TABLE OF CONTENT

1. 2. 3. !. 5. 6. . ". $. 1%. 11. 12. 13. 1!. TABLE OF CONTENT FASTING:THE OLD BUT EFFECTIVE WEAPON BIBLICAL KEYS TO CHURCH GROWTH FASTING & PRAYER THE PROFITABLE REWARDS WHY FAST AND PRAY FASTING & PRAYER TAKING STEPS TOWARDS STRATEGIC FASTING BENEFITS FRO# FASTING FASTING E#POWERS PRAYER THE I#PORTANCE OF FASTING FASTING: A POWERFUL AID TO PRAYER GOD CALLS #EN TO FASTING SUBDUING SELF THROUGH FASTING STEWARDSHIP OF FASTING 1 2-5 6" - 11 12 - 21 22 23 2! 25 - 26 2 - 2" 2$ - 36 3 3" - !3 !! & 5!

FASTING: THE OLD BUT EFFECTIVE WEAPON

Fasting has been out of vogue in the Christian church for many centuries. This is so, and in fact, rarely does anyone preach or teach on it. There is no time we are on the victory part and more closer to God than when we are fasting. Church fathers through the ages have recognized the importance of fasting and paid much attention to it. The church in her folly has largely neglected it and throws it into a corner to her own detriment and loss. Its time to pic it up again.

FASTING AND PRAYER IN THE OLD TESTA#ENT

!a" !b" !c" !d" !e" !f" !g" Israel fasted on the #ay of $tonement %oses fasted on %t. &inai ' ()od. *+,-., #eut. /,0/, -1'-/. 2e obtained pardon for a wayward race through his fasting, called absolute fast 3 miracle fast. (zra proclaimed fast for the 4ords protection ' (zra .,-0'-*. They were not attac ed because they fasted. 5ehemiah ' 5eh. 0,0'+. 2e got permission and started the rebuilding because he fasted. (sther ' (sther +,06. The 7ews were saved as a result of fasting 7ehoshaphat ' II Chro. -8,*. The 4ord gave him victory because they fasted. 7onah ' 7onah *,+'08. 5ineveh was saved because they fasted.

FASTING IN THE NEW TESTA#ENT

7esus fasted forty days before the beginning of his ministry ' 4 . +, 7ohn the 9aptist taught his disciples to fast often ' % . -,0., 4 . 1,** $nna served God in the temple with fastings and prayer 4 .-,*6'*. :aul fasted following his conversion ' $cts /,/. $nd later on the ship ' $cts -;, *., +*, ++. **'

Cornelius fasted and prayed and the 4ord answered. $ct. 08,*8, *0

 :ractise common in early church ' $cts 0*,0'*, 0+,-* 4ater church history states that every Tuesday and Friday was set apart for fasting.

CHURCH FATHERS
'() F*(+,-. /0 A..-.$fter the dar ages appeared a gospel light ignited by this man. 2e was a constant and fre<uent faster. 2e started a movement that lasted 088 years after his own death. '1) S(2/+(*/3( God brought another awa ening through this man and almost all the city of Florence professes salvation as a result of his flaming preaching. 2e was an inveterate faster. 2e often could eep his place in the pulpit as a result of fre<uent abstinence from food. ',) #(*4-+ L5467* God was able to do all 2e did through this man because it was stated that 2e fasted drastically and permanently as to in=ure his health. 5ot recommending this, but many mighty wor s were wrought through him. '8) 9/6+ C(32-+ 2e was an inveterate faster and lived to see his prayers answered in the conversion of almost a whole city. It is stated that there was not one house in the city of Geneva that did not have a praying person in it. '7) 9/6+ K+/: 2e prayed and fasted until God drove %ary >ueen of &cots into e)ile and finally to death. &he declared that she ?feared 7ohn @no) and his prayers more than the armies of (lizabeth.A '0) 9/6+ W7.37;

2e set great store by fasting and God was able to move mightily. It is stated that his movement saved (ngland from war and invasion by France. '<) C6(*37. F-++7; 2e said that whenever he discovers the demission of the 2oly &pirits presence in him. 2e would go and fast for three days and he would be filled again.

WHY FAST=
There are good things which can happen to us through fasting. !a" !b" !c" !d" !e" !f" !g" !h" !i" !=" %eans of genuine repentance and restoration ' 7oel -,0-, Isa. +8,-.'*0 Fasting and prayer enable God to release 2is power on our behalf. It helps us to remove hindrance to growth ' #an. 08,-, *. There are powers that hinder church and personal growth. Fasting is a harbinger of revival ' 7oel 0,0*, 0+, -,0-'-8. 9e a channel of blessing ' 7n.;,*;'*/ with Isa 1.,6'0-. :owerful aid to prayer ' Isa. 1.,/, 7ude -8,0.'*;B 5eh. 0,+ For effective ministry ' $ct. 0*,0'+B 0+,-*B %at. 0;,0;'-0 It established that our belly is not our God. :hil. *,0/ It gives us victory over fleshly desires, and diminished the power of the flesh over us. It helps us overcome unbelief and build our spiritual life so that we can interact with the &pirit and help us to operate more in the &pirit realm.

KINDS OF FAST
(a) Normal fast Totally refraining from food but drin ing water. This can be for varying lengths of time from one meal up to +8 days. (b) Partial fast Involve abstaining from certain foods. This is also called white fasting !#aniel 08"

(d)

Absolute fast This is a fast of no food and no water. This should not e)ceed three days e)cept you are sure that the 4ord is leading you as 2e led %oses. Cherever the church is growing today in the world, it is the 2oly &pirit wor ing in answer to the prayer and fasting of 2is people.

In @orea, the people have learnt how to bind the devil that controls the nation, city, community and hearts of people through prayers and fasting. Therefore mighty growth is being e)perienced. In $rgentina, Dmar Cabrero, one of the leading evangelists consistently close himself in a hotel room between 1'+8 days until the power of the &pirit controlling the area is bro en and then he would go there and many would be saved, healed and delivered. The church is recording e)plosive growth both in <uality and <uantity today in $sia, $merica, 4atin $merica because the saints have learnt how to pray with fasting thereby releasing the power of 2oly Ghost to perform signs and wonders and mighty acts of salvation. In 5igeria, God has used the Eedeemed Christian Church of God to restore the value and benefit of corporate fasting. There it was that popularize the 088 days protracted fasting chain. %any churches are now wa ing up to the need for varying lengths of time for supernatural brea through. Dur fasting should not be for crisis time alone. Ce should obey the wise old dictumB ?If you want peace prepare for war. Chen shall we receive the challenge to rise up and fast, pray, organize and plan for growthF Chen shall we pay the price for all inds of growthF If not now, whenF If not here, whereF If not you, ChoF

BIBLICAL KEYS TO CHURCH GROWTH FASTING AND PRAYER

The first time I was e)posed to fasting, I was in my early -8s and the pastor of a little church in 4e)ington, @entuc y. %y father and I went to &eoul, @orea to visit with #r. Cho, pastor of Goido Full Gospel Church. $t that time, his church had +8,888 members. There are two dynamics that built his .18,888 member church. Dne, #r. Cho is a tremendous man of faith. The faith message was the central core of his ministry. 2e spo e the word of God, and believed it would come to pass. 2is mother'in'law would lie on her face all night in intercession and fasting. &he had a revelation of intercession and fasting. &he made sure ' everyone received the same revelation. Through faith, fasting and prayer, they built the greatest church in the world with over .18,888 members. %y father and I had the opportunity to meet Cith %adam Choi. %y father as ed her, ?Chat is the secret of building great churchFA &he pointed at my dads stomach and said, ?Fast, fast, fast, and pray, pray, pray.A %y dad thought she didnt understand. ?&he cant understand (nglish so I will as her again,A he said. &o he as ed her again. &he got up, wal ed over to my dad, stuc her finger in my dads stomach and she said, ?Fast, fast, fastA Then she pointed to heaven and said, ?:ray, pray, pray.A Chile in &eoul, we also visited :rayer %ountain. There were over 0188 young people at :rayer %ountain who were fasting for one wee . %ost of the youth were between 0* and 0. years old. It so moved meB I decided to begin fasting when I returned home. I started with one day a wee , and for the ne)t five years, I never I missed a wee fasting. Dur church grew spiritually and numerically due to fasting and prayer. Dur little church was located in the worst part of town. Ce had some real challenges but God sent a revival. :eople were saved, our church grew, Ce moved about two bloc s from the Hniversity of @entuc y, ne)t to li<uor store. I began praying for God to close the li<uor store. I wanted God to destroy it. 9ut God has ways of doing things that are not always our ways and arent you glad of thatF The adult daughter of the family that owned the li<uor store was the manager. &he had a little girl. 9ecause we had a day care, she enrolled her daughter in our school. %y wife, %argaret, was the administrator and head teacher. &he would read 9ible stories to the children and pray with them. &oon the little girl shared with her mother the things she learned at our day care. 9efore eating her meals, she would tell her mom that they must bless the food before they ate. $t bedtime she would say, ?%omma, weve got to pray tonight.A

That little girl had such an impact on her mother and grandparents, when she as ed to be baptized at our church, her family agreed. $t the service the little girls mother and grandmother as ed 7esus to be their &avior. The manager was so e)cited about her new faith in God that she ordered a whole case of 9ibles and set them on the counter of the li<uor store. $s customers came into the store, she would as each one if they wanted to buy a 9ibles. 2e said, ?Chat are you doing with 9ibles on the counterF This does not help the sale of li<uor.A &he began to testify how she and her daughter committed their life to the 4ord. The salesman was a bac slidden :entecostal preacherI Dh, the conviction of God touched him and she prayed with him. 2e said, ?I am going to go to church with you.A The ne)t &unday, he and his wife, both made a recommitment to the 4ord. In time their grown children came and the entire family became a part of our church. Dur church did not grow by pulling members from the local churches in our city. 9ut our church grew by people out of the li<uor store church. Dur church grew as a direct result of prayer and fasting. Fasting and prayer put that li<uor store out of businessI 2owever, not everything in my life and ministry was <uite as e)citing. $s I increased my preaching on fasting, I had great opposition from many people including church leadership. In spite of the negative, I continue to preach, teach, and participate in the biblical discipline of fasting and prayer. Today our church has two campuses and nine satellite churches, including four that are international. In -88; #r. 9ob Eodgers was invited to #r Chos Church Growth International conference to preach on fasting. Goddi Church is the largest :entecostal church in the world with .18,888 members. 2e was also invited to preach at the largest %ethodist church in the world also in @orea.

THE PROFITABLE REWARDS: PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL

Christ has called us to pray and to fast. The primary purpose of fasting is to humble ourselves before God, e)pressing our heart'felt love to God. Get, there are many, many spiritual benefits of fasting. There are also many physical benefits of fasting.

21 SPIRITUAL BENEFITS OF FASTING

0. -. *. +. 1. 6. ;. .. Ce should fast because 7esus fasted !Matthew 4:1, 2; John 6:27) and 2e urges us to follow 2im. !Luke 9:23). 7esus taught fasting as one of the four foundations of the Christian faith. These foundations areB giving, praying, fasting and faith. !Matthew 6). :aul was ?in fasting oftenA (II Cor. 11:27). 2e instructed us to be ?J approving ourselves as the ministers of God !among other things"J in fastingA II Cor. 6:5" (very single person in the early church fasted !A t! 14:23). Ce therefore are not to do less. Fasting enables you to become a conductor of spiritual power for either blessing others or for bringing blessings to yourself. :roper fasting with sincerity and respect to the 4ord will positively brea the yo es of sin, sic ness and spiritual oppression !I!a"ah 5#:6$". Fasting is a discipline of the body in order to humble the soul. #avid said, ?I chastened my soul with fasting JA %!a&' 69:1$. Fasting helps you to prevail in prayer with God. ?&o we fasted and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of usA (()ra #:23). Chen we are willing to set aside the appetites of the body to concentrate on prayer, it demonstrates that we mean business. Fasting with prayer may bring mercy from God, rather than =udgmentB ?Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me all your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping and mourning. 4et your remorse tear at your hearts and not your garments.A Eeturn to the 4ord your God, for he is gracious and mercifulJA !Joe& 2:12, 13). Fasting may free us from wea ness of the flesh such as smo ing, drin ing, drugs and unnatural se)ual desire. ?Is not this the fast that I have chosenF To loose the bands of wic edness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye brea every yo eFA !I!a"ah 5#:6" Fasting may reveal the will of God for our lives to us. It was when :eter ?J became very hungry and would have eatenJA !A t! 1$:1$", that God gave him the vision that led to the bringing of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Fasting reaches and obtains what prayer alone cannot, because it removes unbelief !Matthew 17:2$, 21".

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Fasting brings one into direct contact with unbelief. &o that it can be removed. Hnbelief can never be fully apprehended until one fast from ten to forty days. Fasting is the greatest faith producer because fasting and faith are directly related to the mouth. !*o'an! 1$:9, 1$". Fasting is more closely related to faith than any other Christian wor , and in fact is the very gateway to trust and have faith in God after conversion. 2owever, because it is little taught about and understood, fol s fail to realize its value. Fasting masters the old man, sub=ugating the flesh ! I Cor"nth"an! 9:27" and is mortification of the flesh and members !Co&o!!"an! 3:5" Fasting pleases the &pirit. The flesh and the &pirit are at enmity with each other. Fasting is the most sure spiritual method to bring a revival. $ revival begins in our heart first. Then one comes about in the community. &ouls become saved. Fasting enables one to transcend the natural and ta es one <uic ly into the spiritual realm Fasting will crucify the flesh and all unnatural desires associated with lusts of any appetite gratification. Fasting is the easiest way for bac sliders to come home. !&ee #avids fasts. Eefer to %!a&'! 35:13; 1$9:24".

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21 PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF FASTING

0. -. *. +. 1. 6. Fasting is the greatest curative agency nown. Fasting purifies the blood stream. Fasting rids the body of practically all the unwanted poisonous filth of auto'into)ication. Chen you feed a diseased body you feed the diseaseB fasting starves the disease. Fasting improves the circulation. It even cleanses the bloc ed vessels so that the blood circulates. Fasting gives the overwor ed stomach a vacation as well as nearly all other parts of the body.

