Throughout Scripture, we see that people fasted for many reasons—one of which was to grow in sensitivity to God’s voice. This is because fasting positions you to hear God more clearly—shifting the way you see and altering your perspective. #lisabevere #lisabeverestudy #lisabeverecourse #lisabevere #lisabevereadamant #christianstudy #theadamant # #onlinecourses #truthisarock #truth #whatistruth #lisabeveresermons #3keystogettingunstuck ______________ Chapters: 0:00 – Lesson Teaser 0:27 – Fasting 7:53 – Why Do We Need to Fast? 10:19 – My Favorite Fasting Scripture 18:18 – Pray, Fast, Seek 19:55 – Closing Prayer ______________ Make a one-time donation to help fund our livestreams, content, events, and more: https://messengerinternational.org/
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well you know I think that too many
people think fasting is the Christian
diet and you know so they’re so excited
they’re going to I’m going to eat a ton
of Thanksgiving I’m going to eat a ton
at Christmas and then in January when I
fast I’ll give birth to my food baby but
fasting is not about a diet it’s it’s
about something way
[Music]
more welcome to hearing God and I am so
excited today I have my beautiful
daughter-in-law Juliana B joining me and
we’re going to be talking about the
topic of fasting so you guys recently
did a fast which actually really hurt
the heart of some of us tell tell them
about the fast that you did and why why
would you do a fast you’re a mom you got
four kids what’s going on yeah well
Addison and I um we had just been going
through a few weeks with a lot of
tension I mean we were getting in
arguments the way we did back early in
our marriage where it wouldn’t
necessarily resolve cuz the
communication just wasn’t complete and
it was a few weeks of this and it
started to feel like it was something
spiritual it was coming against us but
when you’re mad it’s kind of it’s hard
to be like this is spiritual we need to
remove ourselves from the situation
spiritual it was like why are you
letting this happened to us and um it
was late one night we had like sort of
gotten over something but we’re still
upset and I just said you know I think
we should do a 21-day fast and um I I
had the idea because actually Church in
the highlands something they do that I
love is they fast at the beginning of
the year and then they fast in August oh
wow so it’s it’s like a reset so I love
that you’re actually giving people
permission to fast other than the
beginning of the year exactly and it’s
nice too because you can look back on
the goals and the different things that
you the intentions you set at the
beginning of the year and evaluate where
you’re at the amount of time you have
left and do those goals still really
matter to you and so he and I entered
into this 21 days where we did no sugar
and we did um no media so for us we had
kind of gotten into the Netflix routine
where we put the kids down and we’re
exhausted at night so we would you know
watch an episode of the office or parks
and wreck and then you know fall into
bed and go to sleep and what this did
eliminating that option is it reset and
it reentered Our intention we had set at
the beginning of the year to be praying
together at night wow to be going
through a devotional together at night
and just the change and the shift that
happened I mean it was a recalibration
of our lives really wow I love that for
us to take this time and just to say
Okay God something’s off we don’t know
exactly what’s off but you do and we
need you to help us I love that well you
know I think that too many people think
fasting is the Christian diet and you
know so they’re so excited they’re going
to I’m going to eat a ton at
Thanksgiving I’m going to eat a ton at
Christmas and then in January when I
fast I’ll give birth to my food baby but
fasting is not about a diet it’s it’s
about something way more and um I love
that you guys chose to push a reset on
your relationship you know one of my
favorite scriptures for fasting is in
and I’m going to look professional now
Psalm 69:10 and I’m going to read it
from the new King James and this is
David talking he said I wept and I
chastened my soul with fasting you know
I found that there’s times where I can’t
cry when I should have cried and my
heart gets a little hard it gets a
little jaded and when I actually fast a
sensitivity comes back um social media
is a constant you know inundation of
things that we don’t even know of what’s
going on and I so that fast was actually
about resetting some boundaries on
social media and then I know the sad
thing for me when you guys are fasting
you still made desserts but you didn’t
eat them so I had to eat I took a HP for
you during your path um the ESV says
Psalm 69:10 it says when I wept and
humbled my soul with fasting so it’s our
soul that we need to reain in and if
David and this is just my thought if
David needed to rain his soul in this
man after God’s Own Heart how much more
Le of might need to re her soul in so I
