Fasting for the Kingdom of God: Rewards of Fasting

SPEAKER 03 : 0:04

We’re focusing on fasting for the kingdom of God. Now stay with me because I know that fasting is a concept that especially in the Western world, people tend to pull back from because it’s not taught much and it’s not stressed much. But listen, don’t let your flesh stop you from receiving this very important word of God. Father God, I pray that your word would penetrate right now into our souls, that you deliver us, Father God. out of the flesh, out of the darkness, into your marvelous light. I want you to know, my friends, fasting is for you if you’re a follower of Jesus. Jesus expected that you and I would have times in our life that we would fast. That’s why he said in the book of Matthew chapter six, he said to his disciples, when you fast, he anticipated, beloved, that it would be part of the culture of the kingdom. what i’m going to do today is i’m going to break this down for you to give you some ways that you can get started in fasting and then i’m going to conclude by talking about some of the scriptural promises we have that we can expect as we fast unto the lord now i want to begin by saying this in my own life when the lord has given me grace at times to fast It hasn’t been an experience where I was having any type of bliss while I was fasting. It’s not like I started fasting and suddenly I felt so spiritual. None of that happened for me. I just did what God called me to do. I believe that as a result of doing it, I was supernaturally strengthened by the Spirit. So I just want to set this in place for you right now. Don’t think that you’re gonna go into this thing and suddenly, you know, you’re gonna be on some kind of spiritual high. the last time i went on a significant fast i had only one thing happen to me during that time the last day of the fast i had a keener sense that i was going to heaven than ever before and it wasn’t because i felt like i earned it it wasn’t that i thought that i had earned going to heaven because of the fast no it was just that god was blessing me to know i was going to heaven That was the only real marked spiritual encounter that I had. But I believe the benefits were much more than that one marked spiritual encounter of joy, knowing that I was going to heaven. I believe the benefits were long lasting and far reaching because as a result of fasting, my spiritual muscle was strengthened. My inner man became stronger so that I was able to walk in greater authority, greater power for years to come as a result. Now, I want to get back right now, beloved, to breaking this down for you. How can you go about this? Now, I’m going to be speaking to all different types of people, some that have never fasted before, some that may have health limitations, some that are older. So we need to start with kind of the ABCs. If you’ve never fasted before, there are several ways that you can start. Number one, you can do something similar to what Daniel did. Daniel went on a fast where he eliminated sweets and meats. You could eliminate sweets and meats from your diet for a day, for three days. Daniel did it for 21 days. The point is, fasting isn’t a cookie cutter approach. What’s right for one person is not necessarily what’s right for another person. So you let the Holy Spirit speak to you about what He’s directing you to do at this point. Maybe for some of you, the Lord’s just asking you, I want you to give up sweets for a week, no more cookies, no more candy, no more pie. Listen, if that’s what the Spirit of the Lord is telling you to do, that’s what you need to do. For other people, I’m taking the principle of fasting and I’m saying, you know what, the Lord may want to apply the principle of fasting to you in another area of your life. Maybe He wants you to abstain from all uses of the internet for a week. Maybe He wants you to fast from television for a week. Maybe He wants you to fast from Facebook for a week. For some of you, He may be calling you to go to a lonely place just to be alone with Him for a day or three days in a cabin somewhere. Whatever it is, you just need to be open to the Holy Spirit to guide you and then obey Him because Jesus promised a reward to those that would fast. Now, I’m going to get into the book of Isaiah 58 now. and i’m going to show you some of the blessings that come to those that fast let’s go isaiah chapter 58 verse number 6 through 12. isaiah 58 verses 6 through 12. i want to encourage you and give you confidence the book of hebrews tells us those that are going to please god must Believe that he is and that he’s a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. So we need to believe God that he is, that he sees, and that a