Fasting: Lifting the Veil and Removing the Blockages

Recently God's revealed to Vanessa and I something that we feel have been overlooked within the Church today.  It's not a 'fun' topic, and it's not something that gets talked about often, but it should be talked about nonetheless.  This topic is fasting.

Remember that Jesus said "when" you fast.  Jesus said "when" you pray.  When, and not if! Christians today have come to realize the importance of prayer, and that's awesome...but what about the importance of fasting?

“And now about fasting. When you fast, declining your food for a spiritual purpose, don’t do it publicly, as the hypocrites do, who try to look wan and disheveled so people will feel sorry for them. Truly, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, put on festive clothing, so that no one will suspect you are hungry, except your Father who knows every secret. And he will reward you."                                                                 Matthew 6:16-18   TLB

Fasting eliminates the distractions caused by over-indulging in food.  Fasting causes hunger, and that leads to desperation.  Fasting causes desperation, and desperation leads us to seek God.  And a hunger for God leads us to rewards from the Father!

Fasting is something we do for our own good!  Fasting feeds the spirit, not the flesh.  It feeds the Spirit of God within us, not our own flesh.  Fasting gives the Holy Spirit free reign.

When we fast and pray, revelation starts to flow.  We can see and hear God more clearly.  We can feel His heart without normal distractions!  It becomes our food to do the will of the Father.  And when we do the will of the Father, He gives us our daily bread and we become satisfied by Him.

FASTING BRINGS BREAKTHROUGH

Right now, there are barriers between us and God's will.  There are blockages, delays, and obstacles opposing what God wants to do.  There are things hindering us from being blessed, and there are things hindering us from overcoming.  There are problems in our life that don't seem likely to ever go away.

Remember, there are some problems that only go away with prayer and fasting.  When desperation is mixed with faith--when fasting is mixed with prayer--breakthrough happens!  When we draw near to God, we can ask for anything in His name.  And when we ask, He allows us to receive for our problems the right solution.  Fasting removes the blockages.

FASTING BRINGS UNDERSTANDING

Right now, there are things we don't understand.  There are situations that we just can't figure out. But we need to remember that Jesus lifted off the veil.  Jesus paid for our spiritual discernment, and He paid in full for our wisdom and understanding.

Now, God does not promise us all knowledge.  But if something impacts us, it's within our area of influence, and it's within our inheritance to understand.  It's within His power to cause us to know.

Fasting allows us to live in a place where we experience wisdom.  We can validate by the Holy Spirit that Jesus really did tear the veil!  We can validate by our walk in the Spirit that Jesus really does give the spirit of prophecy.  We can receive God's perspective on things if we are spiritually hungry enough to attain to it.

There's a time for everything, and for you, it may not be time to fast.  But I believe this is a word in season, and I believe that fasting, combined with prayer, is something that the Church is missing right now.  Imagine what would happen if we all fasted and prayed and became closer to God!  Fasting may be hard, but it's worth the rewards.  And I believe we're missing out.  

What Is Truth? It's Not Sin and Sickness

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.                        John 14:6

What is truth?  I feel that God wants us to know that Truth goes beyond our own feelings and experiences.  Truth transcends what our present life is like, and it transcends what we think is possible.

What is truth?  Jesus is Truth!  And we need to remember that Jesus took captivity captive.  We need to remember that He paid it ALL.  Jesus made a way for us to escape the burdens of the world and be living in the heavenly realms.

What is truth?  Truth is God's perspective--His perfect will.  Truth is a higher vibration.  Truth is a place that we can and should access--but only because Jesus is Lord, only because He is our mediator.  Truth is not sin, and truth is not sickness.

No, f you are sick, you may feel it, you may be affected by it...and consequently, you may believe it. But ultimately, as a Christian, sickness is a lie.  Remember that Jesus came to give us life-- it's the enemy that comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  IF we are operating in truth, IF we are where God would have us, then we will be experiencing His Life.  And if we are experiencing life, then we will be experiencing truth, and the truth will set us free.

