Throughout your journey in life, there will be times when spiritual, physical and financial needs arise; and some will be greater than others. The Word of God teaches that children of God are to look to the Lord and His promises for the needs we cannot provide ourselves. The Bible says, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

God will provide; but sometimes, the need is so great, the trial so severe and the bondage so strong that prayer and standing on the promises are not enough. You desperately need answers, direction and help from Heaven; yet it seems that your prayers are not getting through. In difficult situations like that, Bible fasting is required.

Are you constantly struggling with depression and fear? Do you need deliverance from stub-bornness and resisting the will of God? Do you have consistent problems with wrinkles and blemishes in your spiritual garments? The Bible says, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (James 4:10).

Bible fasting is the most effective way to humble yourself before God and bring divine help to you when you are in need. It enables you to see yourself more clearly in the mirror of God’s Word because all the selfish biases and blind spots will be gone after a true Bible fast. You will have clearer understanding of your life before God and His will for you.

Bible fasting afflicts your soul before God and humbles you 100 percent in His presence, and it brings great results. You can see those results in both the Old and New Testaments.

The Jews in Persia Faced Death

Study the Book of Esther, and you will read that she needed great favor with God. The king of Persia was deceived by a wicked advisor, Haman, into signing a decree that all the Jews in the kingdom would be killed on a certain day. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey (Esther 3:13). Haman was devil possessed, and he hated the Jews. He knew that once the decree was signed, it could not be undone.

When Esther became queen, she hid her heritage. Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred (Esther 2:10). But after the decree was made, she came to realize that her people were in desperate need of someone to go before the king and intercede on their behalf.

Unfortunately, the law of Persia stated that a person could not just go before the king whenever they desired. All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live (Esther 4:11).

Fasting Brought Victory

Esther had not been summoned to appear before the king for thirty days, yet she knew she couldn’t wait any longer because the day when the Jews would be killed was quickly approaching. So before going before the king, Esther declared a fast. Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish (Esther 4:16).

Afterward, Esther entered into the presence of the king without invitation; and he held up his golden scepter and declared, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom (Esther 5:3). That was the grace of God.

The king could not change his decree, but he worked out the best plan he could to help the Jewish people; and he allowed them to defend themselves. Also, Haman was exposed and put to death.

Fasting Spared Lives

Another example is found in the Book of Jonah. God sent Jonah to the wicked city of Ninevah to declare judgment upon that city. When the king of Ninevah heard that, he declared a fast. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not (Jonah 3:7-9)?

God saw that great display of humility, and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not (Jonah 3:10). Through mercy and grace, God spared those people. If He honored the humble fasting of wicked people in a city set for destruction, how much more will He take notice and act accordingly when His children humble themselves in fasting before Him?

Elijah Had a Great Need

Elijah is one who endured much. He stood alone in representing God before the nation of Israel while there were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the grove representing the devil. Elijah proved his God was the true and living God when he built an altar according to God’s instructions and placed a sacrifice upon it. He doused that sacrifice with water and then prayed a short prayer. Fire fell from Heaven and consumed everything. What a miracle!

With the help of the children of Israel, Elijah then took those 450 prophets of Baal down to the river; and he killed them all with a sword. Elijah stood alone against the demonic power that filled those 850 men, and it no doubt took a mental toll upon him. He was so weary in mind and body; and it allowed the devil to move in and torment Elijah with fear and frustration.

We then see Elijah sitting under a juniper tree greatly troubled and praying to die. It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers (I Kings 19:4). As Elijah sat there, God showed him grace; and He sent an angel twice to feed Elijah. Then the Bible says, Elijah went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God (I Kings 19:8).

After forty days without food, Elijah stood before God on that mount; and God revealed to him the truth saying, I have left [preserved] me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him (I Kings 19:18). God was telling Elijah that he was not alone.

Then the Lord said, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room (I Kings 19:15,16). God was getting ready to rapture Elijah.

David Submitted to God’s Will

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9). Bible fasting reveals to you answers and directions from God and enables you to submit to them.

King David is a great example of what I speak of. At one time, he was fasting for the life of his little baby boy who was sick unto death. The baby had been conceived in his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. For seven days, David did not eat; and he was lying upon the ground in mourning before God.

On the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him what had happened because they knew how much he had vexed himself when the child was sick, and they didn’t know what he might do to himself when he heard the child was dead.

When they did tell David about the child, he did not react as they had thought he would. Instead, he washed and anointed himself and went into the house of the Lord to worship. His servants were perplexed; but David told them, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (II Samuel 12:22,23).