reward is for fasting. Just like Jesus said, when you fast and do it under the father, your father that sees will reward you. Let’s look at what we can expect some of these rewards to be. First of all, the Lord says here. Is this not the fast which I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness and to undo the bands of the yoke and to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke? And so we see that one of the blessings, one of the rewards, one of the impartations that we receive through strengthening our spiritual muscle by fasting is that we break off oppression. The Lord says to break the yoke, to set those that are in bondage, to set those that are oppressed free. Because when you deny yourself the natural, you get strengthened in the supernatural. And when you get strengthened in your inner man by the Ruach HaKadosh, by the Holy Spirit, what happens is you end up pushing off the darkness from your life. You end up breaking out of the bondage in your life. Fasting can help you break addictions and set you free. Beloved, fasting will bring you in to greater freedom. Let’s continue here. Isaiah continues on. In verse number eight, he says, then your light will break out like the dawn. So we see that another benefit that comes to those that fast is is they’re brought into greater light. It was on top of Mount Sinai when Moses was fasting for 40 days that he received the light, the revelation that we now know as the Pentateuch, the Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament. When you fast from the natural, When you break off your connection from the natural for the sake of receiving more of God, what happens is, beloved, you open up a channel in your life for light to come in. God rewards those that will obey him in this. Remember, Jesus anticipated that fasting would be part of the culture of the kingdom. I’m not trying to put a heavy bondage on you. I’m just asking you, be open to the Holy Spirit and don’t be afraid to master the flesh. The Bible says, he that puts to death the deeds of the flesh will from the Spirit reap life and joy and peace. Let’s continue on. In the eighth verse, Isaiah says, another benefit that comes to those that fast is recovery. I’m going to read again the last one which says, then your light will break out like the dawn. And then he continues and he says, and your recovery will spring forth. So you see, there are some things that time doesn’t heal. Sometimes we go through something in life, it’s a broken relationship, the loss of a loved one, the breakup of a relationship with a significant other, even a divorce, and hearts get broken. And you know, we hear in the world that time heals all things, but the reality is, my friend, time doesn’t always heal all things. There are some wounds, there are some forms of brokenness that only the Spirit of the living God can heal. And when we separate ourselves from the natural to fast unto the Lord, what happens is, Healing, recovery comes into our life. If you need supernatural recovery in your life, particularly as it relates to a broken heart, I want to tell you that fasting for the kingdom, for the purposes of God, can bring supernatural recovery to you. Let me read it again. Isaiah chapter 56, verse 8. Then your light will break out like the dawn. Revelation will come to you, and your recovery… and your healing will come forth speedily.” Then notice the next promise that we have here in verse number 8. “‘And the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.'” “‘And the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.'” Don’t you love this? You know, sometimes we think about glory only in relationship to God. But you know what? Jesus said that He shared His glory with us. Jesus’s glory, beloved, has come upon you and I. The Bible says that the spirit of glory rests upon us, his children. The Bible also says in the book of Ephesians that we would understand, Paul prays in Ephesians, that you would and I would understand, listen now, the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints. That means in you. Paul prays in Ephesians that we would understand the glory that’s in us. When you and I fast the natural world to be greater connected to God in the supernatural realm of his spirit, what happens is the glory of God makes deeper entrance into our soul and into our consciousness. Father, I speak glory, the weight of your presence, over your people right now, Father, in Yeshua’s name. Father, thank you that you’ve promised that you reward those that fast. And I just declare and decree, Father God, for each and every one that will fast as a result of this message, that they will come into a greater revelation and experience of your own glory.