It's time to put theory into practice.  It's time to accept the truth.  It's time to await it's manifestation. The manifestation will be health and freedom and deliverance from sin.  The manifestation will be a closer walk with the Lord and a deeper experience of all of His benefits.  The manifestation will be a realization that God is love, and that this love is the force of God.

If we are not seeing the truth in our lives, in our families, and in our situations, then it's time to pray. It's time to usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit and have him bring the Kingdom changes down. All we need to do is say the word--to speak the truth in love--and then God does the rest!  When the presence of Jesus becomes greater than the presence of the world, then we will be able to walk in truth.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."   3 John 1:4

The Wind of The Holy Spirit: It Realigns

Many people know that the Holy Spirit is our inner witness as Christians.  He confirms in our spirits what's good, what's bad, what's from God, and what's not.  

But God is in us and around us!  His Spirit may give us an outer witness as well (for more on this topic, see here).  Sometimes, He comes as a wind!  Sometimes, He comes as a rain.  And sometimes, He comes as that still, small voice--that inner witness that so many may be more familiar with.  

Whether God is moving in spiritual or natural realms, His Spirit can be likened to a wind.  And either way, this wind can realign, redirect, and re-inspire us as we walk through the path of our life--as we walk through His will.

Sometimes I'll be walking along, and God will send in a wind and steer me towards some other direction.  It's a blessed assurance!  It's Him telling me where He wants me to go.  "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21)  He's in control, and He manipulates His creation in order to speak.

In the spiritual realm, many things can steer us.  Thoughts can steer us.  Mental patterns can steer us.  And words can steer us--words steer us just as a ship is turned by the smallest of rudders (James 3:4).  People and situations can keep us distracted by the natural world--leaving us unable to navigate through the essence of God's spiritual character and spiritual will for our lives.

The solution for us is to make God's words our words.  To make His prayers our prayers.  To make His Word, the Bible, the dictate of our thoughts, speech, and action.  

We need to realize that the Holy Spirit wants to be our only guide.  God wants His power to be the only thing that propels us into the future.  If we are in trouble, if we are desperate, if we need to see breakthrough happen, then we need to let the Spirit lead us onwards into a place of rest.  

If each of us can be likened to a ship--that's what the Word says-- then we need to have our tongue come into agreement with whatever direction has already been given by the Spirit of God.  It is His inspiration that backs us.  And it is our words that confirm Him.  It's time to say what He's said.

We can progress into God's perfect will sooner if we allow the wind of the Spirit flow unhindered.  And we do this by bringing the rudder of our ship--our tongue-- into alignment with Him.

So thoughts flow into words, and words flow into actions.  If we believe the Word of God, if we make His thoughts our thoughts, then our future becomes His.  That's when the passion of God flows out.  That's when the Spirit of God makes things exciting.  That's when blessings rest on us, and good things happen.  

We need to let Him realign us, so we can be walking in the promises.  We need to back His will with our words.  We need to allow God to steer us and propel us, without stifling His Spirit with our own thoughts or filters.  We need to let Him be our guide.

Peace Produces Good Fruit

"Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace."                        Psalm 37:37

When we have peace, we have a foundation.  When we are at peace, we realize that our foundation is in Christ! And when we are rooted and grounded in Him, blessings and fruitfulness flow:

Peace produces prosperity (3 John 1:2)

Peace produces health (Jeremiah 33:6)

Peace produces joy (Romans 15:13)

Peace produces good fruit.  Why?  Because the fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22).  And if we have love, then we won't have fear or anxiety (1 John 4:18).  If we don't have fear or anxiety, then we will be open to receive from God His peace.

Peace is a force and a flow, and it carries us onwards into the future.  Peace establishes us in the spiritual world as a force of God that cannot be shaken.  He Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14), and He himself makes our path perfect (2 Samuel 22:33)!

And we have peace by relaxing in the Lord.  We have peace by focusing on God.  We have peace by reading and resting in His promises.  When the word becomes flesh, that's when we have peace (John 1:14). And that happened over 2,000 years ago!  So we just need to realize this, and then apply it to our own lives.  When we experience the Spirit of Jesus for ourselves, then we will find a peace that lasts.