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Fasting conserves energy. &ic people cannot get well unless there is a conservation of energy. %any times food will destroy or waste what little energy a sic individual has. Fasting will cure //K of functional ailments Fasting <uic ly heals simple diseases such as boils, s in blemishes, indigestion, dyspepsia, constipation, fever, anemia, asthma. %a=or fasting will also cure most other ma=or diseases caused by impurities in the system. Fasting improves the mental faculties, ma ing it easier to thin , study, remember and concentrate. !#uring some parts of the fast this may not be true." $fter ten or fifteen days of fasting the individual usually becomes stronger, physically, day by day, after the initial cleansing of the body ta es place. The headache generally felt while fasting is a sure indication that you should fast. Fasting will remove ordinary headaches and the coffee or caffeine headache, along with the over'use of coffee or any other abnormal habits. Fasting will also eradicate tobacco, drug and drin ing habits in as little time as three days, water only ta en during the fast, with temperate eating habits after the fast. The roots of these habits are imbedded within the stomach. Fasting consumes these very roots, banishing addiction. Fasting is the greatest natural youth restorer comple)ion. nown. It also beautifies the

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Eegular fasting prolongs life from twenty to forty years, depending on how much and how properly the fasts are entered into. Fasting will remove tumors as large as watermelons, also ulcers and goiters, and will revitalize the glands. Fasting, after two wee s, more or less, causes the breath that was so foul during the first of the fast to become clean and pure li e that of a child. Fasting removes bad tastes from the mouth. Fasting draws the intestinal tract up and into its normal size. Fasting restores a natural, normal appetite !after the fast is bro en properly".

WHY FAST AND PRAY?

The greatest saints of God throughout the 9ible often fasted. Fasting is often connected with wholehearted prayer, with mourning, with repentance, with see ing deliverance from enemies or wisdom from above. %oses fasted forty days on %ount &inai, and our &aviour fasted forty days in the wilderness. The 9ible tells how 7oshua, #avid, (zra, 5ehemiah, #aniel, the disciples of 7ohn the 9aptist, $nna, the apostles, :aul and 9arnabas, and others fasted and prayed. &aints of God got their prayers answered when they waited on God with fasting and prayer. &ince 9ible times, the greatest men of prayer have oftentimes fasted as well as prayed. $ Christian is in good company when he fasts and prays.

#uring the earthly ministry of Christ, the disciples of 7ohn the 9aptist fasted, the :harisees fasted, and naturally in<uiries were made concerning the disciples of our &aviour. 7esus answeredB ?Can ye ma e the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with themF 9ut the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be ta en away from them, and then shall they fast in those daysA !4u e 1,*+, *1". &o the &aviour not only fastedB 2e also taught 2is disciples to fast and they did fast after 2e was ta en away. The only restriction that our &aviour put upon fasting is that it was to be sincere. %en should not disfigure their faces to appear unto men to fast. $ boastful, self'righteous flaunting of religious ceremonies such as that practiced by the :harisees, hypocrites in the days of our 4ord, is offensive to God, to be sure. 9ut hypocrisy in anything else is a sin as truly as in the case of fasting. Christians should not fast as hypocrites, but they certainly should fast as 7esus fasted, as :aul fasted, as 9arnabas and many others fasted. Fasting is such a lost art, so little practiced, so little taught, that we need to consider here what is the meaning of fasting. 2ow does fasting add to prayerF #oes it mean simply to abstain from foodF Is there virtue in fasting when we do not prayF Chat is the spiritual significance of fastingF

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There are times when one ought to eat and praise God for the food as #avid did, when he said, ?9less the 4ord, 8 my soul, and forget not all 2is benefits... Cho satisfieth thy mouth with good thingsB so that thy youth is renewed li e the eaglesA !:sa. 08*,-, 1". &ometimes eating is the will of God. There are times also when it pleases God for 2is child <uietly and trusting to lie down to sleep, laying aside all his burdens and sweetly resting in the arms of Gods care. ?2e giveth 2is beloved sleepA !Isa.0-;,-". #avid could say, ?I laid me down and sleptB I awa edB for the 4ord sustained meA !:salm. *,1".

There are times when men should en=oy the pleasures of family life. ?%arriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiledA !2eb. 0*,+". Ce are told that, ?Choso findeth

a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the 4ordA !:rov. 0.,--". ?(very good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turningA !7as. 0 I 0,0;". 4et us en=oy the blessings of God, whether food or drin or rest or Christian fellowship or home life or service. 4et us give God the glory for them all. 9ut certainly there are times when we should turn our bac s upon everything else in the world but see ing the face of God. &uch times should be times of fasting and prayer.

Fasting, then, should mean that one determines to see the face of and for a time, at least, to abstain from other things in order to give the whole heart to prayer and waiting on God. Fasting and prayer means to leave off the lesser blessings for the greater one, the lesser duty for the far more important duty. There are times when preachers should <uit preaching, teachers should <uit teaching, and all of us should leave off 9ible study even, should even cease to win souls in order to pray. The apostles said, ?Ce will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the CordA !$cts 6,+". They put praying before preaching. That is what 7esus meant when 2e commanded the disciples not to depart from 7erusalem, but to tarry in 7erusalem as they prayed for the power of the 2oly &pirit before :entecost. Drdinarily fasting means to abstain from food. 9ut the same spirit will oftentimes lead to abstaining from other things as well. &ometimes those who fasted in 9ible times fasted without any ind of drin , as well as without food. The men of 5ineveh did ?not feed, nor drin waterA !7onah *,0". >ueen (sther and her maidens and %ordecai and other 7ews, before the days of :urim, when 7ews were to be destroyed by the plot of wic ed 2aman, did not eat food nor drin water for three days !(sther +,06". &o when God planned to give the law to Israel from %ount &inai, the command was given to the people to wash their clothes and ?come not at your wives,A !()odus 0/,0+, 01". $nd husbands and wives are Commanded, ?#efraud ye not one the other, e)cept it be with consent for a time, 46(4 ;7 >(; <-27 ;/5*.7327. 4/ 0(.4-+< (+8 ?*(;7*@ !0 Cor. ;,1". The spirit of fasting means that one, for the time being, is willing to abstain from otherwise normal and proper duties or pleasures that he may give himself wholly to the business of prayer. &o fasting is really putting God first when one prays, wanting God more than one wants food, more than one wants sleep, more than one wants fellowship with others, more than one wants to attend to business. 2ow could a Christian ever now that God was first in his life, if he did not sometimes turn aside from every other duty and pleasure to give himself wholly to see ing the face of GodF There are many other occasions in life when men do without food. $t a football training, men gladly deprive themselves of sweets and certain food li ely to hinder mental alertness and physical fitness and endurance. &hould we do less for 7esus ChristF Dne can run a race better if he has not eaten =ust beforehand. &wimmers well now that it is dangerous to eat much before swimming lest they suffer from cramps. :ublic spea ers and singers customarily do not eat in the evening until after the important period of concentration and perfect control necessary for their public appearance. If I can preach better without eating, then why cannot I pray better without eatingF If a business man can concentrate better on his figures, in some emergency, without having his stomach loaded with food, then why cannot a Christian pray better when all his energies are given to that one thingF Chen men are wholly absorbed in grief for a loved one, they are not

hungryB they do not want to eat. Then when one is wholly absorbed in passionate and most earnest prayer, why should he not be glad to do without foodF In truth, when Christians fast, it is often true that they simply do not want to eatB they have no desire for food. %any, many times I have been so busy about the 4ordLs wor and so absorbed in it that I had no taste for food. Fasting means putting God as first in a very intense way for a period of time and for very definite purposes.

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Ce may pray /047+ but most of us do not pray >5,6. Dur prayers are transitory, indefinite and brief. Dn the other hand, to fast and pray means that one settles down to the business of praying with a persistence that will ta e no denial. The widow who haunted the un=ust =udge with her persistent pleading that he avenge her of her adversary !4u e 0.,*", probably neglected her house wor while she did it and possibly did not eatI I suppose even the un=ust =udge did not get to en=oy his food or his rest so steadily did she pursue him with her urgent pleasI Eeal persistence in prayer, letting other things go by and giving God the right of way, often involves fasting. There is little point to fasting or depriving ourselves of other things simply as a matter of self punishment if we do not pray. . . Fasting is the accompaniment of persistent, fervent prayer that will not be deniedI

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In 2ebrews 0-,0, -, we are commanded, ?Cherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, loo ing unto 7esus the author and finisher of our faith.A &ince it is faith that the 2oly &pirit is spea ing about, and since all the holy e)amples and witnesses given were men of persistent, faithful prayer, we surely will ma e no mista e to interpret this verse as a command to lay aside hindrances to prayer. ?4ay aside every weight.A (ating may be good in its place, but certainly sometimes it is a weight that holds down our prayers. &leep may sometimes be proper, but doubtlessly many, many times Christians sleep when they ought to be praying. 9usiness in itself may be proper and sometimes men ought to do with their might what their hands find to doB but business, ?the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, cho e the Cord, and he becometh unfruitfulA !%att.0*,--". Fasting is laying aside every weight, every hindrance to prayer. $ Christian ought to be willing, as often as necessary, to abstain from anything that hinders getting the answer to his prayers, to wait on God until everything that hides the face of God is removed, waiting before God until really he gets the full assurance that his prayer is heard

and will be answered to the glory of ChristI Chen we fast and pray, we are trying to lay aside sincerely anything that hinders our prayers.

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To fast when we pray should mean, ?I have set myself to see God as long as necessary and as earnestly as necessary until 2e hears me and answers me.A It re<uires faith to pray, for ?he that cometh to God must believe that 2e is, and that 2e is a rewarder of them that diligently see 2imA !2eb. 00,6". Then it re<uires >/*7 0(-46 to fast when we pray. Fasting pictures greater desires, greater determination, and greater faith. Dne who fasts thereby signifies his sincerity and his confidence that God can be reached and that God will answer and bless his sincerity and definiteness and willingness to now and do the will of God. :rayer is too often a' shallow thing, a light and insincere thing. That is surely one reason why so many, many prayers are never answered. Fasting, then, should be an evidence of our earnestness, our fervor, our faith.

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Chen people are overwhelmed with sorrow, they often do not eat. They have no desire for foodB they could not en=oy it. &ometimes when people are overwhelmed with grief, the body will not digest food. 5ature itself teaches that fasting is the proper accompaniment and e)pression of mourning. In the 9ible we have many e)amples of fasting as an e)pression of grief. #avid fasted while he wept over the first child of 9athsheba when the babe was smitten by the 4ord !- &amuel 0-,06, -0". The same spirit must have animated &amuel when he ?cried unto the 4ord all nightA in grief over the re=ection of &aul !0 &amuel 01,00". That was the spirit of fasting, though the word is not used in that passage. The men of 5ineveh fasted, with sac cloth and ashes, a symbol of the deepest mourning !7onah *,1';". $s people feast at weddings and other occasions of re=oicing, so they fast at occasions of mourning. Thus the &aviour said that when the 9ridegroom was ta en away 2is disciples would fast. 2ence, those who are in sorrow do well sometimes to fast as they see the comfort of Gods face. Those who have sinned and grieved in penitence do well to fast as they turn their hearts from sin and confess their failures and faults and try to ma e restitution. LFasting fits e)actly with repentance and with sorrow for sin.

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Fasting is an aid and ad=unct of prayer. &ome things never come to a child of God ?but by prayer and fasting.A If prayer is good, then more prayer and fasting is better. If earnest prayer pleases God, then sometimes, surely, 2e is pleased when the prayer is so earnest

that we do not want food nor drin nor sleep nor any other ordinary pleasure. If God is pleased for us to see 2im, then sometimes, surely it pleases 2im for us to lay aside every weight, abstain from everything that might absorb our energy and interest and thought that we may give ourselves wholly to the matter of prayer. Ce name here some things that Christians have a right to see by prayer and fasting, things which God has, in times past, given 2is people because of their prayer with fasting.

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Help in time of trouble often comes from fasting and prayer. God says, ?Call upon %e in the day of troubleB I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify %eA !:salm. 18,01". $ time of trouble is a good time to pray. It is a good time to pray, and if the trouble is severe, then it is a good time to fast, too. 7oshua and the elders of Israel remained prostrate before the ar of God from morning until evening without eating after the Israelites were defeated by the men of $i !7oshuaI ;,6". It was a time of distress, of defeat, of shame and of fear. The very destiny of the nation seemed at sta e. Chen they fasted and prayed, God showed them the sin that hindered victory. Chen in the days of the 7udges, the eleven tribes of Israel came up against 9en=amin by Gods command, and when +8,888 were slain in two days ?then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the 4ord, and fasted that day until thee evenA !7udges -8,-6". In their defeat and sorrow they wept and called on God and fasted. God heard and delivered them and the ne)t day gave them victory. The time of defeat is a fine time to pray with fasting. 4et all those who are in trouble call upon God. If they find difficulty in getting an answer from 2eaven, then let them fast and pray, sincerely laying everything else aside, as far as necessary, to see Gods f face and find 2is will and blessing.

T/ F-+8 W6(4 D-.?37(.7. G/8

To find what is wrong, what displeases God, we should sometimes fast and pray. Chen 7oshua and the elders of Israel did not now why God had allowed them to be defeated by $i, they fasted and prayed until God showed them the sin of $chan and about the hidden wedge of gold, the silver, and the 9abylonish garment. %any a Christian who does not prosper could learn the reason if he would wait before God in such sincerity and abandon of self that he would not eat, would not sleep or would not carry on the regular affairs of life until God revealed what was wrong.

T/ B*7(B U? F(33/A G*/5+8 I+ O5* H7(*4.

Genuine repentance sometimes involves fasting and prayer. Dne may confess his sins without repenting of them. Dften, unless we deliberately ta e time for medi tation and e)amination of our hearts and waiting on God, we have no real sense of sin, no genuine horror at our guilt. I now that in order to be saved, one may turn immediately to

Christ, as soon as he nows himself a sinner and nows that Christ died for him, if he will. 9ut alas, many times those of us who are already saved have trouble turning our hearts away from sinI I believe that in 9ible times Gods saints often too time to fast and wait before God in order that they might genuinely, with contrite hearts, forsa e their sins and mourn over them. Ce are commanded, ?9e afflicted, and mourn, and weepB let your laughter be turned to mourning and your =oy to heaviness. 2umble yourselves in the sight of the 4ord, and 2e shall lift you upA !7ames +,/, 08". I now God is merciful and ready to forgive instantly all who sincerely turn in the heart to 2im. 9ut I now, too, that oftentimes our pretended turning to God is insincere and shallow with no real sorrow for sin, no effort at restitution, and no genuine change in attitude of heart. The ghastly wic edness of sin is hidden from us lighthearted moderns. &urely often it would please God if we would ta e time apart to search our hearts and find what displeases God and wholly forsa e, as far as we can consciously do so, our sins. If we spend enough time in prayer we can learn the meaning of the old song, ?Eeturn, 8 holy #ove, return, &weet messenger of restI I hate the sins that made Thee mourn $nd drove Thee from my breast.A

Fasting will help us to brea up the fallow ground of our hearts.