want to talk what it means to Chas in it
means to discipline purify refine
clarify improve or as you mentioned it’s
a reset it’s a reset discipline is
training and fasting is a discipline
that brings clarification and insight
and here’s here’s what happened with me
the very first time I fasted um it was
was really interesting I it’s sad but
true I had bought a wedding gown that I
promptly outgrew I was bought a wedding
gown by faith cuz we were weird in the
word of faith T I bought a wedding G by
faith and then just ate Domino’s Pizzas
entire on chocolate chip cookie dough in
the microwave I’m like by faith and then
I could like went to get fitted for my
dress and they couldn’t zip it shut and
they were like this isn’t your dress and
I was like by faith I’m trying to hold
it and they’re like it’s this far apart
it’s not going and so remember I came
back and I just had such a realization
that I had food in the complete wrong
place and I was I actually kind of mad
at God like I became a Christian I gave
up getting drunk and now I’m fat and
this is your fault and he’s like I am
not force feeding you and so I remember
saying God I don’t know how to get this
in the right perspective and he said you
need to fast and and then he said and
you need to stop dieting and I was like
wait isn’t a diet just I mean a fast and
extreme diet yeah and he said no he said
A Diet changes the way you look but a
fast changes the way you see W and he
said Lisa I need you to change the way
you see everything the way you see food
the way you see life I was single
getting ready to get married I need you
to change the way you see family and so
I remember I was like all right I’m in
the season of transition and I need to
set a fast and one of the scriptures and
again at the time I wouldn’t even have
known to look at this up but Ezra 21
says I proclaimed a fast so that we
might humble ourselves before our God
and ask him for a safe journey for us
and our children with all of our
possessions and there’s Seasons changing
Julie and I mean you’re you’re coming
into a new season you and Addison both
are so what would have been okay yeah in
a past season needed to be reset yeah in
this season and so I love that God can
actually give us that reset button and
sometimes it’s not about fasting food
yeah you know so you’ve gave that
example of not fasting uh food because
you had kids and you’ve got to well you
did Fast desserts but actually you know
a lot of people do the extreme fast or
they do the Daniel Fast but sometimes
you just need to ask God what is it that
I need to fast yeah what is it that is
standing between me and you and I know
for me um I wrote down the weight and
this is not about eating disorders but I
said all right God if I’m not going to
diet and you’re going to change my
perspectives then I’m going to trust you
with my weight I’m going to stop
weighing myself I’m going to stop
measuring My Life by food I’m going to
stop measuring Myself by weight but
people have this cultural thing where
why would we fast now why do we need to
fast we’re under grace what what do you
think about that I just think that’s so
limiting
like our God is not just this linear do
this I’ll give you this it’s like like
you said so much of it is that humbling
ourselves and coming before him and just
saying like what fast do you want me to
do like things are not as they should be
and I mean I feel that any given time on
any day and I love too that these
Scriptures it was their Instinct we
should fast things are going great we
should fast things are really bad we
should fast yeah it was they just took
it to God in a way where it’s you are
greater and you know better right and so
it’s it’s
this
opportunity that I think for us to say I
have Grace I don’t need this all of it
well you know and here’s the thing about
fasting isn’t going to make me more
spiritual but it is going to make me
more sensitive and because I’m more
sensitive then I’m going to be more
consecrated and more separated and you
know I I always see fasting which is
it’s kind of counter inuitive it’s a
decrease of intake to increase capacity
and so I you know I just want to
challenge people out there I don’t know
where you are right now I don’t know if
you’re in a season where you know your
whole your whole soul is like totally
out of control and you need to humble
yourself then fasting is an incredible
opportunity for you to happen maybe it’s
social media maybe it’s desserts maybe
God is actually going to cause you to
have a juice fast you need to talk to
your medical doctors were not advising
you but there’s something there’s
something that you’re running to instead
of running to God or maybe you’re in a
season of transition like Ezra and you
say you know what I’m going to declare a
fast yeah it’s not that my soul is
arrogant I’m going to declare a fast
because I’m going from an old thing to a
new thing I’m going to a new place I I
want something more for our family I
know that when um the boys were little
