Dive into a transformative journey as Pastor Guy shares personal experiences with fasting, prayer, and encounters with unexpected teachings on spiritual authority. Explore the dynamics of effective prayer, understanding the power of authority in Jesus’ name, and the impact of spiritual mentorship. Uncover the keys to unlocking spiritual growth and the role of humility and fasting in experiencing God’s grace. Join us in this insightful exploration of faith and empowerment
I just concluded my 3D I had a 3-day I’ve been on a 3day water only fast water coffee uh too much coffee you had to be careful when you’re fast uh and and uh and tea uh decaffinated tea for 3 days I’ve been I’ve been I’m not doing that I’m not
Telling you that to impress you I’m telling you to just say that I’ve I’ve been fasting on and off for years and more off lately than on and uh I figured out there’s a reason why I don’t like it I don’t like it when I fast and so
That’s why I don’t like to teach about it I don’t like to do it I don’t like to mention it and while I was in my fast this happened to me so to get my mind mind off of how hungry I was you know I
Get in the word and that works by the way you can open the Bible when you’re in the middle of a fast when you really feel real hunger pains if you’ll get in the word uh you’ll feel those hunger pains dissipate it’s an amazing thing
Really I mean it really is a it’s a spiritual thing is what it is or you can watch YouTube I mean either one YouTube doesn’t work as well but I have these guys I like to watch they’re called the Perkins Builders Brothers they’re they’re crazy nuts they build cabins and
Mountains and I I used to be a carpenter so I I’m kind of fascinated with they got a small crew and I don’t think any of them are saved by the way I’m praying for them because they do some things on there it’s not x-rated but it’s a strong
R anyway but uh they you know they’re like construction guys they laugh and joke and the thing I’m attracted to I figured out about them so much is is they love to work they love being with each other they make work fun they mess up they laugh at each other you know
That’s the way we ought to live our life when we mess up we ought to be able to laugh about it and just keep going huh so I watch them all the time and I was watching them and uh uh trying to deal with my hunger
Pains and so you know after you watch something like that then then YouTube pops up a suggestion for the next video for you to watch it’s pretty cool so if you’re and there in they’re like you know a concrete guy might come up next or a plumber or you know something like
That so I’m watching them the video is over and I’m not paying attention and all of a sudden here po pop up a teaching by Derek Prince on fasting what’s that got to do with building it popped up on my computer I’m just telling you now I want to tell you
Right now Google is not that spiritual they’re not smart enough to figure that out I believe God can even use Google amen do you believe that if you do say amen and so I thought Derek Prince was a mentor to my mentor and he was a very powerful member of the charismatic
Movement a famous man of God and I’ve got his books and I’ve read them and heard stories about him um all my ever since Jim and I have known each each other and so I thought well it’s old it’s an old one it’s an old you know the
Video is not very good but I thought I better watch it that maybe God was trying to tell me something and I did watch it and I was shocked I guess at how inept my teaching on fasting has been because when he taught about the power of fasting I realized I
Knew all that stuff but I asked the Lord I said why don’t I why don’t I teach on fasting more he says you don’t like to do it and so you don’t teach on things you don’t like to do that’s the problem with the church can I get a witness out
Of somebody we all teach feel-good messages all the time because they don’t cause us any personal you know consternation and all that and the truth of the matter is after watching Dr D brother brother Prince’s teaching on fasting I was like man this I got I know
The Lord’s speaking to me so the Lord took me to a message on prayer and effective prayer and I want to share that with you we’re talking about keys to effective prayer I want you you to turn to to Matthew chapter 17 starting in verse
14 my God I is blessed the reading word Lord we just ask you to make it a living in our hearts in Jesus name strengthen Us by your word and your spirit working together and and make us into who you want us to be it’s in Jesus name I pray
Let’s stand for the reading of the word starting in verse Matthew 17 starting in verse 14 and when they had come to the multitude a man came to him kneeling down to him and he saying Lord have mercy on my son for he is an epileptic and suffers severely for he often falls
Into fire and off and into the water so I brought him to your disciples but they couldn’t cure him and then Jesus is answered and he said oh faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I bear with you bring him
To me and Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him and the child was Cur was cured from that very hour and then Jesus came to and then the disciples came to Jesus privately and they said why couldn’t we cast it out and Jesus said to them because of your
Unbelief because of your unbelief for ass surely I say to you if you had Faith as a mustard seed and you say to this mountain move from here to there it will move and nothing will be impossible for you however this kind does not go out
Except by prayer and fasting may God add his Blessing to the reading of the word you may be seated now if your Bible did not have that verse 21 that I just read however this one comes out except by prayer and fasting then see you have a
Problem you need to check what version of Bible you’re Consulting because you can’t edit the words of Jesus and I know there’s some some and so if if you don’t could you see could you see the 20th century Church where nobody’s teaching on fasting boy they would get rid of that
Scripture in a hurry amen cuz nobody wants wants to have to teach about this but the Lord convicted me and he said if you want to have power if your prayers is going to be powerful there’s three things you’re going to have to start to
Teach and so I’m here to make up for my deficiency in the past and I want to teach you about the keys to effective prayer and here’s number one you got to have authority and you have to be authorized and you have to understand how this principle works and you got to
Live your life by it in Jesus name that’s how we pray and then we say in Jesus name do we know what we’re saying do we understand what we’re saying you see when Jesus came originally he was not the name above every name he was just a third member of the Trinity uh
