The Send Part 3 | God's Design For Fasting with Chris Schlotterbeck

Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd

like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward

slash connect. If you feel called to give, go

to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at

any time you feel called to make a change in

your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the

message. Hey, good morning, everyone. So good

to see everybody here. So glad you're here. Thank

you for journeying out in the just tundra and

the snow. You know, it's like a foot out there.

And, man, you're committed. Love it. Thank you.

If you're joining us from home and it was too

dangerous to come out, God bless you guys. Thank

you for welcoming us. Into your space. Just a

couple things I want to hit on real quick. The

giving letters from the 2025 giving statements,

they've been emailed out to you. Please check

your email. If you haven't gotten them, please

see Tracy at the Welcome Hub directly after this.

She'll arrange for you to get it. Our groups

kick off, launches this week. All of our growth

groups will begin meeting and gathering. There

is food, free food, available for you in the

A -frame. If you'd like to go check out all of

our groups, sample some soup, soup du jour, chili,

all that kind of stuff. Stop by and grab some

food, meet some people, and jump in a group.

Reminder, skate night, you need a ticket. Okay,

so go to the Welcome Hub, get a ticket. For either

the first session, 5 to 6 .30, or the second,

6 .30 to 8. And finally, HTV is once again serving

children in our local community through Micah's

Backpack. There was a need in two local elementary

schools, Lincolnshire and Hickory. We began serving

there a few weeks ago with 10 students. That

has now grown to over 50. So Micah's Backpack

provides food for children. that wouldn't have

food over the weekend, we stuff bags, we put

food in it, we deliver it. If you would like

to help Steve, Steve Wetzel is overseeing it.

He'll be at the Welcome Hub. He is building a

team so that we can weekly pack these bags and

get them to the people that need them. Amen?

All right. I just want to open in prayer because

God kind of led me in a different direction today.

I wasn't planning on sharing the message that

God put in my heart, but... He told me to. So

just being obedient here. And it's going to be

challenging. Just throwing that out there now.

And I want you to receive it and not get too

mad at me and walk out the door. All right? So

we'll let God open our hearts there. So Holy

Spirit, come. God, we're just thankful that we're

freely able to gather in your name. I just pray,

God, that you would rest in this place. We give

this entire gathering to you. Silence distractions,

open our minds, ears, and hearts to receive your

truth. And may we all be changed and transformed

in Jesus' name. Amen. So I want to be real honest

with you this morning. This week as I was praying

for all of you, I was convicted that many of

you have not been fasting to kick off this new

year. And I feel it's my fault. And it's my responsibility

that you're not because during our first gathering

of this series, when I introduced 21 Days of

Prayer and Fasting, I was focused on the morning

gatherings, the 6 a .m., getting people there.

I was focused on the 24 -7 prayer that is happening

this week that you heard Rhett share about. And

it's almost like I skipped over the fasting part.

And God just convicted me and challenged me that

we need to go back, rewind. And refocus on that

important part. God led me specifically to Romans

Romans 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7. Where Paul was writing about the battle

that he had going on inside of himself. The war

between flesh and spirit. Paul writes these words

in verses 18 through 19. And I know that nothing

good lives in me. That is in my sinful nature.

I want to do what is right but I can't. I want

to do what is good but I don't. I don't want

to do what is wrong but I do it anyway. I want

to read the Bible, but I don't. I want to pray,

but I'm too distracted. I want to connect with

others. I want to serve. I want to be in a group,

but I keep making excuses. I find myself angry

and frustrated. I want to change. I try to change,

but I can't. I don't want to struggle with lust

and pornography. I ask God to set me free, but

the grip is too strong. So you can hear Paul

struggling. and wrestling with his flesh and

the spirit. That thorn that he talks about that

so many people struggle with, I believe, is you

and me. It's our flesh. It's the sin nature that

none of us can take off until we are delivered

from this body and set free in God's kingdom.

Now, I attended a celebration of life yesterday

for a man that pursued Jesus from the time he

was 16 until the time he passed away just a few

weeks ago at the age of 74. This man had a profound

impact on my life because he was the pastor that

married Jess and I and ultimately led the first

mission trip that I ever was a part of. And on

that missions trip, he actually handed me his

Bible on a Thursday morning and said, hey Chris,

you're sharing today. Please understand, I had

only begun a relationship with Jesus about eight

months earlier. I looked back at him and said,

I haven't read that book yet. It's on my list

of things to do. I promise. But I haven't did

it. And he said, God will give you what to share.

You're doing it anyway. Dare I say, from that

day on, now my pursuit has been Jesus and the

kingdom of God. From that day forward. This life

that I'm now living is focused on God's kingdom,

my family, Jess and the kids, this community

of faith that God has led me to birth and lead.

But most importantly, the most important thing

in my life is to see God's kingdom forcefully

advance through his people, which are you. You're

a part of those people. You're a part of the

church. And I believe God wants to forcefully

advance his kingdom through you. It's not about

the lights. It's not about fame. It's not about

this stage or this platform. It's not about money.

