Fast and Pray!
Saturday, April 27, 2019
What I’m about to share will not give you goose bumps, nor titillate your flesh in a manner that brings comfort and peace. No, this word will provoke war; but it’s a war that must be fought!
For weeks now, the Holy Spirit has been urgently reminding me of a word given in 2017, saying that word is for NOW!”
In May of 2017, the Lord said,
“You must take dominion over your mind, over your will, and over your emotions. This is where your enemy has had the advantage over you. You are no longer just mere men. You have been given authority over all the power of the enemy, and now you must choose to walk in it! To do otherwise will be to give your authority and free will over to your enemy.”
One month later, He said,
“Your primary job will be to continually seek Me in prayer and fastings.”
Saints, as discussed in the previous post ‘He Has Nothing in Me,’ Jesus is our example of how to stand against the onslaughts of the devil. Not only had Jesus completed a prolonged fast before the devil came to tempt Him, but He specifically told us in Matt. 17:21, the stronger devils cannot be cast out except through prayer and fasting!
As stated in Isaiah 58, God says fasting is to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo burdens, free the oppressed, and to break every yoke of bondage!
We are either ruled by our flesh or by our spirit. The Word says when we (our flesh) are weak, then we (spirit) are strong! Fasting is a TOOL to be used to weaken your flesh and get it out of the way, allowing the Spirit to reign and have dominion.
Before continuing, I’d like to share an excerpt from a word recently given by the Lord to Elijah (a prophetic friend) about the power of fasting. He sent this to me out of the blue one morning, just as God was speaking to me about the same topic!
Fast and Pray!
“There is a glorious land full of freedom, peace, and joy;
A place where the Bride of Christ can experience victory, glory, and dominion. This is Her highest secret – Her resting place.
If only we knew what lies just a level beyond!
If we understood how weak the enemy becomes when we press in a little longer, a little further. It’s at this level we see into the spiritual realm.
Clearly seen are the wiles of the devil, his secret plots on full display.
The devil and his evil spirits are nothing here; they’re like mice caught in a cage, unable to hide.
Ah, but the devil knows the limits of the flesh of man and understands the boundaries of the human body. His most powerful weapons are buried along these lines.
We all have a level we get to, before we abruptly withdraw. This level is just past our comfort zone, where; though we begin to burn hot in the Spirit, we never allow the fire take us that one degree higher; where, as water, we can begin to boil and burn brightly for the Lord. We surrender and give up just before reaching this level.
The body is expert in forming an alliance with the devil. The human body prefers ailments, sores, laxity, excuses, shortcuts, and every pain imaginable, over allowing itself to be humbled. Our flesh can be used against us by the devil as a formidable enemy.
Truth be said, the flesh cannot give us the freedom to fast; the fear of dying costs us more than we can possibly imagine. As we refuse to allow the Cross to bruise and wound us, we revert to the cheap warmth and pleasures of the flesh. By this, we have been robbed of our most reliable source of energy and strength.
Oh God, help us press to levels beyond our physical strength, to swim through the horrible flaming fires. May we see the grandeur and possibilities that lie just a step further in prayer and fasting.
The Spirit is calling the Church to die to earthly inclinations and human desires. She’s being called to swim into deep waters, the place where victory awaits.
This is the power of the Spirit, the power every believer must have! This is the resurrection to be experienced before the Lord comes, where impartation and strength flow.”
End of Word to Elijah
Continued
It is when we (flesh) become weak that we (spirit) are strong (2 Cor. 12:10). This is why, throughout the Bible, whenever a need arises – from personal to national – a fast is called.
Moses fasted 40 days upon the mountain before receiving the commandments and revelation from God. David said his knees were weak with fastings, his body lean and gaunt (Ps. 109:24). National emergencies were met with prayer and fasting as the people humbled themselves before the Lord to seek His provision and deliverance.
Queen Esther called upon all the Jews in her province to fast with her for three days after the enemy’s plan to destroy God’s people was revealed. Look how God delivered them!
Do we think the plan of the enemy has been cancelled? It has not! We are at the precipice – the end of the end. The time is NOW to press in as never before. The word has gone out – ALL HELL WILL COME AGAINST YOU!
The Prince of this world is coming again – this time against the set-apart ones – the Bride of Christ. He’s gathering troops from all over creation for the ultimate showdown! These troops are being assembled around your family, your city, and your nation. What should be the response of the Bride?
The words of Esther are again crying out, “Fast and Pray!”
We must fasten our eyes upon the Bridegroom, for He’s shown us by example how to prepare for an attack from the evil we see amassing before us. He’s also told us we will not have dominion over these higher-level devils except through prayer and fasting.
As previously mentioned, this is a war that must be fought. But Jesus has already given us authority over all the power of the enemy – everything we need for the victory. But we must choose to walk in it!
I pray what’s been shared here ministers to your spirit, because I know the flesh will fight and war against this word. But praise be to God, He’s provided the tool of fasting to subdue the flesh, granting us grace and strength of Spirit to go beyond our human strength.
Please pray over this message for confirmation and revelation of how this may apply to you.
Scripture References:
Matthew 17:19,21, “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”… Jesus said to them… “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Luke 21:34, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that Day come upon you unexpectedly.”
Ezra 8:21, “Then I proclaimed a fast…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.”
Psalm 35:13, “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting…”
Isaiah 58:6, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke”
Joel 1:14, “Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly…and cry out to the LORD.”
Joel 2:12, “Now, therefore, says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…rend your hearts and not your garments…”
Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Romans 7:23, “But I see another law in my embers, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” …I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another…”
Daniel 9:3, “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”
Psalms 8:6 says, “You have made him to have dominion over the work of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet.”
(Emphasis added)
