Praying and Fasting

The Power of Prayer and Fasting: A Spiritual Guide

Fasting and prayer are often misunderstood practices in the spiritual journey, yet they hold profound significance. Many people wonder why they should fast or how it truly impacts their relationship with God. In this post, we’ll explore the transformative power of prayer and fasting, including insights from our recent podcast discussion with spiritual leaders Ray Bradshaw, Jon Paul Murphy, John Quinn, and Daniel B. Bill.

## Understanding the Purpose of Fasting
Fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food; it’s a dedicated time to focus on spiritual growth and alignment with God. In the Bible, fasting is often associated with humility and dependence on God. According to Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus encourages fasting as a private act of devotion rather than a public display. This emphasizes that fasting is meant to deepen our relationship with God, not impress others.

### The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting
Fasting serves multiple spiritual purposes:
- **Drawing Closer to God:** As Ray Bradshaw pointed out, fasting helps to align our desires with God’s will. When we deny our physical needs, we create space for spiritual growth and connection.
- **Breaking Strongholds:** Fasting can lead to breakthrough in areas where we feel stuck. It encourages us to rely on God’s strength, as we acknowledge our weaknesses during the fast.
- **Reviving Cold Hearts:** Fasting can reignite passion for God and awaken spiritual hunger. It’s a way to reset our priorities and focus on what truly matters.

## How to Fast Effectively
Fasting requires intention and preparation. Here are some actionable steps to ensure your fast is meaningful:
1. **Set Clear Goals:** Determine what you hope to achieve through your fast. Whether it’s seeking guidance, healing, or a deeper relationship with God, clarity will help you stay focused.
   - **Example:** If you’re fasting for spiritual clarity, dedicate time to study scripture and pray during your fast.
2. **Choose the Right Type of Fast:** There are various types of fasts, from complete food abstinence to limiting certain foods or activities. Choose one that aligns with your spiritual goals.
3. **Stay Committed:** Fasting isn’t always easy, and you may face challenges. Remind yourself of your purpose, and lean into your prayer life whenever hunger pangs arise.
   - **Common Mistake:** Many people think fasting is just about food. Remember that it’s also about dedicating time to prayer and spiritual reflection.

## The Connection Between Fasting and Prayer
Fasting and prayer go hand in hand. During a fast, every hunger pang can serve as a reminder to turn to God in prayer. This practice not only strengthens your spirit but also allows you to hear God more clearly.
- **Increased Dependence on God:** As Daniel emphasized, fasting reminds us of our need for God’s strength. It’s not about our abilities but about leaning on Him.
- **Enhanced Spiritual Awareness:** When we fast, we become more attuned to the spiritual realm. Our focus shifts from our physical needs to spiritual growth.

## Key Takeaways
Fasting and prayer are powerful tools for spiritual transformation. They help us draw closer to God, break strongholds, and revive our passion for faith. Here are some key takeaways:
- **Fasting is an Act of Humility:** It humbles us before God, reminding us of our dependence on Him.
- **Spiritual Hunger is Essential:** As we fast, we cultivate a hunger for God that propels us forward in faith.
- **Set Clear Intentions:** Know why you’re fasting and let that guide your prayers and actions.

In closing, fasting is not solely about abstaining from food; it’s about aligning our hearts with God’s. As we engage in this spiritual discipline, let’s remember to seek Him earnestly and allow our hunger to drive us deeper into His presence.

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**Frequently Asked Questions**

**What is the purpose of fasting?**  
Fasting serves to draw us closer to God, break strongholds, and revive our passion for faith through humility and dependence on His strength.

**How should I prepare for a fast?**  
Set clear goals, choose the type of fast that works for you, and stay committed by turning to prayer whenever you feel hunger.

**Can I fast from things other than food?**  
Yes, fasting can include abstaining from activities or distractions, such as social media or television, to create space for spiritual growth.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to the Testament of Faith Podcast. I'm Ray Bradshaw, and joining me again this afternoon as usual is Jon Paul Murphy and John Quinn from DeWorth Faith Church. And joining us again this week is Daniel B. Bell. And tonight's topic is prayer and fasting. First , I wanted to read out of Matthew chapter six, sixteen through eighteen. Moreover, when you fast, not if you fast, when you fast. When you fast. Do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, but you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Fasting's meant to draw us closer to God and not to impress people.

Speaker 3 0:56

A lot of people don't get is you know, well, I'll or they'll even say, I'll fast when God tells me to, or you know, a lot of times that you know, Lord leads you, you know, if you'll but if you're not willing to do it, you know, you have to start a willingness toward to go toward that fast. You know, for God to speak to you too fast. There has to be a willingness on your part to be a willing to fast. You know, he didn't Jesus didn't just assume that they would, you know, they fast, he was telling them, you know, to be expecting for fasting. You know, you know, look at Jesus. I mean, and this is one of the points that I always talk about, you know, even Jesus fast, you know, that he fasted for forty days for you know, to bring in to usher into ministry that his father had sent him to go do. Right. You know, and that's one of the things, you know, as a a minister or anybody seeking to get close to God, any at all, is you know, we mentioned on several podcasts in here is talking about, you know, how do you get breakthrough? How do you sometimes breakthrough comes through prayer and fasting, you know. I that's how I see a lot of times, you know, people are not willing to surrender their flesh.

Speaker 1 2:02

Yep. So it it it definitely requires a greater dedication and surrender, like you said, to make to do it. I mean you have to be truly dedicated. I mean, because I'm wondering if it's always been food driven. I'm kind of like a you know, some dogs are we all we all like training dogs, some dogs are very food driven, and I've always been that way. It's like and it's probably probably goes back to just like gluttony. Yeah. I mean, if I didn't get three meals a day, I was mad.

Speaker 2 2:29

Even even the meanest dog after about three days, he starts he starts thinking you ain't that bad of a fella. Like you a lot more.

Speaker 3 2:38

Yeah, it submits, it brings your body into submission. Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 2 2:42

I mean, it's that's what I was getting at. Even your flesh is the Bible many times talks about denying the flesh, crucifying the flesh, you know, putting off the flesh and taking on godliness. That fasting is basically saying to God, hey, I'm I'm and and ever and yourself, hey, I'm denying my desire so that I can align it with you. See, it it's like an alignment on a cult. We have to be in alignment with God. And fasting, prayer changes things. Fast is fasting changes for us. It gets us in alignment with God. Well, if your car's out of alignment, it's normally gonna pull one way or another. And of course your tires are gonna catch to it's gonna wear out the car. It's gonna wear out the car. Right.

Speaker 1 3:27

So if you if you're eating all the time and not praying and not fasting, you're going the wrong way. Right. So to get that thing back in line, you need to pray and fast to get it back on the other drive.

Speaker 2 3:40

I actually, you know, I used to think, well, I'll give up I'll I'll I'll fast TV or I'll fast this. And then I found out what I was telling y'all, the actual definition or Hebrew definition, it's uh it's TS it's to assume or something like that. It actually means to abstain from eating food. Right. Go go without food. Yeah. I mean, so I I I find out sometimes that I was wrong in things I was thinking.

Speaker 4:08

Well, if you think about it, when you're fasting, you're gonna be hungry. The flesh is hungry. Fasting brings the flesh in line. Well, every time when I fast, when I feel a a hunger pain or a hunger urge, I pray. Because I'm doing what I'm called and led to do, so I pray. So it leads us to pray even more, which again draws us closer to God. Right. Right. It gives us more time to think and be in the spirit versus running out the door to go to McDonald's or to the kitchen and make a sandwich or something.

