelming if you’ve never
fasted before it’s almost like it sends
a slight shiver up your spine fasting in
this culture of entertainment and
gratification and pleasure especially
the lifestyle of this generation the
20-somethings it’s almost unheard of to
expect for people to sacrifice that word
has been lost in the body of Christ it’s
not easy to fast it’s not fun to fast
but it is powerful your faith will begin
to explode as you fast fasting is not
for the strong fasting is for the weak
fasting is for the common fasting is for
the frail fasting is for the ordinary
people who realize that they desperately
need God in their life that’s who
fasting is for I want to say that
fasting never manipulates God it’s so
important that when you go into a fast
you don’t go into it listen now thinking
that you will earn God’s blessings God’s
favour God’s miracles in your life you
never earn the blessings and favor of
God it is the grace of God it is the
blood of Jesus Christ that releases
those blessings fasting does not
manipulate God fasting does not make God
do something that is not his will
fasting gets you ready for God’s answer
fasting prepares your heart to say not
my will but thine be done a lot of
people are disillusioned when when they
fast and God doesn’t do what you demand
that he does nothing wrong with asking
but you can’t demand that God do
something because I’m fasting you better
hurry up and do it it doesn’t work that
way fasting breaks you down
fasting gets you to the place that you
move into
a position of total obedience and
humility and brokenness before God that
what you understand my Heavenly Father
wants the best for me and now I finally
trust you
I finally relinquish my life to you and
whatever happens I’m going to serve you
and I’m going to love you when we begin
to biblically fast we increase our
receptivity to the Lord’s voice and to
his word so number one fasting is an
invitation fasting is not a requirement
fasting is not something God makes you
do fasting is not something that God is
going to punish you for if you don’t do
fasting is an invitation is something
you do voluntarily it’s when you say
Lord I am breaking out of the routine
and the regular ritual of life and I’m
coming after you I don’t have to do this
you love me no matter whether I fast
draw don’t fast you’re going to bless me
whether I fast or I don’t fast but I am
voluntarily giving this up showing you
that as a sacrifice I’m coming after you
and I’m giving up this food there’s
something about that but gets God’s
attention quickly fasting is a grace
fasting isn’t just gritting your teeth
fasting isn’t just oh God you know just
gritting your teeth and enduring it but
there is a mystery connection between
the Holy Spirit and fasting that anyone
who dares to step up and say I’m going
too fast instantly the Holy Spirit
begins to partner with you instantly the
power of God comes and a special grace
comes upon you the moment you make up
your mind
God will truly give you grace to fast if
you will listen to him and be led by his
Spirit fasting is humbling yourself
before God it’s saying lord I need you I
humble myself before you and in due
season the Bible said if you humble
yourself he will exalt you fasting is an
act of worship in Romans 12 it says I
urge you therefore to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice holy and
acceptable unto God one translation said
which is your spiritual worship there’s
something about presenting your body
that God sees as worship so when you
fast you’re taking an invitation from
God he doesn’t require it but he invites
you to do it
fasting is giving up something perfectly
good nothing wrong with food and
perfectly acceptable so that you can
have more of God fasting is a spiritual
discipline that is a physical act it’s
abstaining from food to abstain from the
computer is not fasting that’s great
that that that’s that’s abstinence I
guess you could say but that is not
fasting because the only way to fast is
to fast food technically because the
word fast means to cover your mouth and
refuse to eat it’s a time of spirit-led
self-examination when you fast you’ll
begin to see God begin to do a deep
internal work in your life David when he
fasted in 2nd Samuel 12 21 and 22 David
did something strange his his child was
dying and he fasted that God would heal
his child and his child died anyway and
I want to help some people who who have
been so disappointed because you fasted
and God didn’t give you what you wanted
the way you wanted it he fasted for days
and would not eat so that his son would
live and the Bible said his child died
now here’s what I love about David and
David said this he said while the child
was alive I fasted and I went in one
translation said and I thought who knows
question mark the Lord may be gracious
to me but now that the child is dead I’m
going to get up and eat David said I
like that I love what he said and
words he’s fasting but he’s not going to
force God he’s fasting because he wants
to get ready for God’s answer and he’s
begging God for a child he’s asking God
to save this child but his deal is I’m
asking what’s wrong with asking I want
to encourage you on this fast ask God
