The Sabbath

                Today, many people continually work on Sundays. Some people actually have to in order to pay for bills and support families. When you work on the Sabbath, you are breaking the fourth commandment, and a covenant that the Lord made with His people. That’s right. The Sabbath was a covenant made by the Lord so that His people could remember Him and revere Him.

“This will be a sign between me and you for the generations

to come, so you may know that I am the

Lord, who makes you holy.”

-Exodus 31:13

“There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day

is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You

are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.”

-Leviticus 21:11

                The Lord had created the earth in six days, and on the seventh day He rested and declared it a holy day. In the book of Exodus, the Lord tells Moses to inform the Israelites to observe the Lord’s Sabbath. The Law says that anyone who works on the Sabbath shall be put to death and be separated from their people. Whoever works on the Sabbath has broken the covenant and is an outlaw. They shall not receive the privileges that everyone else receives. The Sabbath day, recognized as Saturday by the Jews and Sunday by the Christians, should not just be seen as another day of the week. It should be seen as a holy day to revere the Lord and to respect the covenant that God had made for rejuvenation and rest.  

                But does this law still apply? Jesus and his disciples worked and performed many miracles on the Sabbath day, receiving criticism from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Some say that according to Paul, in a letter to the Colossians, it is not punishable if someone does not observe the Sabbath; it is their own choice. Christ has made them complete, not their observance of a holy day.

“Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink,

or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”

-Colossians 2:16

                There is no evidence from this passage that he would teach that there was no obligation to observe any holy time, for there is not the slightest reason to believe that he meant to teach that one of the Ten Commandments had ceased to be binding on mankind. If he had used the word in the singular term - "the Sabbath," it would then have been clear that he meant to teach that the commandment had ceased to be binding, and that a Sabbath was no longer to be observed. But the use of the term in the plural number, and the connection, shows that he had his eye on the great number of days which were observed by the Hebrews as festivals, as a part of their ceremonial and typical law, and not to the moral law, or the Ten Commandments. No part of the moral law - not one of the Ten Commandments could be spoken of as "a shadow of good things to come." These commandments are of perpetual and universal obligation. It can never be superseded but by the final termination of time. As it is a type of that rest which remains for the people of God, of an eternity of bliss, it must continue in full force.

Not All Sin is Equal

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point

is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not

commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery

but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”

-James 2:10-11

                This verse is not saying that all sins are equal. What it is saying is that if a man keeps all of the laws of God except for one, he must be judged as guilty. There is supposed to be universal obedience and any one offense is against the whole law of God. This does not mean that all sinners are of equal grade. The meaning is that he is guilty of violating God’s law and does not have the true spirit of obedience; he will be judged and penalized according to the law. He may have obeyed all of God’s other laws but that alone will not save him from judgment because he has disrespected the authority of God. He cannot use, as reasons he should not be punished, that he obeyed all other commandments. If a man lies to one person but was honest to everyone else, he cannot offset the sin by pleading that he was honest in another case. He must answer for the specific charge against him. So how do we know that this verse is not telling us that all sin is equal? The bible tells us that not all sins are equal in 1 John.

“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”

-1 John 5:17

                If we commit one sin, it spreads like gangrene and we fall into more temptation. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 compares a church to a house. Every one of God’s people is used for different purposes. One can perform healing and another can speak in tongues. We are constantly taking in different things through our eyes and ears. The bible does say that what comes out of our mouth is what makes us unclean, not what goes in. But what about our eyes and ears? What we take in can affect how we think. Mark 4:24 warns us to be careful about what we listen to. There are so many secular songs that put down the existence of Jesus and God and raises humans higher. What do I do when I hear this music? I turn it off. I don’t want to pollute my temple and begin to believe what is said. I want to be a vase, not a toilet. They are both made of ceramic but it’s what goes into them that makes them what they are. It’s not what we listen to or see. It’s what we let our minds dwell on and what we do to our bodies. The Lord wants us to be cleansed and sanctified and remove anything that could tear us down. Sanctified means to be separated and set aside for God’s use. Do you want to be sanctified and used for God’s glorious works or do you just want to be an average person in God’s eyes living day by day for your own pleasure?

The True Meaning of 'Daddy's Girl'

                Many people call me a daddy’s girl. I work with my father every opportunity I get. I’m almost 20 but I still call him daddy. We have the same interests and taste in music. We have the same allergy and we even both have acute asthma. But what does “Daddy’s” really mean? Is it a possessive form that affirms that Daddy is my owner?

                The answer to this question will bring us to the answer to the propriety of courtship for a daughter’s pre-marriage relationship. In today’s society, many daughters do not feel that their father has any right to have a say in her dating life, especially once she is 18. Courtship is an establishment of a relationship with a father agreeing to work with the young man to win his daughter’s heart. The father’s approval is needed. I once felt that I did not need my father’s approval but now I see that I am owned by my father until he gives my hand in marriage to an approved man. I now rejoice in that truth and if someone is interested in me, he should see him not me.

                This might make you cringe and might say to get with the times. But, let’s not dismiss the idea. The Christian worldview is informed by scripture and no part of life is exempt from God’s sovereignty. We must obey His law even if it means opposing popular culture and going against the grain. But the Bible tells us that we need to be ready to live against the norms of unbelief. The word of God teaches us that the creator of something has certain rights. For example, God is sovereign over all things because he created all things.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell

in it, for He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.”

-Psalm 24:1

                The same idea is seen in Romans 9:21. The potter can do as he pleases with the pottery that he makes, since he created it. Human ownership is always under the ownership of God. However, God has declared that the rights of the parents are to be honored and revered for the fact that they are the immediate generative source of individuals.

                Fathers are supposed to have a different relationship with their daughters than they do their sons. He must raise his sons to be a provider while he has to raise his daughters to be submissive, godly wives. Independence is not something that should be seeked for by a woman of God. She is supposed to allow headship to her husband. But if she does not agree with that than she will certainly not agree with the father having authority over her. They will find the idea of courtship offensive. But those who acknowledge God’s way is right will come to terms and agree with it.

“All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged

that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by

John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose

for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.”

-Luke 7:29-30

                People who are secular find it repulsive that as Christians we give our life and spirit to Jesus Christ and we are not our own. They say that means we can’t do what we want but that is not true. God gives us our own will to do as we please. We give ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord willingly.

                Now, back to authority over a daughter. A daughter is not obliged to obey commands from any source binding her to sin, even her own father. Some argue, “What is God tells the girl through signs and visions that she is to marry a particular man? Wouldn’t God’s will supersede her earthly father’s will?” Simply no. In a relationship of father and daughter, God takes a back seat. God has created hierarchy that the daughter is directly answerable to her father and then her father answers to God. This make the father responsible for himself and his daughter.

                You may say that there is scripture that states that the child is not punished for the parent’s sin and the parent is not responsible for the child’s. However, with the way God has set up this form of relationship, the daughter is not punished for anything her father has done. The father may tell a daughter to or not to do something so therefore it is not her own will and doing so he answers because it was his will.

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall

children be put to death for their father.”

-Deuteronomy 2:16

                The father’s ownership is so he can raise her to fear the Lord, protect her from harm, other men, and even from herself and foolish decisions she may make. Numbers 30 helps us understand God’s view of the father/daughter relationship.

“When a young woman still living in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord

or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her

vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every

pledge by which she obligated herself will stand.

But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she

obligated herself to will stand; the Lord will release her because

her father has forbidden her.”

-Numbers 30:3-5

                The girl has promised something to the Most High but is forgiven because her father has forbidden her from completing the promise. God says “You heard your father. No.” The will of the father is the will of God if he is living according to biblical terms and God’s own will on his life.  In modern “dating” the girl is seen as being to herself. Therefore, most people believe the man just has to ask her permission. But, according to rules of God, the young man must also seek the father’s approval. Since the father has to give himself approval, the man knows he’s being watched and will prove himself worthy of a beautiful gem (Proverbs 31:10). Simple things like sweet words might win over the daughter but that is because she goes by emotions as most other woman. But to get past Daddy’s tests is going to be tougher because he goes by reasoning and wants to make sure the man that takes his daughter’s hand is worthy. A godly father is aware of his daughters abilities and needs and can often determine if the man and daughter complement each other well.

                No man can approach me as my own boss because I belong, until marriage, to my father. That is why the father walks the bride down the aisle. At the time of my marriage, my father gives me to my husband through a lawful change of ownership. Reading further into Numbers 30 we see there is no free time for the female to gallivant on her own apart from a covenant head. How do we know the daughter belongs to the father until marriage? Further into Numbers 30, the husband gains the same authority over the wife that the father once had.

“If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by

a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and

does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by

which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband nullifies

them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges

that came from her lips will stand. Her husband

has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. Her husband may

confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn

pledge to deny herself…If however

he nullifies them some time after he hears about

them, then he is responsible for her guilt”

-Numbers 30:10-13…15

                You might not be completely in sync with your Dad. Maybe you’re just like your mom or are a mix of both. But you should be no less of a Daddy’s girl than any other young female. You may get married at 18 or you might not get married at all. Either way, you are under your father’s care until you are given into marriage or the Lord takes you from this life. Your responsibility as a daughter is this: Do the will of your father on earth so that you may do the will of Your Father in heaven.

