Fasting And Modern American Gluttony by Shane Idleman

you I'm talking tonight as you can see in the bulletins there sometimes I like to just keep the notes and not show you so you have no idea what I'm talking about so everybody comes in prepared they've already read everything and I can pretty much sit down but I didn't want to do that because there's a lot of important notes and you can see we're gonna be talking about fast forward experiencing real change for the future and what I like to do once a year usually is talk about a subject that nobody wants to talk about yeah once here I'll try to throw it in there more often and that subject is going to be very relevant and I'm going to tie it in just a minute but I want to recap last week and I was talking about the more I seek him the more I find him the more I seek God the more I find him saying with you the more you seek him the more you find him so if you weren't here last week go on and look at that message we talked about prayer and we would pray better if we live better and we would live better if we pray better you see how that's tied together when I'm living for Christ when my life is being set apart for him I want to pray and when I'm praying I want to live better you get those two things out of order and none of them goes right we don't want to pray we don't want to live right now I also want to be careful because when we talk about holiness and living right and whatever this topic I'm talking about tonight let me throw out a quick word of encouragement God wants us to fall forward I don't want to preach as if we run perfect and you're not and you need to get your life in order we all need to fall forward we all need to be encouraged it's life is like a race with ups and downs and all and all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall and that's really the Christian message is one of surrender and obedience and holiness but also a loving forgiving God who's calling us back to him so I want to be very careful not to forget that point and just beat on this drum of obedience and do this and do this I don't want to forget about God's unfailing grace and forgiveness because I need it every week I need it every day say things I shouldn't have done things I shouldn't have and we need to fall forward into his arms of grace and restoration however if that's all we talk about and we never call people to obedience and to turn from sin and that's disaster so either you become really rigid me or you become a modern-day lukewarm Church talked about the book of Revelation where you have no power nothing no spirituality in your life so just as a word of encouragement don't feel beat up feel encouraged so here's what we're doing obviously you know we're in the book of Matthew we've been there some time and I'm excited we've got our banner back up and we've been talking about giving and praying and fasting do you know that Jesus talks about that often giving and praying and fasting so I just want to put on the brakes it's a new year talk about the power of fasting it's been talked about Matthew but I kind of just skipped over it and I referred you back to a sermon a year ago but I've been convicted ever since you know talked about that talked about that issue that we need to talk about so what is the deal here the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak that's the challenge we like the blessings of Christ but we do not like the obedience to Christ see I love the blessings I read about in the Bible but it's the obedience part that is the difficulty so here we go with fasting and I really believe this is a missing link you know they talk about the missing link between evolution and thing with you'll never find a missing link because there is known none and God created and we know all that but I want to submit to you tonight and I want you to be open and just seek God in this area pray about it but I believe fasting can be that missing link that many people are looking at looking for whether it's a breakthrough financially a restoration or calling the prodigal home or the marriage being restored or healing and it's funny I actually just typed in Google all scriptures dealing with fasting and I couldn't even clued him in the bulletin I couldn't even clean him on your handout I had to go through and delete some there was that many Old Testament New Testament dealing with this issue of fasting so let's read what we kind of skipped over a few weeks back moreover this is Jesus speaking moreover when you fast not if you fast is that interesting jesus said when you fast do not be like the hypocrites with sad continents for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting I surely surely I say to you they have their reward and the reward is these people saying oh gosh I don't they so spiritual Wow look at them Jesus says you got your reward the applause of men and then he goes on to say but when you fast anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting but to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly there's always reward tied to fasting always any time you can neglect the flesh to feed the Spirit there is reward and it's let me just be honest with you tonight I'm gonna say some hard things okay I make no apologies and sometimes in the Christian community we have a lot of cheerleaders but we don't have enough coaches you know the difference cheerleaders just go team you can do it rah rah rah and we need that I need that sometimes on a weekly basis but we also need people to say listen God's Word is clear on these areas here's how it can help you we need to stir and convict you need to get back up in that ring and fight you need to get back up son and start running you need to get up and do this got and coach them and push them you think Mike Tyson had a cheerleader or do you have a coach best athletes that I've ever known didn't have always cheerleaders they had coaches to drive them further and then the cheerleaders obviously to encourage you have to have both but we're seeing this big push towards just cheerleading not offending and not upsetting and if you go and get the ll Valley press today you'll see polar opposites in regard to the articles the one I wrote and the one the Reverend Nancy something wrote there's there's complete different views on who God is and we have to be careful because God is a cheerleader but he's also a coach he wants to encourage us but he also wants us to be the coach and say get up and get back in there you can win this fight you can do this here's what you need to do here's the the blessing of obedience so I'm gonna say some hard things tonight and it's interesting do you know that the most most people who get upset at these types of messages that I'm giving our Christians I get more criticism from Christians than the world and it started dawn on me what is going on here two things either happen I either hurt their pride in their arrogant judgmental Pharisees and calling them to humility and brokenness or they don't like their lifestyle challenged let's be honest do we like our lifestyle challenge unless we're in a position to be humble and teachable we don't like the lifestyle challenge so they say don't challenge my lifestyle don't don't challenge my viewing habits I mean when I came out against Twilight and all that vampire in a cult movies I was hearing from Christians that were upset what why are we on the same page here darkness should not entertain the church there says this pretty crystal clear now of course we've all made choices we shouldn't have we all view things we shouldn't have but Christians are upset at this call to a holier life why because it upsets everything it disturbs everything you're questioning my eating habits you're questioning my drinking habits you're questioning my viewing habits you're questioning everything I'm not questioning I'm just showing you what God's Word says so it's very interesting that this the main group that gets upset is Christians they don't like the deeper life your written off as a fanatical extreme pray for an hour please well the Bible New Testament Christianity would be considered extreme today you realize that right fasting and travailing 120 up in a room for 10 days praying seeking God and then the spirit fell and then there they're speaking this language everybody's confused and they're going out ministering they're dying for their faith they're being martyred they're selling things and giving everything help these people in need that would be extreme today that'd be radical that'd be fanatical but that's biblical Christianity if the person is truly guided by the spirit I'm I'm not okaying all fanaticism and weirdness it happened to you I'm sure you understand that and that's a lot of times my message to pastors and preachers and teachers if we are to leave the church and these dire times we must confront destructive lifestyles not cater to them that's the whole point is to get people to change so spiritual disciplines always have spiritual benefits you realize that to be desperate for more of God one must not only know what the word says but they must apply it we must fully surrender to the one true and living God we must be empty vessels use it the Masters discretion a life totally consumed by God that's really what this whole issue with fasting is about so with that said spiritual disciplines have physical benefits again if you want this information click on on our website the complete sermon notes and it should all be there but I'm gonna quote somebody and I normally don't quote psychologists because you know I just don't but I heard this gentleman I Focus on the Family this week and I had to pull over again and write down some of these things go online and listen to what he was saying because it was amazing and a lot of times and by the way psychologists are bad if they're grounded in Scripture same way a doctor's not bad if the ground in Scripture a chiropractor is not bad if they're grounded in Scripture psychologists that either mind is if actually they're very powerful if they're grounded in Scripture they understand that it's not self-esteem that we need we have a sin nature and so you so all these things so we just need to be careful dr. Archibald Hart is a licensed psychologist certified biofeedback practitioner and board certified in psychopharmacology word I haven't heard before it said this week a former dean of the school psychology heart is now senior professor of psychology at Fuller University I believe I've been heard that they've drifted liberal and I don't know I'm just saying that's what he does now and it's best known for his research on the hazards of ministry depression anxiety divorce stress and sexuality and the reason I'm quoting him so you don't say all shame that's fine you just you know you kind of think that and you know there you go I'm actually these people are authorities on this area he talked about this week an interesting thing many of you know the word oxytocin right it's as powerful hormones when we hug family members we kiss family members the oxytocin levels are driven up and there's increase of joy and peace it's also a neurotransmitter in the brain the hormone plays a huge role in pair bonding bringing couples together this hormone is also greatly stimulated during sex birth breastfeeding all these things so it's this thing god-given chemical that God has given us and when we do certain things it is increased but then he made the parallel with all the digital media today that stimuli kills oxytocin so the kids that should be connecting with their parents hugging are playing video games and being disconnected and dealing with with depression suicide at alarming rates because the very thing then they need is the very thing they're not getting how does this tie into the sermon oh I'm getting there hold on let me you got to kind of put clothes on it before you reveal what it is so too much digital media stimuli kills oxytocin there's little joy there's little peace there's no connection to people now to add insult to injury what happens is cortisol is released and adrenaline is released in response to all of this and those are good things to some degree you know too much of a good thing it can be a bad thing as we know but here's what happens many of you know you know the flight-or-fight thing right we're like in the biblical times or it's just I don't want to say right now but back then you see a lion whoa stress levels raise up right adrenaline is