Rom. 8:27-28
It seems unnecessary to begin this chapter by pointing out how God's priorities are seldom our priorities.
Isa. 55:9, NIV
How do we free ourselves from our own desires in order to know His will? Well, I can tell you from firsthand experience that fasting causes you to take that sword of God's Word and separate what you "want" from what you "need."
There is no higher authority that to know the heart of God for a situation you are facing.
Heb. 4:11-13
Fasting, praying and feeding on the Word of God puts that sword in your hand and positions you to discern the difference between your thoughts and God's thoughts.
Acts 10:30-31
Cornelius was fasting and praying. He was diligently seeking God when that angel came to tell him that his diligence was about to be greatly rewarded. Fasting puts you in the mainstream of God's priorities.
Exodus 13:11-12
Throughout Scriptures, God makes it clear that the firsts--firstlings of flocks, firstfruits of harvest, firstborn males of families--all belong to Him.
Go Vertical
People want and need to be connected in relationships. That need to be connected is evidenced in the church by home groups and a greater emphasis on community. While that is good, if we're not careful, we can become too horizontally focused and not sufficiently vertically focused. Church right now, for the most part in the Western world, particularly in America, is all about me;" I want my needs met. Bless me; teach me; help me." While those are legitimate needs and desires, we must keep in mind that the cross has two beams: one is horizontal, but the other is vertical.
Fasting turns your priorities more vertical and more in line with God's desires.
Matt. 21:12-13
That doesn't mean that when you fast, you don't have specific needs and desires of your own for which you are seeking God. Indeed, you should fast for a specific purpose. However, I believe that as you continue on a prolonged fast, the true cry of your heart becomes; "More of You, God, and less of me." When you put Him first, all else is added.
1 Thes. 5:23
God's priority is concern for you spirit first, your soul second, and your body third. We get that totally backward, always focusing on our bodies first and our spirits last.
"Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (Matt. 6:25)
According to God's principle of "first things," what you put first will order the rest. When you put your spirit first, you serve the things of the Holy Spirit rather than teh desires of the flesh. As a result, your mind, will, emotions, as well as your physical body and health will fall in line according to the Spirit's leading.
Rom. 8:13
Another area that too frequently becomes out of order has to do with reconciliation and public worship.
Matt. 5:23
First be reconciled. God desires our public and corporate worship. However, those public acts of worship do not fix our private acts of strife, contention, and unforgiveness.
Fasting allows the Holy Spirit to come in...He can begin to dig up stuff that needs to come out of your spirit. You have to get out that first offense you stored up years ago, and sometimes, you will have to dig for a long time.
What else does the Lord expect us to keep first?
Matt. 23:25-26
Jesus was teaching the people to obey the laws of God taught by the Pharisees, but He instructed the crowd not to do as the Pharisees did. They had gone overboard into legalism, and in their extremes, had gotten things out of order.
Fasting will cause you to get the crud out, cleaning the inside, which will then make the outside clean.
Matt. 7:1-5
Before you will be ready to perceive wrong in someone else's life, you first need to do a little self-examination of your own life. Hypocrisy is judging somebody else when there is something worse going on in you.
Gal. 6:1-3
Sometimes we need to remember that someone may be out of joint, but they are not out of the body of Christ. When saints get out of joint, they need tender hands. They need trained hands to reset and restore them.
Matt. 6:31-33, NIV
Luke 21:34, KJV
What would your answer be if the Lord asked you, "Do you remember the last time you were lovesick for Me?" When we are so lovesick for our first love, fasting is easy.
So I ask you, do you remember the last time you walked away from a meal because you were so preoccupied with your first love that the food was of no interest? Have you experienced seasons when it felt like the Bridegroom was distant? You just don't sense His presence as close as yo once did. You have no heart for worship and you lack the excitement and childlike enthusiasm you once had for spiritual things. Perhaps it is time to stop the busyness of your everyday life and declare a fast, a season of lovesickness to restore the passion of your first love back to its proper place in your life. When you fast, everything slows down. The days seem longer. The nights seem longer, but in teh quietness of seeking, you will find Him whom your heart desires.
WOW, sure does put things in perspective, huh?
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