Turn to Philippians chapter 2: 8 and 10 and we’ll put it up on the screen and it talks about Jesus said and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on the cross therefore God has also highly exalted
Him and given him the name which is above every name that is the name of Jesus that the at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on Earth and those under the Earth and here’s what that scripture is telling you that when Jesus came he was
Just a third member of the Trinity but because of his obedience to the point of death on the cross he became the name above every name now what does that mean does that mean he had the coolest name thank you no it doesn’t mean he had the coolest name it’s not about
Identification it’s about Authority when the Bible says talks about in the name of it’s talking about by The Authority or the authorization and I found Christians have totally lost this concept somehow because by Nature we’re especially the American church is a rebellious Bunch we’re independent We inherited
That man I’m a descendant of the Pioneers my grandmother came in a covered wagon and lived in Summerfield Texas in a Dugout in 1903 they were tough and they were independent and you didn’t tell them what to do and they sure didn’t let no preacher tell them what to do Hallelujah come on
Somebody but the reality is is if we don’t understand how this principle of authority works we never walk in the power that God has for us because it’s I can’t sell you Chevrolet parts listen if you got a Chevrolet pickup and you need to buy some parts for it and you come to
Me to buy parts if I’m not an authorized Chevrolet dealer I can look like a Chevrolet dealer I can have cars on the lot I can have all the stuff but I don’t have the real thing because I’m not an authorized dealer Christians a lot of Christians who in Rebellion to Spiritual Authority
Go around praying for miracles believing for miracles and nothing happens and they lose their faith it’s not because God doesn’t want to do it it’s because you ain’t an authorized dealer come on somebody are you with me the way you get in Authority is you walk submitted to Authority it becomes your
Lifestyle this is what I learned from my mentor brother Jim if I go to president to the president of Mexico and I I say I stop I want you to stop the immigration you’re letting them come through your country they’re ruining our country and
We got too many of them and I want you to stop it as a citizen of the State of Texas I come and command that you stop allowing immigration across Mexico what does he do throws me in jail but if I go in the name of someone who’s important
As their Emissary now I have authority and now he says okay well I’ll do that this is what Christians don’t understand you can’t be in Rebellion running around slinging Devils around what the devil says and he just laughs at you cuz you’re not you don’t understand the principles of
Authorization you want to be a shevy dealer in GM don’t even know who you are does this make sense so in Luke 4: 5-7 how did the devil the devil ended up how did he end up with all of the authority over the Earth this is the
Other thing we we don’t understand the process of authority and how it was delegated who had Authority on over the Earth originally Adam God said in Genesis I give you dominion over the Earth but the devil ended up with it here I’m going to prove this to you Luke
4: 5 and seven when Jesus was fasting by the way and the devil knew that he was about to be a real threat because he had he would be in strengthened through fasting and he offered tried to bribe him in Luke 4: 5-7 then the devil took
Jesus up on a high mountain and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and the devil said to him all this Authority will be I will give to you and their glory for this has been delivered say delivered for this
Has been delivered to me and I give it to whoever I wish therefore if you will worship me all will be yours notice that he said it had been delivered to him so it was not in Jesus’s possession it had been delivered to the devil how was it
Delivered because it belonged to Adam originally Al God gave adam dominion and Adam lost it in the garden to De the devil and the devil took Dominion so what happens what’s the result of that the will of God does not manifest itself in a world that’s hostile to
Him well if God were real why do children suffer if God were really God and he was really benevolent why would a baby have cancer it’s because he’s not in charge if he were in charge there would be no babies with cancer can you can I
Get a witness out of somebody well who’s in charge I just read you the scripture the devil how did the devil get in charge Adam sned in the garden and the devil took Adam’s authority over the Earth and he’s created a mess the world systems are essentially in their basic nature
Demonic and it was after the cross that Jesus became then the name above every name he earned it he earned the name above he he earned the ultimate Authority and he wants you to understand that he earned it he earned it for what for you what’s his plan what’s his plan
To do away with this darkness and these demonic kingdoms and things that have showed up everywhere what’s his plan you’re the plan you’re the plan how’s that how am I the plan he won the authority and then he imparted it to you when you pray do you believe what
You say when you say in jesus’ name be healed in Jesus name do you know what that means that means that you’ve been authorized you’re an authorized dealer of the anointing of God and when you lay hands on a baby and say be healed in Jesus name you speak to
The cells in that child’s body and you command it to be healed cuz you have the authority and if you don’t start walking in your Authority the devil is going to keep you blinded and he’s going to continue to run off with the world if you believe that say
Amen Christians have got to stand up and they got to say I’m taking a stand what on the name above every name okay CU I have authority so I speak to my marriage and I command the devil to leave it amen I speak to those signs and I command him to burn up
Spontaneously that may not be the will of God that’s the other part we got to get to anyway Mark 16 17 and 18 and these signs will follow those who believe in my name they will cast out demons they will speak in new tongues they will take
Serpents and and if they drink anything they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will no means hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover does that mean that everybody you pray for is going to get better no