released why so now I have energy now I can get the heck out of Dodge cortisol is also released and that controls the non-essential elements I mean helps to control only the essential elements that are needed so as a result your immune system basically is is in a bad state because all this energy all this reserves now go to fight or flight I need to fight that lion or I need to flight I need to run and our body was not designed to be in that state of stress on a weekly or daily basis so that's what it does in the hypothalamus you know that it releases this this these quarters oldest adrenaline and the stress and we're all stressing and so we're able to deal with this lion Mike my immune system shuts down other non-essential functions shut down so now I can better assess and better deal with this stress the problem is we're putting our bodies now in a constant state of stress on a daily basis through the media through all these things so we're constantly in a state of stress and that's my whole issue with coffee caffeine stimulates all these things you're putting your body in a state of this ongoing so not only does the oxytocin levels decrease the adrenaline and the cortisol increase and then we wonder why all hell is breaking loose because we're going against biblical principles we're not taking care of the one gift God has given us that's how it plays a role here's what happens as a result of all this immune deficiencies anxiety depression tremors panic attacks weight gain poor health memory loss and concentration loss learning problems digestive problems heart disease sleep problems all from too much stress and too much of these talk because when cortisol and adrenaline is released on an ongoing basis it becomes toxic toxic elements in our body and it's not good for us they've done many studies how angry angry people die much earlier because of all that anger and they're holding all these things in so here's the ways to help and that's where I'm gonna tie into the sermon if there's a situation like that there's fight or flight if you're not fighting and you're not leaving all you're doing is sitting your computer for six hours a day and all this stress all those things need to be released so that's the whole point of exercising you're moving or doing something so you can release those things we're not created to sit behind something for six or eight hours and do nothing and just plop down and watch TV all these things are adding to what's going on so there you have two you have there has to be a release for that stress that's taking place the problem as many people are too busy and too stress and there's no time for God there's nothing we're doing too much and the devil loves to keep us stressed out into that high state of stress don't create stressful situations obviously and so I'm leading to this in a minute stimulants we talked about the digital media all these things bring down oxytocin and they increase the things that we do not need now here's the most important connection I'm trying to make with oxytocin cortisol adrenaline they're all affected by a relationship with God they're either heightened or decreased be still and know that I am God wait on me trust on me so as we're doing practicing spiritual disciplines the end result is they actually have physical benefits and that was it with the time he was making so as we apply physical disciplines to our life pray taking care of the body study fasting all these things they actually help these levels these hormone levels in the body they don't hurt them they help them conversely when we don't follow spiritual disciplines and we got get caught up on the rat race what happens everything we're seeing our society today I mean I've got I've got studies I was gonna bring from consumer report that talks about psychiatric drugs are on the rise with little kids just give you gotta get now if somebody needs it you know me I'm hey you know last resort God leads you in that direction that's probably what they're there for but to actually be dispensing these at an alarming rate a kid instead of why don't you start with the 24 ounce diet Pepsi and the McDonald's I mean you know we're let's be honest and I just watch teenagers going to Starbucks they can't be more than 15 ordering a triple mocha this with with an extra shot they're on a high-octane alert they wonder why they're stressed all the time they wonder why there's so much depression confusion they have no time for God they're feeding their body all these things that pull away from him that's just biblical truth in the even in the secular field it will show you that these things are not good for the body so fasting and spiritual disciplines foster a deeper relationship with God and thus increases joy and peace and comfort did you catch that fasting in spiritual disciplines they actually foster a deeper relationship with God and they increased joy and peace and comfort they are a byproduct of a right relationship with God not all the time I'm not suggesting as so many suffers with depression they might not be right with God Paul suffered from depression from my favorite preacher suffered with it but what I'm saying is that deeper relationship with God can help in all these areas but here's the problem this where I'm getting into fasting and I was a little long introduction the flesh is in rebellion to God we don't like to hear that but I'm here to tell you your flesh my flesh is in rebellion with God do you ever hurt you ever heard that saying that we're at war with the flesh the devil in the world you ever heard that that's that's really what you have to watch out for your own flesh what's in me is my worst enemy and I've got the enemy the devil and then I've got the world well how does it all work well I thought about this this week and this when I came up with the flesh it's in me I want it the devil presents the bait often and the world affirms it so your your the flesh is in me the devil brings somebody or something into your life that ought not be and the flesh wants it the devil brings the opportunity in the world says it's no big deal come on everybody's doing it and we fall right in that's how it worked he the the enemy to meet enemies been studying you many many many centuries and and