Archive for the 'Fasting' Category
For a period of time, I chose not to tithe and rather to give in a generous way. The problem was, as God pointed out to me, the “giving” most of the time brought at least a little glory to me. The people that I gave to would see how generous I was rather than God seeing how generous I was towards Him. True, this giving can give glory to God also, but He does not like sharing. Tithing is something that is done in secret. Only you know whether you are consistent and/or generous. It keeps in perspective that God is sovereign and knows exactly how the money needs to be dispersed. Giving to the church is an organized way to disperse this money. Not that God won’t lead you to give also. He said “what you do for the least of these, you did for Me.” He requires you to give time, energy, money, etc.
A friend told me that it was too legalistic–the whole 10% every month thing. Also, in this legalistic requirement, people gave out of a “have to” rather than “want to” spirit. Truthfully, she’s right. In the beginning, I did give because I felt it was a requirement. But then again, that is why I started fasting, praying, giving to others… Somewhere along the way, the “have to” turned to “want to”. When it started, I was a little afraid what would happen when I did not tithe. It seemed that when I didn’t tithe, my money seemed less or spent faster. When I did, I would get checks in the mail from who knows where? After starting to take notice of these consequences (both positive and negative), I began to tithe out of “have to” AND “afraid not to”. Now, it is so different. It took about 3 years of consistent tithing, but I am at a place where I feel real joy when it’s time to give tithe. I find myself asking what I can give more and still be a good steward. I still have a lot of immaturity in this area, but I have seen the progression just a little bit, and it excites me.
As far as the whole 10% thing, God looks at the heart. Give what you can. But remember, if it doesn’t hurt you a little, it doesn’t require faith. 10% is enough that I cringe a little when I write the check (told you bout that immaturity). If that’s not enough for you to feel financial strain, moneybags, then give 20%. Anyway, just try it for a few years , your life and finances will dramatically change. (Yep I said years. This is an eternal kingdom where life is but a breath. But if you give a few years to a spiritual concept, you will see supernatural, powerful change in that area of your life.)
January 14 2010 | Fasting and My Life | 2 Comments »
Lately, God has begun to take me on a journey of teaching and lessons. A major component of this time of training has been the necessity to die to myself. The knowledge of this necessity as a requirement has begun to drop from my head to my heart. (I love it when this happens! It’s sort of like those light bulb moments you had in school only in the school of the Spirit.) This Christmas, God revealed a practical method to die to myself. It is so simple with profound implications in my spirit. I can’t begin to explain how I feel and the victory that is won when I obey this “simple” command by God, my Father. There are so many biblical examples to support this method such as Abraham and Jesus instructions in Mark 10-21-31. God answered my prayer by showing me how a few of my favorite things would allow me to enjoy great victory over my flesh and ultimately God’s continuous presence and power in my life.
This holiday, I went out Christmas shopping for friends and family. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I usually end up buying a couple gifts for myself. Maybe even more than I do for others (sadly, i must admit.) At the first store, I bought myself two sweaters- one cream colored and one royal blue with a unique design. I tried them on and instantly loved and had to have both of them! Even though they were not on sale, I simply desired them for myself so much that I bought them. As I was leaving the store, God told me that I was to give the cream sweater to my mother and the blue sweater to my friend Bekah. Seriously? I love these sweaters! Ugh. And I went on shopping. When I got home, God continued to remind me of what he had asked. I decided to keep them both for myself instead. In fact, I wore the cream sweater to my mom’s house. As I was leaving her house, my mom, who never compliments what I wear, said “Hm. I really like that sweater.” Really, God? Ugh.
Then a couple days ago as I was going to put on a charm bracelet that I made for myself, God told me to give it to my friend Tina B. Really, God? This one? But it’s my favorite! I can’t ever make another one like it. He didn’t relent. I spoke with Bekah hoping to get some Christian guidance that would oppose God. Bekah loves me and is good about giving me a couple of perspectives including one on MY side. She reminded me of a necklace that Tina had wanted and how she would much rather have that. Yes! That’s what I was looking for! And so I went home satisfied that I would get to keep the bracelet.
As I was lying down that night, God said clearly, “It’s not about the bracelet. It’s about your favorite thing.” God began to reveal that this was the answer to my prayers to Him. I had prayed, “God, teach me how to die to myself.” This was the practical way. Take your favorite thing and give it away, and each time you do this, you will die to yourself… to your desires. This demonstrates your willingness to lay yourself down and also your utter trust in God. He reminded me of Abraham. His life was filled with this. When he gave the best land to Lot…. When he was willing to give up Isaac. God was teaching Him to die to himself and live in utter trust of God.