Word: A Winning Battle

Yesterday morning, I was coming under some heavy warfare.  The enemy was trying to get his lies in, there was doubt, and God felt far away.  When I cried out to the Lord, He answered me and said:

"You need to realize that the battle for your salvation has already been won."

Awesome!  When God said that, He gave me peace.  It reminded me that He has power to save, and power to keep.  Salvation is not a losing battle.  Sanctification is not a losing battle.  Our walk onward with the Lord is not a losing battle!

We are in a battle, yes, but we need to remember that we are on the side of the Victor.  And He--Jesus--has already won the victory!  All we need to do during times of trouble is cling to Him.  All we need to do is cry out.  That's how we battle, and that's how He breaks through any warfare. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in response.  So let's draw near to Him, flee from the devil, and experience peace even through out warfare!

Confirmed:  There was a Christian song on the radio that I hadn't heard before....it was describing how we should be soldiers who know their orders--how we should be obedient soldiers in the body of Christ!

Confirmed:  A few license plates about soldiers, GI's and standing firm.  Yes, God is always speaking through license plates...

Confirmed:  A friend posted the below quote on Facebook, courtesy of Francis Frangipane Ministries.  I thought it was so fitting!

"The more peace you have during spiritual attack, the more truly you are walking in Christ’s victory. Remember, it is the God of peace who shall crush Satan beneath your feet shortly (Romans 16:20)"

He who is in us is able to overcome anything that is in the world.  We need to position ourselves to overcome!  We need to arrive in the knowing that Jesus has already done the fighting for us and came out of it victorious.  

Snapshot: Remembering Your Mantle

A few days ago, the Lord showed me a mantle. And He reminded me that His calling on my life is not confusion or doubt, but to walk into His purposes and promises.

He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.                2 Kings 2:13-14

Mantles represent our spiritual authority--the measure of Christ in us that does the works.  It's time to remember His hope!  It's time to remember His calling.  It's time to remember what it's like to be called.

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love...                             Ephesians 4:1-2

It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to walk into our calling.  It takes the fullness of the Spirit to accomplish God's will.  And it takes life in the Spirit to bear good fruit--humility, gentleness, love--to show ourselves worthy.  We need to remember that God saved us so that we could be firstfruits.

We need to know that God's will is not unrest or anxiety.  His will is assurance!  God wants us to feel empowered, to be empowered, and to live empowered.  He wants us to remember our spiritual identity and authority in Him.

Strength in Weakness

God wants us to be strong.  He wants us to be bold, courageous, and competent in the things that He's called us to do.  He wants us to live life empowered by Him!  And yesterday, the Lord spoke to me...and He told me to be strong:

"Be strong in everything you do, and give thanks to Me always..."

Simple stuff, yet what an effect it had on me.  This wasn't an in-depth word, but it impacted me deeply. What encouragement; what direction!  God knows how to hit you where it hurts--in a good way!

First, Some Backdrop...

To tell you the truth, I have not felt that strong recently.  I wake up tired and go to bed tired.  I walk around tired, at least more often than I'd like to.  I'm in bad shape, compared to what what I was like as a cyclist years ago.  Satan tries to get a doubt in...he tries to tell me I have chronic fatigue or some immune problems.  What a lie!  Nonetheless, I feel it, and the Lord has not yet allowed me to stay in perfect health.

And enough about me.... Vanessa has been tired for eight months.  She's been very tired, with some sort of virus.  God hasn't healed her.  I've prayed for her, we've prayed for her, other healing evangelists have prayed for her.  It doesn't make a difference.  You can't escape God's will!  And God's will for her, right now, is to be a 'Job'. *

See, even with her illness, God is pleased.  Even with her fatigue, God is using her.  Many people she's prayed for in the last 8 months time have been healed.  Some have even been healed of chronic fatigue.  God is pleased, and our trials don't stop His power from flowing through us.  God is pleased,  and He's given us these treasures in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7)!

What God Meant in What He Said

Anyways, when God said "be strong", He meant spiritually strong, yes--but He also meant it physically.  The two are related!  In this case, the spiritual comes first.  We have our minds renewed.  And then we are transformed (Romans 12:2), even transformed in our physical bodies, because the joy of the Lord leads  to strength (Nehemiah 8:10)!

