There’s a higher dimension of spiritual power available to each of us through fasting. Jesus taught fasting to His disciples and even modeled it for all of His followers. All of us will face struggles and challenges that will only be met as we seek God’s face through prayer and fasting.
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connection Jesus in Luke chapter 4 is
fasting for forty days he has just been
baptized in water the Holy Spirit
descended in the form of a dove and then
he goes into the wilderness being led of
that spirit the Holy Spirit to fast and
pray for forty days because Jesus
understood that fasting produced a
dimension of power that he could not
have in his ministry any other way if it
was not necessary then Jesus our example
would have not modeled what we are to do
to prepare us for ministry Jesus in Luke
chapter 4 fast for forty days and we’ll
talk about that but once many people
miss is Luke four is connected to Luke
five because in Luke chapter five the
subject of fasting comes back up and in
verse 33 it says that they said to him
Jesus why do the disciples of John fast
and all you do and your people do is eat
and it looks like y’all are eating and
drinking and having a good time and
Jesus said can you make the friends of
the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom
is with them but the days will come when
the bridegroom will be taken away from
them and in those days then will they
fast this is so important this is a
major revelation this is something that
I personally have never seen in this
text before that the Holy Spirit showed
me this week Jesus when he said when I
am with them in physical presence they
will not need to fast they have
everything they need in me
but there will come a day when I my
bodily presence will be taken away from
them and then they will fast and what
he’s implying in that powerful statement
is Jesus is implying that through his
bodily presence being gone away what
they lost in that they would regain
through fasting that as they would long
as the disciples would long for those
days when he was here in physical
presence with them eating and living for
for three and a half years with them as
they begin to long that they would so
miss him and so long for him that they
would begin to fasts and they would
begin to pray fasting is not just trying
to get more of God fasting is God
getting more of you and and and it’s
like the story in second Kings chapter
four when the all the miracle of the all
pouring from the vessel and the woman
had to run out and feel the house with
every vessel that she could borrow from
her neighbors you remember that story
and the Bible said that as long as there
listen as long as there were empty
vessels the all kept pouring heaven has
no shortage of all the Holy Spirit has
no shortage of the anointing and
miracles and healing and blessing and
dreams and visions there always there’s
always all pouring from heaven but earth
has a shortage of vessels that are empty
to receive fresh all the real reason I
fast to be quite honest is I feel every
year this sense of my own inability this
sense of my own inadequacy the sense of
my own lack of whatever I need to to do
what God is to call me to do I have some
gifts and I have some talents but they
mean nothing if God doesn’t touch them
and so really when I’m fasting on I’m
recognizing my dependence on God for a
new year I really need you I really
don’t want to try to do what I’m doing
in the flesh
I need the anointing then in Luke
chapter 5 Jesus continues immediately
out of that little teaching and he goes
into a whole different subject that is
connected to fasting and he says no one
no one when they are sewing to piece of
cloth together when they’re sewing they
don’t take old coffee and new clothes
and sew them together because the
material in the old cloth has already
been washed and it shrunk and it’s
changed like it’s going to change but
the new stuff is is still very much
going to be moving and shrinking and
when you wash it and so what will happen
is the clothes will tear apart and then
he gives Jesus so practical and he said
no one listen to this no one takes new
wine jesus said and pours it into an old
wine skin if you won’t new wine you need
new wine skins now the reason it’s new
wine is because it’s fermenting it’s
fermenting it’s it’s it’s it’s still
active and if you want activity of the
Holy Spirit in a new way if you don’t
want to go off the old wine of last year
and you won’t the Holy Spirit which is
the new wine active in your life in a
new year then you must give him new skin
you must say I’m going to deny the flesh
I’m gonna deal with the skin I’m gonna
present him a new sacrifice of my body
which is my skin so that he can pour new
wine in for a new year in Luke 4 Jesus
is fasting and he’s giving listen
carefully
extra time to prayer fasting without
prayer is just a diet and a religious
ritual if you don’t if you fast without
the word and without prayer fasting
without the word is just a diet a cruel
mean diet
you have to fast with prayer and with
the word everybody say extra time extra
time special special attention to the
Word of God what I want you to see is
fasting heightened Jesus awareness of
his identity and purpose if the devil
came to Jesus in the wilderness and he
did and he attacked the identity and
purpose for which Christ came don’t you
think he’s going to attack your identity
and your purpose and your calling and
your mission in life did you think it
was just gonna be an easy walk Jesus the
Son of God had Satan come to him and say
if you are the son of God what was he
doing he was attacking his identity he
was attacking his purpose and three
times Jesus hit him back with remarkable
authority in the word it is written it
is written it is written and he defeated
Satan but when we fast we have a
heightened awareness of our identity who
we are in Christ I don’t have to I don’t
have to wonder who I am I don’t have to
hope that I’m saved I Know Who I am in
Jesus Christ and I have a purpose when
you deny the flesh the Bible said that
in Luke chapter 4 Jesus returned from
the fast
catch this in the power of the spirit