Treatment of Aliens

                 A couple of weeks ago I did a post on illegal immigration. One reader asked me this:

“I've read about Christians who will help illegal immigrants because they believe they are

helping the disenfranchised. That doesn't seem right to me but how could I turn someone down

who needs food or shelter? What do you think”

                To answer this question, I have turned to the Bible. The Old Testament is often called the Book of Laws and the New Testament is referred to as the New Covenant. This has caused many people to abolish the laws of the Old Testament and only read the New Testament. However, the Old Testament is full of the testimonies of lives of godly people and laws that should still apply to our lives today because God is unchanging and unmoving. You may wonder why I am saying all of this. It’s because the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy have verses that refer to the treatment of aliens. I am not talking about extraterrestrials-those don’t exist. What I am talking about are residents born in or belonging to another country who have not acquired citizenship by naturalization.

“Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels

to be aliens, being you were aliens in Egypt.”

-Exodus 23:9

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves

the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to

love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”

-Deuteronomy 10:18-19

                We all have ancestors, or even parents and grandparents, who came to America from another country. They were all immigrants at some point. Illegal immigrants are hurting our economy and breaking God’s law as well as our country’s law by residing here without documentation. However, we are not to degrade them or keep them from having food and a safe place to stay. I’ll admit, at one point I did feel that we should not even do that for these people because they are here illegally. I still do not support their way of living in America illegally but after reading the verses I am sharing with you, my mindset changed. They helped me realized that the aliens still share the same God as us and God wants us to help everyone as He does. America is God’s land! If we show them compassion then we are showing God’s grace. This does not mean to allow them to stay here illegally, but rather encourage them to go through the naturalization process as our families did. 

Illegal Immigration 

A Lesson Learned From Habakkuk

                 Habakkuk was a prophet in the Old Testament. He was the eighth of the twelve minor prophets collected in the Old Testament. Little is known about him besides what facts we can gather from the book of Habakkuk. It is uncertain about the period of time that he lived but it is assumed that it was around 612 B.C. The book contains five oracles about the Babylonians and this was around the time of their rise in power. Although the book only contains three short chapters it is still important. We should live by his example in our prayer life.

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do

not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’

but you do not save? Why do

you make me look at injustice?”

-Habakkuk 1:1-3

                In the first four verses of the book, Habakkuk is questioning God how He can tolerate the sin and evil that is happening. He tells God there is no justice and great strife. The Lord’s reply is that He has plans for the Babylonians. He tries to console Habakkuk and put peace in his heart.

“Look at the nations and watch- be utterly

amazed. For I am going to do

something in your days that you would no believe,

even if you were told.”

-Habakkuk 1:5

                Habakkuk makes a second complaint. He says that the Lord just looks on at the violence and the strife that is among the people of Jerusalem. Habakkuk compares Babylonians like fishermen and the rest of the world like fish. He says that the Babylonians conquer nations and destroys them as they get rich off of them.

“You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures

that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he

catches them in his net, he gathers them up in

his dragnet; and so rejoices and is glad.”

-Habakkuk 1:15

                God, in return, says that Babylon will eventually be judged and destroyed. The Babylonians work in vain and will be judged for gaining unearned wealth. The Babylonians worship idols and cause others to fall into sin. This won’t last long though according to 2:3. The end will not come right away but it will happen at its appointed time. In the third and final chapter, Habakkuk realizes that everything happens according to God’s will.

“Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity

to come on the nation invading us.”

-Habakkuk 3:16

                We can relate this story to the leadership of our country or the terrorist attacks that happened on 2001. We can even relate it to bullies in our schools and workplace. We can pray and pray that God will change their hearts or punish them. Sometimes we might feel God is taking too long and we never cease to encounter conflict. We lose hope and question how God can let these people bring harm to His people. God will take care of them in due time. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us that there is a time for everything.

                At first, Habakkuk complained and tried to move the hand of God. In the end, however, he came to realize the truth and reality that we should all recognize. If our prayers aren’t answered right away, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear us. He will answer them if and when He sees fit. It doesn’t mean He loves us any less; after all, He gave His one and only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Although from the Old Testament, the testimonies throughout this part of the Bible can be related to our everyday lives in 2012 and beyond.

“Consider what God has done:

Who can make straight what God has made crooked?”