So, I put the bracelet in a gift bag and drove it over to Tina B. She began to gush about the personal significance of each charm on this one of a kind bracelet. She even told me that she liked it so much better than the necklace that she had wanted because it was so significant to her thereby meant so much to her. I walked out of her house elated with God’s love in obedience. Today I put the blue sweater in a bag to give to Bekah. I was on a roll. I had learned my lesson and would never withhold when God told me to give. I gave it to her before the church service, and she loved it. God’s presence was so near me throughout worship and the teaching. This was my reward. God was delighted in my obedience, and I felt it. If this is what dying to my desires feels like, I want to do it every day. I’ll give away everything. It’s so amazing. What are a couple sweaters and a bracelet next to the presence and delight of the eternal, uncreated, almighty, holy God?
If this has moved you, I pray that you will be obedient to give whatever He is asking to whomever He is telling you to give it. You will not be disappointed. You will be rewarded not just in heaven, but even now. Mark 10:30 It is only with God’s help that we are able to do this. So pray that He will give you the strength to obey. Mark 10:27
TEXT from Bekah
December 27 2009 | Bible Study and Fasting and My Life | 9 Comments »
It’s Day 9 of my first 40 day fast. It really feels like it should be Day 10. Maybe I missed a day somewhere? Anyway, this fast I immediately made the decision that I would only eat what I could get through a straw… a liquid fast of sorts. Now, I know this sounds silly, but fasting is really about denying yourself and being hungry. And I am thoroughly denied and absolutely famished. Right now, I am eating squash soup with enough melted cheese and sour cream to almost be cheating… almost.
I have already begun to have an awakening to the deeper parts of God, my trust in Him has grown, and I have had a unique surprise revelation of the emotions of God. Today as I was reading Isaiah 54, it was amazing how God’s voice and emotion jumped out of the Bible at me. During my worship time yesterday and while I was running, I could feel the presence of the Spirit of God resting on my back and shoulders. That familiar slightly cold, slightly warm tingle–something like goose bumps but warm. As He speaks to me, I feel a brush of wind along my neck and hairline, but there is no wind. As I was praying in my kitchen last night, I had a vision of Jesus–all brightness around Him and eyes of fire and embers and wind, wind all around Him, arms outstretched towards me. It stole my breath, and the presence of God overtook me. Did I realize what I was asking when I asked for a deeper revelation?
With a deeper revelation, comes a deeper longing.
With every new revelation of God, your spiritual “vessel” is made larger. Your Spirit will crave more of God, more of His presence, more revelation of Him. If you do not fill it with God, the Enemy will have more of a chance to tempt you because you will be hungrier. Ever gone to the grocery store STARVING. Big mistake. Same principle. You will not be able to satisfy this hunger with a mediocre prayer life, or the vast hunger will lead you to stumble because of our Enemy who prowls like a lion waiting for the moment that you are not satisfied in God.
Madness
God is an all-consuming fire. As you dare to press in, dare to pray for more revelation, and as He grants it, do not doubt that you will be consumed. He will be all that you can talk about. All you can think about. This is madness to the world. But worldly-mindedness is enmity to God. Worldly-minded does not have to do with sin. It has to do with your perspective. The wordly-perspective says “I Can. What will bring glory to me? (Make others think I am good)” The Godly-mind says “He Can through me. What will bring glory to God?” God requires complete dependence, trust, and reliance upon Him. What will happen when God tells you to sell your house and give it to the poor? How will the world look at this? What about when you tell them that God speaks to you, period? What will they think of you then? You may lose their respect, and the world may think you mad.
Pressing In
Opening the eyes of your understanding as Paul said in Ephesians means that your spiritual eyes are opened, being led by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, in prayer with the Spirit at all times. This is how you walk with deeper revelation of God. The world will be curious about you, drawn to you even, because your thoughts (ways of thinking) will not be their thoughts because as you are consumed, your mind is being molded into the mind of Christ–the mind of God ( Isaiah 55:8, 1 Cor 2). The mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man (1Cor 2:5-6). It doesn’t make sense. This is why the world will reject you. But blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake.
