Fasting and Prayer: Keys to Spiritual Revival (Ezra 8:21-23)

Fasting and prayer are keys to spiritual revival.

Fasting and prayer give your internal system a break and cleansing process.

Fasting and prayer rejuvenate your excretory and digestive organs.

Fasting and prayer revive your spiritual system through introspection and trust in God.

hello my dear brothers and sisters a warm welcome to one and all of you and I greet you in the name of a loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as always I feel happy I'm privileged I'm so grateful to God that he is enabling such sessions always to meditate from the Word of God and yet another session yet another day at another moment of time glorious moment we are going to discuss today about a very very important concept every concept is important according to the Bible that's called as fasting and prayer right I'm going to refer to the book of Esra chapter 8 verses 21 to 23 I will read one verse and we will get into the basics then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. We will stop there and we will continue to read. Now what is this fasting and prayer? Why I should fast and pray? Many people have these questions. Brother, prayer alone is enough, right? Why we really need to fast and pray? What is the necessity for that? Let us talk from a practical tense let us talk from a biological standpoint why at all prayer is necessary the biological fasting is necessary the biological standpoint is you definitely need to give some rest to your internal system internal organs such as your instant i into sorry intestine such as your large intestine small intestine your stomach and the operations within the stomach right there is what is the hydrochloric acid or something which keeps you know breaking the food particles and large intestine from small intestine it receives food the the waste and then it pushes it out and all that first of all you need to give a break to your system which is really good you talk to any doctor and during that time what happens is your body gets into the cleansing process of all the toxic elements which will be pushed out of your body very important very important thing for every human being to follow that's why similar process you have to give blood to others so what happens is new blood will get rejuvenated in your body all this is like giving break to the system therefore your excretory organs your digestive organs really will get rejuvenated rejuvenation mark this word rejuvenation as much as it is important for your biological system as far as this rejuvenation is concerned when the Rejuvenation happens, renewal, refreshment happens. There is also revival. For example, what happens is your organs will get revived with new energy, right? With new blood, with new drops of blood, right? Our body is capable. That is why, you know, donating blood is really good. Do it, no problem. But if you are anemic, don't do it. You yourself need blood. The point here is, it is not only about the biological system. It is not only about your physical system. The point is here about your spiritual system. Your spiritual system also needs a break in the sense. It's called as introspection technically. What I mean to call as a break here is sometimes you need to stand fast in the same place. Stand still in the same place. Stand still and see what the Lord is going to do tomorrow. 2 Chronicles chapter 20, when Jehoshaphat and his people, they fasted and prayed. Obviously, we all know about that incident. That's why I didn't take that. I went for Ezra, right? The famous incident, you know, right? Three kings are coming, Ammonites and Jebusites and one more guy. They all came together to attack Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat is the, you know, king of Israel. And then he wants to definitely win that battle for the Lord, but they are not able to do it through their physical power. because their army is not even one-fourth of the army that is going to come against them. So, they are practically right that it is impossible. Sometimes what happens is the practical mathematics, according to the human understanding, human wisdom, you will definitely know that you are going to fail. All of us go through this situation. There is no rocket science. That is exactly the moment God says, this is the right time for me to interfere. Where man is saying that this is the end of everything, God says that's my beginning. Because that's how he can prove himself as a supernatural God. Miracle working God, prayer answering God, promise keeping God. That is a beautiful prayer right? Sorry song. This prayer is converted as a song. He a miracle working God he a miracle working God he the miracle God He the miracle He the wonder He the miracle God He the promise God He's the promise keeping God. He's the promise, he's the wonder. He's the promise keeping God. Give him glory and honor. Power run to him. Jesus, the name above all names. He's the miracle working God. He's the promise-keeping God. He's the miracle. He's the wonder. He's the prayer-answering God. Wonderful song, right? It's all compiled together. Prayer-answering God, promise-keeping God, miracle-working God, and all glory to Jesus. When all this comes to life is when you dedicate your time sacrificing your meal. Nothing is important to me. Because many people think when they eat is when they gain energy. I will tell you what. When you don't eat is when you will gain energy. A lot of examples are there. Yeah. For the first time, Jesus was taken up in spirit and caught up in the spirit and driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Mr. Devil. And what he went through? Fasting and prayer. Right. He was in fasting for 40 days and 40 nights to prove few things to the mankind and to the devil. Right. And to himself to win the confidence. It is not by your will. it is not by the food you eat it is not by the regular things that you do such as your exercise all that is needed eating food exercising is needed it that develops metabolism that builds up energy and all that that that exerts a lot of you know unwanted chemicals and toxic substances which is nice but if your confidence is only on this regular things then definitely God is going to break that confidence why because your confidence and trust must switch from point A to point