Speaker 2 4:36

It humbles us. It you know, you it opens your spiritual ear, you know, so you can receive from God. I mean, strongholds are broken. I mean you're drawing closer to God. Right.

Speaker 3 4:47

It it de it deepens your dependence. You know, you know, people say that you know, fasting will change God, but it doesn't. God's already willing to do everything. Right. You know, God already has the power, He's already good, He's He's uh fasting changes us. It brings dethrons king's stomach. That's right. I say this all the time when I minister on fasting, you know, at the beginning of the year we go on a 21-day fast. Uh at the beginning of this year, and I fast throughout the year as well. There's a lot of times before I minister, you know, on Sundays, I'll be fasting Saturday all day. And I won't eat until after I minister on Sunday because I'm getting ready for that. I want to be sharpened because fasting sharpens us to hear the word of God to get us closer to it. It the flesh wants comfort. Yep. The flesh wants convenience, the flesh wants to be feel good. But Romans 8 13 says, For if we live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you live through the spirit and do mortified deeds of the body, yet you shall live. Fasting helps put the flesh back in its proper place. You know, you're it has to know, it has to do it. You know, a dull knife struggles to do the work. But if you have a sharp blade, man, we can fillet fish. Don't give me a dull knife to go fillet fish. You know, if I've got to go in there and I've got to work, you know, coming into the ministry and do things, I want to be sharp. I want to be on top, you know, and even when you see me on Sunday morning ministering, I don't look like I've been fasting. I don't look, oh God, I'm so weak. No, I'm in there pumped up, ready to go. I'm at 110% because now, Ray, I'm not on my own strength. I'm not coming in on my strength. Right. I'm coming in on his strength because I've gave everything up and now I'm in his power. So now I'm like on that Sunday morning when I'm waking up to God, I'm I'm I'm relying on you. Yep. I'm gonna need this is gonna be you when we get up there because it's not gonna be me. Right. My flesh is weak, you know, but I'm relying on your strength.

Speaker 1 6:46

So that's that's part of the Yeah, that's why I said a while ago, it's all about so and like you said, God has no need to fast. I mean, God put us here with a purpose. We fast because we depend on Him. Don't fast and don't pray. Well, now we're going too worldly and we're going self-righteous. So I mean, fasting and praying to me really helps you get away from that self-righteousness that we tend to get in this worldly manner with things.

Speaker 7:13

Well, it's like John said, I mean, fasting humbles you. Right. Hunger can humble you.

Speaker 3 7:20

Yeah, it can. And you were saying about the alarm clock, you know, who fast it, you know, when you're fasting, is you know, get up and go to the refrigerator to get something. Go do this, get a snack, because I like snacks. If you've ever been hunting with me, you know I'm a I'm a snack man. I go and I'm gonna have a snack when we get out of the truck. I'm gonna be walking around. I like that. Go get and it'll want you to get up and get supper. It wants you to do things. But every time, just like you were referring to, every time that comes on me, that hunger, like Daniel was saying, that gets me a reminder. Hey, I need to pray, I need to go, I need to go study the Bible. I'm I'm I'm gonna drink me another bottle of water and I'm gonna go study. I know so water is your best friend in a fast.

Speaker 1 8:05

In Joe chapter two, twelve through thirteen. Now therefore says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and he relents from doing harm. And and that the fasting that that just goes to show we're we're showing him that we're willing to surrender our flesh, like John said, for his love in repentance, returning whole heartily to God. Yeah. Another scripture.

Speaker 2 8:45

Another scripture that goes right along with that one you just read is uh 2 Chronicles 7 14, where it says, If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. That's that same humbling there, that same that fasting humbles you. And I might not look like I fast much, but I do quite a bit.

Speaker 1 9:12

But I mean Yeah, but I mean fasting ain't got anything to do with losing losing weight, no, you know.

Speaker 2 9:17

No, but if you fast enough, you will. Oh yeah, you will. I can tell you I've lost like seven pounds in the last week and a half.

Speaker 9:25

I mean, it does some good. Well, I've I've got some points on what you were just talking about. Prayer and fasting, it revives cold hearts. Yep. It restores our passion for God and it awakens churches and communities. But now walk with me. I'm not saying it's gonna revive my cold heart because I had to revive my cold heart to realize I needed to fast.

unknown 9:44

Right.

Speaker 9:44

What it'll do, it'll help revive somebody else's cold heart because now I've got my mind in line with God's mind. Got your alignment straight now. Yeah. Exactly. You know, I I'm I am answering my knee mail, K-N-E-E. You've been in God's alignment shop. Exactly. And and now all these things are done, like I was talking to John Paul this morning about. I mean, similar to this is that, you know, I I've been struggling lately with the fact that I didn't do, I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do. And I was listening to a sermon about almost persuaded, and it tore me all to pieces. I mean, all I mean, brother, I was broke down. I was crying. I don't cry. I'm afraid God's gonna make me a crier. But I I was bawling because the thought that hit my mind was before I was walking in line and had been to God's alignment shop, who said, Well, that's Daniel. He's supposed to be a Christian, he's supposed to be saved. But look how he's living. Why do I have to go do what he's doing? Because the way I see it, I act like him. And I started crying because how many people, I don't know, maybe or have died without knowing the salvation of God because I wasn't doing me the way I was supposed to.

Speaker 1 10:50

Right.

Speaker 10:51

But now the prayer and fasting, I can connect more and I can touch these broken-hearted and cold-hearted people. And that's and prayer and fasting helps set us up to do that.

Speaker 2 11:01

You know, Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. I I'm because we are Christ's examples as a Christian, we are supposed to be Christ like. That's right. We're supposed to be his representatives, and that goes along with what you were saying. If somebody is, and that you know, this is for whoever's listening, you know, if somebody is following you, are they gonna wind up at the right destination? Where are you where where are you taking them?

Speaker 11:29

Are going to end up somewhere. Right. We've got to lead them in the right direction.

Speaker 1 11:32

That's right. Going back to what Daniel said, I mean, about b uh crying and opening up, I feel like once we do finally surrender ourselves to God that we've taken off that shield of defense that we had as mere mortal humans. And we're we've opened up. I mean, exactly the same way. I'm about to do it right now.

Speaker 11:50

I walked through that church last Wednesday and I used to hear I've I've heard other preachers talk about crying before church because of hoping that the right people would come in, they'd have the right words. And I walked up down the aisles of that church and I prayed for that church, and I and I just I just I sat down and bawled. I couldn't see the walk. Yeah. But it's I and I had fasted I ate which y'all Monday night. Yeah, I eat it aga I didn't eat again until Thursday. I fasted the rest of the week. I prayed. I was I was much in the word and and just it just come on me. I just it was just Yeah. I mean it's a transformation.

Speaker 1 12:24

It is. I mean it's a total transformation. Yes.

Speaker 2 12:26

It is right there, it comes out straight out of Ezekiel 36, verse 26. A new heart also I will give you. A new spirit will I put in you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh.

Speaker 1 12:44

I mean, that's just like I I had for what we were just talking about, I had Isaiah Isaiah 58, 6 and 9. Is that not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of wickedness. Mm-hmm. Taken off that shield we're sending it, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke. I mean, that's what I felt like. Mm-hmm. I mean, every yoke has been broken. Yep.

