The Blessedness of Fasting and Praying Pt. 2 - Seven Types of Biblical fasting

THE CITY GATE Church

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SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY

MINISTERING  Pst Oladimeji Elugbadebo

REFERENCE ID: TCGC/SUN-BS-2018-1-14 -1

TITLE ID: The Blessedness of Fasting and Praying Pt. 2 - Seven Types of Biblical fasting

The whole Bible is full of several kinds of fastings and each one is unique. The understanding of Biblical fasting helps us to be more effective in prayer and fasting.

1.Fasting for revelation into God’s word and will over our lives.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
-Daniel 10:1 (kjv)

When Daniel discovered through accurate study of God’s word, that they had been in the captivity of Babylon for over seventy years, he began to pray. We must have a strong sense of God’s words. What happened was that he had a glimpse of light that made him know that they had spent more than 70 years and he did not stop there. As a Church, there are different seasons over us as a nation. We need to understand spiritual seasons as a Church and respond accurately to it. As a people, we must pay the price in seeking the Lord as Daniel did, through prayer, fasting and intercession to know the seasons of the Lord and understand dark sentences. When God begins to communicate light to us, we cannot afford to be casual. The early Church occasionally fasted. Theologians have proven that the early Church gave itself to fasting twice a week, as a lifestyle. We must set our hearts in fasting as Daniel did. The spirit realm moves on our behalf. When we begin to come to a place of penitence and desire to know His will, He responds to us.

The principles of the word of God are consistent; God is not a respecter of persons. He has timeless principles which means the same result Daniel gets, I will get it. If  we respond to God in prayer and fasting, God will come to us.

When we further seek the Lord, denying ourselves by praying and fasting, the burden the Lord gives us becomes stronger. Many have gone through what I call spiritual abortion because they did not engage the burdens the Lord has given them. In this generation, many cannot deny their food and other pleasurable things.

Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

-Daniel 10:20-21 (kjv)

What Daniel had was an understanding in a measure but when he prayed, an angel was sent to give him skill and understanding. Oftentimes, what we have is a trigger of contractions, and things that start in the heart as trickles, will begin to gain ground.

In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

-Daniel 10:2-3 (kjv)

When we have spiritual encounters, the word of God comes to us but there has to be an accurate response to that word. Particularly when the word is personal, there is always a response that moves the word from seed level until it is expressed and becomes a big burden.

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

-Daniel 10:12-14 (kjv)

Anytime we set ourselves in prayer and fasting, like we see in the book of Daniel, it touches the spiritual realm. Anytime we respond to the Lord in praying and fasting, we break into a higher level of understanding. Daniel broke into understanding as touching the will of God for the nation. There is a deeper clarity of the word and the will of God over us.

2. Fasting to assess God’s power in our lives and ministries. 

We all need God’s power at varying degree of our lives and ministries. You need a measure of the power of God functionally in your life. There is nothing we do in the New Testament outside the leading of the Spirit. So, there are times that we wait on God as we are led by the Spirit, according to the desires of the Lord to come into power.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

-1 Corinthians 4:20 (kjv)

In the scriptures, there are many words for power and this particular one is ‘Dunamis’ and it means power to influence people; it is also power to generate wealth, to generate divine abilities. Dunamis means power that is inherent, that is, power that is influenced by its nature. At times we go to God by praying, desiring to come into certain measures of His power.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

-Acts 10:38 (kjv)

Power here is the power to move things from the realm of the invisible into visibility. So when you wait on the Lord in prayer, there is a measure of power released. For instance, faith is power. Fasting energises you with spiritual energy, I am saying this based on the history of men that walked with God. There is something about our walk with God and regular denial in fastings to wait on the Lord. The Kingdom is both in words and demonstration of power.

We see Jesus rebuking His disciples in Matthew 17:21 about the casting of demons. Praying and fasting unveils power for ministry, we also see patterns in the life of Paul and Jesus. If you are in any form of ministry, you are all ministers in a measure, so you have a responsibility to extend the Kingdom of God. You need power in your family also. We all need measures of God’s power in our lives.

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

-Matthew 17:21 (kjv)

The disciples of Jesus were faced with a particular issue but they could not solve it because they did not have enough power. Jesus gave himself to fasting, In most cases, you will know He spent time praying and fasting. There are certain things that we will face and we will only overcome as a result of consistent laying down of our pleasures and gaining strength.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region roundabout.

-Luke 4:14 (kjv)

The bible is a very powerful documentation of spiritual grace, it is not just an historical document but a book of spiritual technology. A technology is a set of internal principles that produces a predictable external output. A successful technology is predictable. For instance, for this microphone to become a successful technology, it must have been tested and tried before it can be mass produced. If it is not tested and tried, it cannot be mass produced. If it fails, it is usually returned and not reproduced. If a technology fails, then it means it is not a good technology and it is not predictable.

The bible is the most predictable technology in the universe. If you follow the manual, it will work for you. If you follow the principles of the word it will work. The word of God will work if you walk in the principles consistent with it.  If Jesus fasted and came out with power, it means that if you do the same, you will come out with power and if it is not done religiously, you will come out as a better person. After His fast, Jesus returned into Galilee in the power of the Spirit.

And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

-Acts 9:9 (kjv)

There is a lot of connection between Judaism and Christianity. Christianity got a lot of values from Judaism. Jews fast a lot and so they have confidence that if every nation of the earth goes against them, as far as their God is with them, nothing can happen to them. In history, we can see how Jews regularly prayed and fasted and they got results from God. So Christians got the discipline of fasting from Jews.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

-Matthew 11:18 (kjv)

There was something about John the Baptist consistent with setting time apart for God. The early Church or the apostolic Church had a regular practice of fasting. History records that occasional fasting was consistent with the early church, twice a week.

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

-Acts 13:1-2 (kjv)

Part of the ministrations of the apostles is that they waited on the Lord in fasting before setting out in ministry. We do not have fear in this generation, people just ordain themselves and give themselves title. As they were in the Spirit, ministering unto the Lord, a prophet spoke, an accurate word came from the Spirit. Between Acts 9 and 13 was about 10-14 years. Paul had his apostolic calling the day he got born again but he did not step into it, the Holy Ghost led him and trained him for about 10 to 14 years. At that time, he was waiting and praying, and then he went for approval in the Church. There is a need to get approval from God before stepping into the ministry. They were able to receive a word confirming his ministry and he was sent forth.

In our contemporary generation, we have leaders today who live in consistency with the principles of fasting and praying. This discipline is the reason why they still have a measure of grace in their lives. Bishop David Oyedepo once taught that the foundation of his church was built on prayer and fastings. Pastor Olubi Johnson is also given to fasting and praying, so is Bishop Wale Oke and Pastor Adeboye, and we can see expressions of God’s grace in their lives. Some have a powerful teaching grace, others have a prophetic insight. The way we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, it is often assumed that there is no price to pay for them.

To be consistent and regular in certain gifts of the Spirit we have, there are sacrifices that we need to make. When we see these leaders consistent in certain gifts, it does not just happen, understand that they have paid prices. Apostle Babalola, Bishop Idahosa, they all fasted regularly.

3. Fasting for divine intervention in crisis situations

A. Jonah and NIneveh: the city turned around in repentance, fasting and prayer and God averted their judgement. For instance, if we have a national crisis, we are supposed to call a national fast. Any time there is a shedding of innocent blood, judgement is coming upon such a nation.

I believe that we should call a national fast and call on the Lord in this nation because there has been shedding of innocent blood in this nation.

There was a prophetic word that came that God would judge Nineveh but they were spared when they humbled themselves and prayed to God. When they repented and called a national fast and prayer, God heard their prayer by averting the judgement.

B. The Joel Army

An army of locust invaded the land of Israel and Joel called for a fast to avert this.

Joel 2, Joel 1:14

The Joel army is a prophetic portrait of locust invading a nation. We had an issue of judgment when locust came to invade their territories. When God speaks about locust, he is speaking about His army. When there is a national crisis, the Church should pray so that God will avert judgement.

Joel 2:12

We need to stir up the Church to understand that we also have weapons. The Church has weapons and prayer is one of our weapons. The Church should be praying now. I believe that we should pray for Nigeria now and go an extra mile in doing so. It is a time to pray harder and longer. We need to pray harder and stronger, as I believe that we are at the verge of birthing a new nation.

 

C. David

Don’t always be content with any crisis in your life. If something goes wrong in your life, stop saying that it is the Lord. if anything happens around you, you must respond to God accurately.

D.  Ahab

It was obvious that Ahab was a wicked king; yet, when he prayed to God after judgment was passed, God answered him and repented of the evil set to befall him.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.

-1 Kings 22:29 (kjv)

And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
-1 Kings 2:22 (kjv)

E. Josiah

Josiah sought the Lord and God averted the captivity of Israel by Babylon. Jeremiah was the last prophet before the entrance of Israel into captivity. Jeremiah prophesied doom because of the mandate he had. When God was commissioning him, he told him not to be afraid but to go ahead. God was set to judge the people through his ministry. This judgement was supposed to start in the days of Josiah but he fasted and God moved the judgement to the next generation.

And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;...

-2 Chronicles 34:23-29 (kjv)

When there is injustice in the land, there is no way it will not attract God’s wrath. When Josiah heard the prophetic word of impending judgment , he had a right heart and repented. May we not grow so familiar with God that when he speaks we do not give him accurate response. God intended to bring national disaster on a nation but because of Josiah’s accurate response, God averted it in his days.

F. Ezra

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law...

-Ezra 10:1-6 (kjv)

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied...