V-,4/*; O27* S-+

Fasting and prayer often lead to victory over sin . The world has many Christians who have trusted Christ, who sincerely love 2im, who are going to 2eaven M yet Christians who have no daily victory over sin. (verywhere I go I find Christians who say they cannot <uit cigarettes, they cannot control their tempersB they have trouble in surrendering even enough to give God regularly the tithe. Christians find it hard to forgive one another and are constantly falling under the temptation of &atan. Is there victory for such ChristiansF Ges, there is. 9ut sometimes it is found only in the time of fasting and prayer, waiting on God and laying aside every weight, every duty, and every pleasure that might interfere with our wholehearted prayers. .%any times I have seen things happen in protracted seasons of prayer that would not happen in the ordinary course of events. Ce need not thin that our hunger gains any favor with God. 5o, God has abundant mercy for all our needs and we cannot, need not, buy it. 9ut on the other hand, God does want sincerity and fervor and single'heartedness in our praying.

(very Christian, I thin , should occasionally fast and pray, waiting before God until he gets the victory that he needs. I remember with great =oy one night when I waited before God alone in my room until 0,*8 begging God for victory over some things in my own life and begging also for the power of the &pirit on the revival in which I was engaged. $nd God heard and answered in both matters, gloriously. If you do not have victory over sin, then wait before God, and pay whatever price is necessary to secure 2is favor and the assurance of 2is help.

H7(27+3; W-.8/>
Heavenly wisdom received in prayer and fasting. In $cts 0*,0'* we have a remar able incident showing how men who fasted and prayed got direct leadership of the 2oly &pirit.. 2ere is that sweet passage, ?5ow there were in the church that was at $ntioch certain prophets and teachersB as 9arnabas, and &imeon that was called 5iger, and 4ucius of Cyrene, and %anaen, which had been brought up with 2erod the Tetrarch and &aul. $s they ministered to the 4ord, and fasted, the 2oly Ghost said, &eparate %e 9arnabas and &aul for, the wor whereunto I have called them. $nd when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them awayA !$cts 0*,0'*". 5otice that ?as they ministered to the 4ord, and fastedA the 2oly Ghost told them whom to send, that is, 9arnabas and &aul. 5otice again, ?when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.A Twice in that short passage we are told that these prophets and teachers fasted. They fasted first as they prayed for wisdom. They fasted second as they prayed for power upon these men they were sending forth as the first foreign missionaries in 5ew Testament times. $nd when these men laid their hands upon the heads of :aul and 9arnabas and sent them away, they were ?sent forth by the 2oly Ghost.A $nd marvelous wonders attended their ministryI Ce, too could have plain leading, we could now the will of God, we could have a plain path for our feet, if we were willing to wait before the 4ord, ministering unto 2im, fasting and prayingI Gou have a problem about raising your family, about ma ing a living, about where you should serve for Christ, about what course you should ta e in some particular mattersB does not God hear your prayer for wisdomF #o you have doubts and troubles and no assurance of mindF Then why not =ust set a time and wait before God until you get the answerF If it ta es fasting as well as praying, if it ta es giving up other matters, then do it and get the blessing that God has for you. Gou can find the will of God if you see it sincerely, unstintedly and without limit in fasting and prayer.

I+47*,7..-/+ F/* O467*.

Intercession for others is answered when we fast and pray. %ost of our praying is for ourselves, Get every Christian, surely, admits his responsibility to pray for others. #o you pray for your pastor, for some foreign missionaryF #o you pray regularly for some loved one who is unsavedF #o you pray for someone who has as ed you to help bear the burden of his load day by day, whatever it isF Cell, our own needs ta e up most of the time in our little, puny, short praying. If you would pray for others, pray happily, pray with assurance that you are heard, then ta e time to pray through. $ny long e)tended time of fervent prayer may involve fasting as well as prayer. It ta es more than a little short prayer to get away from our own selfishness. Ce have, each one of us, so many needs that we will not do our duty in praying for others unless we ta e an e)tended time for it, unless we really wait before God long enough to get out of our selfishness and get victory over our own immediate needs. Could you be an intercessorF #o you want to learn to pray for othersF Then set aside long periods of time in which to pray with sufficient time to search your heart and to now the mind of Christ. Ta e time without distraction of eating and drin ing or sleeping perhaps, and God will surely give you part of the blessed burden that is on 7esus Christ, the burden that is for others.

P/A7* O0 T67 H/3; S?-*-4

?2oly &pirit power comes in answer to fasting and prayer. There are many things for which we can pray and at once receive the answer. I believe that a sinner can trust in Christ and be saved at once, without delay. The thief on the cross had only to as and he was forgiven. The publican in the temple had only to say, ?God be merciful to me a sinnerA and went down to his house =ustified. I now of no &cripture that teaches that a lost sinner needs to beg and plead and so try to touch the heart of God or afflict himself in order to be saved. Chen the poor, sinful will is ready to surrender and put 2is trust in Christ, then God is immediately ready to forgive and save. 2owever, though God is instantly willing to forgive the sinner, there are other matters about which we should e)pect to pray longer. Certainly one of the blessed teachings of the &aviour, emphasized many times, is that we should be persistent in prayer. The widow before the un=ust =udge prayed again and again !4u e 0.,0'.". 7esus, teaching the disciples to pray, first gave them the model prayer called the 4ords prayer and then told them about the neighbor who came and pounded on the door at midnight saying, ?4end me three loavesB for a friend of mine in 2is =ourney is come to me, and I have nothing to set before himA !4u e 00,0'0*". In that case certainly the man as ing for bread was as ing for it for another who had none. $nd 7esus told e)actly what 2e meant in that parable when 2e said in verse 0*, ?If ye then, being evil, now how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the 2oly &pirit to them that as 2imFA notice the 2oly &pirit was given to them ?that $&@ 2imA to them that as howF To them that as li e that neighbour who

noc ed on the door again and again and even then received only importunity.A

?because of 2is

That illustrates a Christian begging God for 9read to ta e to sinners, or in other words, praying for the power of the 2oly &pirit to ma e him a soul winnerI $nd the word $&@ I understand, is in the imperfect or continuing tense in the Gree and it means to them that eep on as ing, God will give the 2oly &pirit. Certainly before :entecost, the disciples ?continued with one accord in prayer and supplicationA !$cts 0,0+". $nd otherwise, I feel sure they would not have received the blessings that God gave them. They prayed, but they more than prayedB they begged God. That isnt all. They doubtlessly fasted as well. 7esus had said about 2is disciples, 9ut the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be ta en away from them, and then shall they fast in those daysA !4u e 1,*1". 7esus had =ust been ta en away, and now the disciples, children of the bride chamber fasted as they prayed and begged God for the power to get about 2is business. They prayed, yes, but they fasted as they prayed. I do not now that it specially matters =ust that they did without food. Chat matters is that they turned their hearts wholly, unreservedly, and without interruption, to the business of getting all the power God had for them and to being possessed and covered and filled Cith the 2oly &pirit 2imselfI Chen :eter came to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household, Cornelius said to him, ?Four days ago l was fasting until this hourB and at the ninth hour I prayed in my houseJA !$cts 08,*8". :erhaps that is part of the secret as to why Cornelius and his household were filled with the 2oly &pirit at the same time they were saved. This is the only specific instance on record in the 9ible, as far as I now, where people were filled with the 2oly &pirit at the same time they were saved. (vidently all the heart searching, all the surrendering of the will, all the confession of sin, all the yielding of the heart that was necessary for Cornelius to be filled with the 2oly &pirit was already done by the time he learned how to be savedI Chen :aul was converted, he fasted and prayed three days and nights before he was filled with the 2oly &pirit. Eead carefully the ninth chapter of $cts and you will see that :aul was converted as described in verses + and 1. Nerse / tells that he went three days without sight, ?and neither did eat nor drin .A The angel told $nanias, ?behold, he prayeth,A in verse 00. Those three days of fasting and prayer fitted :aul to be filled with the 2oly &pirit, and in verse 0; we learn that $nanias went to him, sent by the 4ord, ?that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the 2oly Ghost.A Certainly fasting and prayer are appropriate for Christians who want to be filled with the 2oly &pirit. 4et us turn again to the sending forth of 9arnabas and :aul in $cts 0*,0'+. These prophets and teachers fasted until they new the will of God. Then they fasted and prayed further until they could lay their hands upon :aul and 9arnabas in power and they could go away ?being sent forth by the 2oly Ghost.A

It was the e)perience of #. 4. %oody, of E $ Torrey, of Charles G. Finney as it has been of many other Christians greatly used in soul winning, that they were filled with the 2oly &pirit after long season of waiting before God, finding the will of God, surrendering self, being molded on a Gods potters wheel.

FASTINGAND PRAYER
Fasting prayer cripples &atan. Fasting is a powerful weapon against satanic forces. Chen the enemy came in li e a flood in the days of 5ineveh and in the days of (sther, they fasted and turned him bac . &o must we today employ this weapon in an all'out against &atan. (ven though many of Gods saints cannot pray, they can fast, and fasting is accepted by the 4ord as a to en of urgent, desperate prayer, even though without words e)cept the mute longings of the soul. $s you fast, prayer is sharpened and a spirit of prayer will be given you. Those who <uail before the rigors of &criptural, systematic fasting should discipline themselves by going on a #aniels fast. &ome may as , what is a #aniels fastF It is abstaining from all pleasant food.... It is eating only enough food to give strength to see and to serve the 4ord. Ce cheat ourselves when we do not avail ourselves of the grace of fasting. It is one of the most enriching graces I now of. It is the easiest of all sacrifices to offer unto the 4ord, a sacrifice of sweet savour.

Taking Step T!"a#$ St#ategi% Fa ting

1. W7 .6/538 0(.4 SENSIBLY.
#ont feel that you must fast many days to be effective. %any biblical fasts were ?until eveningA !7udges -8,-6B - &amuel *,*1B $cts 08,*8".

2.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SECRETLY.

7esus cautioned 2is disciples never to boast about our times of fasting, but rather to eep our times of fasting as a personal commitment !%atthew 6,06'0.".

3.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SENSITIVELY.

Chen Israel fasted before a crucial battle, the 9ible says they ?in<uired of the 4ord.A Chen we fast we should ta e time to hear God spea .

!.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SYSTE#ATICALLY.

Chen 7esus taught 2is disciples about fasting, 2e began with the words ?when e you fastA !%atthew6,06". 2e was suggesting that believers should have regular times of fasting, whether one day a wee or a portion of a day each wee .

5.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SACRIFICIALLY.

If we do not normally eat brea fast it is not really a sacrifice to fast brea fast. $ true fast must be a sacrifice.

6.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SPECIFICALLY.

God said to Israel ?Is not this the fast that I have chosenFA !Isaiah 1.,6". Ce must as God to direct us in the focus of our fasting.

W7 .6/538 0(.4 SUPERNATURALY.

The very nature of fasting re<uires dependence on Gods supernatural power to see us through. Chen the early church fasted before sending out wor ers, the 9ible says, ?The 2oly &pirit cameA !$cts 0*,-, *". Ce need Gods &pirit as we fast.

BENEFITS FRO& FASTING

-. B*/B7++7..
Fasting is a personal, voluntary humbling of the heart before God that increases spiritual bro enness !:salm 6/,08".

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S730 C/+4*/3

Fasting is a commitment to self'control that enables a believer to die to self !Galatians 1,-* temperance, moderation in appetites".

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R7,7?4-2-4;

Fasting is a worship activity that increases spiritual receptivity by creating a climate for the 2oly &pirit to spea !$cts 0*,-, *".

-2.

P/A7*

Fasting is concentrated spiritual preparation for 2oly &pirit'empowered service that increases the believers ' power !4u e +,0,0+".

2.

#-+-.4*;

Fasting is a specialized service ministry that increases spiritual usefulness for the totally committed believer f !4u e -,*6, *;". In &cripture, in times of national crisis, the 4ord called upon the leaders of 2is people to declare a fast. Today the world situation is out of the control of men. Dnly God can save us. 2e intervenes through the fasting and prayers of 2is people.

FASTING E&POWERS PRAYER

The 5ew Testament Church fasted much in the day when she ministered in power and glory. 7. G. %orrison says, ?(very great leader who has moved his age mightily for God was a faster.A %artin 4uther was a wee ly faster and God used him to lift the curtain of night that had hung over the world during the #ar $ges. 4uther is criticized for fasting too rigorously, to the probable in=ury of his health, but he moved the world toward God. 7ohn @no) fasted regularly, and history shows he had power with God in prayer and prevailed with God and saved &cotland from the dar ness of Catholicism. 7ohn Cesley fasted two days each wee . The pioneering %ethodists had two wee ly fast days and were on fire for God. 7ohn Cesley says, ?Chile we were at D)ford, the rule of every %ethodist was to fast every Cednesday and Friday in the year in imitation of the primitive church. ?5ow the practice of the first disciples of our 4ord was universally allowed.A LCho does not now, says (piphanius an ancient writer, Lthat the fast of the fourth and si)th days of the wee , !Cednesday and Friday" are observed by Christians through the worldF ?&o they were by %ethodists for several years, by them all without e)ception. 9ut afterwards some in 4ondon carried this to e)cess and fasted so as to impair their health. It was not long before others made this a pretense for not fasting at all. Gea, there are some that do not fast one day from the beginning of the year to the end. ?9ut what e)cuse can there be for this for any who believe the &cripturesFA In Colonial days, 7onathan (dwards was a regular faster. It was under his ministry that sinners seized the pillars of the church and the bac s of the seats under the mighty conviction of the 2oly &pirit, feeling that they were in danger of dropping into hell. &eth C. Eees, a successful soul winner, never attempted to hold meetings without appointing days of fasting.

