Sermon Notes

December 2, 2016

Fasting: Answers Are Waiting in His Presence


How do you get in the presence of God? You remove the presence of everything else! That’s fasting. As you begin to take power away from your flesh, your spirit grows stronger. It’s time to conquer whatever stands between you and God—between you and the person you want to be!

Matthew 6:18 makes clear that what you do in secret, God rewards openly. When you devote yourself to Him in prayer and fasting privately, He changes things for you outwardly. God will bless you and give you favor among men.

You do not have to be hidden behind loss and regret. You don’t have to be defined by failure and sickness. Your debt and mistakes can’t keep you tied down when you realize there are answers in His presence. No one promised fasting would be easy. Jesus was tempted by the Devil himself as He fasted. You are not the first person to struggle for God’s will.

Jacob wrestled God alone in Joel chapter 2. He went away to a secret place and fought for his blessing. God didn’t just change his name and bless him there in private, He gave Jacob favor publicly! When Esau arrived with his 400 men, rather than killing Jacob, he ran to embrace him.

God will not leave you in your desperation. He says through our fasting and weeping we turn to Him wholeheartedly. “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12 NKJV). Why do we return to Him? Because He is gracious and merciful and full of kindness.

Jacob fought fiercely, refusing to let go until he was blessed. Are you preparing to join us in the annual fast? Are you willing to make temporary sacrfice for long-term gain? If you can push through  fasting, there are answers waiting for you in His presence.

 

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