- [Narrator] Welcome to a grace digital production.
What are the benefits of a fast?
God's priorities are rarely our priorities.
That is the major difference
in man's nature and God's nature.
He even said so,
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:9.
How then do we align ourselves to hear from God?
How do we rid ourselves of our own desires
in order to know God's will?
Fasting helps you draw that sword of God's word,
and distinguish what you want from what you truly need.
And he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the spirit,
because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:27-28.
There is no higher authority than knowing
the heart of God for a situation that you are facing.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest,
lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
For the word of God is quick and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest
in his sight,
but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him,
with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:11-13.
There is this word, diligent,
fasting, praying and nourishing oneself
with the word of God, puts the sward in your hand,
and positioned yourself to see the difference
between your thoughts and God's thoughts.
There is no greater power than knowing the heart of God
for a situation that you are facing.
His word is final.
Get in line.
Imagine living just a few doors
from the place where Jesus spent
much of his earthly ministry,
and was never swept away by his message or his miracles.
Cornelius is such a man.
He must have been quite a busy man
because he completely missed the movement of God.
Luke lets us know his story in the book of Acts.
He begins;
there was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius,
a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house,
which gave much alms to the people
and prayed to God always.
Acts 10:1-2.
Therefore we know that this generous,
probably kind-hearted Italian
was close enough to the Jewish faith,
to believe in his God and pray to him.
But until now the gospel of salvation
through the blood of Jesus
was a message that belonged only to the Jews
and not to the Gentiles.
Nevertheless, Cornelius was diligent,
and his diligence is the reason why
those of us who are not of Jewish descent
can today call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
The Bible tells us that an angel appeared to Cornelius
at about the ninth hour of the day,
and commanded him to take Peter to Joppa,
and to hear what Peter would say to him.
So he faithfully sent his most faithful men
to Joppa to bring Peter back with them.
Now stop here and think a moment,
here is a man who is not born again,
but gives himself to God.
Was he at home watching the birds
when the angel appeared?
Not hardly.
When Peter arrived at his house,
and Cornelius said
four days ago I was fasting until this hour,
and that the ninth hour I prayed in my house,
and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing
and said, "Cornelius thy prayer is heard,
"and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God."
Acts 10:30-31.
Cornelius was praying and fasting.
He was eagerly seeking God.
When this angel came to tell him
that his diligence was about to be very rewarded.
Peter preached the gospel to them,
and while Peter yet spake these words,
the Holy ghost fell on all of them
which heard the word.
And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished.
And as many as came with Peter,
because that on the Gentiles
also was poured out the gift of the Holy ghost,
for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Acts 10:44-46.
We who are not of Jewish descent
can thank a man for being diligent in seeking the Lord,
and to bringing the message of the cross to the Gentiles.
Cornelius gave to the poor and often prayed,
but he was a lost man.
Fasting places you in the mainstream of God's priorities,
God established priorities as early as the book of Genesis.
His principle of the first things is expressed precisely.
And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee
into the land of the Canaanites,
as he swear unto thee and to thy fathers,
and shall give it thee,
that thou shalt set apart unto the Lord,
all that openeth the Matrix
and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast.
The males shall be the Lords.
Exodus 13:11-12.
Fasting places you in the mainstream of God's prerogatives.
This is an astonishing text.
Throughout scripture, God makes it clear that the firsts,
the first born of harvest,
the first born of families,
the first born of flocks, all long for him.
The old Testament is full of types and shadows
of the things revealed in the new Testament,
namely, that Jesus is the first born son.
2000 years ago, this immaculate lamb redeemed those of us
who had been defiled by sin,
when he offered his own blood on the altar in heaven.
Go vertical.
People want and must be connected in relationships.
This need to be connected is evidenced in the church
by home groups and a greater emphasis on community.
While that is good,
if we're not careful, we can be too horizontally focused
and not sufficiently vertically focused.
The church right now for the most part in the Western world,
particularly in America, is all about me.
I want my needs to be fulfilled.
Bless me, teach me, help me.
Even if these are legitimate needs and desires,
we must not forget that the cross has two beams.
One is horizontal,
but the other is vertical.
Through fasting your priorities become more vertical,
and more in tune with God's wishes.
It is what Jesus did when he cleared the temple.
The priorities were excessively horizontal.
Then Jesus went into the temple of God
and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple,
and overturned the tables of the money-changers,
and the seats of those who sold doves.
And he said to them,
"It is written, My house shall be called
"a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."
Matthew 21:12-13.
This does not mean that one does not have his own needs
and desires when fasting,
for which one seeks God,
in fact, one should fast for a particular purpose.
However, I believe that as you continue on a prolonged fast,
the true cry of your heart becomes,
more of You, God, and less of me.
When you put him first, all else is added.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, even though I do not understand
what you are doing in my life,
I praise you for your faithfulness and power.
If I am disappointed, I will remember your unwavering love.
Help me to trust that you will order my steps
according to your ideal plan for my life.
You are my faithful shepherd,
give me the grace I need to trust in your direction.
Thank you for the doors you open
and for the doors you close.
Consoled and strengthened my heart today.
When discouragement and doubt come,
help me to believe that you have good plans
to bring blessings into my life.
Allow me to take heart,
while I wait for you to answer my prayers.
Lord, take me by the hand and lead me down the path
that you have chosen for me.
Show me when it's time to wait and when I have to move on.
Thank you for your faithful and unwavering love.
I will rest on that today.
You are the revealer of all secrets
and the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
And you are all the secrets of the universe,
but you give to us to know the secrets of your kingdom.
Thank you for listening to us when we pray,
and for understanding when we ask you.
For having sent us your word
and entrusted your truth to us.
We commend you for having revealed the true knowledge
of God's mystery, Christ himself.
In which all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
As you have answered Daniel,
Lord, send your word to give us understanding.
In Jesus name, Amen.
In Jesus's name, Amen.