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I want to talk to you of course today

for a few moments about fasting when you

say the word fasting that word alone

seems overwhelming if you’ve never

fasted before it’s almost like it sends

a slight shiver up your spine fasting in

this culture of entertainment and

gratification and pleasure especially

the lifestyle of this generation the

20-somethings it’s almost unheard of to

expect for people to sacrifice that word

has been lost in the body of Christ it’s

not easy to fast it’s not fun to fast

but it is powerful your faith will begin

to explode as you fast fasting is not

for the strong fasting is for the weak

fasting is for the common fasting is for

the frail fasting is for the ordinary

people who realize that they desperately

need God in their life that’s who

fasting is for I want to say that

fasting never manipulates God it’s so

important that when you go into a fast

you don’t go into it listen now thinking

that you will earn God’s blessings God’s

favour God’s miracles in your life you

never earn the blessings and favor of

God it is the grace of God it is the

blood of Jesus Christ that releases

those blessings fasting does not

manipulate God fasting does not make God

do something that is not his will

fasting gets you ready for God’s answer

fasting prepares your heart to say not

my will but thine be done a lot of

people are disillusioned when when they

fast and God doesn’t do what you demand

that he does nothing wrong with asking

but you can’t demand that God do

something because I’m fasting you better

hurry up and do it it doesn’t work that

way fasting breaks you down

fasting gets you to the place that you

move into

a position of total obedience and

humility and brokenness before God that

what you understand my Heavenly Father

wants the best for me and now I finally

trust you

I finally relinquish my life to you and

whatever happens I’m going to serve you

and I’m going to love you when we begin

to biblically fast we increase our

receptivity to the Lord’s voice and to

his word so number one fasting is an

invitation fasting is not a requirement

fasting is not something God makes you

do fasting is not something that God is

going to punish you for if you don’t do

fasting is an invitation is something

you do voluntarily it’s when you say

Lord I am breaking out of the routine

and the regular ritual of life and I’m

coming after you I don’t have to do this

you love me no matter whether I fast

draw don’t fast you’re going to bless me

whether I fast or I don’t fast but I am

voluntarily giving this up showing you

that as a sacrifice I’m coming after you

and I’m giving up this food there’s

something about that but gets God’s

attention quickly fasting is a grace

fasting isn’t just gritting your teeth

fasting isn’t just oh God you know just

gritting your teeth and enduring it but

there is a mystery connection between

the Holy Spirit and fasting that anyone

who dares to step up and say I’m going

too fast instantly the Holy Spirit

begins to partner with you instantly the

power of God comes and a special grace

comes upon you the moment you make up

your mind

God will truly give you grace to fast if

you will listen to him and be led by his

Spirit fasting is humbling yourself

before God it’s saying lord I need you I

humble myself before you and in due

season the Bible said if you humble

yourself he will exalt you fasting is an

act of worship in Romans 12 it says I

urge you therefore to present your

bodies as a living sacrifice holy and

acceptable unto God one translation said

which is your spiritual worship there’s

something about presenting your body

that God sees as worship so when you

fast you’re taking an invitation from

God he doesn’t require it but he invites

you to do it

fasting is giving up something perfectly

good nothing wrong with food and

perfectly acceptable so that you can

have more of God fasting is a spiritual

discipline that is a physical act it’s

abstaining from food to abstain from the

computer is not fasting that’s great

that that that’s that’s abstinence I

guess you could say but that is not

fasting because the only way to fast is

to fast food technically because the

word fast means to cover your mouth and

refuse to eat it’s a time of spirit-led

self-examination when you fast you’ll

begin to see God begin to do a deep

internal work in your life David when he

fasted in 2nd Samuel 12 21 and 22 David

did something strange his his child was

dying and he fasted that God would heal

his child and his child died anyway and

I want to help some people who who have

been so disappointed because you fasted

and God didn’t give you what you wanted

the way you wanted it he fasted for days

and would not eat so that his son would

live and the Bible said his child died

now here’s what I love about David and

David said this he said while the child

was alive I fasted and I went in one

translation said and I thought who knows

question mark the Lord may be gracious

to me but now that the child is dead I’m

going to get up and eat David said I

like that I love what he said and

words he’s fasting but he’s not going to

force God he’s fasting because he wants

to get ready for God’s answer and he’s

begging God for a child he’s asking God