for anything you want to ask him for but
don’t demand it that’s the difference
I’m asking you for this
I’m boldly asking you for this but I
have no right to demand anything but I
am asking and I’ll trust you with the
ends I’ll leave the results in your
hands asking is it wrong demanding is
it’s exciting when you feel the stirring
and you realize that God is calling you
too fast
you ought to feel a little nervous about
it I felt a little nervous about it I
always feel a little nervous about it
but if you are prepared spiritually and
prepared physically number one you have
to prepare spiritually by that I mean
you are hearing God as he is impressing
you how does he speak to you through the
word through preachers through people
right now like where you’re sitting
impressions of the Holy Spirit that that
that little almost I don’t want to call
it a nagging but something on the inside
that’s not forcing you to do it but kind
of tugging on your heart saying come on
I’m giving you an invitation come on
know me more than you’ve ever known Lee
come in to where I am come out of the
routine come after me that’s an
invitation and when you sense God
telling you to do that that’s spiritual
preparation and the first key is to hear
God in that and know that you’re doing
it because you feel that nudging the
second thing is to determine what kind
of fast and how long now we’ve already
determined that for you on this public
fasts on a private fast you would
determine what kind of fast and how long
but since it’s a public fast here’s what
I want to encourage you to do number one
write
down your fasting plan it’s amazing what
happens when you write it down and you
make up your mind writing it down is one
of the most important things for
preparing for a fast because why you
said why is that why is that so
important let me tell you one because
it’s very common once you begin to fast
and you begin to feel hungry
that low thoughts start coming through
your mind and you start to doubt your
called a fast God wouldn’t speak into me
I’m just trying to hit some highlights
devote extra time to the prayer and the
word limit TV limit the internet limit
Facebook limit Twitter limit all of that
stuff limit watching news for hours and
hours watching TV shows for hours and
hours limit all of that stuff your
tongue may get coded after a day of
fasting
you may feel light-headed when you stand
up that’s all perfectly normal you may
need to go to bed early for more rest
it’s perfectly normal you may have bad
breath turn to somebody says normal for
you all the time just it may feel like
your brain is in a fog the first day or
two you just you just can’t think as
clearly you’re not as sharp it’s not as
easy to do what you do I wish I could
say that all you feel when you’re
fasting is super spiritual and you feel
the sweetness and you feel light and
constantly cheerful and that’s just not
true
sometimes you’re cranky sometimes you’re
tired sometimes you’re hungry sometimes
you’re fighting a headache sometimes
that sounds like some of you all the
time you’re cranky you’re all the time
sometimes you have to apologize to your
family for being short-tempered while
you’re fasting and the devil will try to
defeat you with stuff like that you’ll
be stunned at how powerful God’s Word
will be as you read it while you fast
you’ll be stunned at how strong and
quick God will begin to speak to you as
you fast and pray you need prayer
support the word is food for your soul
whether you’re a veteran faster or
whether this is your first time fasting
I want you to please know that I’m
praying for you every day
you’re going to make it you can do all
things through Christ who strengthens
you in Philippians 1 and 6 said he who
has begun a good work in you if you’ll
start it God will be able to finish it
you started in God will help you finish
your answers are waiting in the presence
of the Lord sometimes you have to say
food you can wait in relationships you
can wait and entertainment you can wait
God I need answers and answers are
waiting in the presence of the Lord for
those who will fast and pray what are
your greatest needs what do you need to
fast about fasting increases our sense
of humility and dependence upon the Lord
is saying God I need you God alone for
you fasting allows us to set aside time
for prayer if you don’t pray then you’re
not fasting fasting and prayer it will
heighten your spiritual alertness you’ll
begin to feel and sense the presence of
God in your life your alertness to the
Holy Spirit will be heightened as you
fast and as you pray fasting expresses
our earnestness and our urgency in
prayer to God when we fast this year I
want you to pray specifically three
specific prayers that I felt impressed
this year to talk about in closing
number one that God would bless our
nation in that God would help America
this is perhaps the most important
21-day fast we have ever participated in
it’s critical that we
in this fast jehosophat was facing a
national calamity and in second
chronicles 20 he proclaimed a fast
throughout Judah Judah believe in the
Lord your God and so shall you be
established believe his prophets and so
shall you prosper and the Bible said
