Sabbath and Fasting
Thank you Lord, I love you too.
Here is a revelation/testimony/teaching from the Lord: Over the past couple of months, I have been drawn repeatedly to fast, and have given half-hearted efforts. It has been on my mind a couple of times a week for a while now. As recent as this week, I gave another half-hearted effort.
Then, also, over the past month, He’s giving signs pertaining to the Sabbath. A sister in-Christ started talking about it a month or so ago. She’s a Messianic Jew and we talked about it a couple of times. Then our Wednesday night service at church started to discuss the topic a week or 2 later.
Both the Sabbath and Fasting have been tugging at my heart. As He does so well, He brought it all together for me tonight –
This afternoon, I’m in prayer talking to the Lord. The Spirit is revealing some hidden wickedness in me and I’m talking to the Lord about it. I’m frustrated with this darkness and I want Him to slice it up so the Light can shine fully through. I literally asked Him to kill it.. because I so desire to be in Him fully. But He said that I have action to take… He’ll do His part if I do mine – Get into the Word.
I got into Isaiah 59 and read it kinda fast. Later this evening, I decided to get back into it and read it again. As I went to Isaiah 59 to read, I was compelled to flip back and read Isaiah 58 first to get an idea of the context. Bam.. Sabbath, Fasting, darkness and light.. it all came together. In addition, I’ve been in prayer about a recent posting “God hates sin, but loves the sinner.” This was my 2nd confirmation to speak about the lies. Blessed be the Lord God Almighty:
Isa 58:1 ¶ Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Isa 58:2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
Isa 58:3 ¶ Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Isa 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Isa 58:8 ¶ Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isa 58:13 ¶ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Help me Helper. Teach me Teacher. Guide me Guider. Comfort me Comforter. Purify me Purifier. Mold me Molder. Save me Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.
[…] like in this last post: Sabbath and Fasting. We pray and seek God. Then we watch. As we enter the Word, He speaks, guides, answers, etc. We […]
I always enjoy your blogs. It seems God leads me here at different times as I am also being led to a new level in my relationship with the Lord and fasting and the sabbath were coming up continually. I got my message from the Lord about the sabbath a couple of weeks ago but I’ve still been studying on prayer and fasting because the Lord has been dealing with me in that area. This morning in Sunday School guess what the lesson was??? None other than prayer and fasting. (I love how He (God) won’t let go of a point until He makes it). The teacher said something I hadn’t thought of I’m not quoting because I don’t want to get it totally wrong but he said, we should not work outside of our level of faith. If we don’t have faith enough to fast for a week, we should not start out trying to fast for a week. He also said to start small to bring the flesh into submission, tell the Lord you are giving up one meal and then do it or two meals etc. or if you are a big fan of sweets and always have dessert after every meal, give up desserts for a day and praise God through those times. He also said don’t limit yourself, when you reach each goal, aim for another. It was a good lesson gave me more to think about and I knew exactly what he meant about not going beyond your faith level. I had tried a fast recently (my first) and did not make it completely through because I was not prepared for the length of time I thought I was. Thank God that He is so forgiving and He knows our limits even if we won’t acknowledge them. God bless.
Praise God! Edification and encouragement..
We know that we’re in the right place, going to the right studies, church, etc. when God is speaking a common theme through them. So cool. We both are “hearing”, and now let us “do” what He is saying. We surely will be blessed.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..
Wow, God is good.. He confirmed this topic just now.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
and..
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
and..
Daily devotion: “The puzzle box often says, “1000 fully interlocking pieces.” When God looks at each of us, he says something similar.”
Thank you Lord. Abundant grace… our daily bread. Bless you Lord.
Check this out :) My confirmation today! God bless.
http://www.goingbeyond.com/blog
haha, God is so GOOD. :)
[…] Praise God for His direction, guidance and confirmations. Blessed be the Lord God. Today, I receive a confirmation from God on the Sabbath. Earlier this week, the following blog was posted about God’s confirmation and direction on the Sabbath, you can see it here: Sabbath and Fasting. […]
Bless You all,
Thank you Joseph for sharing your walk with God. its amazing, i bless God to hear and know that others out there are also seeking God earnestly. I would like to say, please note that fasting means shutting the gates of anything that gives strength to the flesh.Let me give an example, you can abstain from eating, while the real issue that is giving strength to your flesh is talking or saying things that are not of God). Let us take time before God and ask Him, what areas in our life are giving strenghth to the flesh and by His strength and grace we shut those doors, so that fasting is not a 3 day event etc, it becomes a lifestyle, it becomes how we live. I do acknowledge its a process, and thats fine, because God works His things, line upon line and precept upon precept. Bless you
Hey Leah, thanks for stopping in. It’s interesting that you commented on this specific post as I’m going through a study right now on fasting. I think I’ll re-read it. :)
In my study on fasting, I’m finding that all biblical fasts are related to abstaining from food in some fashion or another. Unlike Lent, it is specific to food. But yes, I agree.. sometimes there are other things in our lives that need to be repented of..