to save this child but his deal is I’m

asking what’s wrong with asking I want

to encourage you on this fast ask God

for anything you want to ask him for but

don’t demand it that’s the difference

I’m asking you for this

I’m boldly asking you for this but I

have no right to demand anything but I

am asking and I’ll trust you with the

ends I’ll leave the results in your

hands asking is it wrong demanding is

it’s exciting when you feel the stirring

and you realize that God is calling you

too fast

you ought to feel a little nervous about

it I felt a little nervous about it I

always feel a little nervous about it

but if you are prepared spiritually and

prepared physically number one you have

to prepare spiritually by that I mean

you are hearing God as he is impressing

you how does he speak to you through the

word through preachers through people

right now like where you’re sitting

impressions of the Holy Spirit that that

that little almost I don’t want to call

it a nagging but something on the inside

that’s not forcing you to do it but kind

of tugging on your heart saying come on

I’m giving you an invitation come on

know me more than you’ve ever known Lee

come in to where I am come out of the

routine come after me that’s an

invitation and when you sense God

telling you to do that that’s spiritual

preparation and the first key is to hear

God in that and know that you’re doing

it because you feel that nudging the

second thing is to determine what kind

of fast and how long now we’ve already

determined that for you on this public

fasts on a private fast you would

determine what kind of fast and how long

but since it’s a public fast here’s what

I want to encourage you to do number one

write

down your fasting plan it’s amazing what

happens when you write it down and you

make up your mind writing it down is one

of the most important things for

preparing for a fast because why you

said why is that why is that so

important let me tell you one because

it’s very common once you begin to fast

and you begin to feel hungry

that low thoughts start coming through

your mind and you start to doubt your

called a fast God wouldn’t speak into me

I’m just trying to hit some highlights

devote extra time to the prayer and the

word limit TV limit the internet limit

Facebook limit Twitter limit all of that

stuff limit watching news for hours and

hours watching TV shows for hours and

hours limit all of that stuff your

tongue may get coded after a day of

fasting

you may feel light-headed when you stand

up that’s all perfectly normal you may

need to go to bed early for more rest

it’s perfectly normal you may have bad

breath turn to somebody says normal for

you all the time just it may feel like

your brain is in a fog the first day or

two you just you just can’t think as

clearly you’re not as sharp it’s not as

easy to do what you do I wish I could

say that all you feel when you’re

fasting is super spiritual and you feel

the sweetness and you feel light and

constantly cheerful and that’s just not

true

sometimes you’re cranky sometimes you’re

tired sometimes you’re hungry sometimes

you’re fighting a headache sometimes

that sounds like some of you all the

time you’re cranky you’re all the time

sometimes you have to apologize to your

family for being short-tempered while

you’re fasting and the devil will try to

defeat you with stuff like that you’ll

be stunned at how powerful God’s Word

will be as you read it while you fast

you’ll be stunned at how strong and

quick God will begin to speak to you as

you fast and pray you need prayer

support the word is food for your soul

whether you’re a veteran faster or

whether this is your first time fasting

I want you to please know that I’m

praying for you every day

you’re going to make it you can do all

things through Christ who strengthens

you in Philippians 1 and 6 said he who

has begun a good work in you if you’ll

start it God will be able to finish it

you started in God will help you finish

your answers are waiting in the presence

of the Lord sometimes you have to say

food you can wait in relationships you

can wait and entertainment you can wait

God I need answers and answers are

waiting in the presence of the Lord for

those who will fast and pray what are

your greatest needs what do you need to

fast about fasting increases our sense

of humility and dependence upon the Lord

is saying God I need you God alone for

you fasting allows us to set aside time

for prayer if you don’t pray then you’re

not fasting fasting and prayer it will

heighten your spiritual alertness you’ll

begin to feel and sense the presence of

God in your life your alertness to the

Holy Spirit will be heightened as you

fast and as you pray fasting expresses

our earnestness and our urgency in

prayer to God when we fast this year I

want you to pray specifically three

specific prayers that I felt impressed

this year to talk about in closing

number one that God would bless our

nation in that God would help America

this is perhaps the most important

21-day fast we have ever participated in

it’s critical that we

in this fast jehosophat was facing a

national calamity and in second

chronicles 20 he proclaimed a fast

throughout Judah Judah believe in the

Lord your God and so shall you be