Guess what I hate to break the news to you but we’re all going to die sooner or later my mother is very close to death we have prayed for her laid hands on her prayed in tongues done all of that she’s ready see they got to be willing
They got to be willing and I’m and I’m ready for her I’m ready for her so don’t get but I don’t think it’s God’s will that a baby be born with cancer do you think that’s God’s will I don’t think there’s anything about that God’s will so now
Here’s me an area that I can take a stand on and I could know that’s not of God therefore I stand against it is this making sense to you here’s what this is saying you’ll eradicate the devil from your communities and your institutions you have authority over him you’ll walk in
Spiritual gifts you’ll confront and eliminate demonic strongholds when you come across them that’s what it means by taking up serpents you’ll demonstrate a supernatural ability to overcome even lethal things you will overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit you’ll heal the Sick by the laying on of hands in other
Words you’ll disrupt the status quo you disrupt the status quo by The Authority that you walk in when you stand on it in faith but the will of God is the kingdom of God only manifest where the will of God is preeminent what does that mean whenever the disciples asked Jesus
How shall we pray teach us how to pray and in Matthew 6 9-11 he said in this manner therefore pray Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as is in heaven what’s that mean what
That means is wherever the will of God is the most important thing that’s where the power of God and the kingdom of God manifest whenever you’re when your when your governments are confuted when they’re conflicted because half of them don’t even believe in the will of God
You don’t see the Manifest power of God you have to be in a community that believes in the word believes in the authority believes in the name above every name wherever the name of God is hallowed in other words where it’s kept sacred and holy that’s where you see the
Power of God manifest Jesus could do no Miracles there because of their unbelief he was going to his own Hometown he was healing in the sick he was doing amazing things and then someone said wait a minute ain’t that Joseph’s kid what’s he claiming to be the Messiah for the bubble
Burst now the will of the kingdom of God no longer manifest there because there was not General agreement on just being submitted to the will of God that mean you had to be submitted to Christ so the principle of Spiritual Authority has changed my life I have 12
Principles that I live by it’s kept me out of a lot of hot water because I’ve gotten in a lot of conflict and Leadership and other things because people want me to do something that’s contrary to my principles listen to me I don’t violate my own principles I spent years developing these principles
They’re developed from life experience they’re developed from the word of God they’re developed by mentoring from good Mentor experential mentors and I live my life submitted to Spiritual Authority and I don’t like to be told what to do I’m being honest with you I’ve gotten in when I was a young
Man I got in fights with many bosses cuz I don’t like to be told how to do things and so that made me particularly vulnerable to the devil it’s easy for the devil to manipulate me because I could be I don’t like I don’t like to be under Authority and that was
A big problem for me when I learned this principle I figured out I don’t got to submit to everyone I have to submit to a spiritual Mentor everybody needs a spiritual mentor to hold you accountable to be submitted to and I put this on your notes so don’t throw them away
These are seven characteristics of a good spiritual Mentor every everybody should be accountable to someone else this is the way the kingdom of God works is that everybody has to be accountable to somebody amen I’m accountable to Roger and Bill and also to brother Rocky bizette in Bat rou California I mean bat
R California been so long since I’ve been there I forgot where he lives amen baton rou Louisiana look if you’re kind of wild natured and you want to submit to a good Mentor pick a Cajun that works better cuz they’re kind of wild in their nature too
Too uh Rocky’s a good brother and he and I were brought up with brother Jim together we were both his disciples and whenever brother Jim died one of his last things before he died was he said you two are submitted to each other he assigned that he assigned that to us and
See if you’re going to live your life by Spiritual Authority when your Spiritual Authority says this is the way it’s going to be that’s the way it has to be but brother Jim has never let me down he’s never let me in Carol down he’s proven he’s proven he was faithful he
Was proven he was committed and I never minded being submitted to him except when he told me to do something I didn’t want to do but I did it anyway and I found out that that was the best thing for me in the long run come on somebody so here’s seven characteristics
Of a spiritual Mentor number one selflessness they care more about your success than their own they’re not trying to promote themselves they’re trying to promote you experience they’ve been through plenty of trials and tribulations themselves and they’ve overcome something let me tell you something put your own house in order
Before you try to tell somebody else how to put theirs in order come on somebody number three commitment they’re committed to your advancement as a student of Jesus they’re not they’re not going to quit you just because you made a mistake they’re going to sit down with
You and help you go through it what how did that happen how did we get here and help you to learn from it they’re committed to you number four they’re committed to Holiness as a lifestyle w l l i n SS in other words they’re wholly dependent on the lord
They’re not dependent on the div es of men they’re not dependent on their own strength they’re not dependent on their own intelligence they’re wholly committed to dependence on the holy spirit in every decision they make they don’t never just tell you things off the cuff they say I got to pray about it
I’ll get back with you and it’s always amazing the advice that they give you because they’re wholly dependent on God number five number six they’re interested in teach the differentiation of self now this is important quit trying to be like somebody else you can’t fulfill your Deb
Destiny in God if you’re going to try to be like somebody else and the first thing you do is you find a spiritual Mentor that you really really I figured out pretty quickly that I couldn’t be like brother Jim but here’s the cool thing he never expected me to be like