that they fasted for three days and
after the three day fast God gave them
such victory that it took them three
days to gather the Skoll in Joel chapter
1 in chapter 2 the nation was facing the
greatest economic disaster it had ever
faced the nation of Israel and three
times they called a fast in Joel 1 in 14
sanctify fast in Joel 2:12 turn with to
me with all of your heart with fasting
and weeping and joy 2:15 blow the
trumpet in Zion sanctify of fast call a
solemn assembly now notice the blessings
that follow in Joel 2 and 21 it says
fear not for the Lord will do great I
will restore the years at the locusts
have eaten you shall be satisfied and
the name of the Lord would be wondrously
with you and my people will not be
ashamed God has a unique plan for
America God has a new unique plan for
this nation do you believe that and I
want you to fast about this election I
want you to fast about America I want
you to fast about our economy if God
could turn it around for Israel he can
turn our nation around he can bless
america again he can prosper this nation
again God has a unique plan for your
family many times when we fast we need
to fast and remember our family many
times God will work a hundred year
cycles in families which is why the
enemy targets your children and your
grandchildren because the plan of God
does not just include you but it
includes your children cause God is a
God of families and he’s working in
families and when you fast pray for your
families as
God to bless your family sometimes it
takes several generations for God’s will
to be accomplished in a family
so as we’re fasting we’re not just
fasting for here and now but we’re
fasting for blessings on our families
for generations that God’s Will would be
done the enemy knows that if he can keep
children on drugs and in alcoholism and
running in sin and immorality he stops
the plan of God for that family so ask
him boldly for your family on this fast
to bless your family to save your family
to feel your family with the power of
the Holy Spirit
the will of God for every one of your
children and your children’s children
secondly I felt led to tell you to pray
for release of divine health and long
life on this fast a release of divine
health and long life Genesis 15 and 15
God promised Abraham he said you will
live to a good old age turn to somebody
and say you’re gonna live to a good old
age this is a fast and a call to health
long life we’re going to break the habit
of fried foods and sugar refined foods
and junk food and toxins and pollutants
that are destroying our bodies we take
authority over it in the name of Jesus
not just for 21 days but may we set a
pattern that we will not fear from for
the whole year and we will be my body
cannot become my enemy everybody say in
on this fast there’s going to be a
release into my body of divine health
and long life I need you to shout right
there I’m feeling that one down
so I thirdly want to encourage you to
believe this is for those of you who may
not believe in the spirit world but
Ephesians 6 is very clear that warring
angels would be released that as we fast
and pray warring angels that are talked
about in Ephesians 6 see the enemy
shoots fiery darts and when fire hits a
person it leaves a scar the enemy wants
people scarred and burned but God’s
going to release warring angels I
believe during this fast to bless and to
fight and to win the battles that we’ve
struggled to win the last thing that I
ask you to pray for that I felt now of
course you make it individual and you
you fast and pray for what God tells you
but these are some things that I felt in
my spirit really felt this one believed
God for the abundance of work believe
God for the abundance of work the
abundance of prosperity I heard this in
my spirit believe me for miracle money
praise God y’all don’t believe in that
stuff the balcony can you believe God
for the abundance of work that you get
so busy that you have to hire own some
people that things really pick up that
God so begins to prosper and bless you
that miracle money starts coming in to
finance everything God’s called you to
do shout miracle money shout abundance
of work abundant work I want to close
with this after the civil war here in
America Abraham Lincoln called for four
separate fast to try to heal
the nation he called for for fast and he
led the fast what I’m doing is nothing
Abraham Lincoln led the whole nation in
fact four separate fast the year that he
finished the fourth fast the next year
was 1867 and America closed a real
estate now the nation was in shambles
because of the civil war poverty was
everywhere but after we fasted four
times as a nation the next year in 1867
Russia sold the United States Alaska for
7.2 million which is two cents per acre
there’s no logic whatsoever that can
explain why America rebounded so strong
and by 1867 the federal government of
the United States
had a surplus for 28 straight years in a
row listen new inventions started coming
out of America that caused America to
become a major superpower in the world
inventions started coming after we
fasted the next year invention started
coming like the phonograph and years
