Fasting Creates Breakthrough, Ep 2-38
Welcome Back! I am Dawn Simmons and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are going to be discussing how fasting not only deepens your relationship with the Lord but also serves to counterattack the enemy’s plans over you, your family, your church, your business, anywhere you are involved or have a heart to protect or build. Our discussion will center around what fasting is, how we can include that in our lives and why we want to include it in our lives.
We are going to do things a little different in this episode. At the end of every episode I talk about my book, Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God’s Voice, and that book all started with a fast. So I am going to read part of the first chapter to you about that fast.
I have known the Lord all of my life. As a young girl, I remember singing the songs in Sunday school, working in little paper workbooks and hearing all about Him. At 5 or 6 years old, my grandfather sat me on his knee and transferred Godly wisdom and knowledge to me that, at the time, I did not even remotely understand, but years later flashed into my mind at the exact moment I needed it and has never left my heart. I was saved and baptized at 13, by a very large and somewhat scary German preacher in Stuttgart, Germany. I never strayed too far from the Lord as I entered adulthood. I'm a staying within the line's kind of gal. My late 20's and early 30's were filled with marriage and child rearing. My mid 30's and 40's were growth years. While I did have a good career, my relationship with the Lord grew exponentially in ways I did not know were still possible in today's modern world. He spoke to me and shared His heart with me, and I was the strongest and closer to Him than I had ever been. However, as I neared 50, I just wasn't hearing from the Lord in the same way I had for almost 20 years. In my mind, nothing had changed. I was reading the Bible, leading Bible studies, going to church, praying and trusting in the Lord, but the silence was unmistakable.
My answer, at the time, to breaking this silence was foolproof. I will fast. I will fast, not for a day or even 2 days or even 3 days, no I will fast in a way the Lord cannot help but to notice. I will complete a 21-day Daniel fast. Yes, this was definitely the answer. Whatever it is that is creating this blockage for me to hear from the Lord will have no chance against a 21-day Daniel Fast. If you aren't familiar with this Fast, it's modeled after the events described in the book of Daniel in the Bible and consists of a plant-based diet. This fast might not seem like a challenge, but for me, I might as well have been standing at the bottom of Mt. Everest looking up. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but just go with me that it was a big deal for me. My logic was simple. Breakthrough happens when you fast, and I needed breakthrough, and I needed it now.
As I prepared for the fast, I laid out my plan. I like plans and I like lists, so I was already excited just preparing in the knowledge that change was coming. I bought a new journal to document the entire event, the good, the bad, and ultimately the breakthroughs would all be documented for me to go back and review and re-experience later. I have journaled for years as a way to hear from the Lord so I wanted to be prepared for the outpouring that will surely happen in the coming days. I had 5 major areas in my life that I was seeking breakthrough. I wanted as a result to see answered prayers, blessings, favor, an outpouring in all 5 of those areas. I not only wanted it, I needed it. I had to hear what the Lord had for me, where was He, why was I struggling to hear from Him. My heart and my mind felt desperate.
I did my grocery shopping for the first week. I was very disciplined for that hour and a half in the store. I did not get anything with sugar, no breads, no pasta, I focused on vegetables and fruit. I have very few, ok, maybe no vegetables I can say I love, but there are some I do like a lot. Of course, those are prepped with bacon or some other fat that is not a part of this fast, so I was trying to develop my creativity, awaken my inner chef that I let take a few years off since the kids have grown and for the most part out of the house. Once home, I got out my containers and got everything lined up on the counter. I spent what felt like hours prepping all my veggies and fruit, trying to convince myself I was going to enjoy this change. I wanted to move forward, and this seemed like a small price to pay.
I also shored myself up mentally for the next 21 days of water. I decided to leave out tea or coffee and stick with water only knowing headaches were inevitable while going through a caffeine detox. I strongly dislike drinking water. I know people who can tell the difference in waters, brands, what mountain the waters came from, and are happy to pay a high price for their favorite water but that is not a part of who I am. The mental struggle I put myself through just thinking about drinking only water for 21 days was a little on the ridiculous side. At that time, my deepest love in a beverage was sweet tea. A love affair that admittedly still exists.
I also pulled together some books on prayer. I leaned on the works of one of the prayer greats, E.M. Bounds. I figured I might need some help with prayer and E.M. Bounds seemed like the right fit. I wanted into that "secret place" E.M. Bounds was known for and I wasn't going to stop until I got inside. Nothing was going to stop me now. I was prepped and ready to go and it all came down to one thing, the date, when would this move of my life begin. The date I chose was September 8, 2018. I want to say a "date which will live in infamy", but it wasn't quite that dramatic. I love history so forgive me now for any excessive use of historical references, it’s just the way my mind thinks and tends to keep me entertained.