Speaker 3 13:07

And the fasting really truly does break yokes. It does. Fasting helps the oppressed. It truly changes how we see people. It does. Like you your heart gets changed because you treat people. Yeah. It does. It changes the way you see people, it brings into things, takes off the the the burdens of life because now you're seeing things just as John was reading that scripture. He changes your heart. He brings you into alignment. You know, and to anybody listening out there, you know, this is this is what brings us to a closeness with God because we're hungry. The scripture in there talks about being hungry for God, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They shall be filled. They shall be filled. They shall be filled. You you have to have a hunger that moves you, that'll that that moves you toward Him, and that hunger that's there. You know, when we're fasting, you know, hunger will move people. Hunger gets you up out of the bed, gets you out of a chair, gets you out of your routine. Hunger will get you up and make you drive to go get something. But spiritual hunger does the same thing. Yep, exactly. Spiritual hunger does the same thing. Spiritual hunger will get you up in the middle of the night to go pray for people. Spiritual hunger will get you up to go and go study.

Speaker 2 14:24

Drive hours to go to revival.

Speaker 3 14:26

Drive hours to go be into being the presence of God. It'll hunger for God will get you to do more. And that's how you get it because now I'm letting my flesh know, hey, you're not in charge. God's in charge of my life. You don't tell me that I've got to eat, I've got to do this. No, I'm moved by the Spirit of God. I'm I'm pushing in for a deeper anointing, a deeper revelation of it. You know, the Bible says, you know, it's the danger of losing a spiritual hunger. Revelations 3, 15 and 13. I know the works that are that thou art not cold or hot. I wish you were you were cold or hot so that you not become lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. I will spew you out of my mouth, says God. There's a thing when people he God says, I'd rather either be one or the other. You can't sit in the middle.

unknown 15:15

Right.

Speaker 3 15:16

And so a lot of people try to sit in the middle. Sit in the middle of, well, I love God, but I want to do my own thing. See, fasting breaks that down, breaks the yokes down, breaks you down to a place that I've got a spiritual hunger now. I'm burning hot, I'm pushing for God. I'm not going to be cold and I've turned away from God, but I'm pushing for Him. You know Like John said earlier, it's an act of humility.

Speaker 4 15:42

Yeah.

Speaker 2 15:42

You're not at ease in Zion anymore.

Speaker 15:45

Yeah. So I mean, in First Peter two, nine and eleven, that's everybody knows First Peter chapter uh two, verse nine says, But you're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show yourself forth the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness into the marvelous light, which in times past were not a people, but now they are. But in eleven, it says, Dearly beloved, I beseech ye as strangers and pilgrims, we're strangers and pilgrims in this world, abstain from fleshly lust which war against thy soul. When you're fasting, you bring like we're saying, you bring the flesh in line. One of the fleshly lusts is food. Now sit down and think about all the modern diseases that we have that can be directly attributed to food and overeating.

Speaker 2 16:29

Seventy percent, I think it is of hospitalization right now.

Speaker 16:33

Yeah, used to they call diabetes the rich man's disease because only the rich people could afford a lot of food. Like this is like the eighteen hundreds.

Speaker 1 16:41

That's not like you know, I think we talked about it on one of the podcasts before the back in the 1920s and 30s, the Rockefellers that crowd is when they started getting into the medications, or the ones that come up with the food triangle. They're the ones that said, Oh, you need to eat three times a day. Mm-hmm. And they started putting all that stuff on their family. Back in the Great Depression, even the eighteen hundreds, people didn't eat three meals a day. No.

Speaker 2 17:04

And in Africa now, rich people eat once a day, I think they say, and poor people might eat every three days.

Speaker 3 17:11

Right. Yeah. And that's the thing, you know.

Speaker 2 17:14

That's if they find something.

Speaker 1 17:16

Yeah, yeah, if they can find something, that's right. Yeah. And all the chemicals are messed to put you in there. So you need to fast and get it out of your body.

Speaker 3 17:23

But also if you're believing God for something, I'm gonna carry this shoot us down a different patch path. If you're believing God for something, sometimes the way you get to answer for victory is through fa fasting and prayer. You know, you might be believing for something, and I can give you scripture for this, 2 Chronicles 20, it covers the whole entire thing. It's the victory over Moeb and Amaron. It's when King Jehosaphat feared and fasted before the people, and they had a fast. He called all of them in to have a fast. And they fasted and prayed, and when they did, they went to this army that was gathered up, I think it was five armies here that was coming against them. And when they came up, the only thing they had to do was start singing praises, and the armies turned amongst themselves and killed themselves. And when they killed themselves, they led them into victory over the whole entire thing, and it took them like three days to pick up all the spools. Yep. So they went from facing a great army to a mighty miracle that blessed them and and blessed a whole entire nation just by them.

Speaker 1 18:32

Ezra chapter eight, twenty-one through twenty-three. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Hava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request to of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God upon all those for good who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayers. So that gives a it goes back to the humility. And then God's people fasted when seeking his protection and seeking answers. Not only does it just clean cleanse your belly, it helps open your mind up so you can hear God speak to you. And hear what he's trying to tell you when you're seeking answers.

Speaker 19:29

Yes, I was uh I was ministering yesterday morning at work because your church is where you go. And I was telling you, you you really need those still small moments when there's not a lot of stuff going on to be able to hear, you know, that peaceful moment. Yeah, God is peace. There's no peace without God. And I you know I told them I wake up every morning, and the first thing I do when my eyes pop open, I don't set an alarm clock. When God tells me to wake up, I wake up. First thing I do is say thank you, Jesus, for the day. Thank you for this day, thank you for all the blessings you're gonna bestow on me today. I don't ask for nothing. I say thank you. Then I get up and my day starts off on the right foot and we move on from there. Start out your day with praise and not begging. Yeah, but you're talking about, you know, what you're talking about, if you look in Esther, everybody knows the story, you know, the the way it's usually preached is for such a time as this, you're called into the kingdom for such a time as this. Well, she uh she said, if you will go and fast for three days, and I will do this thing. Well, this thing was go before the king, which could have her killed. Yeah, but because of the fast, the fast was three days. If you read the scripture, she goes on the third day. They ain't even finished a third day fast, but they're actively fasting, you know, because because uh Hammond wanted them all killed. She was willing to put her life on the line, but her price to the Jews to do that was you have to fast for three days. There's a there's a sacrifice, and I'm gonna do it. But you're gonna have to pray and fast. That's right. I mean, think about how deep that runs. I'll put my life on the line if you'll pray and fast for me. Because I know God will answer prayer and fasting. He's faithful.

Speaker 2 21:01

Look at the greatest example you got of prayer and fasting. Look at Jesus. I mean, he uh constantly went away to pray. But you know, before he started his ministry, he fasted. I mean, forty days, forty nights, you mentioned it earlier. Yeah. I want to say it's in about every gospel talking about how he prayed and fasted.

Speaker 3 21:23

Yeah. The the fasting is one thing, but you you need to make sure you're doing it with prayer and then mixing it up with praise. And some people, because when the Bible talks about a three cord that's woven together, a threefold cord is not easily broken. When you pit fasting, prayer, and praise, which is like he said, thanking God. When you tie them together, not easily broken, and it gives you the victory because now I'm not fighting the battle. I'm not fighting the battle. God's fighting the battle for me. I'm not I'm what it just like he was talking about, Esther, just talking like this king here, I'm not fighting. Fighting now because I've submitted myself and he's fighting the battle for me because I've came into submission. I've came into alignment. I'm giving everything to him just like she is. Hey, I need you to be fast, and I need you to come because I know God's going to hear us because we've submitted, we've come in alignment, and that's what it is. So, you know, I always tell people when you're fasting at the beginning of the year, I'm like, tie the threefold chord together, fast, pray, and praise. Pit them together. You need to have a time of worship. You need to have a time of, I thank God, I just praise you. Because look, when they started singing, these people started singing in 2 Chronicles, I think it's 22. They started praising God. The Lord ambushed against the children of Amen and Mount Sarner. And when they started praising, that was what fine, you know, they've been praying. They've been fasting. When they started singing praises to God, the enemies came against themselves and killed themselves. So that's what I'm saying. It's the last part that some people don't grasp hold of that I've grasped in scriptures that says prayer confuses the enemy.

