From Brokeness by Mickey Bonner
(Compiled and expanded by Roger Hollar)
IF A NATIONAL GREAT AWAKENING OF FAITH IS TO EVER BE USHERED IN THEN IT ESSENTIAL THAT DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST UNDERSTAND HOW GOD USES THE FAST
(It is imperative that you consult with your doctor if you have any medical condition)
SOMETIME BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 2 DETERMINE TO FAST AND PRAY FOR GOD'S WILL TO BE DONE IN OUR NATION
Fasting is a process that God uses to bring the believer into being set free from bondage. It is not a thing used by the believer to manipulate or change the will of God; to force God to do something. Fasting is for the believer to be brought into brokenness-humility. In the process the “flesh” is broken and consumed by the Holy Spirit that it might be presented back to God as a living sacrifice, ready for His will to be done. Isaiah says fasting is not to be instigated by convenience but through brokeness over one’s own sin. It is promised that through this process God will bring change to the life of the believer. We are not to fast for strife and debate (ISA 58:4,5) or to make our voice heard on high. Fasting is not "God’s doorbell." It is an inward desire to bring our bodies into subjection, that we might present them as living sacrifices back to the Lord. In our hunger we recognize our great dependance upon, even craving after, food for the body. We are able then to recognize our great dependance upon God to sustain the spiritual man. This is a great lesson for us in the Spirit as we equate our need for food with the soul's need for God.
Fasting brings through you the ministry of the Spirit of God to others. As your spiritual vision clears you begin to see what God sees through the eyes of the Spirit (EPH 1:8). From there you begin to live by the Holy Spirit regarding others. Biblical fasting brings the light of God exploding in your heart. Isaiah says, “It comes like the morning.” While in that transformed position, your own flesh or personal life is no longer the consuming desire of your being. From that broken, humble, contrite spirit of denial of the body’s fleshly desires your will begins craving the will of God, having been able, in a state of self-denial, to hear from God in your spirit-man. Your prayer, under those conditions, aligns with the will of God as you, in essence “seek first the kingdom of God” and say, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
FAST FACTS
Fasting expresses dependence upon God in times of trouble
(2SA 12:16-22; 2CH 20:2-4)
Fasting expresses depth of feeling in times of grief and mourning
(1SA 31:11-13; NEH 1:4)
Fasting expresses repentance
(JON 3:5-10; JOE 2:12)
Fasting expresses the desire to know God's will
(ACT 13:2; 14:23)
Fasting in the Bible usually lasted one day, from sunrise to sunset (JUD 20:26; 2SA 3:35), sometimes longer (EXO 34:28; MAT 4:2)
Fasting in the Bible usually involved abstaining from all food (2SA 3:35; LUK 4:2), sometimes refraining from just certain kinds of food (DAN 10:3)
(For questions on fasting for diabetics consult with a doctor or do a search on the web)
