“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him… (Mark 10:21).”
Deeper and more consistent fasting leads to a transformation of love. Perhaps this is the most forgotten benefit of fasting.
The outward man cracks like a shell. The inward man’s life oozes out. The heart softens and melts as you submit to Jesus. Intimacy with Him becomes your obsession. Beholding His magnificent beauty becomes your quest.
Fasting is hard on the flesh but removes impurities and hindrances that hide Jesus from you. It allows you to see Jesus in a magnified way and to sense His Spirit more acutely.
When you fast and pray the right way you see beyond the facade of religion and the veil of hypocrisy more distinctly. You are not easily fooled by the hype, glitter, and the showmanship of the flesh that is prevalent in ministry.
Fasting is not the cure-for-all, but it’s certainly one of the most misunderstood and neglected practices of the carnal church. And I believe that when it is done for the right reasons and with pure motives it is the master key to the impossible. At first it is hard for the novice or the fleshly ruled Christian to do, but by reason of use, practice, and experience it can be a much lighter burden when you see the fruit and results it brings.
MORE UNDERSTANDING
When you receive the revelation of how much of a hindrance your flesh is to the life of Christ within you, you will fast, especially when your spiritual hunger is sufficient. One of the great purposes of fasting is to bring forth that life and manifest Christ’s character on the earth.
When you allow His life to exceedingly grow in you through fasting, many burdens you’ve been carrying for years and decades will be removed from you. All that is not the will of the Father will begin to be stripped from your flesh and soul, and your spirit will gain the ascendancy.
The life of Christ was sown as a seed in your heart when you were born again, and the Father’s great desire is to bring forth that seed unto full harvest until you are transformed into His image. Fasting is a great purging tool to accelerate this process.
One caution: Never base your worth or value in the kingdom of God on whether you fast or not, but also understand that the perfect will of God in your life will not be accomplished without it. The Father’s love for you remains stedfast whether you choose to implement fasting into your life or not, but without it you will fall short of walking on the highest path of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus for your life (Phil. 3:14).
You see, until certain areas of your flesh are purged you cannot even begin to take up your cross and follow Jesus in order to fulfill His perfect will for your life.
Some believers understand the positional truths of the physical body being declared dead because of sin, and your spirit being made a righteous new creation because of the life of Christ within you (Rom. 8:10). But many do not understand that fasting enforces these positional truths in your life, so that you can walk above the realm of the works of man and begin to operate in the works of God.
Fasting greatly enhances the power of the Spirit in your life to manifest the perfect will of God. Your own will and aspirations begin to die when you truly fast, and His perfect will becomes your desire.
Fasting is one of the great secrets of transformation in the believer’s character. Yes, it is difficult on the flesh, but the power of the blood of Jesus has gone before you and will strengthen you in your weakness, cleanse you, purge you, and transform you. Call on His blood in times of fasting.
Consistent fasting in your life will progressively and eventually bring you into the mind of Christ as you spend time in prayer and the Word also. A new man will emerge within you and what appeared at first to be a heavy yoke will indeed be easy and light.
You will be transformed into a deeper love walk, and be led more perfectly in the way of the Lord; light will break forth on your path, and even your health shall spring forth speedily (Is. 58). That which right now seems like a heavy and grievous affliction to you will be as nothing compared to the exceedingly eternal weight of glory that fasting will work in you (2 Cor. 4:17).
January is a month of prayer and fasting for many of you. I hope these powerful truths inspire you to continue.
Abundant grace to each of you in your journey.
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