Speaker 2 23:05

I mean, praise confuses the enemy.

Speaker 3 23:07

Yeah, because it's like, wow, we're we're moving into there, they're not they're not suffering, they're not over there. I'm so hungry. No, they're actually shouting, they're lifting their hands, they're like coming into victory because they didn't know they got the victory. That's how it changes when you're praying and fasting. Then you start praising God because you're not waking up. I'm I'm not on my own strength, I'm in yours. And then that's where it moves into.

Speaker 23:30

So and that's an important part right there. I'm not in my own strength, I'm in yours. I'm not eating to sustain myself for sustenance. Because the Bible says that we don't live on bread alone. I'm being sustained by you. This is something I totally miss growing up, and I've been in church my whole life.

Speaker 2 23:46

I've heard every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Speaker 23:49

I've heard this preached, I've heard, you know, like that for such a time as this, we just looked at it at a different angle. But like I started fasting and I was thinking, so you know, about how do you fast? I mean, like day two, day three, you've got to be like weak, and you can't hardly go, you know. God fasted 40 days. You're shifting your focus. How in the world did he go 40 days without eating? I went, well, we're not supposed to be proud of our fast, it's supposed to be proud of it, but I went days. Right. I never felt weak. I never felt downtrodden. I never felt like I was gonna pass out because I haven't eaten and I need something to eat.

Speaker 2 24:22

If only they had put a Bible verse that says, His strength is made perfect in my weakness. If only they had put that verse.

Speaker 24:28

If only, if only.

Speaker 1 24:33

Opens us up so we can hear in Acts 13, verses 2 and 3. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them. Having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, sent them away. Yep. So I mean they got that discernment from the fasting and praying and laying hands on the gods. And you know, back in the early churches back then, you heard a lot about the fasting and praying. They they practiced fasted before making any craft.

Speaker 2 25:03

I want to say like in this time they were fasting at least two days a week. The actually the the leaders of the synagogue, I think, fasted two days, and the people in the church picked two different days whenever the after I'm not sure it, but they shifted it.

Speaker 25:20

Well, where you're talking about the discernment. Yeah. You know, in Ephesians 6, 10 through 12, it says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God. I'm gonna stop here before I finish. If you're praying and fasting, you can get the whole armor of God on. If you're not praying and fasting, you're not getting discernment of spirits, you're not in line with your alignment with God, you're not gonna be able to put the whole armor of God on because you're not gonna be standing upright in righteousness like.

Speaker 2 25:45

Well, a lot of people say, Well, I don't hear from God. Try prayer and fasting.

Speaker 25:48

There you go.

Speaker 2 25:49

You want to hear from him, align yourself with him. You want to know something, start praying and fasting. I mean, I I don't I I don't know how plainer to make it, other than there was some there was something I needed to hear. And I was like, Lord, I need an answer. I I need an answer. Well, I prayed and fast, and I got the answer.

Speaker 4 26:09

Yeah.

Speaker 2 26:09

And you know, I found out that with prayer and fasting, I'm in, like I said, alignment with him. I'm able to hear his voice clear when I constantly deny me. That's right. When I constantly deny me, and I say no, and like you said, whenever you get hungry or you it it should be a a reminder, hey, I need to pray. I need to read the word. I need, I need, instead of, instead of I need food, I need God. I'm I'm saying I need you more than I need this food that's on my plate.

Speaker 26:43

And and the reason we're talking about this today is because of the next part of that verse. So the first part we just talked about says, put on the whole armor of God. Last part of it says that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. All right, and then the last verse that I mentioned, it says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked wickedness in high places. Without prayer and fasting, you don't get the discernment to figure that part of it out. Right. Didn't add on to that. Well, no, you're good.

Speaker 3 27:14

But Mark 9, 28, 29. And he came into the house, his disciples asking probably, why couldn't we cast him out? Right? This is what he's saying. Why can't we get rid of this devil that was on them?

Speaker 2 27:27

The same things in Matthew 17, 21.

Speaker 3 27:30

Yeah, it is. And then he said, he said, because this kind of comes out not by but by prayer and fasting. These kind of battles require a spiritual sharpness. Jesus has already gave you the authority to his disciples, but they were not walking in the fullness of the moment that prayer and fast is does not that creates the authority that Jesus has already gave it to because you bring into alignment that spiritual authority.

Speaker 2 27:54

Deeper concentration and deeper dependency on God.

Speaker 27:57

You better fast and pray. If you're going to stand behind the pulpit and minister to a flock, you better fast and pray before you start. That's right. Because of that right there.

Speaker 1 28:10

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 16, 24, you know, if anyone desires to come after me, then let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me. Exactly. Absolutely. I mean, it's all about that denying yourself. Getting right back, getting away from that self-righteousness.

Speaker 3 28:27

It gets you lined up. That's right. It sharpens you. Like I said, I want to be sharp. You know, when we're going into ministering, when you're going around in the world because there is just as there is demonic things all around us that comes out. And if I'm not ready, because I have it, God's already ready. He's given me authority, but I have to have myself flesh be denied.

Speaker 28:54

So you know prayer and fasting, like you said earlier, it does not change God. It does not change the Bible, it does not change what God said. What prayer and fasting does is it positions us to receive. We talked about a while ago. It gets us in that alignment. It gives us in the in the position to receive what he's sending to us, to let us know what he desires us to do. You know, all through the Bible. There's there's there's fasting denying the flesh, there's people praying and fasting for all sorts of things. I mean, the groundwork is laid. We have to do is pick it up and and follow through.

Speaker 3 29:26

Yeah. I mean, we could get into Daniel if y'all really we can start in there. Daniel, you know, fasted before during this whole time. He's the Lord said to um He took 21 days of fasting, which is kind of what we set up at as a church. You know, and I don't tell anybody in the church how to fast. I said, let the Lord lead you. Because I'm not gonna get up there in the pulpit and tell people this is how you should fast or anything like that. I give them options. Right. I tell you, you know, that I go biblical options of how you can fast.

Speaker 2 29:58

And, you know, people Well, I've heard some churches say that they they tell their people, you know, hey, a fast from six in the morning until six in the evening.

Speaker 3 30:06

That's a biblical fast and I think it's judges. Is it judges?

Speaker 1 30:10

I mean so eat one meal a day. Yeah, I mean you got some churches that you know they'll say, Well, we're gonna like during Lent, they'll fast and I know people say, Well, I'm gonna give up Facebook for 40 days.

Speaker 3 30:24

That's a good idea. I'm gonna touch on that one. It wouldn't be a bad idea to give up. But you do need to I mean, when you're in fasting, I will tell you this. When you're in fasting, do cut off social media. Yeah, do. Yeah. Do cut it off.

Speaker 2 30:35

Cut off the junk.

Speaker 3 30:37

Cut off the junk. Cut off the junk. Yeah, cut off all that stuff. You shouldn't be in that during a fast. Your time should be, any free time you should have should be in that book. Right in the scripts, right there. Right there, reading that book. Yep.

Speaker 2 30:54

It should be your prayer closet prayer. Praying.

