HOW OFTEN DO YOU FAST? – Saturday May 20th 2017
Memorise: In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 2nd Corinthians 11:27
16 Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I
say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That
thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in
secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 33-34, Jeremiah 32:36-44, Hymn: Sing hymn 6
MESSAGE:
One
of my sons was travelling with me for the very first time sometime ago,
and after we had been together for two days he asked me, “Daddy, why do
you pray so much?” He said he observed that before we left the room, we
prayed; when we got into the car, we prayed; on arrival at our
destination, we prayed; when we entered the venue of the programme, we
prayed; when we finished the programme, we prayed; on arrival at our
lodging place, we prayed; also, when he peeped to check on me, he still
saw me on my knees. Saturday 20 May 2017. Well, I pray a lot because prayer is an activity we are commanded to always engage in (1st Thessalonians 5:17). How often do you pray? Do you use every available opportunity to pray?
Apart
from prayer, another spiritual activity you should regularly engage in
to keep you spiritual fit and growing is fasting. Some people believe
that doing a long fast for 30 days or 100 days is sufficient for one
year. Open Heavens Daily 2017 Saturday 20 May 2017:- How often do you fast? While
this is a good spiritual exercise, there is still the need to continue
fasting in the course of the year. When the Lord addressed the question
of why His disciples were not fasting often like those of John the
Baptist, here is what He said in Luke 5:34;
“But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.”
Since
the Master has been received into glory, it is clear from His words
that we now are expected to fast often. Some people fast for a short
period at a stretch and thereafter they want to feast for the rest of
the year. This is not good enough. A better practice is to find or
create some time monthly or better still weekly to engage in fasting.
Fasting was not strange to the patriarchs of old. Fasting does you so
much good spiritually, so it should be a part of your lifestyle. You can
live a fasted life. While detailing his experiences in life, Apostle
Paul in 2nd Corinthians 11:27 said that fasting was a reoccurring activity in his Christian life:
“In weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
Most
people who find it difficult to fast simply have a problem with
discipline. They are so used to eating that they cannot sacrifice a few
meals to seek God’s face. Anyone who cannot control his or her appetite
may remain enslaved to the body. Fasting helps to subdue or break the
controlling power that the weaknesses and desires of your body have over
you.
Action Point
Stop talking about your plan to fast; just go ahead and fast. You can start with one day per week.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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