Fasting: Finishing Well
Here is what the Lord spoke over our corporate fast for 2024:
Fasting to loose our bonds of wickedness
Fasting to undo the heavy burdens we place on ourselves and others
Fasting to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke in our midst
Fasting to connect with the Heart of Jesus, resulting in generosity and access
Fasting so that when we see the naked, cover them, and refuse to hide from our flesh
Let’s End Well:
Lean in
Obey
Give Him the fruit of your lips
Oftentimes when the Lord exposes what is in our hearts, we can become overwhelmed by what we see there. Here is where the enemy tries to sow:
Fear of rejection
I will never be enough/pure/pleasing to the Father
Fear of failure
I will always mess up/never change
There is just too much/I don’t want to go there
These fears can take the grief and sorrow that we experience over our sin/condition of our heart and paralyze us.
The exposure of our sin should cause us to mourn and feel sorrowful, but it should ultimately lead us to true repentance.
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)
God wants us to experience [a sorrow] that leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But the enemy wants [a paralyzing] sorrow, which lacks repentance and results in spiritual death.
We see this with Peter vs. Judas
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:3-5
61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny knowing me 3 times.
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:61-62
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulcher; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Luke 24:12
Judas’ sorrow paralyzed him and kept him from repentance (turning the opposite direction and back towards Christ.)
Peter’s sorrow produced a repentance that was godly and sent him running back to Christ.
Let me remind you that in this fast yes, we will see our bonds of wickedness, we will see the heavy burdens we place on ourselves and others, yes we will see the oppressed, but we also have the opportunity to connect with the Heart of Jesus!
Don’t allow what He exposes, what He shows you to paralyze you from seeing His heart for you!
You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24
This is Jesus! His heart is ONE with the Father
That while we were still sinners, Jesus to die for us
Romans 5:8
Through faith in Jesus, God saved us by grace and we can’t take credit it is a gift from God
Ephesians 2:1-10
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Christ is the groom, we are His Bride.
God is the Father, He is committed to His children who have been adopted through our union with Christ.
Holy Spirit is committed to His dwelling place! He is committed to His forever home!
HE ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE!
HE IS COMMITTED TO YOU!
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced[a] so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? Galatians 3:3
Are you striving to be pure? Are you working to make your heart soft? Are you in your own strength trying to uproot the weeds?
Lean in
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:11
Jesus produces the RIGHTEOUS character in our life
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
God produces the GROWTH
Lean in to the things He is inviting you to look at, process through, repent of. Lean into actions and steps He is calling you to take. Lean in.
You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”John 6:69
Lean In and Obey
…Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13
This should set us free! We don’t work hard to be forgiven, we don’t work hard to be perfect, we don’t work hard to be righteous or to grow. We work hard to obey!
Obedience is success
Obedience is a sign of maturation
Obedience is evidence you possess the Fear of the Lord
Obedience is proof that you LOVE Him!
If you LOVE me you will obey my commands. John 14:15
Whenever you fail in any respect in your lives, do not sit down, and question the goodness of God, and the power of the Holy Ghost; that is not the way to increase the stream of obedience, but to diminish the source of it. Believe more, instead of less. Try, by God's grace, to believe more in the pardon of sin, more in the renovation by the Holy Spirit, more in the everlasting covenant, more in the love that had no beginning, and will never, never cease. Your hope does not lie in rushing into the darkness of doubt; but in returning repentantly into the still clearer light of a steadier faith. May you be helped to do so, and may we, all of us, and the whole multitude of the Lord's redeemed, by faith go on to obey our Lord in all things! C. H. SPURGEON
Let’s end this fast by giving Him the fruit of our lips:
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:10