Speaker 3 30:56

You know, I have a building that I go into and I spend my time in it praying. And I spend my time talking to him.

Speaker 2 31:02

So Mellak and pray anywhere. Well, why did Jesus go off and be alone? Alone. If you can just pray in public and do it. It's an intimate conversation.

Speaker 31:14

Yeah, it's an intimate conversation.

Speaker 1 31:15

You don't have distractions.

Speaker 31:17

We have the we are the bridegroom and the bride of Christ. We're fixing to get deep here, folks. When I talk to my wife in private, and I'm having my loving, caring conversation. Yeah. That's in private.

Speaker 1 31:31

Those three monkeys around when you're doing that.

Speaker 2 31:36

Do you leave the windows open and open the blinds at night? I d I don't know. I don't either. Call your best friend, put it on speakerphones, hey, listen to this. That's what I'm left. Uh-huh.

Speaker 31:45

It's an intimate conversation. Right. There's there's different levels of prayer. The prayer we're talking about now is the intimate conversation. Right. This is the two-way street conversation. Right. You know, this is the I need to hear your voice conversation. Right? Yeah. You know, and like, you know, you were talking about the Lent thing. I got a I got a someone upset with me years ago. I just got hired and I was in orientation, and the person that was teaching us is flipping through. And so what are you doing? She said, I'm shopping, but it's Lent, so I'm not buying anything. I said, Don't didn't you just defeat the whole purpose of Lent? You're you're supposed to abstain from all that. You're still shopping. Yeah, you're still shopping. You're putting it in your cart to buy. You're still gonna buy that same thing.

Speaker 1 32:23

Yeah. She's just gonna wait 40 days before she does it.

Speaker 32:26

Exactly. So you have defeated the whole purpose. Yeah, that don't make any sense.

Speaker 1 32:30

That's what to me. To me, fasting's all about giving up the food. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, because Amazon, Walmart, and all that's always gonna be there regardless. If you give it up today, you're just gonna go get it tomorrow. It's not like that with food. Once you miss a meal, you've missed that. It's gone, baby. It's gone.

Speaker 32:46

It's gone. That's right.

Speaker 1 32:47

Yeah, that's the same thing. To me, it's all it's all about the giving up and starving my body and denying my flesh of the actual food that keeps me going.

Speaker 4 32:56

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Speaker 1 32:57

So I can get that spiritual, feed my spiritual hunger. Mm-hmm.

unknown 33:01

Yeah.

Speaker 33:01

And the longer I go and the more I go, the more my spirit man wants to eat. Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 1 33:06

That's what I'm saying. The last time I did it, man, I stayed in that book. Yeah.

Speaker 3 33:10

Now you you need to, or you're gonna get weak and you're gonna have things that's gonna happen on to it.

Speaker 2 33:15

Well, I read my Bible. Yeah, you ate yesterday, you ain't gonna eat again.

Speaker 3 33:19

Yeah, that's what people say.

Speaker 2 33:20

I read my Bible.

Speaker 33:21

I read that verse, did you?

Speaker 2 33:23

Like like the other day I was talking about Well, I ate steak last week, but I probably gonna eat it again.

Speaker 33:29

That's like I was talking about the verse the other day. I had a new revelation. I was reading a verse. I I mean I'm almost 50 years old. I've I've heard a verse my whole life, and I read it the other day, and I got a new revelation I've never had before. Well, I could have just said, Well, I read that verse before and listened to maybe you say something about it or somebody else. It's oh I heard it before. No, no, I constantly read. It's something new.

Speaker 1 33:48

I know every time I open that book and read back through it again, I'm like, Why didn't I catch that the first time?

Speaker 4 33:53

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 33:54

I mean, just like anything else you want to do in life, from training dogs or training yourself at this, the more you do it, the better you get. The better you get because you start seeing stuff that you missed the first time.

Speaker 2 34:05

That's like that's like a while ago when I read that scripture out of Ezekiel, there was some words in the very next thing that popped out at me, Ezekiel 20, 36, 27, where it talked about, I will put my spirit within you. And cause you to walk, walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgment. That right there popped out at me. I will put my spirit within you, and that spirit that is within you will cause you to walk in his statutes. That spirit that in Ezekiel, the Holy Spirit was prophesied.

Speaker 4 34:37

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 34:38

Right there. I mean that that kind of points. I mean that's what I'm saying. It it brings you in alignment and you see things that that you ain't seen before. Every time I read the Bible, I see something that I I mean anytime, no matter how many times I've read it, when I read it, I always see something a little bit different.

Speaker 34:56

I saw something the other day, and it was this little meme and this guy's talking, he's supposed to be talking to the devil. And he said, What's your greatest weapon? He said, Well, how was your day? He said, Well, I had a good day. I went to work. I came home from work and I went to the ball game. Got home from the ball game and I scrolled on my social media until I got tired and I went to sleep. And the guy that was playing a devil grin said, Yep, you had a good day. He said, Wait, you didn't tell me what your best weapon was. He said, Didn't I?

Speaker 1 35:20

Didn't you?

Speaker 35:20

His best weapon is he kept you distracted from your time with God from the intimate conversation we're talking about here. Even if you're even if you're doing all these things, if you're fasting, you're gonna be reminded.

Speaker 1 35:33

Hey, you haven't talked to me today. I saw one like that the other day too, but it was more of a video type thing. And uh the guy it was they were using like play on words. And and he was like, I can't remember exactly. I wish I could find it, I'd play it. But the guy was talking about something, the devil's like, yep, yep, yep, yep. And he's like that word right there. And what it was is like you were going back talking about that woman that was in Lent, but she was putting all her stuff in the court. The word that the devil was using was just well, I would just do it this one time, I'll just put it here and wait for later, and I'll just do this and I'll just do that, just using that for an excuse.

Speaker 36:09

There is power power in the blood, but there's power in fasting. That's right. There's strength in fasting, there's counsel in fasting.

Speaker 1 36:19

And like John 4 34, my food is to do the will of him who sent me. Amen. And that goes about getting some of that discernment and that fasting. I mean, when you think about it, if you get down and actually like you got to pray and fast. It ain't just about giving up food, but you got to be in prayer to get that discernment.

Speaker 4 36:38

Yep.

Speaker 3 36:39

So, you know, you were talking about getting a greater understanding and and understanding God, you know, this brings forth the this is all just screaming Daniel, the book of Daniel to me. Like chapter nine. Screaming it out here. I mean, I'm like wanting to scream it out. Like he didn't understand, Daniel didn't understand why the things hadn't been accomplished for 70 years of Jerusalem. And he said, So I s then I set my face toward the Lord God to make my request in prayer and supplication with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to God, to the Lord my God, and made confession, saying, Oh Lord, great and awesome God who keeps his covenant with mercy, and those who love him will keep his commandments. So he's at this point trying to figure out why the fulfillment hasn't come to pass that God has made a promise to, and he's trying to understand. So, you know, when you don't understand things, this is like all of us have just been talking. It's all right here in the book of Daniel what you should do. Fast. Then it goes on later on. He said, I fasted for three weeks, three full weeks. He said, Then in those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine that came to my mouth, nor did I did I anoint myself at all those whole weeks. For it was fulfilled for the twenty the twenty-fourth day of the fat first month when I set aside a great river of as Tarsus. So he was then he had a vision. Then the Lord came to him and he had a vision. It comes in, and the angel says, Since the first day, you know, that you came, but the princess of Persian was fighting against me to come and deliver this message to you. You ought to understand, I'm gonna say this, the devil can't handle about 21 days of you fasting and praying. Things that you're believing for, if you really, you know, that's the reason we do it at the beginning of the year. 21 days. Because if it could break down that.