-Ezra 9:1-6 (kjv)

When Israel intermarried with other nations and God’s wrath was invoked, he asked for mercy for the house of Israel and God granted his request. God told them not to intermarry, since the time of Abraham and because they did, God was ready to destroy them but Ezra led the people in fasting and prayer to show deep repentance and God showed mercy.

4. Fasting for clarity of purpose and direction

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

-Acts 13:1-4 (kjv)

Paul and a team of elders were in fasting and prayer. The gospel was only seen within the ambit of salvation to the Jews and little was done to reach out to the gentiles. Nevertheless, as a few men came together to minister unto the Lord, the hand of God came upon them and they began to minister the word of the Lord to men in Cyprus and other places. So, when the leaders saw that the hand of the Lord was with them, they decided to fast and to seek the Lord. When they sensed the hand of God, they waited in Antioch and began to wait upon the Lord as the revelation they had was that the gospel was only for Jews. They then understood that the gospel of the Lord is also for gentiles.

At times, God gives us stirrings and instead of separating time to pray about them, we often do nothing about them. When we don't, the burden passes and nothing is accomplished. We see in vs. 2 that a global apostolic way was released after the men sought the Lord in fasting. We also see Paul was in fasting in Acts 9:9 when Ananias came to tell him about his life's purpose and calling.

As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

-Acts 13:2 (kjv)

In appointing men as leaders in the Church, the elders prayed and fasted. In the Church, the rule of the kingdom of God is not democratic but more about the will of God. We see that principle in the life of Paul that in choosing elders and ministers for local churches they fasted and prayed.

And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

-Acts 14:23 (kjv)

Fasting is a consistent spiritual exercise in the Bible. There is a place for fasting for clarity of purpose and direction. I have a prophetic grace in my life but I don't use it anyhow. You need to be very careful when you operate in the prophetic because many people will come to you to seek for God’s will concerning issues in their lives. Your pastor is not your compass. When you are in a situation where you need direction, spend time fasting. The prophetic is supposed to train us and not to spoon feed us.

5. Fasting for divine protection and covering

Divine protection is part of your covenant blessing as a child of God. Don’t just make assumptions about this. The kingdom of God has a lot of principles and keys. You cannot make assumptions because you are seeking the Lord. You must know keys about financial prosperity and protection; this is the same with divine healing and divine health. One of the keys of financial prosperity is sowing out of many other things, the same for divine protection and divine health.

In the time of the rebuilding of the temple in the time of Ezra, Ezra prayed for divine protection for the men. There are times when we have times of threat on our lives, our children and on our neighbourhood and at such times, we need to assess the will of God concerning such.

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

-Ezra 8:21-24 (kjv)

In those days the God of Israel was mocked and imagine Him asking for help where His God was mocked. Ezra put a demand on the covenant.

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.

-Esther 4:8 (kjv)

These principles require that during impending disasters, we ask the Lord for help.

6. Fasting to know God more and to become intimate with Him is another drive for fasting.

7. Fasting to fulfill God’s promise for the Church and nation.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

-Daniel 9:1-3 (kjv)

We need to come into sufficient understanding of spiritual seasons and as a Church, we need to respond. As a people, we must pay the price in seeking the Lord as Daniel did. Like Daniel, we must be interested in demystifying the riddles and mysteries of what God is saying. When God begins to communicate light to us, we cannot afford to be casual about it. The early Church occasionally fasted, God must help us as a generation of understanding to stand where we need to stand in response to God. Anytime we begin to set ourselves in response through fastings, the Spirit always moves and God begins to move on our behalf.

Nehemiah 1;1-11, Nehemiah 9:32-38

At times, we need to understand that the kingdom of God is not religious. It is not confined to the four walls of the local Church. It is the sovereign rule of God over creation. Nehemiah responded to God, He was serving as a cupbearer and he saw that his nation was in calamity and he responded. We have a weak response to national disaster, as believers, you must have a kingdom perspective to national issues, you must know what happens in your nation. As believers, many times, we claim to be so spiritual that we are so unconcerned about spiritual affairs. we need to be holistic about our view of God.

Nehemiah did not just respond with prayer and fasting, God used him as a vessel to bring restoration. Even though darkness is coming upon the earth, the Church will always be a citadel of light. There are times that you can be in a government office and because of a crisis in that office, you begin to fast.

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

-Luke 2:36-38 (kjv)

Hannah was looking for the consolation of a nation and she fasted for decades for that promise.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

-Acts 10:1 (kjv)

God fulfilled prophecy through the response of a gentile. Don’t try to limit God, He is sovereign. Cornelius opened himself to fulfill the promise of God of reaching to all the earth. There was a record about him that he feared God, even though he was an unbeliever and he brought his family under the fear also. He also prayed, though he did not even know God, he just needed the right heart. There are times we wait on God for a promise for the Church. God has promised that He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh and we can pray it since he has promised. We believe He will fulfill this promise.