we did a no TV Fest and we you know that
was that was very purifying you know CU
as a mom I was like what do you mean no
John you’re traveling I need the TV to
be on I need to put children in front of
the TV and he’s like no I really feel
like God wants us to fast TV for a month
goodbye and I like no but it was it
created an opportunity for relationship
and conversation that we were watching
TV all the time we didn’t make so I want
to talk about my favorite fasting
scripture which is Isaiah 58 and I’m
going to start with verse five it says
is this the kind of fast I have chosen
this is God talking to his people only a
day for a man to Humble himself is it
only for Bowing one’s head like a reed
or for lying on sackcloth and Ashes is
that what you call a fast a day
acceptable to the Lord and what he’s
actually saying is you’ve gotten used to
the form and you have forgotten the
substance you have forgotten the motive
behind a fast do I just want you to
mourn in front of me am I just looking
for you to Bow yourself down and he was
like no no no he said is this not and he
goes in verse vers 6 through 7 to say is
this not the kind of fast I’ve chosen to
loose the chains of Injustice and untie
the cords of the Yoke to set the
oppressed free and break every yoke see
God is actually saying I need you to put
something aside so I can put something
new on you he’s saying I’ve got an
anointing to set captives free I want
you to actually see the yolks on people
but you’re going to have to stop dieting
and you’re going to have to f so you can
see what I see and then he goes on to
say is it not to share your food with
the hungry and to provide the poor
wander with shelter and it says when you
see the naked to clothe them and not to
turn away from your own flesh and blood
fasting positions us with an increased
sensitivity to what is going on if our
heart’s been shut down to our own flesh
and blood we realize wait a minute I
need to make an adjustment here not they
need to make an adjustment yeah I need
to make and adjust it when we see people
in need that’s the great thing about
fasting you can actually say oh you know
what I got something for you because I’m
putting some stuff aside right now I’m
in a season where I can be a blessing
and then Isaiah goes on in verse 8 and N
he says then and this is what I love
he’s like if you’ve got the right
attitude if you understand what a fast
is about it’s breaking bondages off
yourself it’s breaking bondages off of
other people it’s not just thinking good
it’s doing good he says then your light
will break forth like the Dawn and your
healing will quickly appear then your
righteousness will go before you and the
glory of the Lord will be your rear
guard then and I love all of these then
then you will call and the Lord will
answer you will cry for help and he will
say Here I Am wow here I am you know and
we know that God is always willing we
know he’s always available but sometimes
there is this Meer in our own hearts and
this shadow where we can’t see and God
is like said then your light he he’s
already in light but then your light
you’ll be able to see you’ll be able to
discern and you’ll hear what I say here
I am here I am and so I love that reset
he’s lighting our darkness and you know
as we as I was coming over here I I got
some text messages today from some
friends that are like oh my gosh what is
going on in our world right now what is
going on in our world and there’s this
desperate need to not be a Pharisee mhm
not be
judgmental and yet Walk In Truth yeah
and not just walk in
truth but speak truth and people are
trying to figure out how to do this and
and I know this is my heart cry that I
want to do it well which means I’m going
to have a
sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and I’m
going to have a clear knowledge of the
word of God and then I have to merge
this Jesus always always seemed like he
could understand what the real question
somebody was asking yeah and we’re
getting trapped in our
cultures probing small questions when we
actually have this ability to break
bondage and release captives and so then
it’s almost like God comes and says I’m
going to wrap this around again and he
says in verse n if you do away with the
Yoke of Oppression with a pointing
finger and malicious talk if you spend
yourself in behalf of the hungry satisfy
the needs of the oppressed well pointing
finger is Judgment yeah but it’s not
just judgment it’s accusation because
judgment can be a good thing judgment
can be a decision for or against but
it’s accusing and oppressing other
people and so we’re going to have to
move from the realm of self which self
says well I’m better than them or I
don’t like them or they’re not part of
us or what’s going on and God’s like I
need you to put away this yoke of
Oppression of putting rules on people
that are weighing them down and accusing
CU I know when I don’t feel good about
myself then I’m like what about that
what did you hear what they did like God