B. Point A, yes, there are things that you have to do in a systematic way. But Jesus was doing that also for 30 years. Then when he came into ministry, the first thing is God wants him to have his confidence in him. And therefore, he had to be tested. He had to be taken through the temptations. So Jesus went through that 40 days and 40 nights of temptations and only what he had gone through in the last days written in the Bible, Matthew 4, Luke 4, if you read now, that incident if you compile it it is not more than 30 minutes you think the devil came only on the last day last hour and tempted him no change that stone to bread sorry convert that stone into bread and eat it and jump from the pinnacle the angels will come and call and all the temptations you happen i explained that in the different sermon correct it's only like a 30 minutes recording if they were to write everything that jesus went through that will be such a demotivating thing right but jesus overcame all the temptations all the wiles of the devil through fasting and pray why we should fast and pray is because two three things number one is you are giving that mere importance only to god and his presence you are setting aside everything you don't want food to eat you don't want water to drink you don't want to do anything because you believe that although these may give me good energy right you don't have to sacrifice food forever right but once in a while what are you indicating God what are you revealing to God my trust is not in the food I eat my my confidence is not in the water I drink although these may give me energy but my energy is in you my confidence is in you and secondly you're dedicating that time you may be a very busy person on that specific day you may have some work but you want overcome but you want to overcome the problems you need a resolution you need a solution for the problem that you are facing. Therefore, you are setting aside everything, right? And you are switching your focus from all your problems, all your busyness, all your deeds and you are focusing on God and God appreciates that, right? You are giving that mere importance and prominence to God. God, come and have your dominance. Come and have your throne. Come and have your place. And I want you to interfere in my life because I am dependent on you. Second thing is, you are revealing your dependence dependence is nothing but you are having that confidence and trust in god that's why you are depending on him and god appreciates that right and the third thing is i told you the physical aspect of it cleanses so many things it actually builds up the new energy many people think when they fast and pray their energy drops out except for diabetic people except for cardiac issues and all that those people who are terribly sick i agree right their energy drops but otherwise youngsters or mid-aged people or people who are aged and healthy having no problems actually fasting and praying only will renew your strength You are like eagles Bible says right Those that shall wait on the Lord their strength will be like will renew will be they will renew their strength like eagles They mount up their wings, they will run and not be weary, Bible says. So, when you get into fasting and prayer, your blood parameters are all good. Never ever think, I didn't eat food, therefore I am filling. So, when you fast and pray, anoint your head with oil and look fresh, Bible says. You will look fresh. You will not make any effort. You will look fresh. So, have this kind of norms, right? And fourth important thing is, Jesus said something very important from the spiritual standpoint. Disciples, to the disciples, one guy had brought the demon-possessed boy. In Mark 3, I think you can find it. They could not cast out the spirit. Yeah? They all tried in the name of Jesus, this and that. They prayed and all that. then Jesus came and he said one word finished gone. Then they asked him, how come when you prayed, when you have spoken a word it went off. Then Jesus said, certain spirits can be driven out of your presence, can be driven out of your families, can be driven out of your life. You will be able to cast them into the bottomless pit. Except by fasting and prayer you will not be able to do it. Jesus said this. That's why it's very, very important. you want to gain those supernatural powers. You want change in your life. You want to kick out the devil who had gained that stronghold in your life. He had taken captive of you for several decades. Some people are bound in certain sinful deeds for decades. And you want liberty? You want freedom? You want liberalization? Then definitely you go to fast and pray. This is not my instruction. This has been told by Jesus himself. It is in your new covenant. You please take and read. right i don't have time to quote the scriptures now esra talks about few things here number one is let us humble ourselves see another fifth principle is when you go and fasting in prayer you're you're you are going in humility humility is nothing but tightly coupled with the dependence right you're going in all humility setting aside all your knowledge all your prudence all your wisdom, everything. And you are saying that I humble myself because I totally depend on you and your guidance. Therefore, I have come in fasting and prayer, giving importance to nothing. I nullify everything in me. Even the food I eat, I nullify. I come to you. God is going to honor you specially. Right. And then, say, I got to seek him, sorry, to seek humble ourselves before God to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and for our possessions. You want certain guidance from God, you want special attention from God, then you should go with sacrifice. That's exactly the point. See, no pain, no gain. All of us know this proverb, right? Likewise, God will test your attitude in how much you are serious about seeking God and for his intervention, how much you are dependent on him, how much you love him, How aggressive you are that you want that help from God and him alone. There should be a little bit of sacrifice. That's exactly what Ezra is doing. That let us go and humble ourselves and seek God for his intervention. Seek God for his health. And the next verse is very good. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road. They are going in the travel, but there are a lot of people who would come and loot their possessions and all that. These are the normal incidents that happened during those days. And he felt ashamed to go to the king. Of course, he had access to the throne room of king and he feels ashamed. See, instead of dedicating time and fasting and prayer and going to the Lord, you will use the same time if you had access to the room of prime minister or some minister or MLA or MP or councillor or your boss or the director or your CEO, what will the human brain, how will the human brain think and react? Or let me use this time. I will go and talk to that person, ask for some protection, ask for some security or you know some police people, you will go and talk to them. And then let me say an amen and hallelujah to God in the night before I go to bed. Thank you for enabling such departments, such people in my life that I could get protection from them. So your source of confidence, your source of protection is from a human being and not from God. It's meaningless to thank God, right? I'm not saying you shouldn't go to police, you shouldn't go to take through the official method if you're organizing certain things. Yeah, you need to get protection. But where is your confidence Where is your dependence right This Ezra prophet he says that I feel ashamed to go to king King has rights to give him all the protection He can deploy a lot of chariots. Nobody can come against the king's chariot. When they see that, oh man, this guy has been ordained by the king's troops and chariots and there is a convoy following him, no way we can touch and they will back off. he says even if I want to go alone I will go with God and his protection and for which let me humble otherwise I feel ashamed I don't want to go and ask human beings for help king is also human being no he did not jump from heaven and the hand of our God is upon all those who all those for good who seek him but his power and his wrath are against those who forsake him. Yeah. When you forsake him, forsaking him means what? Ignoring his presence. Being very, very casual. You know, God knows we will pray him until last but let's go and arrange everything. Some people who are organizing prayer meetings and all that, you know, very busy in organizing. Yeah. For fasting and prayer, for organizing a prayer, you need to fast and pray. Because why? See, you may arrange everything, but if God's presence is not there, it is useless. It is only gathering and a bunch of demons will come and take control over you people and it will be full of confusion. You will go home dejected and deprived. You don't want to end up there, my beloved friend, my brother, my sister. Even in life, that principle is very important. You need to ensure that you don't forsake God. Forsake God means ignoring His presence, rejecting His presence, giving importance to everything else but not to God. And how can you show that respect back to God? How can you nullify that you are not forsaking God? It is by giving that importance to God through fasting and prayer. Sacrificing. Sacrificing food and water. Sacrificing time. You may have many other things to do but I will go fast and pray. You are having that principle. Jesus had that principle always. And that is why he was able to give that commandment. Except by fasting and prayer, certain evil spirits, some habits are not changing in your children. Some problems and troubles are not leaving you. It follows you everywhere you go for decades. Certain bad habits you are not able to overcome. But there, because there is a stronghold of some demons. And you got to fight it out through prayer. And that is our spiritual weapon, Bible says. The armor of God is the word of God. But how can you execute that weapon? How can you exercise that? It's through fasting and prayer. That is the method. Weapon is there. But method is prayer and fasting. So we fasted and entered our God for this and he answered our prayer. Lastly, we will say this and we will close. If your prayers are not being answered, you are not delivered from any of your problems. Poverty is taken, debts, sickness, ailments, issues at workplace, job failures, job losses and so many other issues. Right. And it consistently follows you. Some are other ways, some are the means. which means it's a clear indication that God has not answered your prayer. Why? Because God expects that dedication in sincerity and in sacrifice. And both of this can be done through one method that's called as fasting and prayer. I think that's good enough for the session because it's a very detailed concept. If I were to explain everything, this time won't be enough. Today I will tell you what. Make a decision. Weekly once you can fast and pray. No big deal. Any of us can fast weekly once. Start with that and slowly enhance it to weekly twice. That's enough. Weekly once or twice you are able to do. Monthly, you know, you are able to do it 7-8 times. You are able to fast and pray at least for 4-5 times. That's more than enough. God will definitely hand hold you. See, even otherwise also you are not able to fast because of some reasons. Right? Please do not do that. If you are a diabetic, don't fast and pray. Pray. God can understand. But you are able to fast. You have all the health and strength. You must do it. for these reasons which we have explained from the Bible. God bless you. Subscribe to our channel. Get access to all our playlists. Please share it with your friends, near ones, dear ones. And whomever you know, do not refrain from sharing the word of God. Pause our channel details. The rest all, the Holy Spirit will take care. And importantly, continue to remember me and our ministries in your prayer. Close your eyes and pray for me every day, 10 seconds. That's all we are asking. It's not an uphill task, right? You're my praying partner. We are doing this ministry together, right? Not about religious conviction, but sharing the word of God and his love. And therefore, we can share, we can make the, we can get the best for the mankind. We can give the best for the mankind. God gave us the best gift of grace through his son Jesus. And therefore, we have our responsibility to share that Jesus with everyone. Okay. All right. God bless you. Take care. Bye.

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