No matter how weak we are, if we turn to Him, we will find reserves of strength.  We will find all surpassing power.  We will find justification and empowerment to carry out His will.  With God, we can't stay weak for very long!  We may be tired for a day, we may be tired for a week, we may be tired for a year.  But deliverance will come.  We need to stay zealous, then--God's will is for us to come through!  God's will is to subject us to no more than 'momentary affliction' (2 Corinthians 4:17). We need to know that God will not test us beyond what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).  We need to hold onto our hope--the hope He's given us.

"Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."      

2 Corinthians 12:9-10






*I know that this is a controversial topic...we'll make a blog post on it soon!  

Snapshot: An Anointed Pen

Just a short post here.  I want to describe something God showed me recently, as I think it relates to the missions and callings that God has placed on many people right now.

You see, for each mission, there is an equipping and anointing by God.   For each skill set or talent needed, God gives an anointing to carry us on through it.  Isn't that great?  He's the one who sets the stage.  He's the one who gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

And so a few days ago, the Lord showed me a pen that was being used for His Glory--for the glory of Jesus. And this pen became filled with ink--it became plump with ink, actually, and began expanding. With this came a message.  God spoke to me and said that He is who anoints us to write.  He spoke and showed me that He gives us more than enough to inspire our writing!  Awesome!

This has been an encouragement for both Vanessa and I.  God gives us promises and words we've yet to receive fulfilled. See, even if we put things off, even if we suffer some delays, God will make a way.  His power is still waiting for us, and when we release it, He will still allow that anointing to flow!  If He's given you a mandate to write--to write in your journal, to write on a website, or even to write a book--don't put it off!  His power is still waiting in the wings.  His anointing is still ready to be released.

We need to sanctify the Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15), and then receive from Him that anointed pen.  We need to have our words, speech, and writing transformed by Him for His glory! We need to walk in whatever He's already called us to do, with no more delays.  We need to let His words flow.

Snapshot: Ascending Up To Breakthrough

A few days ago, the Lord showed me a vision of an open door in Heaven.  There was a ladder that led up to this door--a ladder built to ascend upwards on.  And He was saying that we need to ascend up to Him to walk through that door and come to that breakthrough.  I needed to draw nearer to God in order to experience a full blessing, a full revelation, and a full future.

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."                 Revelation 4:1

Confirmed:  That same day, I saw a new article on the Elijah list by Doug Addison called "Contend For Your Breakthrough".  What a confirmation!  It really is the same Holy Spirit that gives each personal the ability to see in part.

Confirmed:  Also that same day, I stepped out the front door and noticed a shadow that looked just like the ladder and ascension that God had shown me earlier.  Hey, He's in the the little things, too!  God's Spirit quickened that shadow to me...He's funny sometimes.

Confirmed:  Today, a friend of mine was showing me her flower garden.  And she was saying that there was a lot of 'Jacob's Ladder' flowers springing up.  I knew what God was saying...

"He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."             Genesis 28:12

When we spend time in the presence of the Lord, we should be expectant.  We should be hungering and thirsting for Him.  We should boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)!  God wants us to come up near Him and receive from Him more than enough wisdom for the day.

Video: Building Faith--It takes Positive Reinforcement!

Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17).  The more faith we have in God, the more equipped we are to have Him speak to us.  And the more equipped we are, the more He can give us the specifics (Mark 4:11)!

Each person sees (hears) in part, according to their measure of faith.  As we hear, we speak, and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit takes us onwards into specifics.  As faith is built, God's knowledge is revealed.  That's when words of knowledge, words of wisdom, words of prophecy flow.

I'm not aware of anyone who received more accurate words of knowledge than William Branham. Now, I do think he got off base, especially near the end of his life, when it came to his theology...but I believe he was a child of God who the Spirit used in amazing ways.

 


What an example of how faith makes a way for the prophetic to flow.  What an example of the Spirit of prophecy!  If more people in the body of Christ operated in even a fraction of this insight, I think we'd be making a lot more disciples.  Praise God!

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith..."                    Romans 12:6