It is a fact that the decline in real old time revivals and the increase in worldliness in the churches is in proportion to our neglect of fasting and prayer. In the days when conviction was deep, restitutions and confessions were thorough and conversions were genuine, the people of the 4ord fasted regularly and prayed mightily M and God gave them revivals. Tradition says that the apostolic church fasted each Cednesday and Friday and bro e their fast at * p.m. God is calling 2is ministers and people to days and nights of fasting, protracted, persistent, believing prayer. ?+&ow the tru',et "n -"on, !an t"./ a .a!t, a&& a !o&e'n a!!e'0&/: 1ather the ,eo,&e, !an t"./ the on1re1at"on, a!!e'0&e the e&2er! ... Let the ... '"n"!ter! o. the Lor2, wee, 0etween the ,or h an2 the a&tar, an2 &et the' !a/, 3,are 4h/ ,eo,&e, $ Lor2, an2 1"5e not 4h"ne her"ta1e to re,roa h, that the heathen !hou&2 ru&e o5er the'6 7here.ore !hou&2 the/ !a/ a'on1 the ,eo,&e, 7here "! the"r 8o269 :4hen w"&& the Lor2 0e ;ea&ou! .or <"! &an2, an2 ,"t/ <"! ,eo,&e. =ea, the Lor2 w"&& an!wer ... I w"&& re'o5e .ar o.. .ro' /ou the northern ar'/... +e 1&a2 an2 re;o" e: .or the Lor2 w"&& 2o 1reat th"n1!.A !7oel -,01'*-".

THE I&PORTANCE OF FASTING

Church history reveals that men and women who prayed and fasted played a very significant part in shaping the impact and destiny of the Church. $s we face the present crises in Church life and in our nations, there is no way we can continue to bypass fasting and come to the fulfillment of Gods purposes. Fasting is essential. It is not an option. 7esus e)pected 2is disciples to fast. The &ermon on the %ount generally regarded as the chapter for discipleship, initially addressed three things M giving alms, praying and fasting. In essence, Christ puts these on precisely the same level and, in each case when 2e spea s about them, does not say -0, but simply A67+. 7esus assumed that all 2is disciples would fast, for Christ and the Church complete the 2ebrew model, the 4aw and the prophets !%atthew 1,0;". Chen the <uestion was as ed of Christ, ?Chy dont your disciples fast li e the :harisees and the disciples of 7ohnFA 7esus replied, ?The time is coming when they will fast !%ar -,0/, -8".

O5* H/?7
Than God, we can ta e encouragement and direction from - Chronicles ;,0+ and from the prophet 7oel, <uoted by :eter on the day of :entecost !$cts -,06'-0". ?lf %y people, which are called by %y name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and see %y face, and turn from their wic ed waysB then will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.A ?Therefore also now, saith the 4ord, turn ye even to %e with all your heart and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourningJ 9low the trumpet in Oion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assemblyB Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suc the breasts J 4et the priests, the ministers of the 4ord, weep between the porch and the altar JA !7oel -,0-, 01'0;". God declares that there is a way to effect revival, renewal and restoration in the 9ody of Christ and to effect the healing of this land. The first thing God as s us to do is humble ourselves in the appointed scriptural way.. by fasting. &anctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, and gather the elder and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the 4ord your God, and cry unto the 4ord. Therefore also now saith

the 4ord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting. 9low the trumpet in Oion, sanctify a fast. $nd it shall come to past afterward, that I will pour out %y &pirit upon all flesh !7oel 0,0+B -,0-, 01, -.". The first outpouring of the 2oly &pirit too place in the Hpper Eoom on the day of :entecost upon the followers of 7esus Christ who tarried in 7erusalem !for 08 days" in obedience to the command of their leader for the fulfillment of the promise of the Father. Chat a mighty and spectacular scene it wasI Chat a glorious event it wasI Chat a great effect and impact it had both on the disciples and on the onloo ersI :eter, the big fisherman, once the cowards, who denied his %aster in the presence of a servant girl M boldly proclaimed in the face of a 7ewish gathering that 7esus whom they crucified was the long'awaited %essiah, proved by 2is resurrection from the grave on the third day. The hearers were pric ed in their heart, convicted by the power of the 2oly &pirit and on that single day, about *,888 people were added to the minority of believers who had been so far living in fear of their lives. Cith what a great momentum the Church started on that dayI Those who had gathered at 7erusalem for the feast of :entecost from various corners of the earth were astonished at the happening in the Hpper Eoom. &ome of them were confused, some were amazed, some sympathetic and some apathetic. :eter had to e)plain the phenomenon to those who were dazed by the eventful occurrence of that day. 2e found it fit to <uote from the prophecy of 7oel and he said, ?This is that which was spo en by the prophet 7oelB and it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I Cill pour out %y &pirit upon all fleshA !$cts -,06,0;". Ges, the 4ord fulfilled 2is promiseB at the proper time, on the day of the feast of 2arvest, so as to have a plentiful harvest of souls. 5evertheless, we believe in the multiple fulfillment of the prophecy by 7oel and hence we do e)pect a similar fulfillment of the same prophecy in the last days when the sun shall be turned into dar ness, and the moon into bloodA !7oel -,*0". Chen will it be fulfilled if not during these days when all the events foretell of the last daysF Ce are convinced that the time for latter rain has come and soon there will be the outpouring of the 2oly &pirit upon all flesh. There cannot be much more delay. 9ut the price has to be paid and the conditions have to be met. 9low the trumpet in OionI &anctify the fastI This is the time for believers from all parts of the globe to =oin hands together to sanctify a fast.

W6(4 I. F(.4-+<=

&urely fasting is going without food. Get it is more than that. It is bringing under sub=ection unwanted appetites of any sort and humbling oneself sincerely in the presence of God with oneness of purpose.

FASTING IS A POWERFUL AID TO PRAYER

Added to prayer, fasting obtains w at prayer alone fails to ac ieve.

In early Church history, fasting was considered one of the pillars of the Christian religion. Chen the Church had power, fasting was an essential part of the faith. Fasting is not mere abstinence from food or from any other pleasure, in itself. It is abstinence with a purpose. Further, fasting is a ind of mortification or self'chastisement, which aims at self'control. Fasting is not meant to wea en the body, but to strengthen the will. Fasting primarily means going without food, but it also includes fasting from business, tal ing, visiting, etc. Fasting, above all things, helps to subdue the flesh. Dur greatest goal in life should be to be men and women after Gods own heart. 2ow often we have felt this great purpose to have been frustrated through fleshly and carnal appetitesI Fasting arrests the appetite of se), because food feeds all desires and appetites of the flesh, and fasting starves them. ?%ortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.A !Col. *,1". $ lu)urious diet, habitual overfeeding, produces an unbalanced animalism, and induces spirit'blindness which can see nothing beyond the natural. (ven the old 4atin satirist discovered this and tells how the body loaded with yesterdays e)cess, weighs down the mind and pins to the ground a ?part of breath #ivine.A The worst Lwoe that the &aviour pronounced was ?Coe unto you that are fullA !4u e 6,-1", for such body fullness is soul grossness. $ body, sluggish with eating and drin ing chains the spirit within its own carnal grossness, and eeps it from rising above the earthly. It ?pins it to the ground.A If we would see with the eyes of the &pirit, we must mortify the deeds of the body. It is strange how much we miss by the willful neglect of such a power as fasting a power entrusted to us by the 4ord 2imself. For the flesh is an upstart, ever trying to drag the spirit down to its own fallen level, and fasting is one of the greatest measures used against the flesh to bring about self'control.

G/8-<-27+ D7.-*7.C G/8-F/*1-887+ W(;.

Fasting will often prevent self'indulgence in its grossest forms M not by crushing out God' given desires, but by preventing them from being used in God'forbidden ways, by eeping them within the barriers of God'imposed limits. Fasting is the sworn foe of sensualityI

Fasting means that you have got to the place of spiritual desperation. It means that you are now determined at all costs to put God first. There are times when we should turn our bac s on everything in the world, even our daily food, in see ing the face of God. Fastings mean that we are determined to see the face of God and get our prayers answered. It simply means that we put God first, before everything, including food. Drdinarily fasting means to abstain from food, but the same spirit of desperation will also lead us to abstain from other things as well. Fasting is a voluntary disuse of anything innocent in itselfB with a view to spiritual culture. It does not necessarily apply to food only. It applies to everything which the natural man may desire. &o fasting is putting God first when one prays, wanting God more than one wants food, more than sleep, more than one wants fellowship with others, more than one wants to attend to business. 2ow could a Christian ever now that God was first in his life if he did not sometimes turn from every other duty and pleasure to give himself wholly to the see ing of the Face of GodF Fasting is also an e)pression of mourning. That is M mourning either over ones personal sins or when we are burdened for the souls of others. 7. 9eaumont says, ?8ne ob=ect of fasting is the mortification of sin. Is your mind distempered, your heart hard, your grace wea , and corruptions strongF #oes pride, envy, malice, the love of the world, or any other filthiness of the flesh or spirit, prevailF ?Fasting then is your duty. &ome demons will not come forth but by prayer and fasting !%att. 0;,0+'-0B %ar /,-/". Chen this is the case, fasting is the proper remedy, and should be used as the chief means thereunto.A

F(.4-+< N7,7..(*; T/ N(4-/+(3 R7?7+4(+,7

In the 9ible there are many e)amples of fasting. #avid fasted over his sic child !- &amuel 0-,06, -0". ?I proclaimed a fast... that we might afflict ourselves before our God,A writes (zra of the whole 7ewish nation !(zra .,-0". The fast of the 5inevites, and the fast which the prophet 7oel ordered, were regarded as necessary elements in national repentance !7oel -,0-". &o with the individual. :aul after his conversion, fasted three days in self'surrender to Christ !$cts /,/". The men of 5ineveh fasted sac cloth and ashes, as a symbol of deep national mourning !7onah *,1';". There are times when some deep e)perience, some profound humility of repentance, causes us to re=ect all food and earthly pleasures. In its sorrow for sin or the burden for lost souls, all lu)ury =ars upon the soul.

:rayer in itself is very often a shallow thing ' a light and insincere thing. Fasting is evidence of our intense earnestness and of our fervour. It declares to God that we will not ?let upA until the answer comes. It really says, ?0 have set myself to see God as long as necessary, and as earnestly as I possibly can.A It re<uires faith to pray an ordinary prayer, for ?2e that cometh to God must believe that 2e is...A !2eb. 00,6". 9ut it re<uires even more faith to fast and pray. Fasting reveals a greater desire, a greater determination and greater faith, and God observes this when 2e sees one of 2is children fasting and praying. 2e sees that 2is child has forsa en all pleasures, of which the eating pleasure is one of the chiefest pleasures of life. Fasting is the deliberate clearing of the way to be more effective with God in prayer. It is the laying aside of all weights and hindrances !2eb. 0-,0". To lay aside every weight is to lay aside all the hindrances to prayer, and a heavy stomach is a hindrance. Try praying on an empty stomach, and see how much easier it is to prevail in prayer. Ce are too much wrapped around with soft physical indulgences. Ce are too padded and protected. Ce must lay bare our pampered livesI Ce must ma e an avenue for God through the throng of lusts. Chen men are wholly absorbed in grief for some loved ones, they are not hungry. They do not want to eat. Then we may also e)pect that when Christians are wholly absorbed in passionate and earnest prayer for souls, for revivalMwill they not also be glad to do without foodF Fasting shows that we are persistent. Dften mere prayer is indefinite and brief, and really gets nowhere. Dn the other hand, when we begin to fast and pray, it simply means that we have settled down to the real business of praying with a persistence that will ta e no denial. The widow who haunted the un=ust =udge with her importunate prayers <uite possibly fasted !4u e 0.,0'.". &he ept at the one thing and neglected all others, probably even going without food until her re<uest was granted. Fasting is the accompaniment of persistent, fervent prayer M that will not be denied. It is certain that Gods people would see more answers to their prayers if they would fast more and spend the time in see ing the 4ord. Chen a person wants a thing so much that he is willing to go without food to obtain it, then the fast itself becomes a prayer. It is an inward, unspo en heart cry, a deep'rooted longing, and a reaching out to contact the 4ord, the only Dne who has the power to grant the desires of the heart !:salm. *;,+".

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5ow let us come to the benefits of fasting, which are numerous. These benefits may be divided into two main classes, !0" !-" The spiritual benefits. The physical benefits.

$mong the spiritual benefits, one of the greatest of these is that fasting helps to generate faith. Dur unbelief is far greater than we realize. It is li e an unseen and powerful enemy. Fasting brings us to the threshold of a new faith in God and 2is Cord. Dne of the main purposes of fasting is to get an increase of faith M faith so that we can believe and receive. 7esus said, ?Chen ye pray, believe that ye receive .., and ye shall haveA !%ar 00,-+". Fasting is the great faith producer. !&ee %atthew 0;,-0". Fasting indles and develops faith far <uic er than any other process. $lthough it may seem difficult at first to grasp, the very wea ness that one develops through fasting is the building up of faith. Chen one seems to be groping around in the dar during a fast, and perhaps the devil whispers that you are accomplishing nothing, that is the very time, you are building up your faith, for :aul says, ?Chen I am wea , then am I strongA !Cor. 0-,08". Gour unbelief will be eliminated through fasting. Fasting is a powerful spiritual factor in obtaining special favours from the 4ord, and one of these favours is added faith. Fait is increased t roug fasting. Eemember, there are certain inds of demons that only come out through prayer and fasting. If you want to move those mountains of pain and fear, then pray and fast. Faith and fasting go togetherI Then, secondly, fasting reaches and obtains what prayer cannot do alone. It is a powerful aid and asset to prayer. If your prayer is not answered, then go into prayer and fasting. Eemember, you have not sought the 4ord with ?your whole heart,A until you have had a protracted season of prayer and fasting !7er. -/,0*". %any Christians have been praying for years about certain problems. &ometimes these prayers are not answered. 9ut in many cases, where fastingB have been added to the prayers, along with deep consecration and weeping before God, the answer has miraculously come to hand. Cithout fasting, prayer is often inefficient, but when coupled to fasting the prayer'power is greatly amplified. %any have proved that shorter prayers under the influence of fasting, are far more effective than longer prayers without fasting. Ce do not claim that fasting, in itself, will produce miraculous answers in every case. 9ut it prepares the heart by humiliation as almost nothing else will do.