on going he's a he knows exactly what will it take to take us down the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye in the pride of life those three areas so he already use what's in you and then he'll present the bait sometimes he doesn't have to present it will just run into it and then the world affirms in by what we watch what we listen to look everybody's doing it Miley Cyrus gets praises duck dynasty gets almost canceled just that in and of itself should show you how sick and perverted our culture is little Disney girl now doing god knows what is applauded always wonderful coming of age but really and then I mean it says if we flipped now you know what the Prophet said woe be to that nation who calls good evil and evil good because that is a nation and a people who's lost their moral compass untried and here's where I'm tying impact by fasting it's always good to to get a first service out of the way then I know where I need to cut corners at the second or edit or add that's why I have this unbridled but that can be kind of good too because by the time we get to the second service it's like I do this again but I'm actually kidding because I love to do this I do three services and to tomorrow if we could better be careful what I say because that could happen someday unbridled passions here this hear me out unbridled passions are perversions they need to be crucified not coddled Peter said beloved I urge you can you see can you see Peter saying this I urge you sometimes we think he's just a monotone man Charlie Brown he's saying I urge you as sojourners and exiles it means you're not from this world you're from the your children of God of staying from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul so when we don't put these passions in check we give fuel to the enemy we give we can we feed that that fire that we shouldn't be feeding so that's the whole point of fasting now hopefully I can get in the actual message and as you know King stomach is a dictator within right king stomach is a dictator within if you didn't know that I'm telling you right now and actually borrowed it from Jennison Franklin he wrote a good book on fasting if you want more information on this that's a good book to pick up and it ties right in with for many years you've heard about the severe seven right that the church is always against wrath greed sloth pride lust Envy and gluttony and that is like a court I picked up in the past a church preached on gluttony today we practice it tollis can be out sermon food though is a wonderful servant but a terrible master please understand it's a wonderful servant a terrible master as master it decreases our spiritual appetite and weakens us spiritually that's why Paul said I discipline my body and I bring it into subjection I I discipline my body we have it sometimes the reverse my body's telling me what to it's gonna tell me where to drive right after I leave here I got to go there I got to go it's gonna tell me in and out burger and then tomorrow it's gonna tell me this and I got to get a drink I got to get a beer I got to get a smoke I got to get it just dry it really leads us it's like okay come on where do you want to go well I need to go here and this spot and I need to go and our flesh just leads us at some point you got to say no I'm in control of you you're not in control of me I discipline my body you don't tell me what to do flesh I tell you what to do and we're submitting under the rule and reign of God is that easy oh no as a person who's had a problem with food and continues to have a problem with food I was 270 pounds borderline hypoglycemia denied life insurance my doctor says you're not gonna make it to see 40 unless you do something I'm in my 20s and he's telling me this so I know it's a struggle but I also know when you overcome it the benefits that are amazing absolutely amazing I had her I had to read this quote I kept going back and forth but I read some of the early church fathers and his name is flocks anise there you go 5th century look at what he says you guys think I'm a hardcore listen to this although all the evil passions of the lust are abominated and detested by the Word of God the filthy Passion of the lust of the belly is more abominated and detested than they all it darken if the mind for it stinks with filthy passions and is the door of all wickedness whenever it has power like a great wide open door it is open for the entrance of all abominable things wow this guy really was going after gluttony and food wasn't he but then I came across the story that I read exactly a year ago on this day January 4th Saturday and I said I've got to put that my note so I added this morning and some of you will remember and even if you were here it's a good reminder of Thomas constantly constants history the three Edwards and he describes a life of her in all the third a fourth century Duke in what is now Belgium listen to this grossly overweight Renauld was commonly called by his Latin name Crassus which means fat at this point let me interject I have nothing but compassion for people who struggle in this area being one of those and I wrote a diet book on that for people to help them so I'm not being facetious I'm not being judging because I this was an area I struggled with in my earlier years and actually I was in my year book at that at Bethel Baptist I think I still haven't said stuffed pig I had an apple in my mouth and they were pulling me on a yeah I broke my leg and I was in a little what is those things you pull around they're wet red wagon is red wagon so I had app on my mouth and the caption in the yearbook is stuffed pig how you gonna live that one down when you're 12 so I have nothing so that's probably why I got the K I'll show these guys bench prints and 400 pounds and you know I'm getting a body building so I went the opposite direction you got to find the balance so anyway with that said I just want to make that point when this goes out to radio or video I have nothing but compassion for those who struggle in this area because I'm a fellow struggler and if it's not careful I've consumed too much after a violent quarrel Reynolds younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him Edward was captured remember