Speaker 2 38:35

Well, the reason we do it at the first year is because God wants to be first in everything we do. Absolutely. And we're showing him we put you first in every year.

Speaker 3 38:42

Put you first at the beginning of the year, but also 21 days is the reason why. It's because that'll break down the enemy that's trying to hold back the year that we're believing God for. And so, you know, 21 days of prayer and fasting is a good thing to do. According to what you did too, it sharpens your spiritual focus.

Speaker 1 38:58

It does. It gets you understanding, it removes distractions, it creates intentional time for prayer, worship, and scripture. Yeah. For us to get into it.

Speaker 39:08

And y it gives us that time. And Daniel was a prayer man, he believed in prayer a couple of chapters before when he was in the lion's den. He was in the lion's den because he prayed. He didn't change.

Speaker 3 39:18

No, no, he didn't budge.

Speaker 39:20

No, and we shouldn't. No.

Speaker 2 39:21

We should lock our heels in it. So if it what does it say? Who who was it said they had James 4.8? I know y'all haven't covered it yet.

Speaker 39:30

Do you have it or do you want me to pull it up? I've got it right here.

Speaker 2 39:32

Draw nighter God and he'll draw nigh to you. I mean, fasting that removes distraction. There's no way you can say any plainer to God, I'm putting you first and I'm seeking you, or I'm drawing wanting to draw nigh to you than putting off the flesh, than putting off the desire to eat. Because there there's something that happens if you don't eat long enough.

unknown 39:55

Yeah.

Speaker 2 39:55

You don't believe me go a year without food. See what happens. Well, it's like I said without God, you're gonna be in a mind. Well, it it increases our our awareness of the presence of God while we're fasting. Well, it's it's like I said, you're saying you're more important than than life itself. Because what do nutrition is what keeps your body alive. I don't know how else to say it other than nutrition is what literally keeps your body going. Right. And you're saying, God, you're more important than life itself to me.

Speaker 3 40:24

Yeah, you're denying your your flesh of its appetite, physical appetite for a spiritual purpose. That's the purpose to be in everybody's life. And you know, if you've never fasted and you're listening to us and you never fasted or you never took the time out to do it, I would encourage you to get into that Bible and start fasting in prayer. You know, God didn't come to Daniel. You know, people say, Well, look, God's gonna come to me and tell me to fast. No, I didn't come to me. He didn't care.

Speaker 2 40:56

When you fast, when you not when I'm waiting on God to tell you, are you waiting for him to slap you to? I'd like to.

Speaker 3 41:04

But I'm saying this, people want to hear God come down from heaven and tell me that I need to fast.

Speaker 2 41:09

When fasting is going, how are you gonna hear him?

Speaker 3 41:11

Yeah, right.

Speaker 1 41:12

I mean, through the whole Bible, God's people fasted while seeking forgiveness and restoration.

Speaker 3 41:17

Seeking forgiveness, there you go. I mean, we taught you talked about Ezra, you talked about Joel, you covered them scriptures. That's about repentance and coming back into God.

Speaker 2 41:27

I'm I'm giving it all and then seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.

Speaker 41:31

Yeah, and then you come into victory when fasting. Proverbs through Proverbs 3:5, watch this. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not into thine own understanding, and all in all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. That's right. He can't direct your path if you don't yield to him.

Speaker 1 41:49

Yeah, you have to deny yourself.

Speaker 41:51

Exactly. I mean, I mean, just it's there. It's right.

Speaker 2 41:54

It's this is almost that's like you don't understand. You it's hard to understand how you're stronger when you're fasting than you are when you're not, as far as your your strength-wise. Well, our concept of strength is our fleshly body. Right from nutrition. Right. Well, you were told as a young it, if you eat all your vegetables, you'll grow big and strong.

Speaker 42:15

Exactly. And those kids got starving kids in certain country here would love to have that food you don't want to eat.

Speaker 1 42:23

Ain't that a truth?

Speaker 42:24

Clean your plate. And I look at me all fat and old because I had to clean my plate every time.

Speaker 3 42:29

All fat and pretty. In a dry and thirsty land where there's no water. David had that hunger for God, that thirsting for him. You know, the goal is of fasting is not to get hung, you know, you're not dieting, you're not trying to lose weight, you're not doing anything. It's to say, I'm I'm hungry for God. That's the main point that I try to prove that it's a hunger for God. I am hungry for you, God. I I want to get more, I'm hungry for you. And, you know, that's this part that people, some people that don't see, you know, as he's saying, My soul thirsts for you, God. That's a spiritual hunger. That's a spiritual hunger. They should be a spiritual hunger in every believer.

Speaker 1 43:23

Look at it like this too, though. When we're talking about prayer and fasting, it's like when Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and the devil confronted him. And the whole time we've been sitting there talking about pregnant and fasting, we need to stay in the scripture. Jesus uses scripture against the thing. Three scriptures and the devil took it off. Yeah, it took off. There's three of 'em. He it is written. Every time the devil said it is written, he would not live by bread alone by God. He was using scriptures to fight the devil during his fa fasting. And we can do the same thing.

Speaker 3 43:52

Yeah. That's the reason it's so important when you are praying and fasting that you spend time in the Word. Because the I'm telling you, the devil will. try to throw you off the corn, off the subject. Mm-hmm. Yep. He will. I mean the the thing is though, if you got scripture, you know, you can just bam, bam, bam.

Speaker 1 44:09

Coming right back at it. I remember the first time I'd done it. Man, it was one of the worst things ever be. Yeah. I mean, we still had kids at the house. And Mary was having to cook for them. And I'm I'm over there like this. Meat. I'm trying to fill myself up. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. It don't matter.

Speaker 2 44:28

It seems like every time you're fasting, you'll go somewhere and they'll well we got you breakfast. Here's your free food. Free food. You sure you don't want to eat this chicken and biscuit? Yeah, this is the thing I am. Yeah I do want to eat it but I'm I'm I'm not going to because I'm doing something more important right now and if it upsets you I'm sorry.

Speaker 3 44:50

Yeah that's the that's true. I mean you think about it I got two little kids at home and Christians making stuff things I don't even like to eat and I'm like that looks good.

Speaker 2 44:59

I know I don't even like that but I'm sure somebody offer you your favorite dessert it ain't even got to be fat your favorite after about three days. After that third day that booker starts smelling good after three days that broccoli starts looking good I have been to that point on a 21 day fast brussels that I don't even like.

Speaker 3 45:21

I'm willing to try it.

Speaker 45:23

I'm willing to try it. In Psalms 35 David the man after God's own heart was talking about you know people coming against him false witnesses rising up against him. They rewarded his good with their evil but he says in 35 and 13 but as for me when they were sick my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my soul with fasting and my prayer returned into my own bosom. Yeah. To his own heart. So I mean it it doesn't matter we're we're fasting and praying now for you know what we're going to preach on next week or you know what's going on right now. This is like you know these people are coming against me like you were talking about with the armies a while ago. This is a crucial time what do I need to do? Lean not into my own understanding. Let me pray and fast. That's right. It strengthens your spirit walk.