&ometimes there is something in us that displeases God, and that is why prayer is not answered at first. Therefore, to find out what this is, the best thing to do is to fast and pray. %any a Christian who does not prosper could learn the reason if he would wait before God with such sincerity and abandonment of self that he would not eat, would not sleep, and would not carry on his regular affairs of life until God revealed what was wrong. God does not tell lies, and the reason many have not their prayers answered is because they have not met all of Gods conditions for Eevival, and one of these conditions is to fast. Dftentimes a sort of vicious circle is created. Ce overeat, and then we are too sluggish to pray, and hence we never come within the range of the &pirit, where 2e can do great things for us and through us.

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Fasting is a great aid and ad=unct to prayer. &ome things never come to a child of God only ?by prayer and fastingA !%att. 0;,-0". There is a big difference between prayer alone, and prayer combined with fasting. (ven a few minutes of prayer during a fast are e<uivalent sometimes to several hours of prayer when not fasting, especially if the fast has been going on for some days. The true incident is recorded of a certain minister who, before he entered the ministry, was loc ed up in prison in 5ew Gor , awaiting his trial. 2e already had a life sentence awaiting him in Canada, also. 2is mother spent twenty'two days fasting and praying for him. $t the time she did this, she was not aware that he was in prison, but she was praying for his conversion. 2e was converted and afterwards pardoned by the authorities, and became a pastor of the Church of the 5azarene. $nother Christian prayed eight years for her brother, who was a drun ard, with seemingly no results. Then she got desperate, and prayed and fasted for twelve days for him to be saved. Thirty days after she finished fasting for him, her sister'in'law wrote to say he was completely delivered from the drin to which he had been addicted for thirty years. 2e had no desire for it and was serving the 4ord. Thus we see that fasting is prayer intensifiedI $nd so we see that fasting produces great power and also victory over sin. Fasting will absolutely bring Eevivals when ordinary prayer fails. %en in olden times became prophets through fasting. The great Nictories of faith mentioned in the 9ible often happened after fasting. $ protracted fast will often bring to naught the devils devices in a Christians life. It will assist you to bring deliverance to those who are bound. Fasting and prayer ma es faith strong enough to cast out demons. Gou may receive a still deeper e)perience than you have yet had, through fasting.

Cith fasting will come added power and liberty in your preaching, if you are a minister of the Cord of God. It will so neutralize the flesh that you will become a conductor of spiritual power. The tragedy is that so many Christian wor ers =ust for the pleasure of continually eating four solid meals a day will continue in their powerless condition spiritually, when all the time they have within their finger tips the secret of power. Certainly it needs an iron will to practice it, which seems to suggest that those who refuse to practice it are more of the wea willed type, but God would not as us to do it if it was impossible.

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There are many other things that fasting will do. Df these we might ma e mention briefly, Fasting can help us in the matter of guidance when we are see ing to now the will of God. ?$s they ministered to the 4ord, and fasted, The 2oly Ghost said...A !$cts 0*,-". In this remar able incident, we learn that men who were willing to fast got direct instructions from the 2oly &pirit as to where they were to go. Twice in this short passage, $cts 0*,0'*, we are told that these prophets and teachers fasted. First they fasted and prayed for wisdom, which teaches us that wisdom may be obtained from God through fasting. Then, secondlyB they fasted for power to rest upon the men they were sending forth as the first foreign missionaries of the 5ew Testament Church. :erhaps you have some problem about where you should go to serve Christ, or about what particular course you should ta e in some matter. Then why not set a time of waiting before God until you get the answerF If it ta es fasting as well as prayer, if it ta es giving up other matters, then do it M and get the blessing that God has for youI Gou can find the will of God if you see sincerely, unstintedly and without limit M by prayer and fasting. Chenever a man of God or the people of God have ta en to fasting in the past, it has enabled God to do what otherwise 2e was unable to do. Chen sincerely done in the 2oly &pirit, it never failed to move God, and enabled 2im to accomplish what otherwise 2e was unable to bring to pass. $part from power and guidance and many other things, fasting will help to develop in us a love and compassion for the lost. Ce cannot pray and fast for souls for long periods without there being generated in us some of the compassion for the lost that the %aster 2imself possesses. It would almost seem, as we study the 5ew Testament, that in the first century they literally ran the Church with periods of prayer and fasting, for in $cts 0*,- we are admitted into

one of the ordinary everyday activities of the Church at $ntioch, while :aul and 9arnabas were there ministering. Eead the followingB and as yourself if it sounds li e one of our modem churches. ?$s they ministered to the 4ord, and fasted, the 2oly Ghost said, &eparate %e 9arnabas and &aul for the wor whereunto I have called themA !$cts 0*,-". This proves that the early church believed in fasting, and fasted before they underta e any great enterprise. In $cts 0*,* there occurs a further reference to fasting, and it is interesting to note in this case that fasting comes before prayer. $nd when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.A Gou will notice the immediate response of the 2oly &pirit to fasting. .. $s they ... fasted ... the 2oly Ghost said.A :erhaps it is because we do so little of the fasting, that we hear so little about the 2oly Ghost telling us definitely what to do. Ce are told in Church history, that the early Christians made fasting part and parcel of their lives. They fasted every Cednesday and Friday of each wee , up until three ocloc . Thus the early Church members fasted regularly. They set these two days aside each wee for fasting and praying. They too no food until three ocloc in the afternoon. Dn these occasions it appears that the whole Church fasted without food. Cherever they were at those times, all the Church new that the rest of the members would be fasting. 5o wonder their united, fasting'prayers were miraculously answeredI

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In Dld Testament times, the people of Israel proclaimed certain fast days. They often proclaimed a special fast for a certain purpose !7eremiah *6,/B - Chronicles -8,*B (zra .,-0B 7onah *,1". The people of the 4ord fasted because of their bac slidden condition and their sins !0 &amuel ;,6B 7oel -,0-B 5ehemiah I 0,+B #aniel /,-, *". They fasted in times of impending calamity !0 @ings -0,/, -;B - Chronicles -8,*", and when there was a grave crisis !7udges -D,06B #aniel /,*". In every case the 4ord saved them from whatever they feared !(sther /,*0B (zra .,-0'-*B $cts -;,--'++". (ven the wic ed ing $hab fasted and God too notice of him. The 4ord said 2is fasting was e<uivalent to humbling himself, so fasting is humbling. 7ehoshaphat proclaimed a fast at the time of the invasion of the confederated armies of the Canaanites and &yrians !Chronicles -8,*". 7ob evidently believed in fasting, for he declares ?I have esteemed the words of 2is mouth more than my necessary food.A !7ob I -*,0-". The 7ews fasted when 7eremiah prophesied,

against 7udah and 7erusalem !7eremiah *6,/". ?They proclaimed a fast 4ord.A

before the

$ classic &cripture on fasting is to be found in 7oel -,0-. ?Therefore also now, I saith the 4ord, turn ye even to %e with all your heart, and with fasting.A This &crip ture clearly infers that in order to ma e a complete surrender to God, fasting must be underta en. The two phrases, ?$ll your heart,A and also the following words, ?and with fasting,A are definitely connected. The inference can be, if we have not fasted, we have not yet turned to the 4ord with all our hearts for revival. The early Church fasted twice a wee . 2ow often do we fastF %oreover, according to the story of the :harisee and the :ublican in 4u e 0.,00, the :harisees in Christs day were in the habit of fasting twice a wee . ?The :harisee stood and prayed thus ... fast twice in the wee JA Get there is another &cripture which says, in effect, that unless our righteousness e)ceeds the righteousness of the :harisees, we shall not enter 2eaven !%att. I1,-8". 7esus said, ?Chen ye fast... thy Father shall reward theeA !%att. 6,06'0.".

GOD CALLS &EN TO FASTING AS WELL AS TO PRAYER

Fasting with prayer brings special blessing and help of the 2oly Ghost. God is entreated and moved by fasting'prayer in a special way. I have received special help during days of fasting and prayer. It seems there is an entering into a closer fellowship and more intimate relationship with the 4ord as a result of fasting. Faith is <uic ened and prayer is deepened until the soul grips the promises of God in a greater way. It has been my custom for some time to spend one entire day each wee in prayer with fasting. 5aturally I feel wea in my body but there is a special strength that comes as the result of gripping the promises of God, and most of all the soul is enriched with a new spiritual vigor. In this day of e)treme need when the Church in general is slipping and worldliness is swamping mens souls, and pulling them down to a lu ewarm, defeated spiritual condition, we need a real revival of a return to intercession with fasting and prayer. If now every pastor will set apart one day each wee for a full day of prayer with fasting for himself and people M as many as would enter into it M no doubt we would see a mighty strengthening of the people of God and a spiritual awa ening that would save the nation from terrible doom, and would forward the ingdom of God on earth.

SUBDUING SELF THROUGH FASTING

Fasting is a ey to achieving what God has planned for us to achieve in life. That which stands in the way of Gods best will being fulfilled in us is the self life, the ?old manA !(ph. +,--". Fasting is a ey way to overcome the self life.

In - Chronicles ;,0+ we read, ?If %y people which are called by %y name will humble themselves. . . .A ' that is, humble self. 7esus said, ?Chosoever will come after %e, let him deny himself. . . .A 3 that is, deny self. $ way to humble and to deny self is to fast. ?I humbled my soul with fastingA !:salm *1,0*".

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First of all, fasting is doing without food. 9ut it is more than that. It deals with every aspect of self. &ince every appetite of the human is fed by food, Chen you ta e food away from a per' son, the person wea ens and the appetites of the flesh are curbed. Food fuels and feeds the appetites of the flesh. &ome appetites of the flesh are not natural. God did not ma e man with an appetite for alcohol or drugs. %an has cultivated that. There are also legitimate appetites and desires. Chen ept within bounds, they are right. 9ut there is no appetite of the flesh that, if it is not ept under, cannot get out of bounds and become unlawful because it is wrongly used. (ating can become such a thing that you can be ?overcharged with surfeitingA and not be ready for the coming of the 4ord !4u e -0,*+". (very appetite must be ept in its proper place and must be ept in bounds of moderation or it becomes the dominating, driving force of the life. Then Christ is not 4ord of the life. That fleshly appetite becomes lord. Fasting is a means God has given us of curbing these appetites, and this begins with doing without food. (verything that has life has to have food to eep it alive. The spiritual man within us needs food. Too often it is the spiritual man that is fasted. Ce feed him two or three &cripture verses a day and a few minutes of prayer. Then we gorge the natural man. Ce ought rather to fast the natural man. &ince everything that has life demands food to eep it alive, when you ta e food away from it, it begins to die. Chen you ta e food away from the carnal man, it begins to wea en and to die. If at the same time you are reading the Cord of God and praying, then the spiritual man, the inner man of the heart, is strengthened and overcomes that carnal man. &elf is a powerful force and many times we cannot overcome it unless we are fasting. $s well as fasting the body, we can fast the mind, and perhaps the mind is more of a threat to our spiritual life than other things. Chat we feed the mind will ultimately determine our actions. If we sit and watch filth on TN, our mind becomes incapable of dealing with spiritual things. Chen we get down to pray, those worldly things will dominate our mind. Chen we want to thin upon God, thoughts of 2im are crowded out because we have filled our minds with things that are not of God.

There are things that are not evil, but are of this worlds system. They perish with the using !Col. -,--". They do not help us become a better saint. 9ut some things we do have to do and they ta e thought. Ce are to be ?inA the world but not ?of the world. Ce can fast our minds. For a time we can unplug the TNB turn the radio off as far as worldly things are concernedB leave the newspaper rolled up a while. Instead, give ourselves to the Cord of God and to see ing the 4ord. This is also fasting. Ce can refuse to let worldly things come into our mind. 2ere at our church we have the month of Dctober set aside for fasting and prayer. %ost of the month we dont eat food. God has made this possible for us because we are separated unto the Gospel. Ce do not go out and do hard labor. That is not possible for most people. 9ut it is possible whatever you do to fast your mind for *8 days. If for *8 days you do not loo at TN and if you read nothing but that which pertains to spiritual things and if you use all the time you would ordinarily use in see ing after any ind of pleasure in reading and meditating upon the Cord of God, you would see your spiritual appetite whetted and there would be a new desire born in your heart for the Cord of God. Gou find people who say, ?I dont have any desire for the Cord of God anymore.A It is no wonder. Ce have filled ourselves with much L=un food of the world and have illed our spiri' tual appetite. Dur spiritual ?taste budsA have been destroyed. If you would cut off all worldly things and read nothing but that which is from the Cord of God for *8 days, at the end of that time you would have an insatiable desire to live in the things of the spirit because that spiritual man has been made alive. &o fasting is not only doing without food. It is fasting the carnal mind, and denying self. Ce must tell self it can not have what it always wants. It wants you to go somewhere. Tell that self, you are not going thereB you are going to church and you are going to pray until the &pirit of God moves on you. I tal ed to a young man once who was associate pastor of a church. The #allas Cowboys were going to play another team in the &uper 9owl. The pastor said to me, ?Chen that &uper 9owl comes off, Im going to a motel and shut myself in so wont be disturbed by my children or anything else, and watch that game.A Chen I began preaching about fasting, he <uestioned me about fasting. 2e said, ?I have a hard time doing without food.A ?Cell,A I said, ?fasting is doing without food, but I will tell you what would really constitute a fast for you. Ive listened to you tal about that &uper 9owl, and you are so caught up in that affair that if you would tell yourself, when that &uper 9owl comes on, instead of watching it, Im going to ta e my 9ible and go into a room and stay on my nees until that game is over ' you will have won a victory over self that is many times more

powerful than =ust doing without food. Food is not your problem. Gour problem is that you are caught up with that &uper 9owl.A 2e did what I told him, and he later said to me, ?Ive never been so blessed of God in my life as when I did that.A Ges, fasting is doing without food, but it is also denying that self life, putting it down and refusing to let it have e)pression. If we will do that, the spiritual appetite will increase a hun' dredfold. If you want revival in your heart, ta e a wee or *8 days and dont read newspaper or watch TN or listen to the radio, but every wa ing moment that you can, live in the Cord of God and in prayer. Chere you didnt have a desire for the things of the spirit, you will have a desire for spiritual things.