On September 8, 2018, I started Day One quoting E.M. Bounds in my journal. Somehow putting his words to a few pages made me feel accomplished, it was documented proof I had begun the fast after all. The depth of E.M. Bounds words were somehow magnified as I worked through the morning trying to keep my mind off not only food, but the long 21 days ahead. On page four I began to write to the Lord, write my heart out to Him about why I began this fast. I told him that it started out as needing breakthrough in one area but had grown and had also become about feeling lost. I wrote of how I wanted to get back to Him and His plan. I explained that somewhere along the way, what started out as a journey with Him no longer felt like we were walking together. Then I quieted myself and prepared to wait on His response. What I didn't realize in that moment was that my feeling lost, my not hearing from Him and no longer feeling like we were walking together was all me. It had nothing to do with Him at all.
So that fast, that was the longest, most difficult and most rewarding fast I have ever done in my life. It changed my life. Everything in my life shifted after that fast and it prepared me for some pretty big events I didn’t know were coming. So let’s talk about fasting, who did it, why we should consider it, what it is and what it is not.
The list of people in the Bible who fasted is like looking at a Who’s Who of amazing people of the Bible. Moses, David, Esther, Ezra, Daniel, Hannah- the mother of Samuel, Nehemiah, Joshua, all of the Disciples, Paul, Barnabas, the list goes on, to include Jesus. There is a reason why they all fasted and why it is included in the Bible. Anything that was done by so many of the great people we learn from in the Bible in both the Old and New Testament, is something we should examine and see how it applies to our lives today.
We are going to take a look at Jesus, when he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. This is not a fast most people are able to do, for health reasons we would definitely want to see a Dr if we were attempting something of that magnitude. We want to fast safely. We’ll talk more about that in a bit but I want to address that now to decrease any concerns about that in the beginning. So Matthew 4 tells us about Jesus’ fast and here is what it says:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus was led by the Spirit in his fast, we too can be led by the Spirit to fast or we can seek to fast on our own. His fast was 40 days in the wilderness. Even if we were able to fast for 40 days, it is not likely going to be in the wilderness of Israel, in the sun, the wilderness there is treacherous. We are likely doing it in the comfort of our homes, maybe with air conditioning, or offices, it’s not the same and we don’t need it to be the same. Satan came directly at Jesus, we likely won’t have Satan coming at us, but we could have some demons. Jesus did not hesitate to respond to Satan’s tactics with scripture, untwisting the perversions Satan was applying to the Word. We have the written word readily available in most countries so we should also be able to discern when the Word is twisted. At the end, Jesus overcame those temptations, and his ministry began. His ministry began with power and authority and miracles.
So while the circumstances of a fast for us may be different, the elements that are the outcome are the same. A fast, a heartfelt fast, will provide you with strength to endure, and you will walk out of it with much more than you walked into it with and may even produce power, authority and miracles in your life with Him.
So let’s dig in deeper about why we should consider it. First off what is it exactly? We’ve talked about it but what is it exactly? Fasting is simply abstaining from, generally food, for a spiritual purpose. I say generally because we can also abstain from other things that would be acceptable for a fast, like abstaining from our phones for a period so that we can instead devote that time to the Lord.
Fasting is really meant for everyone. It is not for the spiritually mature or only those in a ministry role. It is for all of us. Paul writes in Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” So when we are fasting, we are offering our bodies, we are making a sacrifice. Anytime we do that for the Lord, when our hearts are sincere, we cannot go wrong. The Lord will honor what we are doing, even we don’t do it very well. If we are fasting and fall prey to temptation, well, get back up and try again. He never said we have to be perfect so don’t let that stop you.
When our heart is right, and by that I mean, our motives to fast, are genuine, fasting is a source of release. There are some things, supernatural things that can only be released thru fasting. Jesus tells his disciples that when they are unable to cast a demon out. By that we know that the act of fasting produces an authority and a power we wouldn’t have otherwise. What else can fasting do?
Fasting produces breakthrough
Fasting produces healing
Fasting breaks bondages
Fasting increases anointing
Fasting deepens your relationship with Him
Fasting builds desire for Him and His plan in your life
Fasting releases the power of His promises
Fasting reveals enemy tactics
Fasting breaks the cycle of religion
Fasting is not a work
Fasting provides opportunity to intercede for others
Fasting magnifies your heart
Fasting breaks strongholds
I could go on and on here, but I think you see where this all goes.
Fasting is a powerful weapon. The enemy doesn’t want us to fast. He knows what happens, what can be, what will be released when we fast.