established believe his prophets and so

shall you prosper and the Bible said

that they fasted for three days and

after the three day fast God gave them

such victory that it took them three

days to gather the Skoll in Joel chapter

1 in chapter 2 the nation was facing the

greatest economic disaster it had ever

faced the nation of Israel and three

times they called a fast in Joel 1 in 14

sanctify fast in Joel 2:12 turn with to

me with all of your heart with fasting

and weeping and joy 2:15 blow the

trumpet in Zion sanctify of fast call a

solemn assembly now notice the blessings

that follow in Joel 2 and 21 it says

fear not for the Lord will do great I

will restore the years at the locusts

have eaten you shall be satisfied and

the name of the Lord would be wondrously

with you and my people will not be

ashamed God has a unique plan for

America God has a new unique plan for

this nation do you believe that and I

want you to fast about this election I

want you to fast about America I want

you to fast about our economy if God

could turn it around for Israel he can

turn our nation around he can bless

america again he can prosper this nation

again God has a unique plan for your

family many times when we fast we need

to fast and remember our family many

times God will work a hundred year

cycles in families which is why the

enemy targets your children and your

grandchildren because the plan of God

does not just include you but it

includes your children cause God is a

God of families and he’s working in

families and when you fast pray for your

families as

God to bless your family sometimes it

takes several generations for God’s will

to be accomplished in a family

so as we’re fasting we’re not just

fasting for here and now but we’re

fasting for blessings on our families

for generations that God’s Will would be

done the enemy knows that if he can keep

children on drugs and in alcoholism and

running in sin and immorality he stops

the plan of God for that family so ask

him boldly for your family on this fast

to bless your family to save your family

to feel your family with the power of

the Holy Spirit

the will of God for every one of your

children and your children’s children

secondly I felt led to tell you to pray

for release of divine health and long

life on this fast a release of divine

health and long life Genesis 15 and 15

God promised Abraham he said you will

live to a good old age turn to somebody

and say you’re gonna live to a good old

age this is a fast and a call to health

long life we’re going to break the habit

of fried foods and sugar refined foods

and junk food and toxins and pollutants

that are destroying our bodies we take

authority over it in the name of Jesus

not just for 21 days but may we set a

pattern that we will not fear from for

the whole year and we will be my body

cannot become my enemy everybody say in

on this fast there’s going to be a

release into my body of divine health

and long life I need you to shout right

there I’m feeling that one down

so I thirdly want to encourage you to

believe this is for those of you who may

not believe in the spirit world but

Ephesians 6 is very clear that warring

angels would be released that as we fast

and pray warring angels that are talked

about in Ephesians 6 see the enemy

shoots fiery darts and when fire hits a

person it leaves a scar the enemy wants

people scarred and burned but God’s

going to release warring angels I

believe during this fast to bless and to

fight and to win the battles that we’ve

struggled to win the last thing that I

ask you to pray for that I felt now of

course you make it individual and you

you fast and pray for what God tells you

but these are some things that I felt in

my spirit really felt this one believed

God for the abundance of work believe

God for the abundance of work the

abundance of prosperity I heard this in

my spirit believe me for miracle money

praise God y’all don’t believe in that

stuff the balcony can you believe God

for the abundance of work that you get

so busy that you have to hire own some

people that things really pick up that

God so begins to prosper and bless you

that miracle money starts coming in to

finance everything God’s called you to

do shout miracle money shout abundance

of work abundant work I want to close

with this after the civil war here in

America Abraham Lincoln called for four

separate fast to try to heal

the nation he called for for fast and he

led the fast what I’m doing is nothing

Abraham Lincoln led the whole nation in

fact four separate fast the year that he

finished the fourth fast the next year

was 1867 and America closed a real

estate now the nation was in shambles

because of the civil war poverty was

everywhere but after we fasted four

times as a nation the next year in 1867

Russia sold the United States Alaska for

7.2 million which is two cents per acre

there’s no logic whatsoever that can

explain why America rebounded so strong

and by 1867 the federal government of

the United States

had a surplus for 28 straight years in a

row listen new inventions started coming

out of America that caused America to

become a major superpower in the world

inventions started coming after we

fasted the next year invention started