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It is important for us to now that God will have nothing to do with the carnal nature. 2e will have no flesh to glory in 2is presence !0 Cor. 0,-/". The personality God deals with is that which is born of the &pirit of God, the new creature. Dften 2e is smothered under the flesh. Hnless that veil of the flesh is bro en, 2e can not e)press 2imself. In %ar /,-/, the disciples were trying to cast a devil out. They had been successful before. They had said that ?even the devils are sub=ect unto us through Thy nameA !4u e 08,0;". 9ut this one was not sub=ect to them. 7esus cast the devil out. Chen they were alone, they as ed 2im, ?Chy couldnt we cast him outFA 7esus said, ?9ecause of your unbelief.A Hnbelief is a product of the natural, carnal man. &o when 7esus said to them, ?9ecause of your unbelief,A 2e was really saying to them, ?Gou are trying to cast that devil out in the power of self.A %uch of that ta es place in the church today. For the most part, we are not successful in casting out devils. God wants us to be successful 088K of the time when people come to us to be delivered. 2e doesnt want us to send them away empty'handed. Ce are to be the instrument of deliverance. To do that, we are going to have to live in the place where it can happen. ?Chy couldnt we cast the devil outFA 9ecause they were trying to do it in themselves. 7esus gave them also the answer, ?This ind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.A Chen a person fasts, self is put down. Chen you pray, the new man is strengthened. Chen the spiritual man says to the devil, ?Come outIA ' the devil will come out.

The carnal man hates God but it loves to deal with the religious and to loo into things of the spiritual. Chen the carnal man gets involved in the religious act, it causes problems. Chen the carnal man uses religious phrases, it doesnt wor . 9ut when the man of the spirit, anointed by God, spea s to devils, they will go. Chen the spiritual man says to the sic , ?9e healedIA they will be healed. 7esus said that the way to live in that realm is by fasting and praying. Chy should I fastF $n important reason is to put down the old man, to wea en the carnal nature and bring him to naught. $nd if while fasting, one is praying and reading the Cord, he is bringing to the forefront the man of the spirit. Chen that happens, God will be there to deliver. Chen we put down the self life, the life of Christ within us will brea forth. 7esus said, ?I am the 4ight of the worldA !7ohn /,1", 2e also said, ?Gou are the light of the worldA !%att. 1,0+". Ce dont light a candle and put it under a bushel. 5either can we eep the Christ life smothered in the flesh. Flesh is bro en through fasting, through denial and bringing it to naught. (ven though 7esus lives within, no one may recognize 2im. :eople may see only us. If through fasting and through wal ing with God, I brea that vessel of the flesh, then Christ can be seen. The alabaster bo) has to be bro en before the sweet ointment can flow out. The fragrance filled the room'and that carnal nature must be bro en if Christ is to shine forth through us. #o we want people, who come, through our church doors to see ChristF This is what God wants. Ce cannot treat the flesh indly. :sychiatrists have made a soft couch to lie down on. God did not intend that. God wants us to employ prayer and fasting and overcome the flesh. $s this age ends, we need to lay hold of this truth. This is not =ust fasting once in a Chile, but living this ind of life. Ce need days when we separate ourselves from early in the morning to four in the afternoon or later, giving ourselves to calling on God, holding that which is naturally religious under so that which is of God can spring forth. God says that when the spiritual man cries, 2e will answer. In Isaiah, chapter 1., God gives wonderful promises to those who fast aright. ?Then shall thy light brea forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring, forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before theeB the glory of the 4ord shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and the 4ord shall answerB thou shalt cry, and 2e shall say, here I am . . . ?$nd the 4ord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and ma e fat thy bones, and thou shalt be li e a watered garden, and li e a spring of water, whose waters fail not. . . .A

Chy fastF Gou can have revival when everyone else seems dead. $ person can eep his soul alive even in the drought of a dead church. Chen there is spiritual drought, there is no life. There is no moving of the 2oly &pirit. 9ut even in the midst of spiritual drought ' although 08,888 fall at your right hand and 08,888 at your left hand ' if self is crucified, you will stay alive. God wants us to stay alive. If we wal in the &pirit, God will guide us continually.

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:astors are shepherds of their congregation. Chen they see something come into a congregation and a wrong turn about to be made M =ust as a shepherd, when a bear would come, would protect his floc from that bear 3 so a pastor can fast and pray for his con' gregation. Corse than bears are coming today to steal young people and to destroy them. There is a worldly spirit that would turn us away from God arid from a wal of holiness. Chen a pastor sees that, he can ta e steps to stop that flow of worldliness or whatever it is. 2e can call a fast. $ crisis demands it. Through the Dld Testament when trouble was there, leaders called a fast of all Israel.

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Ce are told in the 9ible that husbands and wives should separate themselves with consent for times of fasting and prayer !0 Cor. ;,1". :erhaps you come to a time when the een edge of the first love has been blunted, when Christ is no longer there li e 2e was. &omething has come between 2im and you. Then you need to fast. Charles Finney used to say that when he preached and men were not moved by what he said, then he new that it was time for him to fast and pray. 2e would separate himself for three to five days. Chen he came bac , there was new anointing. Chen you no longer love God and the brethren li e you once did, when your church doesnt mean to you what it used to mean'something is happening. There is something that has come between you and God. If you no longer want to go to prayer meeting or to read the Cord of God, you are dying. &elf has come in, and the new man and God are being pushed to a secondary place in your life. If you fast, and put aside the old man, and the new man comes to life, 7esus will be e)citing to you again. If there is something in your heart against someone, you better bring self to the altar. 9egin to fast. The 2oly &pirit will show you what is wrong. Then go and as forgiveness.

In the worst spiritual drought, you can have a song in your heart. If you will do your part, God will do 2is.

THE STEWARDSHIP OF

FASTING

It is our belief that God has bestowed upon us the ability, the opportunity, the privilege, and the duty of fastingB and that this is an obligation for which we are responsible, and for which some day we must give an account. !Eomans 0+,0D'0-B %atthew -1,0+'*8B - Corinthians 1,6'00" Ce believe that when Gods people sincerely fast, it enables God to do what otherwise 2e cannot do. It places some thing in 2is hands that enables 2im to release power that otherwise 2e cannot release !%att. 0;,-0B %ar /,-/".

Ce believe that when we sincerely fast, it enables God to do for us, personally, something that 2e otherwise cannot do. It enables God to do for the local church, of which we are members, what otherwise 2e cannot do. It enables God to do for the community, of which we are a part, what otherwise 2e cannot do. Chen we fast, it enables God to do for the nation and for the age ' what otherwise 2e can not do. Conse<uently ' C( DC( IT TD God TD F$&T, and to do it sincerely, faithfully, and regularly. It is our belief that Gods people are responsible for all the divine power that 2e is able to it release because we fast, and that, for this responsibility and its dynamic possibilities, we must some day give an account personally to 7esus, our 4ord !4u e 0/,00'-6".

A+ A??7(3 4/ 467 O38 T7.4(>7+4

Chenever Gods people sincerely fasted before the 4ord, it enabled 2im to do what otherwise 2e was unable to do. Dur first appeal, then, is to the Dld Testament. In this history of Gods dealings with the human race, we note that fasting was one of the constant means by which 2is people approached God. It always was intended to denote the deep sincerity of the one who fasted, and also the great need. Indeed, humbly and sincerely to fast, was to <ualify before the $lmighty so as to do Gods wor in Gods way. Chen sincerely done in the spirit, it never failed to move God and enable 2im to accomplish what otherwise 2e was unable to bring to pass.

#/.7.
It the ninth chapter of #euteronomy we have a most notable instance of fasting. 2ere is re' corded how %oses fasted a second forty days and nights. The first occasion of his lengthy fast was when he was in the mount with God, at the end of which he received the two tables of the law. In the case to which we call especial attention here however, he had come down from the mount with the tables of the law, and discovered Israels sinful worship of the golden calf. 2e had destroyed that idol, and was now pleading with the 4ord 7ehovah to spare the lives of sinful Israel, which he had declared 2e was about to destroy. %oses had no promise here to plead. Dn the contrary, he had a distinct prohibition against as ing for the remission of the decree of destruction. ?4et %e aloneA declared 7ehovah. This was evidently a reply to the importunities of %oses, who for forty days with unappeased appetite pressed his case, God final0y granted his prayer. 5ote, then, the chief method by which this remar able man of God secured 2is petition. F$&TI5G. The very thing that millions of professing Christians today refuse to employ.

$s a result of %oses prayers, his faith 3 and because of another forty days of fasting 3 God hear ened unto him, spared all the people, turned them bac into the wilderness again, and ultimately led some of them across 7ordan into the Canaan land, 2ow did he do itF 9y employing a method we generally disdain'FastingI Cho can tell what would happen in the way of world revival and the worlds evangelization, and in the up building of Gods ingdom on earth, if all Gods people in the world would today answer this urgent plea to fast and pray, and by systematic fasting, release the pent' up power of our omnipotent GodF

ED*(
In the eighth chapter of (zra, we have another instance of how promptly the ancient people of God resorted to fasting as the means of releasing Gods omnipotent hand. (zra, the divinely chosen man to lead in the return of captive Israel from 9abylon to their ancient home in 7erusalem, had gathered up some forty thousand men, women and children. The ing of 9abylon had bestowed much wealth upon them, in order to enable them to rebuild the city of 7erusalem. Cith great =oy they marched through the ings domains till they came to its boundaries. There they faced the unbro en wilderness, infested with bandits and robbers. They them' selves were wholly unarmed.

W6(4 S6/538 T67; D/=

They immediately resorted to the methods their fathers had fre<uently employed with such signal success. They called for a period of fasting ' the very thing that is so universally tabooed among Christians today. 2ere were thousands of men, women, and children wholly unarmed. They were loaded with unusual treasure and spoil ' a helpless company loaded with rich booty for bandits and robbers. They sincerely fasted and Gods power was released upon them. They were able to travel in safety to their destination. Is not 467 G/8 /0 4/8(; 467 .(>7 (. H7 W6/ <5-878 (+8 ?*/47,478 467 I.*(73-47. A67+ 467; A7*7 4*(273-+< 4/ 15-38 (<(-+ 467 A(33. /0 97*5.(37>= '#(3(,6- 3:6E H71*7A. 13:"). W6/C 467+C ,(+ 4733 467 A/+8*/5. *72-2(3. 46(4 A/538 4(B7 ?3(,7C 467 -+8-2-85(3 ,/+27*.-/+. 46(4 A/538 /,,5*C (+8 467 *737(.7>7+4 /0 G/8F. ?/A7* 46(4

,/538 17 6(8 -+ 467.7 8(;. - -0 H-. ?7/?37 A/538 >/*7 0(-460533; ?*(,4-,7 46-. (+,-7+4 >746/8 /0 ,(**;-+< /+ H-. A/*B=

N767>-(6
In the first chapter of 5ehemiah, we have an instance where that man of God was praying and fasting over the, as yet, unbuilt walls of 7erusalem. $s a result of his prayers and fastings, God moved upon the heart of the ing, whom 5ehemiah served as a cupbearer, to send him to 7erusalem, there to supervise the re'election of the ruined walls of the city. 2ere again, this man also secured the answer to 2is prayer by means of fasting and prayer.

E.467*
In the 9oo of (sther, we are told that the ing, without nowing that (sther was a 7ewess, had chosen this beautiful young woman as the <ueen of his realm. $t the same time the wic ed 2aman, who hated the Israelites had conspired with success, to secure a decree from the ing for the concerted destruction of all the 7ews in the ingdom. %ordecai, (sthers relative and guardian, congratulated her upon being chosen as <ueen for that would, he declared, enable her to importune the ing for the remission of the fatal decree that called for the death of an the 7ews. &he sent bac word that, until the ing officially sent for her, it was fatal for her to attempt to interview him, and that she dared not force herself upon him. To this %ordecai answered that she would die anyhow, for when the fatal day fi)ed by the decree should dawn, the e)ecutioners would learn that she was a 7ewess, and conse<uently she would be included in the massacre. Hpon receiving this statement, the <ueen replied, GG/C <(467* (34/<7467* (33 467 97A. 46(4 (*7 ?*7.7+4 -+ S65.6(+C (+8 0(.4 ;7 0/* >7C (+8 +7-467* 7(4 +/* 8*-+B 46*77 8(;.C +-<64 /* 8(;: I (3./ (+8 >; >(-87+. A-33 0(.4 3-B7A-.7E (+8 ./ A-33 I </ -+ 5+4/ 467 B-+<C A6-,6 -. +/4 (,,/*8-+< 4/ 467 3(A: (+8 -0 I ?7*-.6C I ?7*-.6@ 'E.467* !:16). The result of this general fast on the part of the 7ews was that God touched the heart of the of the ing, gave (sther favor with him, induced him to remember the good offices of %ordecai which had been rendered to the realm on a previous occasion, and caused him to fall out with 2aman, the instigator of the plot. Chere upon, the ing sent 2aman to the gallows which 2aman himself had erected for the e)pected e)ecution of %ordecai, whom he peculiarly hated. The 7ews were all freed from the diabolical decree. 2ow did it happenF FastingI

I.(-(6

I+ 467 0-04;-7-<646 ,6(?47* /0 I.(-(6C 467 .-:46 27*.7 .77>. 4/ ,/+27; 467 -87( 46(4 G/8 3/+<. 4/ 6(27 HIS ?7/?37 0(.4 -+ /*87* 46(4 H7 >(; 17 7+(1378 4/ G3//.7 467 1(+8. /0 A-,B78+7..C 4/ 5+8/ 467 67(2; 15*87+.C (+8 4/ 374 467 /??*7..78 </ 0*77C (+8 46(4 ;7 1*7(B 727*; ;/B7.@ A33 /0 A6-,6 ./5+8. 4/ 5. 3-B7 G( </-+< -+ 467 4/?. /0 467 >5317**; 4*77.@ /0 ( >-<64; *72-2(3. A8878 7>?6(.-. -. <-27+ 4/ 46-. -+ 467 7-<646 27*.7C A67*7 467 ?*/?674 87,3(*7.C (+8 467+ .6(33 46; 3-<64 1*7(B 0/*46C@ 74,. W67+C 72-87+43; A67+ /+7 0(.4.C (. .5<<7.478 -+ 467 .-:46 27*.7. The ninth verse continues, ?Then shall thou call, and the 4ord shall answer,A etc. $nd in the tenth verse still greater emphasis is given this by the statement, ?Then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy dar ness be as the noon day.A If all these results can be obtained when Gods people fulfill these re<uirements, and among them the chief one is that of fasting, then it seems to us that we are neglecting one of the great spiritual e)ercises that God has declared 2e will bless !Eead %atthew 6,06'0.".