he's this overweight guy Edward was captured he Edward captured Renault but did not kill him instead he built a room around Renauld in the newer castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room so he put him in this room built a room around it they were built they built a wall around this council um this is all history books you can check it out this would not have been too difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door that was near normal size and none of it was locked or barred the problem was Renault sized to regain his freedom he needed to lose wait but Edward knew his older brother and each day he sent him a variety of delicious foods lust of the flesh the king within right the king stomach instead of dieting his way out of prison he actually grew larger when Duke Edward was accused of cruelty he had a ready answer my brother is not a prisoner he may leave whenever he so wills Reynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn't released until after Edward died in battle by then his health was so ruined he died within a year a prisoner of his own appetite and I started to think that's true we can become prisoners of our own appetite I remember my 20s when I was living the party lifestyle where I went to dinner had to have the right beer where I went to a friend's house had to have the right food Carl's jr. Taco Bell McDonald all those things just drove me I'm hungry I got to go it's like they're calling they're driving me who's driving this vehicle they are the the the the the King stomach is the dictator within he pulls us in a direction so it's good to say no that's the whole point one of the points of fasting is to tell the flesh no so he can be felt the Spirit of God is it not it Wow fasting - throws the dictator within if there isn't discipline in this area chances are good that there's not disciplines in other areas if somebody's not disciplined in this area there's a good chance that they're not disciplined in other areas because the belly the stomach all that if everything flows from how well we can control the body again a point of clarification I don't believe it's all up to me and willpower is the answer but as I submit to what God's Word says and fill with the spirit then he changes us he transforms us it's his work it's his job to change me but my job is obedience to what the word is saying you see the the marriage there the union again I want to encourage people to fall forward and if you're being discouraged right now be very encouraged because the whole point is fall forward and to get back on track that's why I give them I don't give them messages knowing that everybody's living a perfect life I give them messages saying hey we all need help God can you bring some insight into our lives through the Word of God we can't talk about a powerful prayer life and seeking God without discussing fasting did you catch yet we cannot talk about a powerful prayer life and seeking God without discussing fasting and at least some form here's what happens one day fast God's will becomes very clear or clearer than before well how does that happen well let me tell you prayer changes from self focused to God focus folk fasting opens the eyes of our understanding and that's why we receive what I mean by that is a lot of times you know the Bible I talked about ask and you'll receive James Peter ask you'll receive jesus had asked and you'll receive well what why is this not happening for a lot of people Lord I want that please at $80,000 BMW that just came out it's got I don't know what it's got it's got everything and that house up there that house up there on quartz Hill Mountain it's not quite yet finished Lord I know it's 18,000 square feet but I can make that work Lord I use it for ministry half the time Laura can you just get to my 401k Lord I need to explode so I can retire at an early age and not do anything for the kingdom I can just retire and sit there and drink margaritas on the beach look you see how the exact answering those prayers oh you haven't prayed those prayers before I haven't prayed any of those three so you just rest assured but as we're fasting and as we're giving ourselves to God and being filled the Spirit of God my whole life prayer changes Lord Lord just bring a vehicle into my life that's gonna run for the next five years Lord open some kind of door so I can just get this truck that might neighbor selling and and Lord that that how I just want a house for my kids and wife can be safe soul or whatever you want put me in the area you want me to be in Lord I don't want that drink on the beach in that margarita Lord I want to sit in the presence and power of God and operate in the anointing learn what are you gonna have me do until my last breath oh I see it Lord pray for that door to open or bring finances for missionaries or bring finances so I can write a book and get that see the he that you received those because they're of God that you're filling your mind with the things of God so he plants his spirit in you the world might say oh that's weird chain well the Bible says that our thoughts come from God as we submit to him you see how everything changes based on fasting I thought I might need this last week I lost my voice second service just about so I'm not hoping that doesn't happen today here's what else happens stagnation turns into flowing waters is anybody stagnant in their prayer life or the spiritual out spirituality right now you're wondering where's God out I'm just going through the motions I had to drag myself to church I put on the radio look just okay today's reading is here and but it's I'm just dead I'm just stagnant I'm just dead as a doornail I need help fasting breaks that in a heartbeat and rivers of living water flow out of that it breaks that stagnation up I can't explain it how but I know it does it the mind becomes uncluttered and focused any time we fast the mind becomes uncluttered and focused you understand that right when you remove food out of your daily life your mind the clutter in your mind there's energy there's a renewed sense of peace and and following God there's ups and downs of course but it seems to bring a lot of clarity and powerful spiritual life occurs I believe there's a supernatural release when people fast things that normally wouldn't happen praying for this is how you can tilt those things in your favor you know take that the wrong way I'm not talking about manipulating God he's on a genie in a bottle okay here's my three wishes because all fasting does you're saying Lord I'm denying myself Romans twelve present your bodies as living sacrifices unto God what is your reasonable service Lord I'm giving myself to you I'm fasting from these things I'm Lord every time I think of food I'm thinking of you and then you start to you start to be fill at the Spirit of God and you're making decisions that honor him okay for those who are skeptical about fasting and Oprah opening up doors Moses received the Word of God mount cyanide after fasting King Jehoshaphat experienced victory after fasting s to receive protection after fasting Elijah was restored in the cave after fasting Daniel experiences supernatural after fasting Ezra received direction on rebuilding the wall I'm sorry the Temple of Jerusalem after fasting Nehemiah was strengthened before he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem thing before the king went my place and my father's tombs lies in waste I fasted and wept for three days Joel offered the cure for judgment to the people of God after fasting and fasting was the cure Jesus was empowered after fasting Paul was called after three days of fasting Peter received confirmation after fasting Cornelius and his whole household will save after he was fasting and that's just off the top of my head two scriptures that's why I included in your thing scriptural support it's all over the place what do you do with all that he can't just say well they just threw they just talked about fasting just because no it opens a supernatural release of something extra happened something there's a difference there Jia why would Jesus Christ himself have to fast think about that why would Jesus have to fast about ties in the Jordan River John the Baptist says I'm not going to baptize you he says oh yes you are that it suffered so that all righteousness might be fulfilled he baptizes him the Spirit of God descends as a dove not a dove as a dove upon him he goes into the wilderness letter the spirit leads him in the wilderness and there he fasts for forty days he doesn't come out a weak man he comes out the Bible's crystal-clear and Jesus comes out in the spirit of God filled with the Spirit of God the anointing of God is on his life Jesus goes from obscurity now to notoriety nobody knows who he is now these two talk to the town he's a talk to the nation he's curing he's releasing he's preaching because it all started with fasting he felt the Spirit of God it a difference at the risk of losing my reward I hope I don't but I've been doing it now since last January every usually most ninety percent of time every Saturday distilled water only and I can tell a big difference people said the sermons that the church feels more alive because it's been that fasting distill but it's all I'm having all day long and what saying hahaha it's very hard it's very difficult around 10:00 it's hard around 2:00 it's hard it's gonna be hard right after this first service but you just you submit to God and allow the spirit to fill you and then there's clarity there's unction there's anointing there's a difference because I'm banging the Word of God not in human not in pride and arrogance saying ha ha but saying I have to do this I have to pray I have to fast I have to get up early because I know what's in me and in me no good thing dwells in case you haven't figured out in you no good thing dwells so how do we fight that no good thing that dwells you starve it to death you starved the flesh when you fast addictions even bout the foot of the cross I've heard of men that have no sexual urges while they're fasting their addiction to pornography is gone there all these that why because you're killing the flesh you're killing the very thing they sent to destroy you remember what does the flesh they feed me so I can destroy you now let's go right back to that with food is a wonderful servant but a terrible master so let's not tilt this in the wrong direction there's nothing wrong with God given food he created it and on that note let me encourage you to consume god-given food not in food made in a factory by man which a bunch of junk and a bunch of garbage it does nothing for the one body that God has given you it actually I don't know why we're not experiencing more more health issues and things because we're not feeding our body what it needs to fight the things so do you know that all of us in this room have cancer and we have cancer cells I do they just don't show up in a test until they're over a billion or so I believe we're all fighting it we're fighting it so god-given foods when you hear the words like probiotics antioxidants flavonoids all these things it's just it's just good god-given food that he said here take the life of the food so it can feed the body against disease take the life of the food so you have the pomegranate you have the fish you have the steamed vegetables you have all this stuff that feeds the body what it needs you go through a drive-thru Carl's jr. I know they're not gonna I'm gonna maybe get an email from them but a 1200 calorie Western double cheeseburger is gonna cause a lot of harm not a lot of good I love those but it's been many years since I've had one it's not good to talk about it when you're talking about fasting but you all hear what I'm saying right we have this billion islanding you put a price tag on a human body this intricate machinery that scientists any scientist worth their salt will tell you we know nothing about how can to a sperm a come together form now you have this little chromazone all these little cells are dividing now it's a little tiny child now that child is developing heart and lungs and liver and limbs and then they want to abort it that's a whole nother thing don't get me start on that one but then the baby's growing and it's it's it's maturing and then now at the the mental thinking where does the mind come into play when does it develop a brain and now it has now it has a moral code on itself even there's a little baby there they're