Today I start a new series entitled, “The Benefits of Prayer and Fasting,” under the banner of the overall series for the year: “Expectation.” In our last message we looked at Luke/Mark 4 and John 4. Let’s go back to these passages today.
In Luke/Mark 4, we see that Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast. At the end of the fast Jesus was hungry. The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” The temptation was for Jesus to succumb to the cravings of His flesh, over the leading of the Holy Spirit. Jesus resisted the temptation. He responded with the Word of God. Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In John 4, Jesus had an encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well while His disciples went into town to buy lunch. When they got back they offered Jesus some of the lunch. He did not want any. They begged Him and said, “Master, please eat something.” To which Jesus replied, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” The disciples had no clue of what Jesus was talking about. They asked each other, “Do you think someone else has brought him any food?” To which Jesus responded, “My food is doing the will of him who sent me. My food is to finish the work that he gave me to do.”
So what does this mean to you today? We will seek to glean a few golden nuggets from these passages.
1. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, the very first act Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit to perform was a fast. This speaks to the importance of fasting in God’s eyes.
2. When you fast, you are training yourself to choose Spirit over body.
a) After Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, He was a human carrier of God. He was a human carrying God around. Like every Born-again believer, Jesus then had to make decisions in His soul that either lined up with the Spirit or His flesh. The first thing the Holy Spirit did was lead Jesus to go on a 40-day fast. Fasting gives you the opportunity to train your soul to choose the leading of the Spirit over the cravings of the flesh.
b) When satan asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread, it was a true temptation. Jesus was hungry. His flesh wanted food. His flesh was crying out. But His desire to be led of the Holy Spirit was greater than the cravings of the flesh. While you fast, you must develop a hunger and thirst for the things of God over the cravings of the flesh.
c) While you fast, while you are training your soul to choose Spirit over body, you must take the training seriously. If you can win the battle over a sandwich, then you will be able to win the battle when the stakes much are higher and the cravings of your flesh are not for food, but for sex outside of marriage, or to cheat on your tax returns, or to violate your integrity. This is the importance of fasting.
3. Fasting gives you an opportunity to focus on the weightier things of God.
a) In John 4, when Jesus’ disciples came back from town and they were amazed that Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman, in the middle of the day, in broad daylight, Jesus’ men quickly shifted their attention to food. They offered Jesus His lunch, He refused it, and they begged Him to eat it. Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” The disciples thought Jesus had a secret stash of snacks. Jesus was not talking about physical food. Jesus said, “My food is doing the will of him who sent me. My food is to finish the work that he gave me to do.” Jesus was so focused on His encounter with the woman at the well and all the Father was going to do because of it, that He was not hungry. He was satisfied by simply doing the will of the Father. The disciples, on the other hand, were so focused on food that they totally missed what had just happened. A revival was about to break out in that town and they were clueless, because they were more focused on a fish sandwich than on the move of the Spirit.
b) When you fast you become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus in John 4, you will sense what God is doing and you will be so focused on that that you are not hungry for natural food. You will be full with God.
c) Fasting helps you to rid yourself of distractions long enough to slow down and hear the voice of God. This is critical, because you will never become the man/woman God called you to be without hearing His voice. You can live a fruitful life by reading and applying God’s Word. But you cannot fulfill your true purpose without hearing God’s voice.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I have an expectation of Harvest! My heart is open to Your best. Which is why I choose to live a fasted life. I fast to train my soul to choose the leading of Your Spirit over the cravings of my flesh. And as I fast, I learn to live as Jesus lived. I say, “My food is doing the will of him who sent me. My food is to finish the work that he gave me to do.” I learn to discern Your voice. I learn to be led of Your Spirit. I learn to follow my divine instincts. Fasting helps me to hear Your clearly. And as I do, I declare that You use me to change the world. You will leave a mark, in this world, through me Father, that will not easily be erased! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