coming like the phonograph and years

following the electric light the modern

factories airplane telephone all these

inventions became even the motor

industry even though the cars were

invented first in Europe somehow we

captured that market and it became the

number one market came out of America

and the end of workers of America we

became a major player on the world stage

and the most devastated area during the

Civil War was the south and in the 1800s

a miracle began to happen and the new

south began to be birth and Birmingham

began to prosper and then Richmond began

to prosper

Atlanta which was burned to the ground

by fire begin to prosper and in the

early 1800s an invention of a soda pop

called coca-cola was made and they made

their home in the city of Atlanta and

their headquarters are still there today

and my point that I’m trying to get you

to understand is god knows how to bless

his people when we come after him and

seek Him and put him first seek first

the kingdom of God seek God first in all

of these things abundance of work health

blessing family loving God all of these

things will be added unto you

let’s see him first this fast is about

God don’t you get preoccupied with what

you’re not eating and this and that take

it back to God constantly take it back

to God take it back to God

eat your soul food

get into this book devour God’s gonna

bless you God’s gonna bless you

you young couples that this generation

they got everything at the fingertips

you want anything I just go on my

computer boom it’s here

same day there’s some blessings you

can’t get to you fasting right well in

our closing moments together I want to

tell you about a fresh new vision that I

feel like God is laid upon my heart to

share with you about the nation of Haiti

as you know you have been so faithful to

help us provide five hundred and forty

thousand meals now going on two years

we’ve been doing this every month it

costs hundreds and hundreds of thousands

of dollars every year to do what we do

in Haiti there has come a great need

behind me you can see this beautiful

warehouse that we’re going to build in

the next few days in Haiti I need three

hundred and sixty five thousand dollars

this is a food distribution center a

kingdom connection food distribution

center partnering with love a child it

will get food out all over the nation of

Haiti people are starving people are in

desperate need of food I’m not

exaggerating their bellies are swollen

and we can do something about it we’re

going to build this food distribution

center it’s three hundred feet long

a hundred feet wide thirty thousand

square feet it’s going to cost three

hundred and sixty five thousand dollars

that means there’s three hundred and

sixty five people that I am convinced

have watched this program God has

touched your heart this ministry has

ministered to you and now I’m asking you

at the beginning of this new year to sew

a first fruit offering there’s something

about honoring God first in the

beginning of the year and providing

bread to the hungry those children food

to the hungry this warehouse will be

filled every month with the food that

this ministry supplies and then it will

go out in the trucks that you supplied

in even to the village and we build a

hundred homes over there that you built

but far beyond that region on

need you to help me will you so $1,000

seed a first fruit offering at the

beginning of this year help us we’ll

give them the spiritual bread of life

Jesus but we’ll give them physical bread

in their stomachs in their bellies when

you help the poor Psalms 41 said God

releases seven supernatural blessings

I’m convinced that if you can’t do that

if you do your very best and here’s what

I felt like I needed to say to get that

blessing I believe in your life like God

wants to release it in 2012 if you can

so a dollar a day that’s a one-time gift

of 365 dollars early in this new year so

it now don’t put it off I know that’s a

lot of money and I’m not asking for

myself

I’m not asking with any selfish agenda

I’m asking because we need to build this

food distribution center and save the

perishing think of how God’s favor and

blessing will come upon people early in

this new year if you’ll respond are you

one of the 365 that will give a thousand

dollars if you sow it God will bless you

I can say that on the authority of his

word thank you Father speak to people

right now

don’t let them disregard what I’m saying

this is the very heart of God folks and

if you get involved in it God will bless

you in 2012 coming to free chapel on

February 24th and 25th one marriage

conference license to build

with Jensen and Charisse Franklin and

special guests Brian and Bobby Houston

this will be a marriage conference like

no other free chapel you know what Brian

and Bobby’s miracle son Shh Sydney

Australia we can’t wait to be with you

guys at the marriage seminar that’s crew

34 years we’ve been married

and I just like you and had to live that

out every single day with three adult

kids I believe we’ve got little tools

that can help you to set up the future

and a godly refined way the one marriage

conference license to build register

online at one marriage conference door

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