Him be who you are just be who you are in Christ Jesus that doesn’t mean that a guy who wears a suit all the time and preaches in front of churches with 5 6,000 people in them can’t relate to a small town pastor out here in the middle of nowhere
That you got to have a map to find his church that doesn’t mean he can’t relate to you church is church I learned tons from him and but he never expected me to wear a suit all the time I’m wearing one today in his honor he would say that’s
Not a suit that’s just a jacket that’s what he would say but my point is is that good spiritual mentors recognize you you’re different there’s something about you Lori that’s different and this has caused you some problems because people don’t understand you because they want you to look like them
Aren’t you glad you don’t look like me quit laughing see Lor’s got to be Lori and a good spiritual Mentor figures out what it is that Lori has got that God has put in her that he needs to cultivate I should be able to be an Apostolic authority over a Cowboy Church
And a biker church at the same time in fact I’d love to have a biker Church well those dudes man when they catch fire for God they’re crazy you got to get saved or they’ll beat the cow out of you I like that I think a biker Church would be
Fun I got close I got Ry and then he quit riding his bike and here we go I got but see I don’t need to have a why how could I be a Apostolic over a Cowboy Church and a bik church it’s not about me them looking like me it’s about them
Being who God created them to be only being that in Christ Jesus that’s what a good spiritual Mentor does he teaches the differentiation of self and how important it is and then finally they’re patient and they don’t attempt to control you I mean I had a problem in
This church one time and it was driving me crazy it was killing me and Jim knew it was and I called him and I said well what are you going to do and I I said I said brother Jim what do I need to do
And he says you got to cut that guy loose oh brother Jim he’s a friend his wife had a jezebel a Jezebel spirit is very if you’re prophetic a Jezebel spirit is life-threatening it’s bad and uh so I said can I pray can I pray he yeah
Go ahead pray if you get a jezebel to repent you can write you a book too because you’ll be the first Christian in history who’s ever got that done but if that’s what you want to do you go ahead and do it see you know Jim was Bill Jim was what
You would say understated and then after you left you realized man he just gave me a tail chewing and I didn’t even realize it amen so anyway so I did it didn’t work I ended up having to I tell this story all the time because I think it’s pretty vivid of how Spiritual
Authority should work I didn’t do it Jim said go ahead and pray see if it see do whatever see what see how it works so I prayed it got bad it got worse it got to the point where I was going to have to let him go and so I called brother Jim
And I said it’s I’m going to have to I was expecting from him here’s what I was expecting to say I told told you so he didn’t tell me I told you so he said I’m doing a conference in Dallas I’ll catch a plane I’ll come up and help you and
We’ll do it together that’s what a spiritual father does he doesn’t criticize he teaches and then you go out and do opposite of what he teaches he doesn’t blow you off he waits for you to get your head bloody enough and then he waits for you to come
Back and he says well you understand what just happened to you here that’s what we don’t have in the church we need that how in the world can we expect to walk and and and do what Jesus did ww JD that we all got the bracelets how can we
Expect to do that if we don’t get training by an experienced disciple come on somebody that’s crazy isn’t that crazy I want to be an NFL quarterback and play in the Super Bowl so I’m just going to buy a uniform and a ball and show it practice and tell them here I
Am how’s that going to work well you’re going to be sore in the morning I can tell you that amen and you’re not going to have a job either so we expect people to act like Christ with no training and we’re mystified when they don’t that’s not in the
Notes but it’s a it’s a word we need to find someone to follow and someone to teach us and you can’t be in Rebellion to A Spiritual Authority that you have submitted to and expect God to move heaven and earth when you pray this is what 1st Samuel 15:23 says Rebellion is
As a sin of witchcraft study the life of David and Saul David had a Spiritual Authority who was who was who was in sin and it was who was who was absolutely going the opposite direction of God and and David refused to touch him he
Refused to to to to to touch a hair on his head and he said if you study the life of David and Saul and you see where Saul went left and God pulled the anointing on him and said you know you’ve been in Rebellion David refused
To and and he and he anointed David and and and the Lord had sent in a prophet to David and said you’re a 14-year-old kid from the sheep field but you’re going to be the king and now the anointing is coming on you and David had
A had a nephew named joab he was his General they were tough man they stepped on the battlefield people died I love this when people go you know uh sing these sweet loveis you know about being a Christian and and about David and they don’t understand he was a fierce
Warrior and whenever they and and Saul was persecuting him because after Goliath he knew the anointing was on David and it had left him and so he wanted to kill him and do do away with him to keep from losing his position as king you run across treachery in a
Church you can run across treachery in a church when you’re betrayed by someone that you trusted but when you do you remember this principle of Spiritual Authority and so one night David and joab sneak into Saul’s Camp when they were the original Seal Team they were un man they could swim
Underwater they could do it all they stuck into sa’s Camp while he was asleep and he cut a piece off of his well that’s a different time he cut a piece off of his robe but he came in there and he just wanted to leave a sign to remind
Saul that he wasn’t a threat he wasn’t trying to kill him and there was Saul’s Spear and joab said take the spear and kill him you’ve been anointed king and David said I’ll not touch the hair on the anointed of God but he said this and you forget this
Part go read it again he said God will kill him but I’m not going to do it and so his Men followed him in the wilderness sleeping in the wilderness with a rock for their pillow for 14 years while Saul persecuted David and David refused to Divi to to to to
