Pressing in Fasting 2

Hello Everyone,

WRONG ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS OFTEN STAND IN THE WAY OF GOD ANSWERING OUR PRAYERS.

The attitude that we can "earn" answers to our prayers because we have gone through the religious motion of fasting is shallow on our part.

It’s as if we’re saying God should stop and take notice of our super spiritual abilities.

We have totally missed the mark when we believe we can "earn" His blessings by our effort.

Here’s what actually happens when we press in for the right reasons.

1. We desire a deeper relationship with God so we press in with fasting and prayer as one of the options available to us to accomplish that goal.

2. We give up other things for a while so we can focus more on God. It’s as if we’re saying, "God, I don’t even care about food right now I want to desperately walk in your presence."

3. That’s when we develop a closer walk with God. We begin to "see His face" - which is the way the Word describes our relationship when we draw close to God.

4. Pressing in close to God brings about a transformation in our character. Fasting and prayer doesn’t change God - it changes us!

5. We’re now transformed to the place God can bless us with answers to our prayers.

Where before we weren’t able to receive certain things - now we are! We were like a bucket that had a hole in it but it has been repaired and now it can be used to carry something.

When we walk and talk with God great things happen in our lives!

Our relationships with others improve.

That’s because as we walk with God we become more like Him who treats others right.

This wasn’t happening in Isaiah’s day.

Wasn’t happening in Jesus’ day either.

"How terrible it will be for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law - justice, mercy, faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the important things." (Matthew 23:23 NLT)

Jesus could have said the same thing about fasting. [After all Jesus said, "When you fast", not "if you fast." (Matthew 6:16)]

"You should fast, yes, but you should not leave undone the other important things."

·        It’s important to help the needy.

·        It’s important to treat others fairly.

·        It’s important to be kind to others and try to get along with one another.

How can we improve in these areas? By pressing in!.

It is interesting that:

We treat others wrong because our fellowship with God is not what it ought to be.

Then we try to do the things that will increase our fellowship with God but we do them in the wrong way.

End result? We fall flat on our spiritual faces.

The solution is so simple that God tells Isaiah in verse one in Chapter 58 to "shout it loud, do not hold back".

God wasn’t just saying this because He’s angry, but because He’s a loving God who wants to make sure everybody gets the message.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil