From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 10/11/2019
Fasting
Fasting is often neglected by Christians. Fasting in some form should be as common among professed Christians as praying. Fasting should accompany our prayers. A father had a demon-possessed son who had suffered for years with convulsions that were life-threatening. The father brought his son to the Lord’s disciples but “they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for, verily, I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:17-21). What would Jesus say to us, his disciples today? Would he remind us of his forty days of fasting and prayer?
In his sermon on the mount, Jesus gave his disciples specific instructions on giving, praying and fasting. It has been suggested that these are the three basic duties of all Christians. When we consider these duties, it is quite likely that fasting is the one most neglected. See Matthew 6:1-18.
Jesus said, “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. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou appear not to fast, but unto thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:17-18 IV; 6:16-18 KJV).
We are blessed both physically and spiritually when we fast. On fasting from food; Dr. Don Colbert, MD, wrote: “If done correctly, fasting holds amazing healing benefits to those who suffer illness and disease. From colds and flu to heart disease, fasting is a mighty key to healing the body” (Fasting. Franklin. p 155). But the greatest blessings received from fasting are spiritual.
Fasting brings us closer to God. When we seek the Lord for a specific purpose by denying ourselves of food and worldly pleasures, the Lord is pleased, and He blesses us. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself . . .” (Matthew 16:25 IV; 16:24 KJV).
When I think of fasting I remember the words of Daniel: “I Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth . . . Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and I beheld a certain man clothed in linen and he said unto me “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee and stand upright; for unto thee am I now sent . . . Then he said unto me, Fear not Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, . . . Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days” (Daniel 10:1-12). Daniel’s prayers and fastings on behalf of his people were immediately heard and answered.
When we fast, we inevitably draw nearer to God. When we “draw nigh to God , he draws nigh to us” (James 4:8). When we draw near to God, we can expect to hear his voice, and to receive his words of counsel and revelations.
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Dear Ones,
We undoubtedly forfeit many spiritual blessings when we fail to fast as we should. My aunt who was the mother of three sons, did not eat a noon meal for many years. She fasted and prayed that her sons would eventually be called of God to serve in his priesthood. Her prayers were answered and her fasting was rewarded. Each of her sons were called as elders, and two, were at a later date, called to serve as high priests. All three remained faithful to their callings throughout their lives.
The Lord was not impressed with the fasting of the Pharisee who boasted: “I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all I possess” (Luke 18:12). The prayer of the publican: “God be merciful to me a sinner,” is an appropriate prayer for all of us. The Lord’s response to this prayer was, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other; for every one who exalteth himself, shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:13-14).
We must come to God as humble beggars. “For behold are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all the substance, which we have; for both food, and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind. And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins” (Mosiah 2:32-33).
Fasting and mighty prayers go hand in hand. Both must come from the depths of our hearts. As Samuel said so long ago: “. . . the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). If our prayers and fastings come from the depths of our hearts, the Lord will bless us. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Far too often, we are as the people spoken of by Isaiah: “. . . this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me . . .” (Isaiah 29:26 IV; 29:13 KJV). We honor the Lord when we fast and pray with all “the energy of our hearts” (Moroni 7:53).
Rees Howells of Wales was an intercessor. This is the calling of all Christians. Howells said: “God is calling for intercessors, men and women who will lay their lives on the altar to fight the devil; to intercede, to go, to serve others who go, to be responsible for seeing that every person hears the gospel.” Howells saw that the point of fasting is to bring the body into subjection to the Spirit. “Each fast, if carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, means that our bodies become more equipped to carry burdens” (Rees Howells, Intercessor, page 122).
Paul wrote of the many burdens he carried: “In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:27-28). Are we prepared and willing to carry such burdens?
The intercessory prayers of Daniel, offered on behalf of his people and nation, provide an excellent pattern for our own. “Oh Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away . . . O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies” (Daniel 9).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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