Violate the spiritual principles of Spiritual Authority and that is his authority was in God’s hands and you know what happened in that 14 years he became an even skilled more skilled Warrior he became an even more respected King he became a guy that demonstrated this principle to his men and so his men
Lived by it as well and so he became the greatest King in the history of Israel so much so that God made an eternal Covenant with him and said one of your descendants will always sit on the throne of my people Jesus is a direct descendant of David
Amen so live a life submitted to Spiritual Authority it brings you Freedom do it Carol when we decided we were submited brother Jim and sister Jana that’s cing for Janet we just we were just like instantly just like a waited taken off our shoulders and and and and Jim passed
Away how many years seven years now eight years now he’s been gone for eight years but during that time in my Ministry I wouldn’t have I wouldn’t still be in Ministry if it hadn’t been for him but there were times when he’ have a little pep talk and he would say man
Hitting yourself in the head with a hammer that’s got to hurt it’ll feel better if you stop that’s good wisdom he just he would teach me he taught me how to walk the walk come on we need that do you need that you’re a great baseball player I
Mean you’re a great baseball player did you just walk up on the baseball field when you were a six-year-old kid and start throwing fast balls no you had to learn the game right why do we expect you can be a Christian without having to learn the game he is a great baseball
Player by the way I didn’t make that up knowing the will of God then before you and so here’s the other thing about praying in Authority is you you’re submitted to Authority you understand what Authority is how it works and here’s the other thing know the will of
God before you ask you have a renewed mind Romans 12:2 do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God don’t start your prayers with God if it be thy will start your
Prayers with God it is your will and I speak to that circumstance and command it to get in alignment with the will with your will know the will of God before you pray it comes from study of the word you spend time what is the will of God it’s
Right here people come to me I’m trying to discern the will of God I go where’s your Bible oh let me go out to the car and get it that’s where and they say what do you need the Bible for I said here it is here it
Is no no man I mean like my will for my life you’re putting flesh back in it all you have to do is study this this is the will of God and do it and believe it and don’t expect it to manifest automatically it’s going to be a it’s
Going to be a spiritual fight to get the will of God in a hostile world to manifest just know that you are authorized to make the will of God happen amen you’re an authorized you’re authorized to declare to a world that’s completely hostile to God what the will
Of God is and what the will of God is going to be and then you can wait and it will eventually happen if you will decree it and declare it and stand on it you have to take Dominion back from the devil and then you have to give the
Dominion back to God and then you have to speak the will of God in that situation and you will see it manifest so praying with praying under Authority being living under Authority praying in Authority understanding the will of God is what leads to Miracles that happen all around you amen that’s key number
One understand what is the name above every name number two righteousness nobody wants to talk about this the prayers of a righteous man or woman are effective James 5:116 confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effective fervent prayer of a righteous
Man aileth much the Greek word there for righteous is dios and it it means right upright it means uh correct and proper according to the standards of God here just think of it this way it means correctness before God not Perfection not Perfection that’s not what it said how what is Define what
Correctness before God is correctness before God is is it’s a it’s a capacity to to to to examine your life continually and stay in that constant place of repenting and and keep keep working on it keep trying to hit the target don’t worry about when you missed shoot again try
Again if You’ fallen into sin great get out repent figure out what you did wrong and try to go again Jesus is the king of second starts Second Chances but don’t stay in that see this is we’ve taught the church Jesus loves you and he forgives you over and over
And over and over and he does he loves you but you’re not getting anywhere you’re going two steps for one step forward and two steps backwards if you don’t try to deal with with the sin issues that are in your life it’s the righteous those that are committed to this process of constantly
Working on themselves that’s the people whose prayers that he heals the G the Greek word for repent is me Theo it means to change the way you think you look at the things you’re doing and you go I here’s an example I haven’t how long has it been since you heard me
Teach a message on fasting a long time and I fell under conviction on this fast and the Lord said you you don’t teach it because you don’t like to do it and so I had to be honest with myself about that I said oh no Lord wait a minute who am I
Kidding be honest with yourself be honest with him he already knows he already knows just tell him you know I want to work on that God help me that’s the key you’re caught it in a relationship you keep sinning over and over and over again God’s not throwing you out he’s
Waiting for you to wake up and get it and let him help help you work it out to work your way out of it amen this doesn’t mean that God hears the prayer of Sinners he only hears the prayer of Sinners when they repent 1
John 7 1 John 1: 7-10 if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ his son cleanses us from all sin but if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
In US you’re just not being truthful if you don’t think you have some sin issues that you need to deal with with can I get a witness out of somebody but if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from the
Unrighteous effects of them and if we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and the truth is not in us the mark of correctness then before God living correctly before God is staying in this constant state of self-examination and that starts with
Humility I got to be honest with myself listen I can talk about Carol’s truth all the time and that causes me an emotional pain she has some things she needs to work on by the way but if I want to get better if I want to change the signs still on the thing
They’re not I wanted her to put that false sign up and then we were going to get a real argument started but if I want to get better I can’t worry about Kai’s sin I got to worry about mine this is the whole thing it’s not about you being perfect it’s