D(+-73
In #aniel, the 08th chapter, we are told that the prophet for three wee s tasted no pleasant food, or allowed any pleasing li<uids to pass his lips. #uring this period of partial abstinence he was in great prayer concerning the future of his people. In answer, God sent an angel to reveal many things to him. :lease note, three wee s of partial abstinence brought the visit of an angel. For the most part modern Christians ma e Gods wee ly day of worship more of a day of feasting than of abstinence or plain living. If there is to be a big meal served in a Christian family any time during the wee , it is usually reserved for Gods day, when Gods cause is chiefly at sta e. Could we not more profitably devote the Christian &abbath to plain living and deep devotion, even though we did not practice the omission of one whole mealF $nd could we not devote more time to intercession for the church, the family, the lost about us, and for the mission fieldsF :articularly ought we not to be impressed along this line, when we read in the 5ew Testament that one of the peculiar signs of the closing days of this age is to be ?they were eating and drin ingA !%att. -+,*;'*/", and then notice how generally some form of ?refreshmentsA is today characteristic of religious meetingsF

9/73
In 7oel, the prophet states that when the times are desperate, God 2imself e)horts 2is people to see aid from 2im, and tells us how to come. ?Turn ye even to %e with all your heart, and with F$&TI5G, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and

not your garments, and turn unto the 4ord your God, for 2e is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great' indnessA !7oel -,0-'0*". Could not many of the perilous times faced by Gods people in the past few years have ended in a =oyous and flaming revival'if this recipe had been followedF In another place, the prophet 7oel calls upon the people to announce a time of fasting, and for everyone to come, even to the newlyweds and the children, ?9low the trumpet in Oion, sanctify !i.e., set apart" a fast, call a solemn assemblyA !7oel -,01'-;". This teaches that it is proper for all to agree upon a day and fast unitedly. &ome fol s believe in fasting ?when the 4ord puts it onA them, as they say. 9ut they do not do other things that way. Cho waits for a divine urge before going to church, or arising in the morning, or paying the rent, or preparing meals for the householdF $nd spea ing of a divine urge to fast, if the &cripture that we are here <uoting and calling attention to are not to be considered the voice of the 4ord, then we are too far gone to heed anything <uoted from the 9ible. ?If they hear not %oses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the deadA !4u e 06,*0".

9/+(6
In the prophet 7onahs day, the ing and the people of 5ineveh, alarmed on account of his preaching, could thin of no better way to secure the intervention of God in their behalf, and the answer to their prayers, than to fast. If, therefore, God would heed the prayers, fasting, and cries of a city full of unregenerate 5inevites, would 2e not heed and answer the intercession of 2is redeemed people'if they earnestly, faithfully fasted and prayedF

A+ A??7(3 4/ 467 N7A T7.4(>7+4 CHRIST

Dur 4ord 2imself at the dawn of 2is ministry set 2is seal of appeal to the great truth of fasting, by spending forty days without food, and during that time was sub=ected to the fiercest assaults of the enemy !4u e +,0'01". $t one time, Christ was as ed why 2is disciples failed to fast, while the :harisees and 7ohns disciples fasted often, 2is answer was, ?Can the children the bride chamber mourn, as long as the 9ridegroom is with themFA ?9ut,A said 2e, the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be ta en from themAB when they will seem to be aloneB when they will be confronted by a thousand opponentsB when they will have to live on their nees, fighting for their spiritual lives, and occasionally, for their physical e)istence. ?Then,A said 2e, ?shall they fast.A That is, when the

battle wa)ed hot, when the need was great, when tremendous issues were at sta e, ?then shall they fastA !%att. /,0+'01". That word ?shallA. it seems to us, carries a bit more significance than merely the demand and pressure predicted of future events. Is there not also in it the element 7esus own wish in the d matterF :erhaps, without doing too great violence to the synta), there could be read into it the element of a divine command. Chen were they to begin this spiritual e)ercise that releases divine powerF Chen 2e was ta en from them 3 on that $scension #ay when 2e was ?parted from themA ?and a cloud received 2im out of their sightA !$cts 0,/ ' 00" 3 after that they were to fast !4u e -+,10". 2ow long were they to continue to offer to God that channel that 2e has so conspicuously used and blessedF Till 2e returned ' over the eastern hill of eternity, on 2is second advent. 2ave we done thisF 2ave not most of us rather conspicuously failedF In !%atthew 0;,+'-0" it is recorded that 2e was one day casting out a peculiar ind, of demon, which had resisted the efforts of the disciples to e=ect. Chen they in<uired why they could not cast the demon out, 2e stated that it was because of their lac of faith, and then added, ?2owbeit this ind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.A 2e seemed to teach here that unusually importunate efforts are needed to reach the seat of this ind of demoniac possession, and such efforts cannot be properly put forth without resorting to fasting. %any Christian wor ers of modern days act as though they would rather leave the demons in possession than to compel to go hungry for a meal or two in order to enable God to e=ect them. It would almost seem, as we study the 5ew Testament, that in those first'century days they literally ran the church with periods of fasting, for in $cts 0*,- we are admitted to one of the ordinary, everyday activities of a church, that at $ntioch, while :aul and 9arnabas were there ministering. Ce find them fasting. Eead the following and as yourself whether it sounds much. 4i e one of our modern church groups, ?$s they ministered to the 4ord, and fasted, the 2oly Ghost said, &eparate me 9arnabas and &aul for the wor whereunto I have called them.A #o we not conduct whole revival campaigns sometimes lasting for two or three wee s and never fast once during the timeF #o we not attend district assemblies and never hear the sub=ect mentioned the whole sessionF $re not references to a fast day rarely heard at the General $ssemblyF :erhaps it is because the fasting mentioned in the first part of this verse is so sadly neglected that we hear so little also about the 2oly Ghost telling us definitely what to do.

Ce wrangle and discuss and vote, and then repeat these creaturely efforts. %aybe if we would heed the command to fast and pray, we could hear more of the second, ?The 2oly Ghost said 'A In those first'century days, fasting in connection with their usual services seems to have been a common custom for in the ne)t verse we read, as though it were a still later service, some days or wee s afterward, ?$nd when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. &o they being sent forth by the 2oly GhostJA !$cts 0*,*'+" Chat blessings are we not missingF Chat failure to secure releasements of Gods powerB what deprivation do we not visit upon our outgoing missionariesB what enduements upon the selection of church officers do we not fail to realize 3 because we are loath to do Gods wor in Gods wayF Is it going too far to allege thisF Is this not correctF

GI+ F(.4-+< O047+@ II C/*-+46-(+. 11:2 (+8 6:5

The difficulty of winning men to God these days is often discussed. The comparative scarcity of believers uniting with us after each revival meeting is the theme of many ministerial and Christian wor ers conventions. Ce humbly as , would not the situation be somewhat improved if we all obeyed the evident teaching of &criptures on fastingF If we all followed the implied command of 7esus ' fre<uently to fast till 2is returnF Could we not receive greater degrees of 2is blessing if we would sincerely wait before God with unappeased appetites at stated times each wee , and thus enable 2im to do what otherwise 2e is unable to accomplishF !%ar /,-/"

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$ccording to church history, fasting has been prevalent down through the centuries. It is only in these recent and more modern days that we find it generally abandoned. (very great leader who moved his age mightily for God 3 was a faster.

F*(+,-. /0 A..-.The first gleam of real spiritual reformation at that appeared after the night of the #ar $ges had set in, occurred in the twelfth century, when Francis of $ssisi, a young voluptuary, after much prayer and fasting was graciously converted and launched his Franciscan order, founded on poverty, chastity, and obedience. (ating only such things as were freely given him, and dressing in such garments as were donated, he went =oyfully preaching, singing, and testifying, with bare feet and head uncovered, up and down Italy. Thousands of people professed conversion, and hundreds of young men =oined him. It is stated, that he was a fre<uent and constant faster. 2e originated a movement that lasted hundreds of years after his own death.

S(2/+(*/3(
$nother remar able awa ening too place late in the fourteenth century under the preaching of &avonarola in Florence, Italy. In response to his flaming preaching, almost all Florence for a while professed conversion to Christ. This great preacher was an inveterate faster. 2istorians state that he often could eep 2is place in the pulpit with difficulty, so wea was he from abstaining from food. 2is spiritual movement became so menacing to the papacy that the church authorities turned on him and finally burned him at the sta e in the it plaza of the city where his mighty triumphs had ta en place.

#(*4-+ L5467*
It is significant that as the fires that too the life of this tremendous preacher were lighting the s ies in Florence, the divine plans were approaching consummation in Germany for the birth of the great Eeformation led by %artin 4uther. Df this rugged German it is said that he fasted so constantly and so drastically as permanently to in=ure his health. Ce state this merely as a fact and not in commendation. 9ut please consider the religious and spiritual change that was wrought in (urope and $merica by the activities of this man. P*(;7* (+8 0(.4-+<C -+ H-. ,(.7C 7+(1378 G/8 4/ 8/C (+8 ?/A7*053 0/*,7. 0/* <//8 A7*7 *737(.78 46(4 .A7?4 >5,6 /0 467 /38 ,/5+4*; -+4/ P*/47.4(+4-.>C (+8 *(+ 3-B7 ( 03(>7 -+ 3(47* ;7(*. -+ 467 ,/3/+-(3 ?/*4-/+. /0 A>7*-,(. I+ 46-. <*7(4 (A(B7+-+<C 0(.4-+< ?3(;78 ( ,/+.?-,5/5. ?(*4.

C(32-+C K+/: (+8 O467*.

Contemporary with %artin 4uther and the great Eeformation that brought :rotestantism into e)istence, is a group of noted religious reformers, each one leading a wing of the amazing spiritual renaissance. It is very convicting to learn how universally the practice of fasting characterized these leaders, and brought to each most remar able victory. 7ohn Calvin in Geneva was an inveterate faster and lived to see 2is prayers answered in the conversion of almost a whole city. It is stated that there was not one house in the city of Geneva that did not have at least one praying person in it. 7ohn @no), in &cotland, fasted and waited on God till intervening providences drove %ary >ueen of &cots into e)ile in :rotestant (ngland and finally to the bloc . It is a familiar

<uotation representing the <ueen as declaring that she ?feared 7ohn @no) and his prayers more than the armies of (lizabeth,A <ueen of (ngland @no) was a noted faster. The leaders of the Eeformation in (ngland, some of them paying with martyrdom for their part in it, were said to practice fasting as faithfully as they offered prayer. 4atimer, Eidley, and Cranmer are among this number.

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7ohn Cesley, in his day, set great store by this spiritual e)ercise. 2e followed the &criptural custom of fasting twice a wee . 2e is understood to have said that he would as soon thin of cursing and swearing as to omit the Cee ly custom of fasting. $nd loo at the amazing religious movement that the 2oly &pirit generated through his instrumentalityI

E8A(*8.
7onathan (dwards, of 5ew (ngland, was a colossal colonial figure. 2e launched a most far reaching and influential revival in those early days. 2e is said to have fasted and prayed till he was too wea to stand in the pulpit, but how wonderfully God honored him and his ministryI

F-++7;
Charles G. Finney was a confirmed believer in this heaven'blessed e)ercise. 2e declared that when he detected a diminution of the 2oly &pirits wonderful presence in and through him, he would fast for three days and nights, and bore testimony that as a result he was invariably again filled with the marvelous power of the 2oly &pirit 3 that caused thousands of professional men, leading society women, merchants, and the well'to'do, as well as hundreds of thousands of the common people, to brea down with conviction and yield to God and salvation. Finney set great store by fasting as one of the means of releasing Gods amazing power. God has a way for 2is people to wor , but it is a way of sacrifice, a way of devotion, a way of heroism. Chen we choose our own indolent, easy, comfortable way, then we prevent 2im from accomplishing what otherwise he could bring to pass !%att. 0;,0+'-0". 9ut when we choose 2is way, then 2e can wor in :ower and :resence among us once moreI Cho then, is willing to #D GD#& CDE@ I5 GD#& C$GF

S/>7 B7+70-4. O0 F(.4-+<

&o many Christians bemoan their lac of faith, not realizing that it is often their own fault that they are faithless. Ce are told that each Christian is given a measure of faith and so it is obvious that we must have failed to use that which was given if we do not appear to have it now. Fasting does not create faith, for faith grows in us as we hear, read, and dwell upon, Gods word. It is a wor of the 2oly &pirit to bring faith to Gods people. 2owever, fasting has the capacity to encourage faith in the one who is involved in this discipline. It seems as though the neglect of self feeds the faith which God has implanted in the hearts of born'again believers. This does not mean that those who eat the least have the most faith. &uch a view is not only untrueB it is e)tremist. It is simply that regular self'denial has its benefits, and one of these is seen in a personal increase in faith. $s 7. $. $le)ander has pointed out, if even $postles rely upon their e)traordinary powers alone and forget the spiritual discipline which is essential to the pastoral office, they will be ineffective through a deficiency of faith in a crisis. Dr as 7ohn Cesley put it, prayer and fasting ?are the appointed meansA by which unusual faith is attained.

P/A7* O27* E2-3

From thoughts of the benefit of having an increase in faith, it is natural for us to thin to what purpose this increase might be put, in view of the despairing cry of the $postles, ?Chy could not we cast it outFA !%atthew 0;,0/, %ar /,-., and 4u e /,+8". If we have ever sat down and en=oyed a continuous perusal of the Gospel of 4u e, we will now of the e)hilaration that can be imparted from the fourth chapter. In the fourteenth verse we read that 7esus returned to Galilee from the wilderness ?in the power of the &piritA Dur 4ord had =ust completed a remar able fast in complete isolation, and had suffered intense temptations at the dose of the same. The picture which 4u e painted is of one who had complete mastery over all evil. To have been with 7esus at that point in 2is life would have been most memorable. 2owever, one gains the impression that our 4ord considered it possible that 2is disciples might have similar power over evil, from such verses as %atthew 08,0, 4u e /,0 and 08,0/". Can Christians have power over ?all of the enemyFA They cannot have such power, we must ac nowledge, unless the 4ord gives it to them in the same way that 2e gave authority to 2is first disciples. :ower with God cannot be won or earned 3 it can only be received. If, however, this power is received by a believer, he will need to spend much time 3 day by day 3 in prayer, and he must resort to fasting often. $n undisciplined Christian cannot eep

precious divine gifts. The treasure lea s away. Those who seem to have a super abundance of faith in the face of evil are those who are much in prayer. It is no use as ing advice about this from those who have not fasted at any time and who deride this discipline now. If we want proof of the connection between self'denial and spiritual power, we must go to those who have moved many with their words and helped large numbers to find faith in 7esus Christ. Those who are most mighty with God are those who confess openly that they are a failure unless the 2oly &pirit is upon them.