following the electric light the modern
factories airplane telephone all these
inventions became even the motor
industry even though the cars were
invented first in Europe somehow we
captured that market and it became the
number one market came out of America
and the end of workers of America we
became a major player on the world stage
and the most devastated area during the
Civil War was the south and in the 1800s
a miracle began to happen and the new
south began to be birth and Birmingham
began to prosper and then Richmond began
to prosper
Atlanta which was burned to the ground
by fire begin to prosper and in the
early 1800s an invention of a soda pop
called coca-cola was made and they made
their home in the city of Atlanta and
their headquarters are still there today
and my point that I’m trying to get you
to understand is god knows how to bless
his people when we come after him and
seek Him and put him first seek first
the kingdom of God seek God first in all
of these things abundance of work health
blessing family loving God all of these
things will be added unto you
let’s see him first this fast is about
God don’t you get preoccupied with what
you’re not eating and this and that take
it back to God constantly take it back
to God take it back to God
eat your soul food
get into this book devour God’s gonna
bless you God’s gonna bless you
you young couples that this generation
they got everything at the fingertips
you want anything I just go on my
computer boom it’s here
same day there’s some blessings you
can’t get to you fasting right well in
our closing moments together I want to
tell you about a fresh new vision that I
feel like God is laid upon my heart to
share with you about the nation of Haiti
as you know you have been so faithful to
help us provide five hundred and forty
thousand meals now going on two years
we’ve been doing this every month it
costs hundreds and hundreds of thousands
of dollars every year to do what we do
in Haiti there has come a great need
behind me you can see this beautiful
warehouse that we’re going to build in
the next few days in Haiti I need three
hundred and sixty five thousand dollars
this is a food distribution center a
kingdom connection food distribution
center partnering with love a child it
will get food out all over the nation of
Haiti people are starving people are in
desperate need of food I’m not
exaggerating their bellies are swollen
and we can do something about it we’re
going to build this food distribution
center it’s three hundred feet long
a hundred feet wide thirty thousand
square feet it’s going to cost three
hundred and sixty five thousand dollars
that means there’s three hundred and
sixty five people that I am convinced
have watched this program God has
touched your heart this ministry has
ministered to you and now I’m asking you
at the beginning of this new year to sew
a first fruit offering there’s something
about honoring God first in the
beginning of the year and providing
bread to the hungry those children food
to the hungry this warehouse will be
filled every month with the food that
this ministry supplies and then it will
go out in the trucks that you supplied
in even to the village and we build a
hundred homes over there that you built
but far beyond that region on
need you to help me will you so $1,000
seed a first fruit offering at the
beginning of this year help us we’ll
give them the spiritual bread of life
Jesus but we’ll give them physical bread
in their stomachs in their bellies when
you help the poor Psalms 41 said God
releases seven supernatural blessings
I’m convinced that if you can’t do that
if you do your very best and here’s what
I felt like I needed to say to get that
blessing I believe in your life like God
wants to release it in 2012 if you can
so a dollar a day that’s a one-time gift
of 365 dollars early in this new year so
it now don’t put it off I know that’s a
lot of money and I’m not asking for
myself
I’m not asking with any selfish agenda
I’m asking because we need to build this
food distribution center and save the
perishing think of how God’s favor and
blessing will come upon people early in
this new year if you’ll respond are you
one of the 365 that will give a thousand
dollars if you sow it God will bless you
I can say that on the authority of his
word thank you Father speak to people
right now
don’t let them disregard what I’m saying
this is the very heart of God folks and
if you get involved in it God will bless
you in 2012 coming to free chapel on
February 24th and 25th one marriage
conference license to build
with Jensen and Charisse Franklin and
special guests Brian and Bobby Houston
this will be a marriage conference like
no other free chapel you know what Brian
and Bobby’s miracle son Shh Sydney
Australia we can’t wait to be with you
guys at the marriage seminar that’s crew
34 years we’ve been married
and I just like you and had to live that
out every single day with three adult
kids I believe we’ve got little tools
that can help you to set up the future
and a godly refined way the one marriage
conference license to build register
online at one marriage conference door
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