About you been a constant work in progress you’re constantly improving you’re constantly getting better you’re constantly how listen if you’re going to play baseball aren’t you expected to practice and get better they cut you off the team don’t they if you don’t make Improvement when did we in the church we
Just quit saying well you know you can’t help it that’s terrible you’re Tri for baseball and you can’t hit a fastball you either learn how to hit a fastball or they cut you off the team right Jesus is not going to cut you off the team but he’s got things
He wants to put in your life that he’s waiting for you to to learn and better and be honest with yourself and can constantly being correct before God is being in a constant state of evolving as a Christian and that’s where your spiritual Mentor can help you because he
Can help you point out areas of your life you need to really work on number three fasting oh I had to go there the definition of fasting that I’m using here is to abstain from food for the purposes of spiritual enhancement we made fasting into a lot
Of things I know I have I’ve you know I fasted golf wait a minute I don’t play golf that was a great fast though U it’s about not eating and it’s an act of humbling yourselves in Psalm 3513 the psalmist was talking about an enemy and he said but as for me when
They were sick my clothing was sackcloth and I humbled myself with fasting in Ezra 8: 211 the great prophet Ezra said then I proclaimed to fast there by the river ahava that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and
All our possessions fasting is about humbling yourself in First Peter 55 it says yes to all be submissive to one another be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble now there are a lot of ways you can humble yourself before God but the
Number one quickest way is through fasting fasting is an act of humility and God gives Grace to those that are humble not the grace of just forgiveness the grace of having spiritual power to do in you and for you what you can’t do on your own that’s
Really the grace that I’m talking about it’s not only forgiveness but fasting with fasting with with with repentance is powerful Ahab uh talked about this last week was a Pon scum of a king he was more evil the scripture says than all the other kings because of his wife
Jezebel and and God sent Elijah the prophet to him to tell him man you’re done and I’m going to wipe out your Prosperity your posterity all your sons all of it you’re done I’m taking you off the throne you’re going to die I’m going
To get rid of them too and so he fasted and prayed he began to fast and pray and so the next thing you know the word of God comes to Elijah the prophet and says go tell Ahab that I’ve seen his fasting and praying and because he has humbled himself say
Humble because he’s humbled himself before me I won’t my judgment won’t come in his generation that’s pretty big to go from ponum to being saved that’s the power fasting in the Old Testament the day of atonement is the only corporate fast there is in Judaism Leviticus 26:
29-31 this shall be a statute forever for you in the seventh month on the 10th day of the month that would be the month of tisy it’d be about year October time period you shall flict your souls and do no work at all whether a native of your
Own country or a stranger who dwells among you for on that day the priest shall make atonement for you to cleanse you and you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord we’ve already got that Jesus has took taken care of this part for us it is a Sabbath of solemn
Rest and you shall afflict your souls it’s a statute forever the word there the term there in Hebrew to afflict your soul is also humble yourselves it’s about fasting it’s a fast Jews on the 10th day of tisy in the in the September October time period on their calendar on
The 10th of tishy all Jews fast it’s a corporate fast they all fast and it’s the holiest day of their whole year and even Paul understood the day of atonement was about a fast if you go to acts 27 whenever he’s get arrested and taken to Rome by the Roman
Centurions and they’re sailing from uh from to Rome and they they they’ve landed they waited late in the year to leave and they landed at a place called MAA MAA Myra I’m sorry and it’s just the other side of Cyprus anyway they’ve landed there and they need to stay there
Because Paul says uh now when much time had been spent acts 27:9 when much time had been spent in saing was now dangerous because the fast had already happened in other words he just calls it the fast the fast is the day of atonement what’s he saying he’s saying
We’re past we’re into fall already we’re already into fall and the weather changes and the wind start to come out of the the North and we’ll never make the passage to Rome we just need he told the Centurion he we need to stay in the
Port we need to stay in the port in leaving spring or we’ll lose the ship and what happened they put him in the ship anyway see Christians right now believe that they’ve been stuck in a clown car if you look at our government we’re trapped in the clown car and they’ve been drinking
Amen and we can’t get out and and and we know it’s going but if you look at Paul’s life in this CL Paul was following in the beginning but after the ship cracked up and they then landed on the island of Malta and all of the after
That point when the ship cracks up the anointed of God begin to lead come on I get a witness out of somebody then they came to Paul and they said what time do we need to leave see there’s going to come a time whenever the Church of Jesus
Christ that’s filled with the Holy Ghost In America that the country the ship is going to crack up they’re going to come to us and they say what do we need to do next come on somebody because we told them we warned them so don’t get don’t get feel like
You’re out of control because of all these things that are happening all around you that God is no God’s will is not being done but it will be done God figures out a way to establish it amen so so this is the Feast of fasting and it’s important to the Jews it’s the
Holiest day in Judaism all of them collectively fast and the other old there’s another cool Old Testament application Ezra we talked about that he’s leading 50,000 Jews back to re from Babylon to re inhabit Israel Jerusalem and he’s worried about Hamas I meant the hamites that are out to Kill Them See
This has been happening I preached on this I told you this been happening for thousands of years there is no cool intellectual Harvard graduate that’s going to come out and solve this problem this is a spiritual issue can I get a witness out of somebody you can