SPEAKER 01 : 10:29

You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider. He’s going to be right back. But first, I want to let you know that you can watch full episodes of Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku television. We have episodes that are filmed in the Holy Land and outreach events from Nigeria and Gulu, Uganda, all sorts of places. Every episode is available to help deepen your understanding of Scripture and the Jewish roots of your faith. So search for Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku today. Discovering the Jewish Jesus could not accomplish its mission without partners like you. Together, we are preparing men and women for the soon return of Jesus. So please stop by our website to give a one time donation or to partner with us on a monthly basis. Through your simple act of generosity, you are making an impact. go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call 800-777-7835. And now with the conclusion of today’s message, here is Rabbi Schneider.

SPEAKER 03 : 11:35

Notice as we continue on, the Lord promises here fellowship and answered prayer. Verse 9, then you will call and the Lord will answer. God responds to those whose heart is right before Him. When our heart is in alignment with Him, our prayers are answered in a fuller way as when our heart is not aligned with Him. Now, God is sovereign. He can do anything He wants to do at any time, and He’s a good God, and sometimes He blesses people even when they’re not being obedient. But when you’re obedient, when your heart is right before Him, when you place Him first in your life, He does more for you. This is why Jesus said, He that sows bountifully shall reap bountifully. He that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly. Then you will call, the Lord said, and speaking of those that will fast with the right spirit, then you will call and the Lord will answer you. I also love the next thing that we read about here. in the 11th verse, supernatural guidance and direction. If you are in a place in life right now that you’re needing supernatural guidance and direction about something, maybe it’s a relationship, maybe you’re wondering whether you should marry this person, maybe you’re wondering whether you should buy this house. Maybe you’re wondering if you should take this job. Maybe you’re wondering how to handle a certain friendship or relationship or family member, whatever it is. The Bible says God gives wisdom to those that ask, and fasting combined with prayer can kind of supercharge that, if you will, supercharge the way into God’s wisdom. Listen to what the Lord says here, verse number 11. and the Lord again will continually guide you.” Listen to that word, continually guide you. The confidence of knowing that our steps are being ordered by the Lord brings real peace into our life. Jesus said, I am with you always. But how many of us really don’t experience that truth? In other words, we’re not aware that God’s really with us. We don’t have confidence that our steps are really being guided and ordered by the Lord. The Lord says, when you fast, you’re going to come into a conscious awareness that I am supernaturally directing your life and guiding you. That’s part of the promise of Jesus when he said, you’ll know the truth. and the truth shall set you free.” When you and I know that the Lord is guiding us and directing us, great peace and freedom will come into our lives. Let’s continue on. The Lord promises greater satisfaction. Listen to what He says there. And the Lord will satisfy your desire in scorched places. In other words, there’s going to be a greater fulfillment. We’re going to enter into a greater supernatural joy, a greater sense of God’s sufficiency. But this comes not through eating tons of natural food. We’re not going to be any more fulfilled inside long term. But I’m saying that when we fast from food, or whatever it is that the Lord is leading us to fast from in life in order to be drawn deeper into him and in order to drink more of the well of salvation of the supernatural spirit, what happens is our soul becomes filled up more with his presence and we become, get it now, church, more satisfied in our lives. I have known people people that are in no ways prosperous financially. And yet they’re some of the most joyful, content people I know. Why? Because they have divine satisfaction within them due to their relationship with God. This goes to our next point here in verse 11, strength. And the Lord says, and give strength to your bones and you will be like a water garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. What does this say to us? that through this practice of fasting, we’re strengthened. I’ve already covered this. I’ve said it many times already. Denying ourself the natural for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of God, will strengthen us in the spirit. And this is exactly what Isaiah is telling us here that the Lord will do. We also are promised when we fast unto the Lord, incorporate it into our lifestyle, again, in whatever manner and whatever level the Spirit directs you, we’re promised as a result of this act of consecration that we’re going to become more fruitful in our lives, that we’re going to become bolder, we’re going to have greater love, we’re going to be better witnesses. Listen to what the Lord says. And you will be like a water garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. This has to do with fruitfulness in your life. A water garden whose springs don’t fail. You’re going to constantly be yielding fruit and lives around you are going to be touched as you yourself become more immersed in the Holy Spirit through fasting. And then finally, beloved. God is going to use us to build this kingdom, which closely relates to the last point I made. Listen to verse number 12. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins. You will raise up the age-old foundations, and you will be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” Fasting, beloved, equips us to serve the King. This is why Jesus began His ministry once again by going into the wilderness and fasting for 40 days. You see, beloved, fasting prepared Jesus to launch His ministry. As you and I participate in this, you also will be used in the kingdom in a greater way. Some of you may want to start out with a meal a day, maybe start out skipping lunch, maybe do it for a day, do it for three days, do it for a week. Some may want to skip dinner. Some may, again, want to take me up on some of the other suggestions I made, whether it be Facebook or the internet, whether it’s talking on the phone all the time, whatever the Holy Spirit is speaking to you about, just do it and follow through. Do it unto the Spirit. Don’t do it to be noticed by men. Don’t tell everybody about it. Jesus said, if you do that, you’ll already have your reward because you’ve been noticed by men. Do it unto the Father, and Yeshua promised, your Father who sees you doing it in secret will reward you. Father, I bless these beloved ones of yours today, those that are receiving your word. those that are being saturated with your truth. Father, I pray right now that you’ll give them clear direction, that they’ll know how to apply this principle of tzum, this principle of fasting to their lives. Father, let them not turn away. Let them not shrink back. Let them not be afraid. Father, I pray that you’ll isolate each soul. Father, set each one apart to you, each one right now, that they’ll sense the leading of your spirit. and know, Abba, exactly how to walk, how to apply this principle in their lives. Father, I bless them right now. And according to your word, I speak over them that as they fast unto you, Father, they will be blessed. For you have promised a reward, Father God, and you’re not a man that you should lie. So Father, we worship you today. We thank you for revealing to us the principle and the benefit of fasting. And Father God, we now consecrate ourselves to hear your spirit and to take action in our life. Thank you, Father, for a marked word from the living God. In the book of Galatians, chapter six, verse nine, we read this. Grow not weary in doing good, for in due time you’re gonna reap a harvest or reap a reward. Now I want you to think about this. When the Holy Spirit gave us that Word, He wants to apply it to every area of our lives. Sometimes we apply that Word to some area of our lives, but sometimes we don’t apply that Word to our finances. I want to speak to you that are listening right now. Let’s continue to put God first and honor Him with our finances. Let’s continue to sow our financial resources into the kingdom so that God’s Word can be spread to the ends of the earth. Beloved, I want to ask you, will you continue to do good with your finances? Would you make a financial contribution to the Lord through Discovering the Jewish Jesus right now?

