BUILDING UP FAITH

“Building up yourselves on your most holy faith…”

Jude 20

     Our pastor has challenged us, the church body, to fast and pray one day a week.  He gave many reasons for fasting and praying and any of them will be profitable.  The main reason should always be to seek God’s will.

PRAYER & FASTING

Double Concentration on JESUS!

   

      This morning during my quiet time with The Lord, the above scripture was my devotional and as I meditated on it and prayed, I knew this was what He wanted me to use for this new Fast.  I already fast one day a week, but I will do it with a special emphasis for the needs of our church as well as building on my holy faith and personal relationship with my Holy God.  So, I thought I would write down my impressions of what I got from my study and praying this morning.

     Many years ago I was given an acrostic for FAITH and it has always fit so well in understanding and practicing it.  I was brought back to seeing this as the building process expressed in Jude 20.  I would recommend reading all of Jude for the background because Jude, the brother of James, and both are half brothers of Jesus, presents a pretty good scenario of where the church is today.  We have allowed many ungodly teachers and leaders to infiltrate with subtle approval of immoral, covetous, proud and divisive ideas.  He encourages the church to remember the foundation of their holy faith and to build on the truth given at salvation.  Holy Faith – Faith in a Holy God!

Forsaking

All
I
Trust
Him

    

     Let’s see if these stones of truth won’t help us to build up our faith in God.  Faith is what we believe.  What we believe is evidenced by what is most important in my life.  Our faith is awakened when God reveals Himself to us by His Love and His Word telling the good news that we have been freed from the penalty of sin because He has paid our debt for us.  From there our faith has to be disciplined and perfected.  It is a lifetime of learning to forsake and trust in the One who created us; redeemed us and purposed us uniquely to live like His Son.  His Spirit comes to live within us empowering us to share the Good News we know to those who haven’t heard it yet!

Forsaking – (Philippians 3, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6)  Get rid of that which is not of God; and burn your bridges behind you so that there is nothing but total commitment to God!  You cannot serve two masters.  You cannot go in two directions at the same time.

All – Everything and everyone that would take your focus and devotion off God!  Every thought, affection, appetite, and possession that does not give God glory and please Him!  This is probably the second hardest thing we ever have to do in building our faith.

I – All of Me! My complete will; body, soul(heart) and spirit(mind)!  This is probably the hardest thing we ever have to do – give up the right of myself to God to do as He chooses and has planned.

Trust – The confidence that I can release my life into the care and destiny of my existence to another!  Letting go of all the above and believing that it will be worth it all  and that GOD is going to be holding me in His Heart and Hands with a better plan and life!

HIM – GOD the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;  making Him Lord and sole possessor of my life; believing that He is EVERYTHING He says He is and that He can make me just like Him!

Abraham is a great example of a lifetime of building up our most holy faith.  Here’s an outline of his life of faith.  ABRAHAM:  Genesis 12~25

1.  The awaking of Faith (he was 75 at calling) (5 years)  
      Chapters 12-13

2.  The disciplining of Faith  (25 years)

     Chapters 14~21

3.  The perfecting of Faith (70 years)

     Chapters 21:22 ~ 25  (from Isaac to death)

     He was 175 years old at death!

"Unquestioned faith brings unquestioned obedience.”

GOD'S CHOSEN FAST

“Is this not the fast which I chose…”

Isaiah 58:6a

     Many years ago the Lord introduced me to fasting by bringing a book to me entitled God’s Chosen Fast.  It had been given to my mother-in-law by someone who thought it was about another means for dieting.  She wasn’t interested in it and gave it to me because she thought I might be interested.  I put it on the shelf with other “diet” books and it remained there for some 7 years.  It traveled from Miami, Florida to Tennessee and then to Nashville, Georgia.  I put it back on the shelf, as previously, among my dieting books.  One day in 1984 a strange thing happened as I was working in the kitchen and passing the bookshelf area.  This book falls off the shelf!  I thought it really weird that it could fall from between other books snuggly fit together; but I picked it up and put it back in place.  Later I passed the bookshelf on my way outside and the book was once again fallen on the floor.  Thinking that I imagined I put it up and that it could NOT have fallen out again, I returned it once more.  The next day as I came in the house from outside, I stopped in my tracks…the book was lying on the floor!  Now, it had my attention and as I picked it I looked at the title I decided that I needed to read this book. 

     To my amazement this was not about dieting at all but about seeking God to know Him and His will.  It was based on Isaiah 58.  I read and became engrossed in the truths I read.  My heart was moved to enter this experience of God’s Presence and to follow the example of Daniel’s  21-Day Fast.

     For 21 days I ate no food and drank only water; I spent exclusive time studying Scripture and praying; I recorded everything in a journal and prayer notebook.  Conclusion:  I experienced a supernatural journey into a dimension of spirituality I never dreamed possible.  This kind of thing only happened in someone’s imagination in a movie or book!  I might add that it is something you can only express with limited words; it is something that must be experienced.

     Perhaps one day I will share more.  I share this to give credibility to my knowledge of fasting.  After that first Fast unto The Lord, I began an annual two-week fast starting on Sunday two weeks before Easter, and ending on Easter Sunday.  A number of those Easter Sundays, I broke fast with partaking of The Lord’s Supper.  It took on a totally difference significance for me.

     There is some preparation that must take place before beginning a Fast of any kind.  There must be a thorough understanding of what it involves.  It is a venture into the spiritual domain that includes more than The Holy Spirit of God and His angels.  It also makes one open for intrusion by other spirits that have the purpose of deceiving, disguising, distracting and destroying everything about God.  You must be made aware of this to know how to recognize and discern the difference.  It is more fearful to go into the unknown with God than it is to fear His opponents!  Reading Ephesians chapter 6 is a good place to begin preparation.

     Preparation must begin with examining our relationship with God.  IF we are not born again of The Spirit into The Kingdom of God becoming a Child of God, we will not be able to discern the spirits and know the truth.  ONLY GOD IS TRUTH and can reveal it to us!  To all who believe and receive Jesus He gives the right to become children of God.   See John chapters 1 & 3. 

     FASTING is not just abstaining from food, it is withdrawing and removing all obstacles, hindrances and distractions; removing all food temptations; and making a time and place for quiet and seclusion.  This needs to be done mentally and physically, if possible.  Resist the temptation to cater to the natural and the “what ifs.”  (Psalm 46:10; James 4:7)

    Final preparation is to draw near to God ~ mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually.  Set your focus; “Prepare your minds…”  (James 4:8; I Peter 1:13; Romans 12:1-2) 

     IF you have to work or keep certain appointments, keep your heart and mind focused on The Presence of The Lord with you…being in the world, but not of the world.  (John 15:19; John 17:16)

     DRINK WATER, LOTS OF WATER!  If you feel hunger, drink some water.  If you get a headache, drink some water.  If your back aches, drink some water.  You will be amazed at how it does sustain you in more ways than you thought!

Keep a Fasting and Prayer Journal writing down the things you say to God…and the things He says to you.  Remember He will always speak by His Holy Spirit, through the Bible, in prayer, circumstances, and the church.   The Bible is called The Word of God because it is The Word of God!

Pray and ask The Lord if He wants you to encounter Him in this way of fasting and then ask Him how He wants you to do it.