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

number that’s on the screen go online

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

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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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