Negotiate until you’re blue in the face but until Jesus comes back there is always going to be an element of of of of the hamites that that are trying to kill the the Israelites and and Ezra was traveling through their and he was worried this is pretty cool he was concerned about the
Protection on this trip and then he says then I proclaimed to fast at the river of Hava that we might humble ourselves before God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions in other words they had the babies with them they had everything
And and and they knew that they were in real Peril and they they humbled themselves he said I I called and proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before God and they said God we need your help fast for protection don’t be afraid to fast for protection if you’re going into Harm’s
Way you fast before you go Dr Prince told stories about going into areas to minister that were hostile to Christianity and and and how it was very dangerous very very dangerous he Tak his life into his own hands and he would always Procare a fast and all of them
Would fast together before they went and God would tell them here’s where I want you to go here here and here and here they would go they would come unscathed they would get back and they would find out they were one step ahead of the enemy the whole
Way he said I’m alive today here’s what he said I’m alive today because of fasting because of the power of fasting so but this is pretty interesting he won’t go to Cyrus the king who gave him permission and dispatched him to go back to from from Babylon now has become
Persia to go back to to Jerusalem in verse 22 is pretty interesting here it says for I was ashamed to request from the King an escort of soldiers and Horsemen to help us against the enemy of our on the road because we had spoken to
The king saying the hand of our God is upon all of those for good who seek him but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake Him He said I’ve been bragging about God now I can’t go back and have credibility to the world
And say I need your help I wish the church would quit going to the world and asking for help can I get a witness out of somebody we got we’re dependent we’re holy w h l l y we’re holy dependent on God we don’t we’re not dependent on
Political systems we’re not dependent on political parties we’re not we’re not dependent on on on on on on any of that what we’re dependent on is God and in verse 23 says so we fasted and entreated our God for this and he answered our prayer they were doing the will of God
They loved God they knew the word of God but they needed to fast to get the protection of God Prophet Joel seeks God after Israel has fallen into a backslid condition since hundreds of years later in Joel 11:14 consecrate a fast those this what the Lord said Joel said Joseph
Prop he said God what do we do we’re backsliding and our country’s falling apart because we’ve turned their back on you God says consecrate a fast call a sacred assembly he could have said vote for Republicans he didn’t say that he said consecrate a fast call a sacred assembly
Gather the elders and let all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord of God and cry out to the Lord consecrate a corporate fast and humble yourself before God and see what I do call a sacred assembly I’m waiting on the church to call a sacred assembly and
Consecrated fast Jesus everybody says Jesus didn’t say we had to fast listen what he said in Matthew 6:16 this is the New Testament application of the discipline of fasting he says Jesus is teaching his disciples in Matthew 6:16 and he says moreover when you fast do not be like the
Hypocrites with a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces and they that may appear to men to be fasting assuredly I say to you they have their reward don’t be ostentatious about your religious fasting fast in in in in fast in private fast fast before God live
Your life before an audience of one and when you fast he said that’s the good time to pray Jesus is teaching about prayer he said fasting and prayer go together fasting birth the apostolic movement acts chap 13 veres 1-3 now in the church that was Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers Barnabas
Simeon who and Niger and lucus and Manan who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and Saul they were all their great leaders in the early church and as they ministered to the Lord and fasted the holy spirit said now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work
Which I have called them and then having fasted and prayed they laid hands on them and they sent them away that was a pretty big moment can I get a witness out of somebody the greatest Apostle in the history of the church was the product of men of God
Fasting and they laid hands and they fasted again and they laid hands on them and they sent them out the apostolic movement was birth through fasting now all of the disciplines of the spiritual life are important and I left you a list of the 12 disciplines uh and
They’re on your notes and so you take those home with you prayer fast studying meditation are the inner disciplines the outer disciplines are Simplicity Solitude service submission corporate disciplines worship confession guidance and celebration I’ve taught on these a lot I teach a course on the disciplines
And uh if we have enough people that are interested I’m willing to take it up again but I want to tell you this right now don’t just start on your own someone told me said man we tried the fasting thing and it didn’t work don’t fast for
Three days on water unless you have had experience fasting for 24 hours try that first and then you get better and better man all of these disciplines why would you expect uh it’s like Andrew in a baseball why would you expect to be throwing a killer
Fastball right off you need to learn how to walk in these disciplines and how to begin to develop them in your life the root of the word disciple is discipline you that means it’s something it takes time to learn now this is what Dr Prince
Said and I want to repeat this a church that doesn’t teach or practice fasting is ineffective a church that doesn’t teach or practice fasting is ineffective brother Jim and brother Derek were pretty close and uh Derek Prince you look him up on Wikipedia he started one of the
Great charismatic movements in the world he was in the British army he was sick of church he had seen enough darkness and in the Sands of Algeria in the British army during war World War II he got he had an encounter with God and got baptized in the Holy Ghost and he
