In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
Isaiah 22:25
Beloved, I pray with you that every problem that has fastened itself to you like a nail in a sure place shall be removed, cut down and fall according to The Word of The Lord in Jesus’ name, Amen
What does The World say about decreeing, agreeing, Faithing?
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will bef loosed in Heaven.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.”
Matthew 18:18
“thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”
Job 22:28
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope forand assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
We live in the physical, what is determined is in the spiritual. When we pray, we speak in the spiritual. A key reason the physical is restricted to fellowship in spirit with God.
Although the Bible doesn’t give a direct command on this issue, examples of fasting appear in both the Old and the New Testaments. One of the most telling passages in which fasting is mentioned is Matthew 6:16, where Jesus is teaching His disciples basic principles of godly living. When speaking on fasting, He begins with, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.”
Jesus’ words imply that fasting will be a regular practice in His followers’ lives.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, said, “Jesus takes it for granted that His disciples will observe the pious custom of fasting. Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian life. Such customs have only one purpose — to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.”
Fasting prepares you for the works God has ordained for you to do.
Wesley Duewel, a twentieth-century writer, said, “You and I have no more right to omit fasting because we feel no special emotional prompting than we have a right to omit prayer, Bible reading, or assembling with God’s children for lack of some special emotional prompting. Fasting is just as biblical and normal a part of a spiritual walk of obedience with God as are these others.”
People fast for a number of reasons. Following are seven circumstances in the Bible in which believers sought God through this discipline.
1. To prepare for ministry. Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness fasting and praying before He began God’s work on this earth. He needed time alone to prepare for what His Father had called Him to do (Matthew 4:1-17; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-14).
2. To seek God’s wisdom. Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted for the elders of the churches before committing them to the Lord for His service (Acts 14:23).
3. To show grief. Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed when he learned Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down, leaving the Israelites vulnerable and disgraced (Nehemiah 1:1-4).
4. To seek deliverance or protection. Ezra declared a corporate fast and prayed for a safe journey for the Israelites as they made the nine-hundred- mile trek to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 8:21-23).
5. To repent. After Jonah pronounced judgment against the city of Nineveh, the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust. He then ordered the people to fast and pray. Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.”
6. To gain victory. After losing forty thousand men in battle in two days, the Israelites cried out to God for help. Judges 20:26 says all the people went up to Bethel and “sat weeping before the Lord.” They also “fasted that day until evening.” The next day the Lord gave them victory over the Benjamites.
7. To worship God. Luke 2 tells the story of an eighty-four-year-old prophetess named Anna. Verse 37 says, “She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” Anna was devoted to God, and fasting was one expression of her love for Him.
Despite biblical examples throughout Scripture, many Christians are slow to fast. I believe there are three main factors that cause believers to be hesitant — fear, ignorance, or rebellion.
Fear. They’re afraid. Afraid of the unknown. Afraid of feeling hunger pangs. Afraid of starting and not finishing. Afraid of fasting alone. The Enemy has them convinced they could never do it. Instead of looking to the Lord’s strength for help, they become consumed with their own weaknesses and paralyzed by fear.
Ignorance. Many Christians simply have not been taught about the importance of seeking God in this way. Churches often do not encourage fasting, and in many cases never even mention it from the pulpit. For example, I grew up in a Bible-believing church, but I don’t recall hearing a message on fasting until I was an adult.
Rebellion. A large segment of the Christian population is aware of the benefits of fasting, yet they’re unwilling to do it. Their hearts are hardened when it comes to the idea of fasting. When God invites them to draw near, they dig their heels into the ground and refuse to obey.
Moses Fasted Before Receiving the Commandments – Deuteronomy 9:9-18
Moses fasted for 40 days when he went up to the mountain to receive the commandments of God written on stone tablets. This was an unusual and miraculous fast if we take it at face value. Moses says that he did not eat food nor drink water during the 40 days (Deuteronomy 9:9).
After he came down from the mountain of God and saw the people transgressing the commandments that were just given, Moses angrily breaks the tablets of stone. After a time he ascends the mountain once again and proceeds to fast another 40 days without food and water before receiving the law once more (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25, 26; 10:10).
David Mourning His Child’s Illness – 2 Samuel 12:1-23
After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba he learned that she was pregnant. David had her husband executed so that he could take her to be his wife. At some point after the baby was born Nathan the prophet confronted David about his sin. David confessed and repented (2 Samuel 12:1-14).
Elijah Fasted While Escaping Jezebel – 1 Kings 19:4-8
Wicked Queen Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet Elijah after he won the great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah fled to Beer-sheba where he left his servant. Then he traveled alone another day into the wilderness.
Elijah found a juniper tree and rested. He prayed to God to allow him to die. He did not really want to die. If he did he could have stayed where he was and let the queen take care of him. Elijah was very discouraged and lay down for a nap. An angel came and fed him (1 Kings 19:5, 6). Elijah took the food and then went back to sleep.
After being fed by the angel a second time, Elijah prepared for a great journey. The Bible says that Elijah traveled for 40 days in the strength of that food until he arrived at Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:7, 8). This is the same mountain where Moses received the 10 Commandments. It was called Mount Sinai during Moses’ time.
There are so many examples of fasting in The Word. Something we notice is the period, 40 days. This should definitely be held in esteem, in Jesus’ fast, He was ‘led’ into the wilderness by The Spirit, we are not aware of all that occured during this period, but the same when Moses fasted, the Isrealites turned aside and made an image they ‘celebrated.’ An image! Molten jewelr, Moses smashed the tablets that he brought down from the mountain. The tables he shared the The Spirit of God had cleaved!
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
Exodus 32:19,20
Mind you, Moses was just like you or I. He had a temper that at times led him astray. We read instances; killing the guard in Egypt for which he ran death by Pharoah, crushing the tablets and making the people drink it, again in anger striking the stone as opposed to touching it led by The Lord.
He received his due for his acts. He was not able to set a physical foot in or on the promised land.
Since before the Exodus, the Israelites had a tendency to whine and complain about a whole host of things, including their leaders. Sometime after leaving Egyptian slavery they had a dire need for water. Instead of asking and having faith in God, they turned to complaining against their human leaders who were Moses and Aaron. They whined about being brought out to the wilderness so that, they assumed, both they and all they possessed would be no more.
5 Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this miserable place where nothing will grow? . . . There is not even any water to drink! (Numbers 20:5)
What was the solution to the problem of NO water for the people, cattle, etc. in the desert wilderness of Zin? God told Moses and Aaron that they were to, before the entire population that left Egypt, strike a certain rock with Aaron’s staff. After they did this water would come from the rock to quell the thirst of the people (Numbers 20). The two men pretty much did what God commanded, except that they were so angry with the people that they made it appear as if they by their own power were providing water (“Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” – Numbers 20:10).
https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/32097-exodus-32-and-numbers-20-4-ways-to-control-your-anger
We can continue sharing and yes, we shall- Amen, but in conclusion; we should learn to talk with God and subdue the flesh. For we commune not with flesh and blood. As pointed out, we commune in the spirit, Amen