THE HARVEST Fasting And Prayer in South Dakota.

In -88;, during my +8 day fast, I was invited to preach in &outh and 5orth #a ota. I went to a town that is right on the reservation of the &iou) nation, &tanding Eoc . %any of you who study $merican history now it was there that &itting 9ull was illed. I have been in this area twice before and some of the local people now I teach fasting and prayer. The leader of the city council as ed to meet with me. $lthough the churches in the area did not teach fasting they new they were in a drought that was entering its fifth year. The reservoir was -8 feet below its 5ormal mar . The council members told me that they were desperate. The drought was causing their town to dry up literally. :eople were moving away. They shared with me their greatest fear that the town would not survive if it did not rain. The council members wanted to now about fasting. They as ed me if their community would humble themselves in fasting and prayer if that would ma e a difference in their situation. Ce set a day to fast and pray.

I began to share with the people and their leaders about the power of fasting. Gods answer is to humble yourself for the much'needed rain for their crops and community. %y te)t was from the boo of 7oel. I e)plained how the plagues had come on the people and their crops. This horrible situation recorded in the boo of 7oel tells of the can er worm devouring the crops and what the can er worm didnt eat the locust ate, and what the locust didnt destroy, the caterpillar ate. The city council was convinced. They called the entire community to a solemn fast. The word of God says, ?$nd then you shall eat in plenty, and then you shall be satisfied. Then you shall praise the 4ord thy God, who has dealt wondrously with thee, and you shall never be ashamed.A 7oel -,-6. Dne of the men who committed to fast for -0 days was an $merican Indian. 2is name outside of the reservation is %atthew 4opez. Dn the reservation, where he is a chief and sits on the tribal council for the &iou) nation, 2is name is 9rave 2eart. 2e is a direct descendent of the brother &itting 9ull, Eain in Gour Face. &itting 9ull had four brothers. Eain Gour Face, is the one who the &iou) say illed General Custer and scalped him. Chen he told me that, I must confess, my thoughts went immediately to my hairI 2e told me that he believed that God has a plan for the &iou) nation that included sending a great revival to 2is people. he fasted for -0 days and believed God for miracles to happen. 9ecause he too, understands that God is a rewarder of those who diligently see 2im. It was cold, but glorious to be with those people.

BREA'THROUGH( Te ti)!nie !* An "e#e$ P#a+e# Wit, Fa ting

&un @im grew up in the slums of 5ew Gor City. @im new nothing about 7esus nor had he ever heard the gospel. $s a teenager &un @im =oined a @orean gang. In time he became the leader of the gang. Chen @im was -1 years old he was convicted of murder and sentenced to &ing &ing prison. It was during his time in prison that he met the man that would bring the Good 5ews to him and change his life forever. $ gentleman from a local church came to &ing &ing to witness to the prisoners about the love of Christ. Through his relationship with this Christian man and the message of 7esus, &un @im was lead to Christ. $s @ims spiritual leader, the gentleman spo e these words of encouragement to @im. 2e said, ?If you will begin to pray and fast for -0'days, I believe God will perform a miracle for you.A $ month later, at the scheduled visitation, the Christian man met with &un @im. Chen as ed how he was doing, @im replied, ?Gou now, I have been praying as fast as I can for the past -0 days and I havent seen any miracles.A The man answered @im, ?5o, thats not what I meant. I said Fast for -0 days. 5ot pray fastIA

?Chat does fast meanFA as ed @im. 2e had no idea that fasting wasnt eating. 2e thought it was =ust praying fast. &o &un @im began a -0 day fast. The fact is, on the 0. th day, the prison officials told @im they were going to ma e him eat. &o they put him in the infirmary and began feeding him intravenously. They thought he was going to die. 2e said, ?I am not going to eat. God is going to do a miracle for me.A $t the end of the -0 days a miracle happened. The prosecutor in 5ew Gor City that had prosecuted @ims case was investigated. Through the investigation, authorities found illegal practices from the arresting officers in a large number of 2is cases. @ims case was dismissed and he was released from prison. Hpon 2is release, @im went to see #ave Cil erson, founder of Teen Challenge, and told him that he wanted to be a part of their outreach to gangs. 2e began to preach to the gang members. Dne night, the members of the gang attac ed and stabbed him. They left him for dead. 9ut God healed him. %any gang members came to Christ through his preaching. 2e married a very godly woman and God called him to preach. 2e now pastors a church of over 0,888 members in western part of the Hnited &tates. It was through a miracle that @im received from God through fasting and praying.

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%other (lizabeth #abneys husband pastored a Church of God in Christ congregation. &he had a powerful ministry of fasting and intercessory prayer in the early 0/88s In 0/-1, (. 2. #abney and his wife (lizabeth went to :hiladelphia to start a mission wor . It was very difficult in the beginning. Df those beginning days %other (lizabeth said, ?Dne afternoon the 4ord called my attention to a situation in the neighborhood. I as ed God if 2e would give us the victory if I made a covenant with 2im to pray. 2e said 2e would. $nd God told me to meet 2im the ne)t morning at the &chuy ill Eiver at ;,*8 $%.A That night %other (lizabeth was afraid to go to sleep because she would miss her appointment with God. &he sat up all night and crocheted. The ne)t morning her husband drove her by the river. Chen they came to a tree that was bent over on the side of the road, the 4ord spo e to her and said, ?This is the place.A It was there that %other (lizabeth #abney made a covenant with God. ?4ord, if you will bless my husband and give him a church and congregation, I will wal with you for three years in prayer both day and night. I will meet you every morning at /,88 $% sharpB you will never have to wait for meB I will be there to greet youB I will stay there all dayB I will devote all of my time to you.A

?Furthermore, if you will listen to the voice of my supplication and brea through in that wic ed neighborhood and bless my husband, I will fast ;- hours each wee for two years. Chile Im going through the fast, I will not go home and sleep in my bed and I will stay in the church and if I get sleepy, I will rest on newspaper and carpet.A Immediately as %other (lizabeth #abney made this covenant with God to pray and fast, the 4ord answered her prayer. ?The Glory of the 4ord fell from heaven all around me. I new 2e had prepared me to enter into the prayer ministry.A (ach morning she would enter the church before /am. @neeling on the floor in prayer, she wore all the s in off of her nees on the hard floor. $t times she suffered physically, but continued to fast both food and water for three days each wee . &oon the little church building was too small to accommodate the crowds. :astor (. 2. #abney as ed %other #abney to pray for a larger meeting place. &hortly thereafter, a business man rented a larger building for them that could handle the crowds. $s she continued to fast and pray many of the church people began to criticize her. &ome tried to discourage her by telling her that praying and fasting was not necessary. $t one point they accused her of being an old witch and a magic boo reader. 2owever, as they continued to see her faithfulness and humble spirit, they repented of their lies. (ventually the church became one of the most powerful outreaches in that community in :hiladelphia.

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4arry &toc still is the pastor of 9ethany Corld :rayer Center in 9aton Eogue, 4ouisiana. The church has a membership of 08,888. $ number of years ago while he and his church was on a -0 day fast, God spo e to him that he would receive favor with the governor of 4ouisiana. It was not long after the fast was over that the Governors assistant called :astor &toc stills office. This is the message that was given to him, ?The Governor saw :astor &toc still on television and he would li e to invite him come to the Governors %ansion and pray with himA. Through this meeting, 4arry &toc still began conducting a wee ly 9ible study at the Governors %ansion. These prayer meetings lasted throughout the Governors entire term. :rayer and fasting brought :astor 4arry &toc still before the state leadership to allow a powerful time of prayer to help influence and direct the political arena of 4ouisiana. The Governor was voted the most popular governor of 4ouisiana and became Chairman of the &outhern Governors $ssociation.

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Gears ago, I was on a three day fast without food or water. #uring that time a pastor of a large denominational church called for me to counsel with a couple from his church. They met me on the third day of my fast. Chile in my office the husband e)plained to me that his wife was suffering from deep depression and that he wanted me to pray for her. &o I as ed the husband to place his hand on one shoulder while I place my hand on the other shoulder of his wife. $s I began to pray in the name of 7esus, the wife let out a scream. $ force pic ed her up and threw her across the room. Instantly, I realized that this woman was demon possessed. I nelt down beside her and began to bind the demon and command that it come out of the woman. The demon began to spea through this woman. $t one point I as ed the demon how he entered the woman. The demon answered when she was a teen'ager she was involved in a se)ual act. 2ed lived in her since then. #uring this encounter other demons began to manifest. $t one point the womans head turned in such a way which was humanly impossible. I commanded the demon to stop. Immediately after that, the woman breathed on me. The smell was so putrid that I e)cused myself and went to the bathroom and began to e)perience dry heaves. I was washing my face and a devil manifested in the bathroom. It said to me, ?Gou stay out of the deliverance ministry or Ill ill youIA I new if I did not go bac and pray for that woman, my ministry would end, that day. I went bac to my office and prayed for this lady until there was no strength left in my body. That night we cast si)teen demons out of the woman. 2owever, the strong demon power often pushes out the wea er demons. &o I as ed the lady and her husband if they would fast for three days, then come bac to see me the following wee . That night l went home totally e)hausted and went to bed. In the wee hours of the morning our house began to sha e. %y wife wo e me up and said, ?I thin there is a violent storm.A Chen we loo ed outside, there was no rain or wind. This was a demonic attac upon us. &uddenly we heard the voice of a demon spea . It said, ?I told you not to get involved in this ministry. 5ow I have come to ill you.A I began to remember the words to the song that my mother used to sing, ?Gou could have called ten thousand angels.A &o I prayed, ?God the power that you gave 7esus, you have given to me. I want ten thousand angels to be in this room right now.A

$s soon as I spo e those words the room became charged with the presence of angels. It loo ed li e static electricity popping around the room. That night my wife and I worshipped and praised the 4ord till almost daylight. $ few days later the couple came bac to see me. The wife was totally delivered. There was a peace and calmness in their life. God had delivered her and called them into the ministry. Through that e)perience, on an absolute fast without food or water, God stirred up in me the gift of discerning of spirits. Dn numerous occasions I could smell certain types of demonic spirits. $lso from that fast, God opened my spiritual eyes to see angels. Fasting increases our sensitivity to the spiritual realm. #riving downtown, I passed an abortion clinic and noticed a group of people gathered in protest in front of the clinic. :ar ing my car, I wal ed near to observe. $ number of Christian people were singing hymns. I =oined them. Chile we were singing, I saw two demons as tall as the five story abortion clinic. Dne demons head was the shape of a pyramid. 2is teeth were overlaid and razor sharp. It loo ed to me li e it had hundreds of teeth. The e)pression on their faces was fear. They were on an attac mode. I said. ?4ord, these must be the strongmen of our city.A The 4ord spo e to me. ?5o. the strongman of this city is as large as the largest building in this city, but Ive got angels that are bigger they are.A $t that moment fear left me. Then God spo e to me a word that I have always remembered. ?Greater is 2e that is in you than he that is in the world.A In my spirit there came this concept. as we will fast and pray and become people of the Cord of God. we become more powerful and larger than the strongmen of our city. In %ar /,-/ 7esus says. ?This ind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.A In order for there to be a Lthis ind, there must be other inds or levels of demonic powers. In the past, God may have given you victory over wea er demons, but as you grow in Christ you face heavy weight demons. The same methods that brought you victory in the past may not necessarily bring you victory in the future. Cith the stronger demonic powers, you need to add fasting to your prayers.

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CD4DE$#D &:EI5G&. Colo. ' 7eanne $ssam is hailed for saving countless lives in shooting a gunman outside her church, but the volunteer security guard insisted that her steady hand was a matter of divine guidance. The +-'year'old former police officer was part of a small team of church members pulling guard duty &unday at the 5ew 4ife Church when -+'year'old %atthew %urray opened fire outside the building. Cea from a three'day religious fast, $ssam said %onday that she shut out the frightening gunshots outside and focused on %urray as he wal ed down a church hallway. Chen %urray came in with an assault rifle, she shot him several times with her gun. ?It seemed li e it was me, the gunman and God.A said $ssam, whose hands trembled a little as she recounted the shooting during a news conference %onday. %urray is believed to have illed two people after a midday ceremony at the %egachurch and two other people 0- hours earlier at a missionary training school in the #enver suburb of $rvada. :olice said a weapon found at the church was forensically lin ed to shell casings left behind at the missionary school. (ven though $ssam shot %urray, investigators said he may have died from a self'inflicted gunshot wound. 9efore the shooting at her church, $ssam said, she felt chills when reading that the gunman from the missionary school shooting hadnt been captured. Chen the gunman entered 5ew 4ife Church, she said, she too cover and drew spiritual and physical strength from her religious faith. $s church members ran away, $ssam said, she had no intention of fleeing. ?I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse.A she said. ?I =ust prayed for the 2oly &pirit to guide me. I said. L2oly &pirit, be with me. %y hands werent even sha ing.A

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%ormons have less heart disease ' something doctors have long chal ed up to their religions ban on smo ing. 5ew research suggests that another of their ?clean livingA habits also may be helping their hearts, fasting for one day each month. $ study in Htah, where the Church of 7esus Christ of 4atter'#ay &aints is based, found that people who s ipped meals once a month were about +8 percent less li ely to be diagnosed with clogged arteries than those who did not regularly fast.

$mong the 101 people surveyed, only fasting made a significant difference in heart ris s, 1/ percent of periodic meal s ippers were diagnosed with heart disease versus 6; percent of the others

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2ome speculated that when people ta e a brea from food, it forces the body to dip into fat reserves to bum calories. It also eeps the body from being constantly e)posed to sugar and having to ma e insulin to metabolize it. Chen people develop diabetes, insulin' producing cells become less sensitive to cues from eating so fasting may provide brief rests that resensitize these cells and ma e them wor better. he said.