Bless you Joseph,
Thank you for your response, am blessed to see that you are hungering and thirsting for righteounes, that’s very key! May God continue to give you/us the LOVE FOR TRUTH (the only thing that can set us free). Lets stay right there,in that place of seeking, desiring to know, hungering and thirsting more and more for Him, because the truth is, We are complete in Him. Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
For now, this is my prayer for you/us all, (Eph: 1:17-20 amplified) 17[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
18By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),
19And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
One other thing, am going through a process of asking God to teach me (that I would learn of Him) how to judge EVERYTHING how He judges (His righteous judgement) and not with my own eyes/understanding. John 5:30 says, 30I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord–but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me. (remember David when he was running away from King Saul, he walked into the temple and asked for something to eat, and the only thing available was Holy Bread. (according to the law then, it was not right for them to eat Holy Bread, right??Wrong!only if you are looking with the eyes of man will you judge the matter as wrong, it was God’s doing,(we can say King David allowed himself to become a first fruit of something in God’s Heart that had not been seen before!!)Thats what God is desiring for us in this season, to became for Him, live, living examples of what is in His Heart that has not been seen,experienced before………BUT we must die, die, die from our flesh and our own judgement, help me/us Lord. (Read Luke 6 to get the full picture).
As i say this, i remember that everything is line upon line, as we respond (as we turn to see the great site like Moses, He brings another. All am trying to say, it will not happen overnight (even though it can, according to our willingness to die), but let this remain the posture of our Hearts, just saying to our hearts and mind, I will not take any judgement, Lord You show me how to respond,(you may not find reference for some of the stuff He will show you….. that is why we MUST MUST MUST be led of The Holy Spirit,nonone noone can teach You this, but Him. Also remember, in asmuch as the word is good, only The Holy Spirit can give it life, the Letter Kills but 2 Cor 3:6[It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.(B)
I have to admit, I am getting shocked at how many things i have judged as God, and that was not His Position on the matter……. one thing i know in this season, DIVINE WISDOM IS KEY…… we must have a heart posture that says, i will not move, have any idea, have any opinion, have any plans, etc, until i hear from Him!!! So am saying to Him afresh, anew, according to Mathew 11:28-28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will [a]ease and relieve and [b]refresh [c]your souls.]
29Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest ([d]relief and ease and refreshment and [e]recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.(A)
30For My yoke is wholesome (useful, [f]good–not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
Message Bible is even interesting:Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
28-30″Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Key for me here is, take upon me His burden (His way of doing/thinking – everything and dropping mine)so that I can learn of Him……
Remember, also that we are now leaving in the 3rd day, this is the time of Perfection in Him, leaving in His Presence.. in Hosea 6:1-2
1COME AND let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up.
2After two days He will revive us (quicken us, give us life); on the third day He will raise us up that we may live before Him.
Ephesians 2:5-6 confirms this,5Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).
6And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
God Bless You.
Leah
Thanks for the encouraging post. You are so right that it all boils down to death to the self’s way of thinking, acting, feeling, etc. and allowing God’s thoughts in. – Let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus. When we have the mind of Christ, actions/feelings/words will flow out of our temples. We’ll be a light in this dark world. That’s what a living sacrifice is (Rom 12:1-2). Dying to our selfish ways, but we’re still living. Sacrificing the way we think things should be done. ‘May Your kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Sadly, I have not arrived, but I keep on keepin’ on towards the goal. Onward Christian soldier..
I fully believe that the Word of God is all that is needed to successfully live the life that God had planned for us from the beginning –
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God
John 1:14 and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
It is so important for us to get into the Word of God so that we may know His blessed will. Otherwise, the only other substance that remains is our own earthly thoughts. It is impossible for me to discern between what is of God and what is of my self if I don’t know who God is through His word. If I do not know God’s word and learn His ways, His character, etc. through His word.. then the only thing remaining is my understanding of a false god. A made-up god. A molded god. Crafted after the hands of man.
So I guess what I’m getting out of this is that sometimes we wait for God to give us direction, guidance, etc. We wait for His will to be shown. Like, I want a plane flying in the sky with a sign, and it says “Go this way” haha. But see, I’m looking for something new and I forget that God has already spoken. We shouldn’t just get head knowledge of the Word.. but actually consume Him into our souls so that we know the good and perfect will of God. This is not to say that the Word is the only area whereas we will hear from God, but it is the basis of knowing whether we are hearing from God or not. For instance, God will speak to us through members of the Body, sermons, daily devotions, circumstances in life, etc. But without knowing the Word of God (God’s character), we cannot know if it’s of God or not. Thus, our only discerning tool that we have is our own understanding.. our own god.. our own mind.. our own emotions.
This is a huge lesson for me that I pray all of us can have our understanding fully transformed so that we may encourage one another and walk a life that is holy and pleasing to God. It’s all in-Christ.. a full surrendering in-Christ, and not partially and not only when I feel like it. :)
Thanks for getting my mind on the Lord this morning friend. May the Lord bless you, keep you, and His face shine upon you.
Hi Joseph,
Thank you for your response, i have read it, let me ponder on the matter(S)with Him and if He says anything further, I shall share.
God Bless you.
Leah