In those seven days of fasting, David had submitted himself completely to the will of God. So when God gave the verdict and the child died, David had no bitterness or resentment because he had humbled himself before God.

Fasting Saved a Doomed Ship

When you need deliverance from a problem or a situation in your life that seems almost impossible to deal with, Bible fasting is required. Paul is a good example of that when he was on a ship headed for Rome. A great storm arose that lasted for days; and even though the men on board were seasoned on the sea, they were lost.

It seemed everyone on board was without hope and going to die, so Paul started fasting; and he encouraged everyone else on board to fast with him. They all followed his request because the situation was so desperate. Sometimes God has to put people in desperate situations before they will yield to Him. After fourteen days of fasting, an angel appeared to Paul and let him know that God was with him; and he and everyone on board would be safe.

When Paul delivered that message to the people, none of them mocked or spoke up in doubt and unbelief that an angel had appeared to him because they had all fasted and humbled themselves before God. They had gotten self out of the way, and they were leaning on every word Paul spoke. Maybe some or all of them even got saved during that fourteen-day fast.

Fasting Brings Victory

The book of Judges tells of a time when there was great conflict within the tribes of Israel. On two different occasions, God told the tribes of Israel to do battle with the tribe of Benjamin; and each time, Israel was soundly defeated. Thousands of Israelites were killed.

After the second defeat, all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD (Judges 20:26).

After that day of fasting, God said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand (Judges 20:28). And God did just that. The tribe of Benjamin was defeated.

Even though it had been God’s will for the other tribes of Israel to defeat the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelites were not prepared to carry out God’s will. They first had to humble themselves before God, and then He gave them the victory. Never forget that just because something is the will of God does not mean you are ready to fulfill or receive the results of His will. There are times when you must humble yourself before God and prepare to be used by Him so you can receive from Him.

Crucify Self

When fasting, you desire more of God. You hunger and thirst for Him so much that you are willing to set aside your physical food day after day to spend hours in prayer and study of the Word. You are making physical sacrifices in order to achieve spiritual gain, and your focus must be on receiving more spiritual food for the soul.

In Bible fasting, you learn what Jesus meant when He said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). You will never fully understand what that means until you partake of Bible fasting. The longer you go without food, the more you learn how to depend on the Word of God and His presence for the strength and life you need to keep you going. Instead of physical bread providing you the strength and life you need for each day, you are learning to yield to the life found only in God.

Bible fasting is about dying out to this world and the cares of this life. You must die out to any of self’s ambitions and desires that conflict with and contradict the will of God and the Holy Spirit. You must become so much like Jesus that you will follow in His steps and take up your cross to do the whole will of God. You must be able to say as Paul did, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Unfortunately, many Christians have fasted the wrong way and then came out of their fast with no results. God is not pleased with such fasting, and the prayers of those people go unanswered. Then they blame God because they don’t understand why their fast was fruitless before the Lord.

Fasting Brings Spiritual Growth

The Apostle Paul wrote, Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).

Paul wrote that he was in fastings often (II Corinthians 11:27). Bible fasting helped him grow up into the stature of Jesus Christ. When you need help growing up into Christ’s stature, Bible fasting is the vitamin that will help rapidly speed up your spiritual growth. Again, Paul wrote, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (I Corinthians 13:11).

Fasting will make you a witness for Christ. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). You will never be God’s witness or have His power without the Holy Ghost baptism and Bible fasting.

You Must Receive the Holy Spirit

As the Son of God, Jesus did not need to be baptized in the Holy Ghost; but when He came to Earth as the Son of man, He did need to have that baptism. John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend upon Him. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him (Luke 3:22). Jesus is our example, and He laid out the footsteps we must follow.

After Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost, He immediately went into the wilderness to fast. When the fast was over, Jesus declared, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18,19). Jesus went forth to minister to people, to bear fruit for the Kingdom and to fulfill His divine mission.

Unfortunately, many children of God try to go forth to do God’s will without the Holy Ghost. Others may have the Holy Ghost but do no Bible fasting. In either case, the results are sporadic.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Jesus taught His disciples a valuable lesson about Bible fasting. A man with an epileptic son brought the boy to the disciples for help, but they could not help him. The man then took his son to Jesus; and Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). Once Jesus got the doubt out of the father, the boy was set free.

The disciples did not have the Holy Ghost at that time, and they asked Jesus why they could not deliver the boy. And he [Jesus] said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). “This kind” refers to the kind of power you need to deliver and help people, to bear fruit in your life and to help build God’s Kingdom.