SPEAKER 01 : 20:23

Amen. And to take that step of faith right now, like Rabbi just said, go online and give at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Or you can also support this ministry by giving us a call. Our number is 800-777-7835. or you can send in a financial donation in the mail. Our address is Discovering the Jewish Jesus, PO Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan 49228. Your support, it makes all the difference for us. And after serving alongside Rabbi for over a decade, I’ve witnessed countless lives transformed by the work that God is doing through this ministry. People are discovering the Jewish Jesus. They’re connecting to their faith in a deeper way than they ever have before. From remote villages in Uganda to cities all across America, people are encountering Yeshua. And when you give, you’re not just supporting a program. You’re helping someone really discover their faith. We recently heard from a listener who said, finding your program two years ago was the light the Lord used to lift me up from the deepest depression I have ever descended into. I had been in that pit for two years. I thank Hashem for Rabbi Cynthia and the DJJ team. Friends, your gifts really make a difference. And if you want to hear more powerful testimonies like this one, we’d love for you to connect. Give online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call us at 800-777-7835. Thanks again. And now let’s receive God’s special blessing. Rabbi.

SPEAKER 03 : 22:12

In the book of Numbers, chapter 6, the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron to speak this blessing over his people. And the Lord said, When you speak these words over my people, I will place my name on them and bless them. Receive the impartations of the Lord’s blessings.

SPEAKER 02 : 22:30

Yevah Recheche Yahweh vayishmarecha is shalom

SPEAKER 03 : 23:21

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with His countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, His peace. God bless you and shalom.

SPEAKER 01 : 23:40

I’m your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Be sure to join us next time when Rabbi Schneider begins another exciting series titled Revelations to Set You Free. That’s coming up Wednesday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.