why are you yeah God why are you holding
me to this standard are what are you
telling everybody else I want to know
that you’re doing that and he’s like you
need to put this away and then he goes
on to say then like again you your light
will rise in the darkness and your night
will become like Noonday and we need to
be a people who fast so our right our
light begins rise in the darkness yeah
and our Darkness becomes like noon day
we’re supposed to be lights that
actually draw people to Christ which
means we’re going to have the word of
knowledge Word of Wisdom word of God and
holy spirit leading us which requires
that sensitivity and it says the Lord
will guide you always he will satisfy
your needs in a sunscorch land and will
strengthen your frame so no matter what
is going on in our Earth how Barren it
is of the word of the Lord how Barren it
is of righteousness God is saying any
struggle is just going to strengthen
your frame if the entire land is in a
famine yeah you’re going to actually be
taken care of because you’re going to be
satisfied and I’m going to guide you and
then he says you’ll be like a
well-watered garden like a spring whose
Waters never fail and you know we can’t
do that no outside of God exactly so I
just really think this is a time period
where we need to bring back the fast m
not the diet I need to lose weight and
I’ll fast at the same time but really
people leaning into and like I’d love
you to show how you and Addison chose
social media I I understand that was um
you know watching things but and and
dessert like did you just feel like both
of those things were what um well social
media was certainly the distraction
factor I think so much of what you’re
saying God wants to transport us from
this natural realm into the spiritual
realm so that we have clear eyes to see
the world around us and so that for us
was just kind of a easy I mean football
season was starting up Z yeah so it was
a big sacrifice um but and then the
sweets was just kind of like and it was
anything extra just kind of beyond our
meat and our protein and vegetables
which is what we typically consume um so
for us that was just kind of a an add-on
the media was the biggest sacrificial
part and the the recalibration part
because we
knew we might not have known technically
but you know when you just know you’re
spending more time than you want to
spend right and that’s I mean I find
myself frequently doing social media
fast just because I don’t see anything
any kind of a return from that time so
recognizing time as a the commodity that
it is is and redeeming it yeah it’s a
distraction it’s a comparison Factor all
of these things I’m like so I’m I always
am asking God to recalibrate that
recalibrate that because I don’t know
what place honestly if any place that it
is meant to have in my own life yeah so
yeah well I think that if there was ever
a time for our nation and individually
churches corporately and the body of
Christ to Humble themselves pray fast
seek God’s face then now would be the
time and and I love that it goes on to
say your people your people meaning the
Christian people God’s people your
people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the agel foundations
and you will be called repairer of
Broken Walls and restores of streets
with dwellings so I love this idea that
God’s going to speak to us yeah and then
what he does in US causes a generational
shift of repairing and restoring so
we’re talking about hearing from God and
I want you to know that God wants to
speak to you and sometimes when there’s
a lot of things that are miring up then
a fast is what resets a fast also shifts
your appetite you get so used to eating
the same thing over and over again
whether it’s sweets or Netflix or social
media whatever it is it becomes a diet
that you take in and I’ve learned if I
want to be hungry for God then I need to
move away from some other things and
actually let that hunger be cultivated
so I hope that this session inspires you
I know as I was studying for this I was
like you know what Lisa you need to fast
you need to fast I I want to go to a
deeper place of hearing God I want to
know his voice and I know that you’re in
this course because you want the exact
same thing so we’re just going to pray
for you right now Heavenly Father you
know this child you you know that you
want to speak to them even more than
they want to hear from you and so father
we don’t want to put bondage on people
we want to release bondage so father
maybe they’ve heard about a fast and it
was Works will you just show them that
it’s a time of Liberty it’s a time of
feasting in your presence it’s not a
time where you make us feel shame but
that you lift us up and you remove those
things that weigh us down touch their
lives show them how they should fast
show them when they should fast and what
they’re fasting for and father we
believe that ultimately when we fast we
hear from you and you are our reward in
Jesus name
[Music]
amen