It's not even about recognition. It's about becoming

more and more like Jesus every single day. Becoming

1 % better as each day passes. And what I have

found personally is the more I grow closer to

Jesus, the more I hate the issues that I struggle

with in this flesh. Think about it. There was

a time when this issue with the flesh was not

a problem. When the first human beings were perfect

and walked with intimacy with God. There was

no struggles with the flesh. Until they thought

they were smarter than God, were deceived by

the enemy, and plunged the whole world, you and

me, into sin. And because of that decision, all

of us have to keep wrestling with this thing

called the flesh. See, all those issues we struggle

with in life flows from the sinful nature in

our heart. The guilt, the shame, the insecurities,

the jealousy, the pride, the arrogance, the judgment,

the criticism. The negativity, the doubt, marital

struggles, relationship issues, fights, wars,

sickness, disease. All those things that we hate,

that we struggle with in this life flow from

the sinful nature in our hearts. And please understand

the best treatment for all those issues that

we struggle with on a daily basis is the presence

of God. I'm all about counselors. I'm all about

prayer. I'm all about laying on of hands. I'm

all about medication when needed. But the best

treatment for all those issues within our heart

is the presence of God. The best treatment for

the issues of the human heart is God himself.

And how do I know that? Well, in the garden,

mankind walked in perfection with God. No sin.

But now the sin is in our world. Our flesh keeps

this barrier between us and God. It's almost

like a wall. It's almost like a cap above our

heads. And there's people that struggle for days,

weeks, months, even years to draw close to God,

to feel his presence, to walk in his power and

his authority. They desire to want to be with

him, but they can't. They fall short. And they

constantly are bagging their heads against that

barrier. But friends, there's one ancient practice

that weakens the flesh and causes the spirit

to grow strong. And through this practice, we

connect with God in such a way that the flesh

is silenced and God can be heard so clearly.

It's the ancient discipline of fasting and prayer.

And so we have to understand that fasting is

denying the body what it wants most. Food. Food

and pleasure. Fasting is telling the flesh, you

have no power over me. And when we take authority

over the flesh and we deny it what it wants most,

we can draw closer to God. We tell the flesh

for a period of time, no food for you. We tell

the flesh for a period of time, you are not stronger

than my spirit. My spirit will win. We invite

the Holy Spirit to come alive inside of our lives,

inside of our hearts. As we fast, we draw closer

to God, and we become more sensitive to his desires

for our life. And many of you are thinking, well,

Chris, how do I know this is true? Well, the

Bible is full of people that fasted and prayed

corporately to seek God's face, which leads us

to our first thought. See, through fasting, God

meets knees. In Ezra chapter 8, there was a priest

Ezra 8 · chapter mention

named Ezra around 500 BC. He was a scribe. He

was a leader in the Jewish community. The people

of God were currently living in exile. And Ezra

is about to lead more than a thousand Jews out

of exile back to Jerusalem. But the route that

they had to take to get home was a route that

was treacherous, full of dangers and thieves

that would murder, rob, kill, and steal. Anyone

who was traveling along that path. When knowing

this decision, Ezra calls the people to a corporate

fast. Notice Ezra 8, 21 -23. And there by Ava

Canal, I gave orders to all of us to fast and

humble ourselves before God. We prayed that he

would give us a safe journey and protect us,

our children, and our goods as we travel. For

I was ashamed to ask the king for the soldiers

and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from

the enemies along the way. After all, we had

told the king, our God's hand of protection is

on all who worship him, but his fierce anger

rages against those who abandon him. So again,

notice, we fasted and earnestly prayed that our

God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.

So we see Ezra was begging for God to intervene.

Why? Because Ezra was bragging about God. He

couldn't go to the king. He couldn't ask him

for help. He couldn't ask him to get involved

with soldiers and protection. So what did they

do? They fasted. And not only did they fast,

not only did he fast, everyone fasted. It was

a corporate prayer and fast. And as they did

it, God intervened, and he stepped in and made

a way. God met a need through corporate fasting

and prayer. And see, church, God meets our needs

when we put him first and prioritize our relationship

with him. Jesus said this in Matthew 6. Seek

the kingdom of God above all else, live righteously,

and notice, He will give us everything we need.

Prioritize Jesus. Put him first in your life.

Seek him with your whole heart, and he will meet

all our needs, which leads us to our next example

of corporate fasting. See, through fasting, the

Holy Spirit speaks and gives direction. Jesus

was crucified. Jesus is resurrected, returns

to heaven. It's the first century A .D. The church

is born on the day of Pentecost in the city of

Jerusalem. As you read through the book of Acts,

you know the church grows rapidly by the thousands.

And then suddenly, immediately, they start experiencing

persecution. The first martyr is killed. His

name was Stephen. Then James is killed. And the

rest of the church scatters to all these different

cities. A new church is birthed in Antioch. And

the followers of Jesus are seeking guidance on

what to do next, where to go. And we read this

in Acts 13, 1 -3. Among the prophets and teachers

of the church of Antioch of Syria were Barnabas.

Simeon called the black man, Lucius, Cyrene,

Manan, the childhood companion of King Herod,

of Antipas, and Saul. One day, as these men were

worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit

said, appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special

work for which I've called them. So after more

fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands

on them and sent them on their way. So notice,

in Antioch, the church was called for a corporate

fast. And while they were fasting, the Holy Spirit

spoke. And see, when we fast, church, our spirits

are strong. Our flesh is weak. Fasting sets us

up to hear God's voice more clearly. