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PASTOR PAUL J. JAMES (Adapted from the notes of Rev. Bryan Todd) Wednesday, September 12, 2012

PASTOR PAUL J. JAMES (Adapted from the notes of Rev. Bryan Todd) Wednesday, September 12, 2012. WHAT IS THIS?. WHO IS THIS?. What is Fasting?.

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PASTOR PAUL J. JAMES (Adapted from the notes of Rev. Bryan Todd) Wednesday, September 12, 2012

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  1. PASTOR PAUL J. JAMES • (Adapted from the notes of Rev. Bryan Todd) • Wednesday, September 12, 2012

  2. WHAT IS THIS?

  3. WHO IS THIS?

  4. What is Fasting? • Simply put, fasting is the abstinence from food for spiritual breakthrough, ultimately to get to know God better. Fasting is often seen as abstinence from some form of gratification, for a period of time, in order to achieve a greater spiritual purpose.

  5. What is Fasting? • The bible only speaks of fasting with regards to food, but fasting does not have to be limited only to food. Fasting reprioritizes the spiritual over the physical. • “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” (1 Corinthians 6:12-13)

  6. What is Fasting? • Fasting is saying “No” to yourself so you can hear “Yes” from God in a time of need or crisis that demands a spiritual breakthrough.

  7. Is Fasting a Commandment in the Bible? • Not exactly. But it IS an implicit expectation of believers if not an explicit command from Jesus. • Fasting was a spiritual practice deeply embedded in the cultural psyche of biblical peoples.

  8. Is Fasting a Commandment in the Bible? • “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

  9. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Isaiah 58:4-9 is a rebuke toward Israel with regards to poor fasting practices. Oulined in this text are at least 11 explicit and implicit purposes that God has ordained for Fasting.

  10. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting is designed to increase unity in releationships (Isaiah 58:4) • Fasting is designed to “Make your voice heard on high” (v.4) • Fasting is designed to increase personal humilty (v.5)

  11. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting is designed to “Loose chains of injustice” (v.6) • Fasting is designed to “Untie the cords of the yoke.” (v.6) • Fasting is designed to “Set the oppressed free” (v.6)

  12. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting is designed to “Break EVERY yoke!” (v.6) • Fasting is designed to “gain the insight needed to resolve social problems - beginning with your own family”. (v.7) • Fasting is designed to increase your LIGHT, your HEALING and your RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.7)

  13. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting is designed to Fasting is designed to cause “The Glory of The Lord to become your Rear Guard” (v.8) • Fasting is designed to get ANSWERS and HELP from God

  14. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting, must forever center on God and His purposes. Religious practices such as fasting are less important then doing God’s will. Fasting is not an end itself; We fast and pray, but the results are in God’s hands.

  15. What is the purpose of Fasting? • One of the greatest spiritual benefits of fasting is becoming more attentive to God - being aware of our own inadequacies compared to His adequacy - and listening to what He wants us to be and do.

  16. What is the purpose of Fasting? • Fasting places our focus upon God and His purposes. • More than any other discipline, fasting reveals what controls us.

  17. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • There are six different types of fasts in the bible: • NORMAL FAST - abstaining from food. Example: Jesus “ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them was hungry” (Luke 4:2).

  18. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • ABSOLUTE FAST - abstaining from food and water; normally no more than 3 days. Examples: For three days Paul was blind, and did not eat or drink anything” (Acts 9:9), Moses (Deut. 9:9), Israel (Ezra 10:6), Israel (Esther 4:16).

  19. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • Partial - restricting diet of certain foods or a meal a day. Examples: Daniel“so the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead” (Daniel 1:16), (Daniel 10:3).

  20. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • Regular - fast days that commemorate an event or weekly fasts on a regular day. Examples: Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27; Ps. 35:13; Is. 58:5), a fast day (Jer. 36:6); four separate festivals (Zech 8:19); twice a week (Luke 18:11-12).

  21. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • Public - fasts called to times of special need and emergency. Almost all regular fasts were public fasts, but all public fasts are not necessarily regular ones. Examples: King Jehoshaphat when Judah was invaded (2 Chron. 20:1-4), Ezra returning the exiles (Ezra 8:21-23) Ninevah, as a result of Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3:5,10).

  22. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FASTS IN THE BIBLE? • Involuntary -no desire for food because of anxiety, sorrow, or mental distress (Dan. 6:18), and where a person finds themselves in a situation where no food is available (Matt. 15:32; 2 Cor. 6:5, 11:27)

  23. 9 REASONS WHY PEOPLE FASTED IN THE BIBLE 1. Intimacy with God - Jesus (Luke 4:1-13)2. Burdens - Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-11)3. Revival - Joel (Joel 2:12-25)4. Deliverance - Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-18)5. Needs - Ezra (Ezra 8:21-23)

  24. 9 REASONS WHY PEOPLE FASTED IN THE BIBLE 6. Guidance - Paul (Acts 9:9 -19)7. Health - Daniel (Daniel 1:8-17)8. Ministry - Church (Acts 13:1-5)9. Protection - Esther (Esther 4:8-16)

  25. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FASTING • Fasting is not just an aside to the Christian life, but essential to the life that pleases God. God created the human body as a finely tuned physical engine of enormous power, but it requires fuel to keep operating. That fuel is called food. To make sure the body gets fuel, God has created within us an appetite for food, called hunger. As part of the balance of nature to keep life going, food satisfies our appetite and gives us strength.

  26. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FASTING So why would one choose to go without food?We are conditioned to think that we must get our three meals a day. But statistics have demonstrated that fasting is actually good for us. During a fast we eliminate poisons and toxins from the body as well as giving your digestive tract an opportunity to rest.

  27. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 1. HUNGER PANGS! You will feel some discomfort before your time is up. This is not real hunger; your stomach has been trained through years of conditioning to give signals of hunger at certain hours. Don’t give into the grumbling. Sip water and your stomach will be satisfied.

  28. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 2. Discomfort - Your body is ridding itself of the toxins you have built up from poor eating habits. bad breath. Do not be disturbed; rather be grateful for the increased health that will result. There will be mild withdrawal symptoms for avid caffeine, sugar, and salt users. The fourth day hunger subsides, though you will feel weak and occasional dizziness. By the sixth and seventh day, you will begin to be stronger and alert. The body will have eliminated the toxins and you will feel good, as if you could continue to fast indefinitely. Physically this is the most enjoyable part of the fast.

  29. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 3. Weight Loss - This varies greatly with the individual. You may also feel cold more often, simply because your body metabolism is not producing the usual amount of heat.

  30. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 4. Discouragement - You should expect a time of conflict with the powers of darkness. Satan will try to take advantage of your physical condition. Discouragement is one of the greatest weapons to get you to stop your fast prematurely. Guard against it by maintaining a spirit of praise. Do not make the mistake of judging the value of your fast by the way you feel.

  31. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 5. Failure - I do not mean to set the bar low for us here. But failure is a part of the Christian life. We often judge our success and failure by our terms and not Gods. Fasting is no exception. Expect to feel as if you failed.

  32. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FAST 6. Nay Sayers - Well meaning people will be concerned based on the misconceptions that we must keep eating to live; that fasting is starving; that it is dangerous. A healthy person can exist for several weeks without being injured from a lack of food. Text

  33. 3 PURPOSES FOR A CAREVIEW FAST SPIRITUAL POVERTY (Matthew 5:3) SPIRITUAL PLATEAU (Amos 6:1) SPIRITUAL POWER (Mark 9:17-29

  34. Basic Food Groups

  35. 3 WAYS TO FAST • Sunday to Sunday 6pm • (9/16 to 9/23) • NORMAL FAST - (Water and fruit juices) • PARTIAL FAST - (1-2 meals per day) • DANIEL FAST - (Fruit, vegetables, water, fruit juices and clear broths, no meat)

  36. SUGGESTED APPROACHES TO PRAYER DURING FASTING • Pray during regular mealtimes • Pray during an appointed devotional time • Pray intermittently throughout the day • Pray the Lord’s Prayer • Pray through a prayer list

  37. PRAYER AND FASTING BIBLIOGRAPHY • Bright, Bill. The Coming Revival. Orlando, FL: New Life Publications, 1995. • Chatham, Romara Dean. Fasting: A Biblical Historical Guide. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1987. • Evans, Tony. Fasting. Chicago: Moody Press, 2000. • Floyd, Ronnie. The Power of Prayer and Fasting. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997. • Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins Publishers's, 1978. • Foster, Richard. Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins Publishers's, 1992. • Howard, Evan. Praying the Scriptures. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1999. • Towns, Elmer. Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996. • Towns, Elmer. The Beginner’s Guide to Fasting. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 2001. • Wallis, Arthur. God’s Chosen Fast. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1968.

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