“Day 3: Getting Past Your Quitting Point
Fasting stirs a hunger in your spirit that goes deeper than any temporary hunger you experience in your flesh. When you hunger for God, He will fill you! Jesus went through cities where He could do no miracles—because there was no hunger. In this day, God is saying, “I’m looking for somebody who wants something. I’m looking for somebody who will do more than show up for another church service, but they will hunger for that which I want to place in them!”
Why is fasting so often overlooked? I believe the primary reason is one that has plagued mankind since the dawn of creation.”
“You see, fasting means crucifying what I refer to as “King Stomach.” And in case you don’t know who King Stomach is, just move this book out of the way, look down, and introduce yourself. You’ve probably already heard him rumble in disagreement a time or two since you began reading this book!
It has been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Most women have come to know it, but we need to realize that the devil knows it too! Some people—specifically Christians—could be the geographical location of the “bottomless pit”! Consider for just a moment what has happened to the human race while under the rule of King Stomach.
We can start at the beginning, all the way back in the Garden of Eden to the time when the serpent was cunning and convinced Eve that she should eat from the forbidden tree, assuring her that she would not die. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food…she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen. 3:6).”
“And with that one meal, Adam and Eve immediately went from peacefully enjoying God’s presence in the cool of the garden to fearfully hiding from His presence among the trees of the garden.
They literally ate themselves out of house and home. They ate themselves out of the will of God for their lives. They ate themselves out of God’s provision and plan for their lives and out of His magnificent presence. But their stomachs were temporarily satisfied, and we still suffer the consequences of their appetites today.
When speaking of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, people usually focus on the rampant homosexuality in those cities. But that is not all the Bible teaches. The Lord said to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit” (Ezek. 16:49–50).”
“The first thing you may notice is that there was no giving (to the poor and needy) and no praying, which indicates pride and idleness. But it is interesting to note that the inhabitants of those cities were not only guilty of homosexuality according to the account in Genesis, but as we see here, they were guilty of gluttony (fullness of food). Along with their other sins, their excessive loyalty to King Stomach carried them right into damnation!
On this the third day, you are passing a crucial hurdle on your way to your twenty-one-day goal. So don’t give up—stay hungry!
Like Jesus told the disciples at the well in Samaria, when you open yourself to know the will of the Father and do the will of the Father, no steak or cake compares. Nothing can fill you and satisfy you like that.”
“On your third day of fasting, remember:
• Pray for encouragement.
• This is usually the toughest day of the fast.
• Noticeable weight loss begins.
Thoughts for your journal:
(Write your thoughts in a separate journal.)
• What is the Holy Spirit showing you about endurance?
• What dreams are in your heart that only God can make possible?
Prayer Focus Day 3: Direction, Guidance, Dreams, and Visions”
“During this fast, seek God for direction and guidance in your life. Paul said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Vision comes from God to help you and other people and to establish His kingdom in the earth (not to be confused with ambition, which comes from the flesh and is self seeking). Remember the six stages of a vision:
• I thought it—God gives you the vision.
• I caught it—you start to get excited about the vision.
• I bought it—you consider the cost of the vision and pay the price.
• I sought it—nobody can talk you out of it.
• I got it—you actually possess the dream and are glad you paid the price to get it.
• I taught it—you pass it on to the next generation.
Never settle for less than God’s best for your life! As God instructed Habakkuk: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets…though it tarries, wait for it” (Hab. 2:2–3). What vision has God given you? Write it down in your journal and focus on it during the fast.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
—PSALM 37:23”
No comments:
Post a Comment