A few things to keep in mind. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:16, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
So this leads me to the obstacles of fasting. Most people think of the obstacles as self-control, doubt, discouragement, selfish desires, rebellion, which are all obstacles for sure, but what about pride. The pharisees, the Lord calls them hypocrites, they are making a show of their fast, so that everyone knows it. Their pride and arrogance made their fast null and void. Their heart was not genuine. When we fast, be discreet, and keep it private so that you are honoring to the Lord. Does this mean you don’t tell your spouse or those who are close enough to you that it would affect, no, if you need to share it so the ones around you understand why you have a change in behavior then do that.
One way I like to think of fasting is that I am sowing into my relationship with the Lord. I will let Him decide when and how the reaping occurs, especially if I am not fasting for myself. So let’s talk about the mechanics of fasting.
You can fast for breakthrough or whatever your specific petition is for yourself. You can fast for an outcome for someone else like healing or a job. You can fast for your church. You can fast for an event, so the outcome is what the Lord wants. You can fast for a list of things. In my 21 Day Daniel Fast I was praying for 5 specific things. That is part of the reason I chose 21 days. I was fasting for a lot so I wanted to put an appropriate amount of time toward my fast. There is no hard and fast rule, but I would consider how you want to proceed based on what your are seeking from the Lord.
The things I like about fasting are how versatile they can be. You can tailor them to your schedule. Maybe you fast for a certain number of hours each day. You could do every other day. You could do one day a week for several weeks. Build it to work with your schedule so you can be successful.
There are 4 basic types of fasts.
1. Complete Fast: no food no water, this should be rare and dr approved
2. Normal fast: no food, just liquids
3. Partial fast: no meat, only veggies, or time dictated
4. Custom fast: no coffee, no soda, one meal, easier for people with health concerns
Don’t forget you can do any or all of these with non-food items as well. It just needs to be something that is a sacrifice of some sort so it is authentic.
When I did my 21-day Daniel fast, it changed my life. God revealed His plan and purpose for my life. During it, He gave me the Loving Conversations book and as a result my life has never been the same. Even this podcast is a result of that fast. This podcast travels around the world and I get so much feedback of how lives are changed from understanding more about how the enemy has been influencing their lives and how they are changing and growing in the Lord. I’m just one person and so much came out of 1 fast. What can you do to change your life or someone else’s life with just one fast? It’s not a work, don’t see it as a works-based activity. It’s a heart-based activity where you will receive more back than you will ever give up. Commit to putting it on the calendar and decide what kind of fast you are going to do and let Him move in your life.
I hope you have gained an understanding during our time discussing how fasting not only deepens your relationship with the Lord but also serves to counterattack the enemy’s plans. I want you to increase in knowledge and be able to have plans of action to fit your needs. If you know anyone who might benefit from this, please share.
As always let’s discuss our Top Show Points:
· Discussion on fasting: who did it, why we should consider it, what it is and what it is not.
· Read from Chapter 1 of my book Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God’s Voice where I am discussing a 21 Day Daniel Fast
· Talked about the Bible greats Fasted
· Looked at Jesus as example and his fasting for 40 days in the wilderness. His ministry began with power and authority and miracles.
· Fasting is simply abstaining from, generally food, for a spiritual purpose. I say generally because we can also abstain from other things that would be acceptable for a fast, like abstaining from our phones for a period so that we can instead devote that time to the Lord.
· Fasting is meant for everyone.
· Romans 12:1 “ to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”
· When our heart is right, so our motives to fast, are genuine, fasting is a source of release
· Listed 13 actions produced by fasting, such as breakthrough
· Fasting is a powerful weapon. The enemy doesn’t want us to fast.
· Matthew 6:16, discussing being discreet about fasting
· The obstacles of fasting: self-control, doubt, discouragement, selfish desires, rebellion, don’t forget about pride.
· I consider fasting as if I am sowing into my relationship with the Lord.
· You can fast for breakthrough or whatever your specific petition is for yourself. You can fast for an outcome for someone else like healing or a job. You can fast for your church. You can fast for an event, so the outcome is what the Lord wants. You can fast for a list of things.
· You can tailor them to your schedule.
· There are 4 basic types of fasts.
1. Complete Fast: no food no water, this should be rare and dr approved
2. Normal fast: no food, just liquids
3. Partial fast: no meat, only veggies, or time dictated
4. Custom fast: no coffee, no soda, one meal, easier for people with health concerns
· Don’t forget you can do any or all of these with non-food items as well. It just needs to be something that is a sacrifice of some sort so it is authentic.
· It’s not a work, don’t see it as a works-based activity. It’s a heart-based activity where you will receive more back than you will ever give up.
· Commit to putting it on the calendar and decide what kind of fast you are going to do and let Him move in your life
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· If you want to learn more about how to Hear God's Voice, take a look at my book, Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God's Voice. There is also a Study Guide available and two devotionals out based on the Loving Conversations Book. One devotional is for women and one is for men. Those are available on the website www.lovingconversationssalo.com.
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I have enjoyed our time this week and look forward to spending time with you again next week!
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