The Call is approaching! I'm SOOOOOO excited that I can barely contain myself. Twenty-four hours of crying out to God with thousands of other believers is going to be an experience I will never forget. My heart's desire is to be that Elijah generation. I want to pray without ceasing. I want to pray until God moves.
In preparation for The Call, we have been asked to fast. However, I realized not many people understand the true purpose of a fast. Honestly, I guess I never knew the extent, until reading Isaiah 58. After reading, it made me realize that I just might have, in the past, done exactly what the prophet tells us NOT to do.
I've decided to break Isaiah 58:1-9 down. In the first part, Israel is crying because they feel as if they worship God all the time but aren't seeing Him move in their circumstances. God is telling them that they act pious.
1 “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!
2 Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!
2 Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
God rebuttals them and explains the wrong reasons for fasting:
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?
God then goes on to explain this is why we should fast:
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
In terms of fasting, we can't just crawl into a corner and pray for things to happen. We need to actively serve. Jesus expected to serve and not be served (Matthew 20:28). So, we should have this same mindset. We need to put our words and thoughts into action, not just sit back and wait for God to move. In order to see the change, we must be the change.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
By following His idea of a fast, this is what will happen:
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
A fast is NOT for pleasure. It is NOT to be done with a horrible attitude. Well, then what really is the purpose of a fast? Fasting is supposed to break the chains of injustice, free the oppressed, cancel debts, etc. It is supposed to bring us closer in our walk with God. We fast to intercede. We fast to see God move in a situation.
Going back to what I originally started this post out with. If you haven't heard of The Call, I suggest you go check it out: The Call. God is going to move mightily. I can't wait to see how He uses us, His people. Be prepared world because there is an army rising up. An army that does not back down. An army that is keen to every move that might be thrown at them. This army is going to fight and this army is going to win!
Going back to what I originally started this post out with. If you haven't heard of The Call, I suggest you go check it out: The Call. God is going to move mightily. I can't wait to see how He uses us, His people. Be prepared world because there is an army rising up. An army that does not back down. An army that is keen to every move that might be thrown at them. This army is going to fight and this army is going to win!
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