Jesus taught his disciples the method of fasting in which they would gain the most from their sacrifice.
Mt 6:16 Fasting for Success
“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Many Christians have read this scripture and only seen the part about doing your fasting in “Secret”, and missed the most important point. God wants to reward good behavior and that include fasting.
If no one shares about their fasting practice and experience, before you know it, we have lost the practice of fasting along with the benefit of God rewarding us. This is what happens when we read the letter of the law and miss the spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us to apply the word and therefore get blessed!
God is looking to reward those who position themselves to be blessed. We do so by reading the word and asking the Holy Spirit to help us apply what we have understood. Our choice to apply and His power to implement.
The enemy wants us to read the word and then feel that’s enough. It’s not enough! Without the application we don’t gain the reward the Father wishes to bestow, namely His grace to be more than Conquerors ( Romans 8:28) How evil is Satan’s counsel to get us to deny ourselves and then miss the Fathers heart to bless. All this does is make us think God doesn’t care so why should we. The enemy loves to distort the word of God and make God look like he is unloving and unfair.
If we do our fasting to minimize the noise around us, the Holy Spirit will have the liberty to speak to use words of life. To bring us into the Father’s embrace and discover the warmth of the Father’s love. Make no mistake, the Father wants to pour out His grace abundantly, more than we can ask or think.
As this is day 3 of our corporate fast, embrace the promise of God’s reward. Don’t give into your flesh telling you to give up and feed your face. Determine to lead your own soul to love God more than food or pleasure.
Loving the journey we have chosen!
Pastor Dale
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