-Ecclesiastes 7:13

Rebuilding Our Spirits

                In our Christian faith we often go through trials and tribulations. Sometimes we must start over fresh in order to draw closer to God. We need to get rid of the contaminants in our lives and rid ourselves of our former selves. We need to let go of the things that kept us from receiving Christ.

                Nehemiah, whose name means comforted by Jehovah, was from Judah. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon. When the Roman Empire fell to the Persians, Nehemiah found himself as the royal cup-bearer in the palace of the Persian king Artaxerxes. This made it possible for him to be made the civil governor of Jerusalem at the time of their return. In the book of Nehemiah, he hears of how the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the gates burned with fire. Immediately he fasted, prayed, and mourned for the people of his country. He asked for favor in front of the king so that he may go and help the people of Israel.

                When the king saw him, he saw how upset he was. He asked Nehemiah to explain what was wrong and upon hearing him, the king granted Nehemiah permission to go help rebuild the walls. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah inspected the wall and ordered the start of the rebuilding. Certain men were assigned to rebuild each of the gates and the rest of the men built the walls. They faced opposition during the rebuilding from Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Amonites, and the men of Ashdod. They threatened to knock it down again but the Jews heard and warned Nehemiah. Therefore, he stationed men with weapons to prepare for attack and told them that God would protect them. During this time, Nehemiah helped the poor get food and the wall was completed in just 52 days. How? Because of the favor of the Lord. The exiles returned and the Israelites confessed their sins.

                In future years, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and discovered that the Israelites had returned to their previous way of life, sinning and disobeying the laws. Nehemiah ordered the Levites to purify themselves and assigned everyone duties.

                So, how can you apply this to your life? We need to rebuild ourselves when we are broken. When we sin, God allows us to give in to the desires of our flesh and only with repentance can we fortify our spirits again. We will be judged with the fire and be destroyed. When we have backslid, we are disgraced. Have you ever noticed that when you are deep into sin, something dramatic happens that causes you to repent and draw back to God? It’s the work of God to keep His people close to Him.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in:

Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have

been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall or Jerusalem,

and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

-Nehemiah 2:17

                I will share two personal experiences that happened to me that made me realize I needed to rebuild. The first experience was in February of 2011. I had gotten caught up with the wrong people at my job and my dad, as he was supposed to, reprimanded me for it. I ran away the next day with $50 in my pocket and my car. My parents found me later that night and brought me home. I repented and started rebuilding my life and relationship with God.

                 I broke up with my boyfriend back in April. I had been so busy focusing on him that I often forgot about God. I believe that God allowed my relationship to end so that I could be drawn back closer to Him. Ever since the end of April I have been working on rebuilding my spirit, layer by layer, as Nehemiah and his workers rebuilt the wall. Have I completed the work? No. We are never finished growing in the Spirit. I continue to grow each day but God is using me for His works. Is a short period of time He has helped me progress so much. 

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who

is great and awesome, and fight for your

brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives

and your homes."

-Nehemiah 4:14

"Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, 

join us there. Our God will fight for us!"

-Nehemiah 4:20 

                 During the rebuilding of our spirits, we will face opposition from the enemy but he won't have a stronghold over us. If we have fear of the Lord and commit ourselves to Him, He will protect us. The enemy will not bring us down.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and

your staff, they comfort me."

-Psalm 23:4 

                     Have you gone through a period where you had to rebuild? If so, I encourage you to please comment and share. 

 

Fasting

“Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your

heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

-Joel 2:12

                What is fasting? It is another means by which we can suffer for the Lord, through the voluntary abstinence from eating. Biblical fasting is not for physical purposes but rather for spiritual. It is used to gain a deeper fellowship with God.  It is something that is good, profitable, and beneficial.  The focus of fasting should not be on the lack of food but rather to take your eyes off of the things of this world and focus completely on God. The physical benefits such as detox and weight loss, are just an added blessing.

                Fasting and prayer are often done together as seen in Luke 2:37. Through fasting, answers to prayers are easier to decipher and the voice of the Lord is easily heard. Our flesh is suppressed and our spiritual sensitivity is heightened so that we can gain new knowledge and we could even decipher visions and dreams like Daniel did.  Before making important decisions, the disciples and prophets would fast so that they would know the will of God for them.

“While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting the Holy

Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for

the work to which I have called them.”

-Acts 13:2

                Fasting cannot be done for the wrong reasons or for personal gain. God often ordered fasting upon His people so that they may repent for wrongdoings that they did. We should do the same in our lives.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords

of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

-Isaiah 58:6

                If we have selfish motives, then our fast will not be accepted by the Lord.   We can see that our motives for fasting should be pure. We should not boast about it so that we seem spiritually stronger but we are to not draw attention on ourselves. We cannot fast and have evil, unrepented sin or selfishness in our lives and expect God to answer our cries. We must seek our hearts and discover what our real motives are.