hell-bent on being bad no no no who puts a small code on my kids know when they've done bad and they don't even know about it yet who put this moral code in their heart and on their minds where did all this come from this this it's it's so well designed it's amazing if you look at the human body in kinetic you're studying you know can biochemistry and all these things that I took some of the courses just looking through National Academy of Sports Medicine books and you look at the the bone structure the skeletal structure the nerve structure how it all you're like this is absolutely mind-boggling amazing it screams creator there isn't there is no way on the face of the earth that nothing became this it's impossible it's improbable it takes more faith to believe that so God gives us exactly what we need to run this body more efficiently we don't need to be taking two naps a day and begin grumpy at 6 o'clock because we didn't have her latte we don't need to yell at people because of we didn't get this and we didn't get that we're bought our body has been given by God to consume life-giving food not dead food in a factory and I've seen so many people turn around diabetes and depression and high cholesterol by just feeding the body what it needs not what it wants you see the difference there and yeah it's a struggle it's gonna be a big struggle for the rest of your life I would even if some if you when I say when people get off of diet drinks and sodas and all these stimulants they are new people because what is your stimulant doing it's putting you in that fight and flight again just like you can counter to lyin so I encounter the lion right my body goes into this fight and flight when we take the stimulants in that's what your body does right when it gets there you're on high octane you got to keep moving you can't sit down you got to go go go go go got to get things done we're so busy that we're hurting ourselves because of it you pay your you're paying what's the saying pay Potter P pay Peter to rob Pauling or this there's another saying you pay now or you pay later either way you're gonna pay you pay now by discipline and obedience to God's Word or you pay later by saying I wish I would have either way there's a cost to pay moses king jehoshaphat esther elisha daniel ezra nehemiah joel jesus paul Peter Cornelius the battle is not yours but gods now wonder if we're praying for things we're fighting in the spiritual realm the battle is not yours and it's not mine so I don't want to give you the impression the battle is God's right we're fighting from a position of victory the battle is God so use the Arsenal use the arsenal he's given us a lot of times we go into battle unarmed unprepared and untrained devil take your best shot I'm wide open I don't have any idea how to defend myself so just go for it and that's what happens and people are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired I've been praying for years and nothing seems to happen I've it's time to take action saying that God won't bless prayers of those who aren't fasting because he's gracious and forgiving but sometimes we need to just sit back and fast and take take authority and what I'm trying to say there is people are sick and tired of their prayers not getting answered they're sick and tired of praying for things that aren't happening they're sick and tired of dying spiritually on the vine they're sick and tired of not having a passion for the Word of God they're sick and tired of not wanting to go to church all the time they're sick and tired of not really worshiping God they're loving the world more than things that God they're sick and tired of that so to break that to break that monotony you've got to fast and you've got to pull the body back into submission submission to God see I don't know about you but I don't want a little communion cup full of God let the water flow let me jump in the swimming pool I'm good I don't want this thing you ever been thirsty and try to drink out of this it's not fun sometimes we do communion I'm actually thirsty I'm like god I need about seven more of those things but this what we do this how much of God we want and how much of God you want is how much of God you're going to get I don't want the communion cup Lord what you feel pour the Bible says pour out on the dry land let the floods come Lord pull out pour out on this dry and barren land pour out on my dry and barren soul Lord would you refresh me would you revive me these streams of living water that Christ spoke about I want that and a lot of the times that's only going to come by come out by prayer and fasting oh didn't Jesus say something about that Jesus why can't we cure this demonic son this demon keeps taking him over and throwing him around why couldn't we cast him out jesus said this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting now theologians are divided some manuscripts it's in some manuscripts it's not but if you look at mark and I believe you look at the other time it occurs in the gospel it's it's it's very clear that there are some things some strongholds that are hard to get rid of very hard to get rid of they want to hold on for dear life I'm gonna give you a confession this might come back to bite me in the butt sometimes it might not tell the second service so just be glad you came the first service but you know the hardest thing in my life to break since I was born the hardest thing in my entire life to break nobody could probably guess it coffee hardest thing I've tried for years and it keeps come on come on and I can tell difference because it makes me angry it makes me aggressive it makes me moody it makes me irritated it makes me not fun to be around and the devil loves that oh yeah I might not get that boy to cheat on his wife but I'll get him to yell at her right and it just been it's hard so fasting what it does now the addiction is gone because it has to bow to the foot of the cross and then every couple months it wants to come back again usually when I'm having a slow day I've had enough sleep can I just need that little adrenaline rush we call it Christian crack is really what it is but it was the hardest thing to ever but it's like it had it had a it had me bound try it just