Jesus said that power comes into you when you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1:8). When Jesus received the Holy Ghost, He received that power. Then He fasted, and that power went into operation in His life. Fasting is required if you want that power to work in your life.

What the Power Will Do

At one time, the disciples of John asked Jesus, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not (Matthew 9:14)? Jesus replied, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast (Matthew 9:15).

When Jesus went away, He sent the Holy Ghost to all who would seek and receive Him. The power of the Holy Ghost is not good feelings or emotionalism; it is power that will produce the nine fruits of the Spirit in your life and His personality within you. It is power to trample devils underfoot. Jesus said, Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

The power of the Holy Ghost is power to live by faith in the Word of God. The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). It is power to help and bless other people because the life of a true child of God is not about you. Bible fasting is a purging process that helps cast self down so the Holy Spirit in you has all the liberty He needs to make your life bear even more fruit for the Kingdom of God.

The Flesh vs. the Spirit

Quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19). How do you quench the Spirit within?—by giving over to self and the flesh rather than to the liberty and freedom of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (Galatians 5:16,17).

There will be times when you will want to do certain things, and the Spirit will want you to do other things. I’m not talking about just sinful things but about things your flesh wants that are contrary to what the Spirit wants. Who are you going to yield to—your flesh or the Spirit? Who has control over your life? Paul went on in Galatians to say, And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:24,25).

The Holy Ghost baptism and Bible fasting are two key ingredients that make a person into a Jesus witness. Unfortunately, those ingredients so often have been ignored, neglected and mis-understood. Some so-called Christians will even go so far as to declare that neither one of them is necessary. They think the Holy Ghost baptism and Bible fasting were for the past but not the present, and that’s exactly what the devil wants them to think.

The devil does not want individuals or churches to be true Jesus witnesses with the power of God working in them. He does not want his strongholds in people’s lives to be torn down so souls can be won for the Kingdom of God.

Let Holy Ghost Power Work

One of the most profound scriptures in the Word of God is this: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20). Notice Paul did not say it was according to the power in you but to the power working in you.

There’s a definite difference between the two because you could have the power of the Spirit within, but you could be quenching that power and not allowing it to work. What the Spirit does through you on your behalf and on the behalf of others is according to the power within that you yield to.

Child of God, do you lack power to reach God? Do you lack power to get results for yourself and for others? If so, and if you have been baptized in the Holy Ghost, then you are not allowing the power within to work. It is dormant, and it is as if you do not have any power at all.

What brings that power to life and puts it into operation in your life?—Bible fasting and prayer. Paul said, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory (I Corinthians 15:51,52,55)? The power that will change you on Rapture Day is the power of the Holy Ghost you have, not just in you but working in you.

Pray for Salvation and Healing

Friend, this is your opportunity to give your heart to Jesus and receive a new life. You can be set free from all sin and unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus. He will come to abide within you; and as you abide in Him, you will become a new creature.

Say this prayer with me right now. Oh, God, I confess all of my sins before you. Forgive me, Lord, and I will serve you for the rest of my life. I believe there is power in the divine blood of Jesus that washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come into my heart. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours.

Now, if you need a miracle or a healing, the Bible says, The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15). Jesus said, They [His believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:18). Friend, I am the Lord’s believer, and I’m going to agree with you in prayer for you to be made whole. I am going to pray a prayer of faith with you, and the Lord will raise you up no matter what your bondage or affliction is. God has all power, and it flows to us through the blood of Jesus.

Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring those who are sick in body and those who are in pain to you. God, do move for them and deliver them through the power in the divine blood. In the holy, blood name of Jesus, heal! Heal! Lord, let that virtue flow from the blood into their bodies to make them well for your honor and glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Receive the Holy Ghost

Friend, if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you now know from this message how much you need Him. Jesus set the example, and He received the Holy Ghost as the Son of man. Then He commanded His church not to go into operation until they had received the Holy Ghost. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). We also must tarry until we receive that Holy Ghost power. It is required for you to be a true Jesus witness, make it to Rapture ground and be all that God wants you to be.

As I call the Holy Ghost upon you, get off to yourself and praise the Lord with your whole heart until the Holy Ghost comes in and speaks through you in a heavenly language just like He did through the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring the people before you. God, anoint them to receive the gift of your baptism. In the name of Jesus, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Friend, praise the Lord and don’t stop until the Holy Ghost comes in. God bless you today.