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If Christ fasted, should Christians fast? 𝗬𝗘𝗦.
God is wanting to prepare the Bride for the days ahead, and fasting is a key tool that will help us be prepared. Fasting is something EVERY Christian should do.
Fasting is difficult! Pastor Chad Everett said “I do not feel led to fast! I feel like eating!” What we feel doesn’t determine our direction. What Jesus says determines our direction. (Matthew 6:16)
Therefore, we must ENDURE difficult things (like fasting; see last week’s sermon) to PREPARE ourselves for what is ahead. We are grateful to Holy Spirit for using this teaching to encourage us, and prepare us for the temptation ahead of us. Temptation IS coming, temptation IS real, and temptation IS coming to us all. Main Scripture References: “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Joel 2:12 (NKJV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4
Matthew 6:16–18, Matthew 9:14–15, Genesis 3:1–4, James 1:12–15, Matthew 4:1–4
Our faith grows stronger through adversity. Are we willing for Jesus to lead us into difficult situations? When we allow the Spirit to lead us, He will lead us into places we don’t like.
Satan will lead us into temptation with the agenda to trap us, causing us to fail and walk away from God. The Spirit will also lead us into an encounter with the enemy, not to hurt us, but His agenda is to reveal strength in us against the accuser that we didn’t know was in us. We must be prepared, and recognize the difference as we encounter difficult seasons.
John 4:31–34, Matthew 4:1–4, 1 Kings 19:5–8, Mark 14:38, 2 Corinthians 12:9
LEAVE ALL. RISE UP. FOLLOW HIM.
Jesus gives the invitation to “Follow Me.” Just like Matthew, what we decide to do after the invitation. determines the relationship. There should be a measurable difference in our lives when we choose to follow Jesus.
What are you not willing to leave for God? Is it holding you back from truly following Him?
Matthew 4:1–4, Luke 5:27–28, 2 Corinthians 12:9
Faith – is it a matter of it being too small? Does our Faith really need to grow? Or is it that we need to increase our kŏinōnia – our partnership, our fellowship, our communion with our faith given to us by God, and eliminate our kŏinōnia with everything else? What if rather than “increasing our faith,” we realize that we’re partnering with too many other things, other than our faith, and what God says?
If we, as believers are communing with unbelief, with fears, with discouragement and disappointments, asking we’re others, and not God to speak into our situations, and we kŏinōnia with them, guess what?! We get the benefits and privileges attached to those partnerships. Whatever is being produced in and out of that communion, will begin to produce out of you.
Who are you hanging out with, what are you listening to and watching, what are you embracing? We have to sit down with Holy Spirit and ask where we kŏinōnia with the wrong things. Until we do, we will never walk in freedom.
Matthew 17:19–20, 2 Corinthians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 6:14, Philemon 1–7, Romans 12:3
Stuck between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s Army? Stand still! Look at Jesus. Keep quiet, and move forward. The Lord will fight for you! Even when the obstacle is still there, it’s our responsibility to trust God, and keep moving forward to what He’s told us to do. What have you seen God do in your life before now? He can do it again!
Exodus 14:9–15, Psalm 46:10, Jeremiah 32:27, Exodus 19:4, Exodus 19:1–6