#79 “Understanding the Role of Fasting”

(Reason’s for fasting?) Pt3

“The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,

“John’s disciples often fast and pray,

and so do the disciples of the Pharisees,

but yours go on eating and drinking.”

[Isaiah 58:6]

King James Version (KJV)
 

The next reason it’s important for Christian to fast, especially those who are intercessor; because when we’re fasting we’re actually participating in intercession. Many in the body of Christ, have never looked at fasting in term of being a means of intercession. However, the Lord said, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke?” [Isaiah 58:6] so the kind of fast that God find pleasure in is one that is done on behalf of those who are bound, those who are living in wickedness. Although we feel that fasting is for us, when it in fact it should be for others. I can remember when I was young in the Lord, it seemed that I was always on a fast, for strength, to be delivered for some temptation or just because the church called a 30-day fast and everyone was expected to participate. Although these did me much good, and was very helpful in keeping me close to God they weren’t the kind of fast God required of me. 

 

The time we spend in fasting and prayer if much, more than setting aside time to pray, which often ends up being a “Help me Lord” session instead of a “Help them Lord.”  But when we fast in conjunction with our prayer, translate our prayer time to a whole other place. Let’s take a look at some examples of this; “Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.” Here we have Jesus Himself fasting not just a few hours or a day or two but for forty days and nights. Why? Because the assignment that God had given Him would requires great suffering and He knew He need this time of consecration to prepare for it. 
 

It wasn’t uncommon for Jesus to enter into pray and fasting before making some monumental decision, regarding His mission here on earth. Like for instance selecting who would be His primary twelve disciples, even this required consulting with the Father, in fact He never did anything without speaking with the Father first. “At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles: 

1)       Simon, whom he named Peter,

2)       Andrew, his brother,

3)       James,

4)       John,

5)       Philip,

6)       Bartholomew,

7)       Matthew,

8)       Thomas,

9)       James, son of Alphaeus,

10)   Simon, called the Zealot,

11)   Judas, son of James,

12)   Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him (Luke 6:12-16) 
 

Surely we can’t forget the prayer Jesus prayed of His disciples whom the Father had given to Him just before He was crucified; because He even included us in that prayer, “Now, Father, I’m coming back to you. I say these things while I’m still in the world so that they will have the same joy that I have. I have given them your message. But the world has hated them because they don’t belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. They don’t belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. “Use the truth to make them holy. Your words are truth. I have sent them into the world the same way you sent me into the world. I’m dedicating myself to this holy work I’m doing for them so that they, too, will use the truth to be holy. “I’m not praying only for them. I’m also praying for those who will believe in me through their message. I pray that all of these people continue to have unity in the way that you, Father, are in me and I am in you. (John 17:13-21) Jesus was fasting and praying not for His deliverance, but for that of His disciples and for those who would believe on His name for many generations to come.  

What I found interesting was that even though Jesus fasted and prayed often, He did not require His disciples to do the same. When He was approached by the scribes and Pharisees regarding why His disciples did not fast like John the Baptist’s disciples what did Jesus tell them? “Jesus answered, “can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with tem? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them: in those days they will fast.” Jesus was doing all the fasting they need at that time and what He was doing was more than sufficient to cover all of them. Now was their time to learn for Jesus example and then once He was gone they would take up where He had left off. Then it would be their time and ours to fast and pray for the world as He had while here on earth.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach us the way we should go and how to follow Jesus example in fasting and prayer. Help us to learn the value and importance of fasting in conjunction with our prayers. Help us to learn that our pray time is not intended for us but a time for us to seek your face and gain instruction for what to do during our day. As we learn to see our time of prayer and fasting as a time to prry for the needs of other and the conditions of this world, we are confident you will take care of everything we ourselves have need of. Thank You Father for your many blessings in Jesus name we pray, Amen!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace! 

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