“I have come to start a fire on this earth. How I wish it were burning right now!” –Jesus
The hour is here. It’s at hand. Jesus does not wish for you to be luke warm; He wants you to be CONSUMED– madly in love, and deeply intimate (knowing the deep things and emotions of God) with Him. Pressing into the fire means stepping into the eternal blaze. This will kill you. He called you to die, so that you might live. As you live in this consumed, crazy, intimate, deep state, you will experience the great joys of God. You will experience what are the heights, the depths, and the lengths, and the widths of His love. Ever been in love? This is better….. It’s sooooo much better. Give it all. He wants all of You. Press In.
November 02 2009 | Bible Study and Fasting and My Life | 1 Comment »
Day 6
It’s still early in my fast, but I have had some amazing experiences with God already. In my worship yesterday, I felt God opening up the eyes of my heart/eyes of my spirit (Ephesians 1:18) even more. I began to see in the supernatural. An incredible fear overtook me with the realization that at any time or given moment, I am surrounded by both angels and demons. A new reality of my need for God overtook me as I realized that the spirit realm is much larger and more significant than the natural realm.
A religious spirit which is not of God wants us to reject this realization. The occult world has known, accepted, and operated in this spirit realm, but ALL POWER comes from God. The occult world is twisting this power and using it for their own will and not to do the will of God. Jesus said that He is the door into the kingdom of God. He is the door into the power of God, the 4th dimension, and the spirit realm. In the same chapter (John 10), he says that He that enters in not by the door but climbs in some other way, the same is a thief or a robber. The occult has climbed into this realm through another way and taken hold, stolen some of this power.
It is the same as in the old testament, where the pharoah’s magicians and soothsayers exercised in a certain amount of power. But the power of God knows no end. According to Ephesians 2:6, He has made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This means that we are seated with Him in authority. We have all authority in the spirit realm (Eph 1:19-22) if we are completely submitted to God and His will.
Think about it! It’s an amazing realization. Do not let the spirit of religion deceive you. The spirit realm is very real. Anything that you have heard of or know of occurring in the occult world or in the world of magic is just a small measure and a twisting of God’s power. The spirit world is in full blown operation all around you. Right now, you are in the midst of heavenly (angelic and demonic) armies. And you, who are the sons of God, have all authority in this realm for you are seated with Christ (Eph 1:19-22).
October 30 2009 | Fasting and My Life | 1 Comment »
The Secret Weapon of the Last Day Church
I have made you a watchman for the house of Irael; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me Ezek 33:7
Joel 1:13 Come, lie all night.
Watch, n: The act of keeping awake to guard, protect or attend; the state of being wakeful; a state of alert and continuous attention
Throughout scripture there i evidence of God’s power being released when people went without sleep (watched) and prayed–both individually and in one accord with others. Both in the old testament and new, individuals such as Joel, Samuel, David, the disciples, and Jesus practiced praying through the night and calling upon God, interceding for nations and peoples. In these last days, a movement is sprouting across the world for forerunners or watchmen who will sacrifice their time and comfort to stay alert and call out to God on behalf of others.
We need the intimacy, power, and ability we receive as we spend time watching and praying with the Lord. Before the days of Christ, people watched and prayed out of their desperate needs. But the times that Jeus spent watching were times of communing intimately with His father. His times of watching were a source of life for Him, a relationship with Abba Father. And of course, there He received the revelations and instruction He needed to fulfill His purpose on earth.
Each weekend, a group of us spend a night in this time, this watch of the Lord, praying and interceding for the nations, people, church, our country, and leaders, and whatever the heart of God is calling us to pray. We are longing and welcoming the presence of God. This meeting, its purpose is rooted in desperatio and the need for intimacy, anointing, & power. As this group is just beginning, I am excited to see the release of God’s movement in our lives and through our prayer.
April 18 2009 | Fasting and end times | No Comments »
by Dana Candler
Fasting on a weekly basis might be for many a new idea…if not a disturbing idea. Why disturbing? We have preconceived ideas and perhaps past experiences that have left us on the skeptical side of how this really works as a lifestyle. Yet it must be made clear from the start that this sort of fasting routine requires and mandates a very essential element in you and me, a necessary ingredient that must be incorporated into the mix for all to work as intended. Simply said, this crucial component is DESIRE. The heart holds the central affections and passions that drive us from day to day and unless love is the push behind our motivation, unless desire for Jesus is that which fuels our fasting, we will end in burn out and disillusionment over time.
When Jesus said, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast,” He opened up an invitation to mourn and long and fast out of a heart that misses Him, desires His nearness and longs for His Return (Matt. 9:15). He described a day that He would be taken from us, the Bridegroom would be taken away, and in His delay the friends of the Bridegroom would mourn for Him…would long and ache for His return. Jesus predicted what would seem normal in those days for those who love and miss the Bridegroom—fasting consistently out of a perpetual desire for Him. In our day, our role to play is not ambiguous or uncertain but very clear and evident. The eyes of Jesus are searching for friends who love Him so deeply that they do more than just ascribe faith in Him, they actually live their days in an incessant longing for His Return.
We fast with a twofold longing, a dual desire. First, we groan for Jesus’ Return and second, we desire to experience His manifest love and presence now. Fasting for the Bridegroom plays a joint role of expressing our mourning and discontentment with Jesus’ absence while simultaneously sensitizing us to His presence by the Holy Spirit. Through this yearning for Jesus through fasting—our hearts become enlarged to experience His divine love and presence.
Such a lifestyle of fasting, coupled always with the tenderness of prayer, is also the place of preparation—the place where voices of authority are formed in the fires of refinement and the place of encounter. Thus, desire for Jesus leads to fasting, fasting enlarges our hearts for greater experience of Him, and these greater encounters of Jesus lead to a yearning for His Return coupled with a true authority to speak of Him and make Him known to others. Truly, this lifestyle of consistent fasting, fueled by desire, is our gift to embrace. As we do this over time, experience of the Lord will give way to greater longing for Him and we will become gripped by His love, eager for His Return, and equipped to prepare others to receive and respond to Him in fullness.
Source
April 16 2009 | Fasting | No Comments »
Fasting is a call to embrace voluntarily weakness in order to experience more of God’s presence. Mt. 6:1-23 points to five expressions of “voluntary weakness” in which we invest our natural strengths (food, time, money, words, energy and influence) in our relationship with Jesus.
Fasting is VOLUNTARY weakness in your areas of natural strength. Voluntarily you make the choice to give up the energy and pleasure that food gives you. Voluntarily, you forfeit the compliments that that new dress would give you when you choose not to buy it. Voluntarily, you give up a large portion of your income to give to charities, the poor, and those who need it more than you. Voluntarily, you give up ten percent of your earnings to God. It is a choice. You have to first make the decision to not buy the shoes, not spend your money on things that give you pleasure, not eat the food that would give you ectasy, not saying exactly what you want to say to your boss, not buying that new car & making due with driving the lemon for a time, not date the hot guy that would not meet God’s standards but DeFinItEly meets the worlds, not going out and instead choose to stay in and worship God …study God. These are choices that you make. Living fasted is ON PURPOSE. Yes God will give you Grace. This involves dedicating a large slice of your time to praying, praying for that grace, and drawing from God’s strength. It involves most of the time, making yourself lesser to make God greater. But it always begins with a decision that you make on purpose and with purpose. Fasting means giving away your strength with faith that God will return it to you in one way or another, in this age or the age to come.
We are called to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Loving God with All our Strength means loving God with our resources: time, money, physical strength & abilities. God doesn’t need these things. But when we offer these things to Him in love …when we PRESS to obey Him by giving above and beyond to the point where we FEEL the weakness…something happens inside of us in the STRUGGLE , in the REACH to obey. We are brought into a deeper love & revelation of God. He gives us the ability to love Him deeper. You will never mature in love for God without endeavoring to love God with all of your strength. Until the area of our strength is intentionally part of our pursuit in loving Him, we will always come up short and immature in our love.
During this reach, we encounter many moments of uncertainty & humility. Still God wants us to press on and fast in these arenas. This is the fasted lifestyle (Matt 6: 1-23). This is the life Christians are called to live. Fasting is non-negotiable if you want to mature in your relationship with God. God understands the dynamics of the human spirit, psychology, and physiology, and He has commanded us to live a fasted lifestyle to position our mind, heart, and spirit to interact with His spirit and receive more of Him along with being able to love Him as deeply as He loves us. And when we can love Him in this way, we will be ready to do powerful things in our lives and in the lives of others. That is so exciting, and what Christ-lover does not want this? This is the greatest reward to be able to have love poured into you by the Holy Spirit and to pour your love out to God just as deeply.
Asking God for the grace of fasting should be a common prayer. Not just food. Sometimes food seems to be the easiest to fast when I am reaching into my wallet or stifling my pride. One of the things that I have to pray most often is for the grace to live fasted with my money and time. God has certainly given to me grace in these areas since I began asking of Him this. It is difficult when financially I continue giving and tithing and just when I am down to a very uncertain bank account balance he asks me to give once again. This stretch is certainly felt throughout my spirit. God knows me and loves my obedience and faith. I feel this makes a statement to God that everything I have is His, is because of Him, and everything I have is to be used to glorify God. Is it difficult to give that tithe every month or give to those who need it rather than going to Starbucks when I want? Yes. I love Starbucks. But my reward is in heaven, and it is much better than a latte. Just as the elders lay down their crowns of gold (hard-earned rewards) because God is deserving of the glory, just as the woman wasted her inheritance and showered Jesus with her perfume, I will lay down my income, my time, appetites, pride, and all offerings to my God.
7 A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure…8 I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness (voluntary weakness). Therefore…I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:7-9)
February 25 2009 | Christianity Today and Fasting | No Comments »
A High Vision is Necessary in Fasting
Anyone who desires to live a life characterized by fasting must begin with a high vision, a vision to experience the fullness of what God wants to give each of us in this age. We fast because we
cannot endure living in spiritual barrenness. The person who fasts understands the gap between what God wants to give them and what they are actually experiencing. The lack in our experience causes us
to be discontent and to mourn. When we recognize that there is a realm in God to which we are invited but not yet experiencing, we become ruined. We must have this fullness. This state of “ruinedness” is an essential part of the lifestyle of fasting. Without a vision or hope for attaining more in God, we will not fast.
The Church today needs a renewed vision of fasting. We need to recognize it as a gift from God that leads the human spirit into fascination and exhilaration before Him. God has given us the grace of the Bridegroom fast that we might maximize the privilege of encountering the Bridegroom God, Jesus. Fasting is not intended by God to be something we hate. It is a gift meant to tenderize
our hearts and bring great change in our lives. Fasting expresses our vision and determination to have more of God, and the pain of recognizing the ways in which we fall short. We fast because we believe God desires to take the vision He has marked us with and bring it to fruition over time. We believe in Jesus’ promise that there truly are rewards given by His Father, and we refuse to live as though this promise were not true (Matt. 6:17, 18).
Taken from The Rewards of Fasting by Mike Bickle and Dana Candler
January 22 2009 | Christianity Today and Fasting | 1 Comment »
I absolutely adore the church International House of Prayer in Kansas City. People like Lou Engle, Misty Edwards, and Dwayne Roberts. These people speak and live with the urgency that most of the church is lacking.
During these next 19 days of fasting, I have found that the OneThing conference held in Kansas City has posted their teaching archives from these great men and women of God. For these teaching session archives click here: session teaching archives
Also, IHOP is full of free resources to study and go deeper with God including teachings on fasting:
ihop.org/free
IHOP is offering a free worship cd for download, click here and enter a valid email address for this free worship cd:
Forerunner Music Free Worship cd
Enjoy!
I hope that God is increasing your spiritual sensitivity. Speak with the Spirit that God has placed inside you- His spirit. Jesus very feelings, thoughts, and emotions- you can know them, now. Crave Him. He is so worth giving up what your flesh desires. Don’t give up. Press in. And ask God to feed you on His substance. To satisfy you with his essence.
L
January 10 2009 | Fasting | No Comments »
One of the main reasons I always fast is the longing for a deepening encounter with Jesus. This is the same kind of motivation that is discussed in Matthew 9:15. Usually a Bridegroom Fast is 3 days at the beginning of each month where you forego food completely unified holy abandonment to
Jesus Christ. I believe any fast can also become a bridegroom fast if your purpose and motivation is love and longing for the person of Christ.
“The Bridegroom fast is motivated by desire for God, with a purpose of receiving greater measures of revelation at an accelerated pace and with a deeper impact. Though the Bridegroom fast increases our capacity to experience God’s fiery affections towards us, sustained fasting can also lead to increast spiritual warfare as well as other challenges.” (ihop.org)
If you are looking for focuses during your prayer time outside of your individual focuses…
1. Fullness of the Holy Spirit and unity in the Church (John 14:12,17:2-23)
Spiritual breakthroughs in the Church worldwide with unprecedented unity, purity, and power
2. The Great Harvest (Matthew 24:14) Over one billion souls converted by the power of God
3. Youth Revival Movement (Malachi 4:6) Worldwide revival especially among the poor of the earth
4. Revival to Israel (Romans 9-11)
Fulfillment of all the prophetic promises to the nation of Israel
5. Wealth of the Nations (Haggai 2:7-9)
Release of finances for the Harvest, the prayer movement, and the poor
6. The Wall of Fire (Zechariah 2:5)
Divine protection of all that is birthed through prayer
January 08 2009 | Fasting | No Comments »
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