everybody say that with me he returned
in the power of the Spirit no catch this
this is so important when Jesus went
into the fast he he went into it with
internal things he had the anointing it
was in him he had purpose it was in him
he had a vision and dream of reaching
the world it was in him
but when you fast he went into the fast
with internal power but when he came out
of the fast he returned in the power of
the Spirit meaning he he went in with
internal power but he came out of the
fast with external power I’m preaching
to you today that you’ve gone into this
fast
with internal promises and power
internal dreams missions purposes and
callings of God but when you come out of
this fast what was internal it’s going
to begin to be external and you’re going
to return in the power of the Holy
Spirit
making the internal external how many of
you believe that if you’ve got a how
many of you’ve got somebody in your
family you want to see set free
it’s internal but now it’s about to be
external come on let’s just praise the
Lord just a minute I feel this thing in
John 4 431 the disciples entreated Jesus
say rabbi master eat and I fully warn
you that somewhere in your commitment to
God when you’re really hungry somebody
is going to come along and say eat it
don’t take all that eat you’re turning
into a religious fanatic eat but rabbi
jesus said I have meat I have food that
you know not of
my meat is to do the wheel of the one
who sent me and to finish the work I
have not come this far to fizzle out I
have not common we as a church have not
come this far we are positioned as a
church to see a thousand times more than
we are today
God is about to send rain on the earth
the rain of the Holy Spirit and we are a
chosen vessel free chapel we’re a chosen
vessel there was a church historian by
the name of Tertullian he was a
historian of the 1st century church
meaning he firsthand followed and
watched the Apostles Matthew Mark Luke
John Peter Paul he watched them he made
notes personal notes dates of things
that he personally witnessed and he said
concerning fasting that Jesus disciples
I have noticed fast often and then he
made the statement fasting is used by
these apostles to fight against he
called it this the more fierce demons in
other words he said I’ve noticed these
apostles that when the demon possessed
you remember earlier in mark chapter 9
when Jesus was with them and they kept
Jesus cast out a devil and they tried to
incur and they came to Jesus and they
said master why could we not cast that
spirit out these more fierce demons why
could we not cast them out and Jesus
said because of your unbelief and then
he made this statement howbeit this kind
what kind more fierce demons this is a
generation that’s dealing with more
fierce demons
I’m gonna preach just a minute pastor
Franklin do you believe there are demons
absolutely I don’t believe it I know it
yes there are demons yes there is a
demonic realm it’s very real it’s very
scary and you must be very careful a lot
of people in this generation have opened
themselves up to the demonic and anytime
that demons are part of our
entertainment it’s a slippery slope
when you have to get high to feel like
you want to leave it’s a slippery slope
I don’t care what laws they pass if you
have to get drunk to feel like you’re
alive it’s a slippery slope you’re
opening up yourself to the power of
Satan the number one I believe demonic
I’m gonna call him what he is I know his
name fierce the kind of demons that are
killing our teenager seventy thousand
young people dying of opioids a year
with prescription drugs and shooting up
and hanging themselves and overdosing
more fierce demons they will not respond
to religiosity but they will respond to
a disciple who will fast and pray and
say you get out and Holy Spirit you come
in we’re talking about your soul buddy
we’re talking about eternity we’re
talking about your marriage we’re
talking about your family we’re talking
about your ministry we’re talking about
your character we’re talking about your
integrity and if you don’t get the evil
out the Holy Spirit won’t come in
Christian’s being entertained by demonic
activity Ouija boards and fortune
tellers and palm reading and Shamas and
spirit guides and voodoo and witchcraft
this kind you get more than you
bargained for if you play with that
stuff you gone off to college and act
like you’re smarter than the Word of God
in the Bible and every preacher you’ve
ever heard you gone and get around the
new professor that’s telling you
something crazy and asking you to take
this and that and hold on to that rock
or take that crystal and come to it you
know what you might pick up more than a
hum you might pick up a little spirit in
your life but it’s alright you’re in the
right place right now somebody’s
listening to me
[Music]
[Applause]
and let’s get broken before God safely
me
I’m almost finished the Bible said when
Jesus told him that when an unclean
spirit leaves he leaves that vessel that
temple listen to it empty and clean and
that demon goes and finds seven more
spirits and he comes back with seven
times the power that he had saying you
thought you were free but we’re gonna
take you so low this time that we’re
gonna kill him but when the unclean
spirit is going out it goes out and it
leaves that place empty and clean and
another spirit who fasting and prayer it
goes out it exits but another spirit
wants to fill it that’s why you need to
be filled with the Holy Spirit need to
have a prayer language you need to get
so full of the Holy Ghost that you don’t
live by bread alone but by by a
connection and empowerment and in the
communion of the Holy Spirit when that
thing comes back oh it’s not empty the
Holy Spirit is in there and he may have
seven times more but you got a thousand
times more when you got the Holy Spirit
inside of you would anybody like to have
a thousand times more of the Holy Spirit
to open the door when seven times more
demons come knocking whoa I feel like
shouting
[Applause]
so it’s time to quit talking about it
it’s time to do it but I’m not fasting
for more of God I’m fasting that God