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all

your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and

strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot

fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.”

-Isaiah 58:3-4

                Today, many modern Christians feel that fasting is outdated but looking at the Word, we can see that the principle of fasting was never made obsolete or done away with by God. Matthew 6:16-18 says that when we fast we are to do it unto the Lord. He doesn’t say if we fast.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they

disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.

I tell you the truth, they have received their rewards in

full. But when you fast, put oil

on your head and wash your face, so that it

will not be obvious to men 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

                Two reasons for fasting are to receive spiritual cleansing and to obtain victory over the devil. When Jesus was led into temptation during his encounter with Satan, he was able to overcome him because his fasting had given him spiritual strength. We can receive more of the Lord’s spirit and gain new understandings, as well as break addictive habits that are not healthy for our spirits. Fasting is not meant to move the hand of God, but is meant to make Satan lose a hold of us.

                By afflicting our soul (Isaiah 58:3), we are saying to our flesh, “You are demanding to eat but Christ is stronger than the desires of my flesh. My spirit shall rule and my flesh shall not have dominion over me.” Fasting is not a way to move the hand of God and receive what we want but it is to see what GOD wants for us.

              There are different types of fasts: Regular fast, partial fast, absolute fast, Daniel fast, corporate fast. Jesus fasted and set an example for us.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert

to be tempted by the devil. After fasting

forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter

came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God,

tell these stones to become bread.’

Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but

on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

-Matthew 4:1-4

                Deuteronomy chapter 8 is proof of this. The Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years but survived on the manna given by God and his Word. They went through an absolute fast. In Act 9:9 Saul immediately went a three day absolute fast upon his conversion. The body can go a number of days without food, but cannot go for long periods without water. Therefore, there are few absolute fasts that last longer than three days. One of these accounts was when Moses spent forty days and night on Mount Sinai without food or water. He had a supernatural encounter with God that sustained him during that time.

“And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did

neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words

of the covenant, the ten commandments.”

-Exodus 34:28

                Partial fasts can be done for one meal, one day, one month, or however you feel lead by God. Shorter fasts are easier to endure until we have built our spiritual muscles and our faith increases. A three day fast is beneficial as a spiritual cleansing as seen in Acts 9:17-18. Paul was thrust into it upon his conversion so that he would be cleansed and receive the Holy Spirit. A partial fast can also include giving up fleshly desires like watching TV, playing video games, or having intercourse with your spouse (1 Corinthians 7:5).

                During a Daniel fast, we abstain from eating pleasant foods, meat, and wine and restrict ourselves to fruits, vegetables, and water. Why is this called a Daniel fast? Because in Daniel 10:2-3 we see that for three weeks Daniel  partook in this fast.

“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

                We also see that in Daniel 1:8-17, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ate only fruits and vegetables and drank only water. They looked healthier than all of the other young men so the king ordered all of them to give up choice foods and wine.

                A corporate fast is a fast done by a group of people at the same time. God calls His people to set up a sacred and holy fast in the Old Testament. He did this because they needed to repent and give up fleshly desires so that they may draw close to God.

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.”

-Joel 1:14

                Fasting and mourning are often closely associated in the Bible. Two examples are in Ezra and Nehemiah. Both men in Ezra 10:6 and Nehemiah 1:4 fast and mourn for the repentance of God’s people.

                Fasting is also a way we can minister unto the Lord. We read in Acts 13:2 that they ministered unto the Lord and fasted. It is a way we can offer the time we generally spend in eating as unto the Lord in prayer. As we spend this time with Him, it causes things to happen in the Spirit. We do not understand this principle any more than other mysteries in the Bible, but we find that by applying it we get results. There are many things I don't understand with my natural mind, but I receive them by faith because the Word of God says they are true. If God's Word says it, that settles it. In our fasting, the Lord wants to use us to bless others as well. Isaiah 58:7 tells us that during a time of fasting we can give spiritual bread and food to those in need as well as cloth and shelter them.

                Fasting often comes spontaneously like when we are mourning or sick. It is our subconscious way of dealing with a situation and receiving healing. Others are so busy seeking God’s guidance that they forget to eat. Others are in parts of the world where there is little food so they can spend time seeking God and He will bless them as He would a voluntary fast.

                By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God. Fasting is not a way to appear more spiritual than others. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude.