As the end of the year approached our community set aside a twenty one day period to seek the Lord with prayer and fasting. To ask His direction in the new year as well as adding our faith with hope and love to lift the burdens of all people everywhere in Christ. The subject of fasting was powerfully renewed in us by the Holy Spirit and there has been great spiritual benefit to all. Relief, release and remedy for hard times and hurts from the past. As I prepared for this experience my desire was for a fresh and clear revealing of Christ's thought in the practice of fasting. What does it really mean? What can it really do? Should we fast today? Here is an introduction to the spiritual, inner and often hidden meaning behind the things we experience in the Spirit of God.

nesteia {nace-ti'-ah} Greek, 1 a fasting, 1 a voluntary, as a religious exercise 1a1) of private fasting 1a2) the public fast as prescribed by the Mosaic Law and kept yearly on the great day of atonement, the tenth of the month of Tisri. nesteuo {nace-tyoo'-o} 1)to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days.

Brief overview of the principle of the fast. To understand and grow in the real meaning behind the practice of fasting it becomes necessary to discard most of the associations people have related to it.

True fasting is a spiritual event. Not dietary or nutritional in nature. While there may be physical benefits that result from fasting, this in itself has no real connection to its spiritual meaning. To fast is to abstain from food. It can be partial abstinence from certain kinds of food or a total abstinence from all food . It can be of a shorter duration or a longer period of time. The reasons why we choose to do this along with prayer is the empowerment of our spiritual man so that spiritual aspects of life emerge and overcome the more mundane and natural aspects of life.

Fasting is an act of the Spirit of God in us. It is not a formula for self-help or magic power. Fasting is something that can only be understood in light of what Jesus declared concerning the practice of fasting. Jesus, taught that there would be times we would fast. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Jesus taught that fasting was a sign of mourning. The sad sense of loss and emptiness. Usually the mourning of a loved one was accompanied by fasting. In its original practice fasting may only have been a physical, natural way of expressing grief, sorrow and deep hurt. Great distress often causes loss of appetite and abstinence from food. In an important spiritual sense a King of Israel would fast with sackcloth and ashes to show that God was lacking in a circumstance or event that was affecting the nation.

Jesus taught that as long as he was in the world with us in flesh form we did not need to abstain. Even Christ himself enjoyed the fruit of the earth God had made. In fact, His own eating and drinking habits of life often offended the self-righteous Pharisees. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. At the last supper Jesus related two important symbols of life (the bread and wine) to His own Blood and Body. He said that he would no longer eat the meaning of Passover until it was fulfilled or partake of the fruit of the vine until he drank it anew in the kingdom of God.

For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. As a resurrected being he once again ate fish with his disciples before ascending above the earth and heavens to remain until. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. Now he has ascended into Light which no man can approach unto and he awaits the destruction of the last enemy. Christ Jesus the Lord is not in the world as we are in the world. He does not partake of it until His day. At times in order to show our union and faith with Him we also fast or abstain from the world as he is abstaining from the world. As humans along with all species of life we our allowed to enjoy our lives to the fullest; we can eat and work and play everyday. So at times in order to show the work of God in Christ we also abstain or fast adding substantial action of faith to the substance of faith thus creating spiritual power.

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM: We are complete in him. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. There is no ritualistic or religious act that can add one cubit to our spiritual stature which is Christ being formed in us. But being complete in Christ, the spiritual life and power of the Holy Spirit encourages us to abstain from taking in the resources and supply of the world and to show our faith, trust and union in him and with him. When we are living out of the Holy Spirit in us the same thing He is doing in Himself ( As He abstains/we abstain as a symbol) then we are One with Him. Thus the agreement of Heaven and Earth is the keys of the kingdom of God.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Israel as a nation would fast once a year on the day of atonement. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

Then there were times that the people were called to fast for spiritual renewal and righteous power. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

The New Testament also records that the practice of fasting was still continued by those who lived in faith seeking spiritual identity. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

St Paul, was a man who fasted often and gave instructions about having periods where you pray and fast; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness; in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

ATOMIC POWER WITH GOD There is nothing on earth that can add power to prayer as fasting.

Fasting is an act of faith( Act of God in you). To abstain is to show Christ is the source of life, supply and the power of all good things. In a confrontation with demonic power the disciples of Jesus were unable to deliver a young boy from his illness caused by demon power. When they asked Jesus about their inability he said to them... And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT, IDENTITY AND GIFTS Fasting empowers the inner man. When we derive our strength of life from Christ dwelling through faith the appetites of the flesh and carnal mind are weakened and the inner man of life and light is able to emerge within consciousness. This is Christ in you the hope of glory. The spiritual man is a divine tree of life with branches of knowledge and wisdom that reach into the heavenlies while being rooted in the earth. Spiritual gifts are the fruit of its branches. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

FASTING AND PRAYER The spiritual benefit of fasting prayer is like having atomic power with God. The voice of all your prayers is raised up into a spiritual state in Christ like nothing you've experienced before.

Fasting gives the sound of your prayers the wings of heavenly creatures.The impossible becomes real and the heavens are opened and Christ in you becomes full of hope and glorious life over death.Healing of physical ailments abound and clarity of thought increases with understanding. You can have the greatest time of your spiritual life through fasting prayer. But preparation is important. It was so great knowing that as we abstained we were so uniquely joined to the Lord Himself. He abstains from this world till His glorious appearing in us and through us Hallelujah!

To read more on this topic simply E-mail: Peter Demetris at pastorpeterd@comcast.net.

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