Speaker 3 46:10

Oh yeah man that gives you a strong spiritual walk with God being able to hear his voice giving you to the place that you know I have spoken church so much this year about my 21 days of fasting at the beginning of the year. You have heard this on the podcast things that was revealed to me at the beginning of the year because I was willing to sacrifice you know people say well you're skinny this that and other than you've lost a lot of weight how did you do it and I tell them I'm like I fasted I mean I did I did a lot of fasting. You don't do it to lose weight but it is a great side effect I lost a lot of weight and I'm like you know because I fast and then people don't understand every week I take cut-out meals I cut out days all day long of not eating to get ready for ministry work and just for ministry but it helps me a lot grows me stronger. I have since the beginning of the year from this past and I've done this I've been doing fasting and praying at a beginning of the year for the last seven years. Me and my wife every year. You know the first year I did it was probably the most difficult year. Because I was like I've never done this but I could hear the Lord leading me like you know why why don't you fast? You know and it was difficult at a first but now it's not even an option at our house. It's not even like a talked about it's just like coming at the end of the year December rolls around we're like all right when do we start our fast this year? You know it's not it's not even a question are we going to do it? Yeah. It's it's like when do we start when do we end? Yeah it's like it's we just talk about it at the house and you know she'll start getting ready. She starts getting the house ready for fast and she starts you know getting anything out that's unnecessary out of the refrigerator she starts getting everything out filling the refrigerator full of making sure there's plenty of water there's none of the other stuff that I drink and and just getting getting us ready to enter into that fast and that kind of that kind of sets up and you know I'm not saying you got to stay in all food for 21 days because during my fast at the beginning of just explaining how I do it. You know there's days that I go three or four days without anything to eat and then we might have, you know, but we don't get any choice foods that we won't eat during that whole time. Like I don't I'm a meat eater. I used to didn't eat meat at all when I was younger. I wouldn't even touch meat until I was like 13. But then now I I make enough time for it all ever since. So I like that and that's things that I've gave up I don't eat no I don't eat this. Kind of like a Daniel fast. The only thing I eat is nothing that's pleasant to me and and go through that part of it and then I'll go back into fasting at the weekend, you know, and we have a modified of that kind of that's why it's so hard for me because I've never been picky.

Speaker 1 48:50

I mean if you put it in front of me I'll try it at least once. Yeah. I mean I eat anything. I mean I gr I grew up you know watching dogs being killed. We ate everything from the rooter to the tutor. Yeah I mean I didn't turn anything down. And I'm still that way. It's hard isn't that's what makes it so hard for me like what oh I can give up Brussels sprouts.

Speaker 3 49:11

No I like Brussels sprouts Yeah so that was but we've we fasted where we didn't eat nothing but like on the twenty one day nothing but like broth for a week at a time. You know and and just ate hardly anything. But during that time there should be days if not at least one day days that you don't eat nothing. Nothing.

Speaker 1 49:33

Yeah the the last time that Maria myself done it together we d we went seventy two hours with nothing. Yeah. And that was that was probably the hardest one. But then after that for a few days we just done one meal a day.

Speaker 3 49:45

Yeah. And that's what God will lead you on a lot of times is sometimes just one meal a day. And then you know during our 21 days of fasting I just go even more like more than what I do during the year. I I deny myself any good things that I really like. Like I'm like I'm not eating nothing sweet. I'm not eating any of my snacks that I like I'm not getting anything. I'm it's going to be chicken broth, beef broth, it's going to be things that and I'm not a broth eater, I'm not just somebody that sits around and eats that I'm not a person that sits around and eats that.

Speaker 2 50:18

So to me it's a really give up pound cake and and steak is a big thing. Yeah.

Speaker 1 50:24

Or we had that pound cake Christie cut with them blueberries in it that lemonizing that'd be hard to give up.

Speaker 3 50:29

And I've got and that's the thing mom's gonna be cooking stuff and she'll have all kinds of things I'm like come to the house. I can't even go over there because I know what's there. There's I'm over there like and then she'll I've I ordered some pizza for the kids. I'm like you know and but now and then there's sometimes during that fast I only eat one meal a day.

Speaker 1 50:50

Pizza's pizza's probably my seeing food I'm telling you man I love pizza. Yeah and eat probably one of my favorite foods. Yeah. Be old country boy I do love some pizza.

Speaker 51:00

I do too I'm bad about it. But then the other thing I don't I don't know how much longer we have left today before we wrap this up but how long this is this is a very important thing. I mean everything we said is important but y'all already did podcasts on revival but prayer and fasting of also lays the track work for revival. Yeah. That's right. You know, because I heard a a preacher say the other day that he had talked to a minister about revival and he said we don't need to have a revival here because we're in revival every Sunday at my church and he's like you know the evangelist is your gift from God to your church that comes in with a new look and a new you know just a different way of seeing things it comes in with this power and you know revival follows revival's not just your regular Sunday morning Sunday evening and your prayer service. That's right.

Speaker 2 51:48

That's a spiritual awakening exactly exactly so that preacher might not have liked church.

Speaker 1 51:53

No must not have we've talked about that too you said it I you said it I didn't but but that is the meaning didn't like church either. So I mean it's like anything else I mean like you were saying that preacher they they oh yeah we do that every Sunday well the the people out there in the pulpits they need to be woke up. Mm-hmm I mean that preacher might be there thinking he's doing exactly what God taught him to do and he's preaching what God told him to preach. But the people out here in the pulpits of hearing that sermon every Sunday they need to be woken up through revival. And here's the other thing moved again.

Speaker 52:26

Here's the other thing let's say your church has got five hundred people in it and you preach those same five hundred people every Sunday now you go and bring in well I will say Billy Graham. It can't be him but we'll say him you bring in Billy Graham and now you bring in all well we'll we'll do Franklin Graham now you bring in all these people so you have you're reaching a broader audience.

Speaker 4 52:47

That's right.

Speaker 52:47

My in my mind what I see as a full blown revivals on fire is community. It's we just discussed this it's regional. It's not just me and my three because that's not fair to the rest of the world. If you can get interest in people moving and people coming you'll get people saved you'll get people fired up and you start fanning those flames and next thing you know you've got yourself a full grown man revival.

Speaker 3 53:16

And that's what's going across the nation right now. That's the reason you know we're part of a church that's going to other churches meeting with other ministers to fan the flame not only in us but we're bringing the fire back everywhere to go more and more and more because there's I I say it every Sunday there's already revival going on. I'm not saying it's just in our church but it's a revival going across the nation. And we're bringing it into the church and it's not just me to bring it in that's the reason we're getting extra ministers to come into the church and bring in word, fresh word and things like that. And I've been telling our church congregates we're getting ready to have a revival very soon because it's coming line on line. We're getting everything set up all the little points ready to go and and you know just because there's some things we needed to to get set up.

Speaker 1 54:02

I can probably say in my youth probably felt more moved during revivals than I did in any Sunday that I went to church. It's almost it was like you I mean it's that first night and it was like man you know what I'm coming back to the other four nights that guy's here I got to hear some more deal for your pastor is your teacher you know it's your teacher you you learn from them.

Speaker 54:24

The the evangelist that comes in for the revival he's he's your substitute teacher you don't know yet and everybody's interested to see what I look I look at it like this too.

Speaker 1 54:35

It's like raising children. Every one of us in here has raised children. And I know I can say for a fact if I told my boys something they'd look at me like I'm crazy. But they could you could probably go to and tell them the same thing and be like wow I never thought about it. Never thought about it like that. It's because they heard it from somebody different because they hear me say it all the time.

Speaker 2 54:54

A lot of times you got you got people that they don't want to bring in an evangelist because they're afraid he's gonna take money out of the church.

Speaker 3 55:04

People don't want other people a lot of reason people don't like revival and things like that is because they don't want to be there. Some churches don't want to be there more than just more than 45 minutes a a week. That's not us. We're all for it. We're ready to kick off and go set the world on fire.