will have more of me and I’m fasting
that the fierce demons the more fierce
demons will be cast out and the door
will open through the same means that
they go out the Holy Spirit comes in
anybody ready for a visitation of new
stretch your hand this way everybody in
this room at every campus and let’s pray
this prayer out loud say these words
Lord Jesus I put my life in your hands I
would hold nothing I present to you my
body as a living sacrifice I want you to
clean it out I want every unclean thing
every unclean habit every unclean ritual
every unclean spirit every unclean
connection every connection to the stark
spirit world
I want it broken I commanded to say this
with just as much
through these coming
[Music]
I
I am forgiven now
[Music]
God loves you and by His mercy and by
His grace today you can start the year
off right and I want to encourage you to
turn everything over to him if you don’t
know him and you want to get right with
God this is your chance you’re not
watching this program by accident God I
believe set it up today for you to have
a change in your life that you never
dreamed possible I don’t care what
you’re dealing with I don’t care if
you’re strongly addicted or or the
enemies just whispered to you your
mistakes your failures are too great no
God’s grace is greater and he’s ready
now to extend that grace to you pray
with me right where you are say Lord
Jesus I give you my life I give you
everything I surrender all to you today
just pray that prayer just say those
words out loud Jesus I need great grace
I thank you that I’ve made mistakes but
I’m not a mistake you love me and you
forgive me today by your amazing great
grace in Jesus name Amen
I’d love to hear from you there’s a
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send us an email and there’s all kinds
of free material there let us know what
God is doing in your life in conclusion
I want to say that I’m believing as
we’re fasting and we’re praying here at
this ministry and I know I know by a for
a fact that there are tens of thousands
of you that have joined us all over the
world in this fast that’s very exciting
to me because I know what happens when
we when we decrease and God increases in
our life our hunger for God our desire
to put God first increases amazing
things happen that’s when he starts he
starts fighting our battles for us thank
you so much we love you all god bless
you let us start off the new year strong
and even dreaming for greater days
discovered this secret discipline of
and the powerful rewards that come with
it our annual corporate fest begins
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franklin TB yeah it was last summer in
Detroit you know and I thought I was
engaged to the girl of my dreams and job
was going very well where I thought all
this was headed was marriage and family
and and I could not have been I could
not have been more wrong
she asked to meet me so we met in a
Starbucks parking lot she gave me the
ring back she needed time to figure
things out and I’m just a mess I’m
losing it you know wondering will I ever
see you again you know and
and that was August 18th of last year
and I never saw her again
a friend came in my office
he knew my story he said I don’t know
how to show you this I just have to show
you he turned his fooling around and it
was her wedding photo it turned out that
when she met me to give me back the ring
she was married she had already been
married side Bend
I’d been struggling with alcohol for
probably two years after she gave me
back the ring and disappeared I went to
the bar that night and I drank for 10 11
11 hours so from the fourth of July
until Sunday August 20th I had been
drunk all day every day it was a real
harrowing time of my life and I got home
I walked into my bathroom and without
even thinking about it
on the way I had I had this favorite
belt of mine in this really sturdy belt
and I put it over the door and I’ll tell
you what I was thinking this is too much
like this is too much I can’t this is
too much I can’t get through this God
you know and that’s why I picked up my
phone then went to YouTube
and search for how to recover from a
broken heart and a man I had never heard
of in my whole life
popped up Jenson Franklin and I sat in
my bathroom and I watched his message
deep wounds deep healing and I didn’t
know it until the next day but the
anointing that is on pastor Jenson
somehow it came through my phone and I
was delivered from alcohol
instantaneously I watched that message
on repeat for six hours until I was
sober again I started skipping through
sermons and I saw this one on fasting
and so I watched it and I was like
that’s fascinating you know I need that
in my life to become weak so that I can
become strong because his strength is
made perfect in my weakness and so that
following that that weekend when I drove
down to visit free chapel because God I
knew God had called me to free chapel
and I said I’m gonna fast so I got all
the way through the drive and that was
my first fast was coming down to free
chapel to visit what I knew was gonna be
my new home my new church somehow
someway I fasted the whole way and then
I ruined it with a red ball at the end I
went to the nine o’clock service and
this is a guy that has never raised his
hands in his entire life and the minute
the worship starts I just go like this I
just knew I was home I just knew it this
is worth this is where I belong you know
this is a smudge and then I had to go
back to Detroit I’ve got a good job in
Detroit I’m doing okay and a week later
I got a phone call from a recruiter for
a competitor with an Atlanta position
that was open for the same job I always
doing in Detroit just for a different
company he called me and he delivered me
here in two months it’s like God we
serve
I would say to anyone who hasn’t fasted
alright who hasn’t tried fasting I feel
like I accelerated his power through
some of the most difficult situations
I’ve ever faced in my life there’s no
there’s no better way to clear the
clutter out of your life and to focus
solely on the Lord Jesus Christ than to
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