Didn’t even know what it was he had to get back to some Pentecostal Christians to understand what had happened to him he got baptized in the Holy Ghost he started one of the great works there’s nobody who understands Deliverance Ministry like Derek Prince if you’re interested in studying Deliverance
Ministry he wrote a book called they shall C cast out demons it’ll change your life but don’t try that stuff if you’re not committed to a lifestyle of fasting and anyway brother Derek brother Jim my mentor his pictures out there in the hall by the way if you want to see the
Guy that I talk about all the time his fasting habits were legendary in in the South brother Jim would go seven days easy would he Carol it was just not a problem for him he could slip in a fast slip out you never and you never and he
Always looked good he always had suit on he never looked like he’d been on a fast but when you heard him begin to teach i’ lean over to Caroline say he’s been fasting there’s an anointing that he walked in continuously and he maintained it because of his commitment to a
Fasting lifestyle he didn’t fast all the time in fact uh he tried to eat healthful Sister Janet was a hell freak so she had all of the you know I said sick freak she was you know what I mean she had all of the supplements and all
That stuff she made him take those and then when he would come to stay with us and Carol pan P that he would fall completely off the wagon Hallelujah there’s no fasting there I mean uh and he would smuggle he smuggled a pile on the plane to take it back to Louisiana
So I don’t want him you know I’m not trying to make you think he was a saint or anything but um but but the truth of the matter is is that I learned from him the power of fasting in my life and there’s been so many times in our life
We’ve been on the prep we’ve had to make a big decision and it’s been and it’s been life-changing either way we go and we both got an agreement and fasted together here’s the thing that the Lord convicted Ed me of this is what the Lord brought me back to 2 Chronicles 7:14 If
My people who are called by my name will humble themselves if they’ll humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their Wicked Ways then I’ll hear from heaven and then I’ll heal their land you know the Lord told me he said you’ve been standing and believing for a
Healed land for 25 years the vision that I gave you originally and you haven’t taught 50 people how to fast if the church calls a sacred assembly and declares a fast for the land the healing of the land to manifest who would show up who would show
Up uh probably we probably could put them all in this room because we don’t teach on fasting and I’m and I’m as convicted as anybody so we’re entering this Daniel Fast which is a 21-day partial fast it’s not a complete fast and for me it’s no bread no meat no
Sweets because I crave all those things probably meat less than any of them that surpris me but why said I want to humble myself before Lord I started out with a three-day fast because I wanted to start right and I needed to hear from God I
Needed to hear for direction and this is the direction the Lord has given me if you’ll start to teach the disciplines demonstrate the disciplines when the church becomes disciplined the Lord said the land will be healed wow they’re not going to happen if I don’t teach I can’t teach I can’t teach
You how if I don’t teach you how to hit a a curveball you’re not ever going to learn how to do it the leadership of the church has got to become responsible we’re weak we’re weak so this Daniel Fast that we’re on we we when you start a fast you need to know
What are you fasting for we’re we’re fasting for insight what is it that we need to where are the doors what are you doing in the seat season we want guidance in what’s going to be the next step in this vision for this next season an efficacious
Prayer is essential to save America and what makes your prayer effective is three things you understand Authority and you live by it number two you choose to live the way Jesus said to live as best you can you make mistakes but you you correct and you and you you try to
Go back and do it over and number four you live a life committed to fasting and the discipline of fasting is part of your life you understand Authority you know the will of God and you humble yourself with a fast don’t jump into a three-day fast without experience don’t
Do it because you’ll get discouraged you won’t be able to do it and then you’ll feel bad about it it’s taken me years to get I’m not at 5 days I’m not at seven man on the third day I’m hunting a vegetable soup never tastes so good
Whenever you’ve been on a three-day fast amen come on somebody I eat the whole can you know the big one that you got to have a handle on to carry in I just eat the whole thing but but there’s something about it it strengthens you in a strange
Way I don’t know how to describe it so I want to encourage you and I want to pray for you as we take communion together I want to enter into a season man a breakthrough is that what you want then what we have to do is is we have to
Begin to do the things God said to do to get breakthrough that is we got to fast we have to pray we have to believe we have to take a stand we got to work on ourselves we got to work on ourselves I got to work on me I’m
Struggling right now there’s a there’s a there’s a person that I’ve known for a long time and when I get around him I just want to pick up a hammer and knock him out every time I see him I’m like I go where is this coming from God I’m on
I just off of this fast and you know filled with the glory of God and he calls me on my phone if if that ain’t of the devil so I go well I’ve been fasting so I’ll handle this a lot better I answer the phone oh when it’s
Over I want to track him down and kill him you know what I’m saying I mean I lost it all just a second or two I I lost all I I’m I’ve got to work on me constantly I need to work on me constantly you work on you constantly
But I just want to see God move in power in our midst in this time I want the families to be healed marriages healed children healed our community healed for the full blessings of God to flow throughout this community and in our lives and into into people’s lives I
Just want to see it man I want to see the healed land and we’re seeing pieces of it we’ve seen bits and starts and and and it’s it’s amazing the people that are moving here from other parts of the country all of that stuff we’re seeing
Little glimmers here and there I want to see the whole thing I want 2024 the year of the open door to be the year that we stepped into the fullness of the vision If my people call my my name will Fast and pray and seek my face and confess their
Sin that I’ll hear from heaven and I’ll forgive their sin and I’ll heal their land I want that if you want that say Amen