Speaker: Elder Khoo Kay Hup
Topic:
Fasting that God sees (Matthew 6:16-18)
Date:
14 March 2021
When you fast, do not be like the
hypocrites, with a sad countenance. Your Father who is in the secret place sees
what is done in secret, and He will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:16-18)
God sees our motives, our thoughts and our desires. Many of
these things are hidden from the public eye but God sees our innermost being.
When we fast, we need to allow Him to speak into our
lives, circumcise our hearts by putting to death the deeds of our carnal nature
(James 4:1-6), and take us through a deep journey of consecration and
surrender—not my will but His will (Matthew 6:10), not my way but His way
(Isaiah 55:8-9). Give space for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
·
In 2012,
I went on a 21-day fast and prayer, and fasted from food and totally disengaged
from social contacts, both physically and online.
·
I fed on
the Word of God, prayed in the Spirit, worshipped God through songs and kept a
journal.
Does God see our carnality or spirituality? (Romans 8:5-8)
·
Those who
live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
·
For to be
carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
·
If our
desire is on the carnal level, we will never be able to please God.
Results of carnality and spirituality (Galatians 5:19-25)
·
We long for
the kingdom of God, especially in times of turmoil, challenges and depression.
·
In the
kingdom of God, there is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
·
Those who
follow after their own carnal desires will not inherit the kingdom of God.
·
Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and
desires of their sinful nature to His cross.
·
We need
to allow our flesh and our hearts to be circumcised by the Holy Spirit.
God will reward us according to His plans and purposes
·
Fasting
and prayer is not bending God to our will; it is submitting ourselves to His
will and His kingdom purposes.
·
The Holy Spirit will pierce through the darkness of our
soul and expose that which is carnal and bring it to light so that we will
repent of it.
·
As we do
so, He will bring life back to us. Jesus came that we may have life, and that
we may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
·
He will give us an understanding of His big picture both
spiritually and prophetically. (Daniel 9 and 10)
·
He will grant our God-given desires. Eg. Anna the
prophetess (Luke 2:36-38); Forgiveness to the Ninevites (Jonah 3:5-10)
·
He will increase our spiritual sensitivity and spiritual
authority. Eg. The boy with epileptic seizure (Matthew 17:21)
·
Other
examples include: Proverbs 16:7; Isaiah 58:6-14 (esp. vv 8-9)
·
When God
takes over, we will see our problems from a different perspective.
Finally, a reminder about Fasting (and Prayer):
·
It is a LIFE-STYLE of continual consecration.
·
It is NOT a one-off event.
·
It is one of the ESSENTIAL SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES God
wants us to adopt, in order to be more like Jesus.