try two days without it you'll see this little diamond doesn't want to leave easy start to smell it everywhere where he go so I guy has to have it in the morning if you have to have something it's called addiction if you have to have something it's called addiction if you can't go without it's called addiction and how it would mess me up is I would get my addiction sit down to study the Bible and I couldn't sit and study the Bible because I was too irritated and agitated and and or I was too high to get stuff done I get a can't consider can't read we got to hurry up and do this and I couldn't just couldn't sit still why because I got 250 milligrams of caffeine pumping through my system at 4:00 in the morning and it was very hard to break that it wanted to just hold me now am I saying coffees of the devil course not I'm just trying to show you how even these little foxes can spoil the vine how some things that we might think are fine aren't and there are those who can enjoy a cup now and then and great I'm glad I wish I wish I could probably can in the future but if holds me in the wrong direction think about it if something makes you angry and upset and irritated and moody and anxious that's not a good thing that's not filled with the Spirit of God that's the opposite of being filled the Spirit of God so what fasting does nobody think I upset a lot of people you don't look too happy about that confession conviction must be setting in any way the scriptural support you have all the scriptural support for fasting you need and when they had ordained then we look at acts 14 and when they had ordained them elders in every Church and prayed with fasting acts 13 and they fast and the Holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work that I've called them Esther go and call a fast Nehemiah fast first Corinthians 7:5 don't defraud one another except with consent for a time that you mean gate you may give yourself to fasting and prayer that's a hard Scripture Paul saying don't have sex and while you're not having sex fast nobody's teach on that one very often not only can I have sex you got to go in fast now but he's saying what the whole context is I don't know I'm on the subject defraud G not the other meaning your body is not yours and her body's not hers you're given two mutually except when it's time to fast because why because you're fighting the flesh you're fighting the desires of the flesh sexually physically I'm all these things the body's because it's a call out from those things Luke 237 Joel Psalms 30:5 I mean just goes on and on and on now let me throw out some physic oh goodness second server's gonna start in 10 minutes well guess what if you want to hear the rest go on a fast and stick around wow I'm not gonna go finish this let's do the fast-forward of version there's physical limitations obviously get a disclaimer check with your doctor remember but let me go through like that like a car car sales commercial anyway but honestly check with a physician before you start a fasters lots of different kind there's a Daniel Faust it sounds great right now it doesn't yea fruit and vegetables I'm that sounds good come tomorrow morning oh my lord it sounds terrible what did I commit to do and then guess what happens I'll start tomorrow and that tomorrow becomes next week and tomorrow become next week becomes next month I've got a hard day every time I start to fathom I haven't in 2004 little kids there's a little cheesy crackers all around there then sir throne there's no way I'm gonna thousands for little kids but next week when I go on a break or something and we have all these excuses some are valid don't get me wrong but I don't want to go on a fast if you've got a hard labour job or something but talk with your physician I'm and there's benefits I can't get to how to fast I can't get to let me just say this to be in closing the beauty of fasting is that it draws us closer to God are you willing to do what it takes to truly know God this is the price that many are not willing to pay sure read that over again the beauty of fasting is that it draws us closer to God I mean just example as I was fasting I already I already finished I think the Easter sermon I don't know how that happened but God just be good pointing in my heart Easter sermon is pretty much halfway done because it's perfect end is just how it works and prayer is being answer some prayers I can't even discuss that tonight that are being answered because of prayer and fasting and that's why I don't understand if somebody has a prodigal son they're their 19 year old daughter is living on the streets or out in Hollywood and they don't know where they're at and I say have you ever fasted no it's kind of difficult it's kind of difficult your daughters on drugs in the streets of Hollywood it's kind of difficult see this mentality we have it's not about us jaesi Ryle noted I'll close with this holiness will cost a man his sins he must willing to he must be willing to give up every habit and practice which is wrong in God's sight there must be no separate truce with any special sin which he loves our sins are often as dear to us as our children we love them we hug them we cleave to them and delight in them to part with them as as hard as cutting off hand or plucking out a right eye but it must be done the parting must come and that's a whole point of fasting is your consecrating yourself Joel said consecrate a fast call a sacred assembly gather the elders and the habitants of the land into the house of God and cry out to the Lord God for mercy say well shame that's powerful you know you don't even know the half of it Joel is writing at a time where the consuming locust what he didn't consume the other locusts consumed the crawling locusts the consuming locusts the chewing locusts devoured the entire land so what's Joel's answer sound the alarm call a fast call the people together it's time to fast and seek God it's a position of humility and brokenness and I believe that's what he calls us to as well you

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Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Shane Idleman

Id: eAg8VTcl4VQ

Length: 52min 23sec (3143 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 15 2014