Speaker 2 55:20

I heard a statement and I I told John Paul that churches are the biggest waste of real estate that there ever has been. They'll meet some some churches meet once every two weeks.

Speaker 3 55:34

Once a month once a month I don't either I mean how does a church have a once a month meeting and call yourself a church I'm sorry. I mean if I'm talking to your church I mean I'm not sorry but I'm just telling you that is pull your toes in yeah pull your toes in because I'm coming through yeah because that is a waste you know like when there's a greatest awakening happen in my time I'm only I'm the youngest one here.

Speaker 56:00

We're not in the circuit rider times anymore. You're not having a circuit rider pastor that has to ride from this town to that town there you go. There you go. Why are why aren't we raising up young folks?

Speaker 2 56:10

I know there's a ministry two more yeah that sounds like a podcast wait I think that might be in the next one so spoiler alert yeah but that's get off your rear end.

Speaker 56:22

Yeah we've got we're fixing to go into another one before we know it's amazing it's amazing I I I thoroughly enjoyed coming to the last podcast and being here I told him that I really I mean it's a blessing to minister and to to partake in this fellowship with one another. Exactly not to fellowship. That's right. It's it's a really and we're shared in with just as many as people that are watching.

Speaker 1 56:50

Exactly exactly potentially the whole world. They can see our camaraderie and our love for each other through the scriptures. Just think what it would do if that started spreading. It is spreading. And that's because we're on here spreading it.

Speaker 57:02

I mean but look look at the repercussions of it man how awesome that's gonna be you ever you ever been by a field or a farm where they're burning it off and that and that flame starts we got a dripper. It goes and you hear a zop you got a little bitty flame right there. Get the wind to go and all of a sudden it starts and it's this big and it's this big and before you know it you have this huge walking fire that just goes right across and it almost makes its own wind. You can feel it sucking air into it. It's sucking power into it because the fire's got to have air suck it in there.

Speaker 3 57:36

You can hear it. You can hear the wind coming by you.

Speaker 57:39

Yes I've been in some and they just and it grows and it grows and it grows and it grows until it runs out of fuel. It goes on a neighbor's property.

Speaker 3 57:48

Or it goes on a neighbor's property.

Speaker 57:50

And we have to call it a forestry service yeah yeah might have had to do that a time or two.

Speaker 2 57:54

There's 300 acres on fire I have no idea but but but where I'm going just doesn't admit some things on video I think I was fixing start pounding the table.

Speaker 1 58:07

Well going back to that same analogy though you think if you think about it because when I was growing up every time we burned a field we burn it against the wind and that fire worked against the wind just like it was word works against sin.

Speaker 58:20

Exactly yeah but you know why does the fire die out? Why does a revival die out? You've got to move going across the country because while people are noticing it and people are people are longing there's a hunger. There is a great hunger like I was telling them I was talking to these folks at work the other day and and I had I mean I knew people were hungry but my eyes are really opened by the questions these young people I'm not talking about people our age I'm talking like half our age. Yeah are the questions they're asking because they don't know they have a hunger. If we keep fanning the flames the fuel is the souls as long as we keep finding souls the revival could continue. We can stop it. Complacency is a revival killer. That's right complacency we've got to continue this this will fan the flames of revival because this should help people want to know more.

Speaker 2 59:12

Right. If you're satisfied with where you are in Christ you should be one of the ones fasting today.

Speaker 3 59:17

Yeah because there's a there's a problem. Mm-hmm because you know even everybody in this room have we been complacency. So that's the reason we you know I pushed for even more because I'm fasting that brings you out of complacency. It draws you to a hunger for God.

Speaker 1 59:35

Well you're like going back to what Daniel said about the younger people half our age has that thirst for it. Why are you talking about me? And I'm and well I'm well I'm because all my all my kids are from 18 to 27. Right. And part of my testimony was that you know we just fell out of church. I mean I always believed but I just did but I didn't get my kids in there like I was in there. And those kids like Daniel was talking about probably the same situation. Their parents are like well I'm too busy I'd rather go to the beach. Too many distractions. Yeah too many distractions I'd rather sit here and watch YouTube all day on Sunday instead of go to church you know that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:00:10

How many times have I heard I did that myself and I can see why you know because how many times have I heard well I was in church every time the doors open and I didn't I didn't have as much fun as a kid as I as as the other kids did. Hell ain't fun. No exactly John's the happy one. John laughs all the time. Yeah I'm more serious natured serious minded yeah and and I see this from a whole different perspective. We've got to have revival we've got to let me rephrase that. We've got to fan the flames of revival because there's souls dying every day and going to hell. And that this is a very crucial point. Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:00:50

I know when I first started doing my little things on Facebook before we started this podcast, it was like one of my things like man I want to see all my friends in heaven. Yes please Lord if you have not accepted Jesus Christ your labor Lord and Savior come see me.

Speaker 2 1:01:03

Well I'd hate to get there and there'd be a chair with my friend's name on it. And it it'd be empty. And God asked me why I didn't do something about it.

Speaker 3 1:01:10

Yeah why didn't you do anything about it?

Speaker 2 1:01:12

I said that in church one Sunday morning and they let the ladies in the church looked at me like I had to slap.

Speaker 1 1:01:18

Yeah because you didn't do anything to bring them into things well we're gonna get on somebody on the next podcast.

Speaker 1:01:23

Yeah well I mean the other thing is the complacency of the church you know being out of church and the church are it's almost mirror images even though this is the world and this is the church. They send their kids to school and they come home and they're like well my kid can't count to 20 yet why not? What have you done at home to teach them to count to 20?

Speaker 4 1:01:43

That's right.

Speaker 1:01:44

Right now I get it your kids shouldn't go to school for eight hours and and come home with three hours of homework. They've had them for eight hours. Yeah but that teacher shouldn't have to start from the ground and build your kid all the way up there should be some knowledge there. The preacher shouldn't be the only one building knowledge you should go home and read your book and do your prayer and do your fasting.

Speaker 1 1:02:04

You got to have the homework. Exactly you can't go to school and sit in class and not go and do the homework.

Speaker 2 1:02:10

Please if you're a parent don't say my child has a learning disability say their teacher has a teaching disability.

Speaker 3 1:02:16

That's right don't run your kids down.

Speaker 1:02:19

No I've seen it lift your kids up raise your children up.

Speaker 3 1:02:23

Well we've covered a lot about fasting.

Speaker 1 1:02:25

Yes I know I told you yesterday we're gonna have a good time today. Yeah this morning this is going to be good. I can't wait to get on that next one. Yep that's been a good one ladies and gentlemen thank you all for joining us tonight. Oh man you've only got a Bible verse I like to read at the end of it and John Paul close us out with a prayer. If you haven't done so already go always go to Facebook and give us a follow YouTube subscribe Instagram TikTok share us with all your friends like it's always if you have any questions you can email us at the testamentsfaith at gmail dot com or just leave us a comment on any of our social media sites. The last verse I want to read today is Acts three verses eighteen through twenty one but those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets that the Christ would suffer. He has this thus fulfilled repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Speaker 3 1:03:37

Close out brother Father God we thank you today that we got to study your word and just hear from you through prayer and fasting. Lord we thank you that you gave us this great tool to use Lord called fasting Lord I thank you for every viewer that's listening in. Lord that you help them understand this word and dive deeper into it and bring them closer to you sharpen them Lord and Lord we thank you for today in Jesus' mighty name amen thank you Jesus remember y'all have a great week remember Jesus loves you and so do we yes sir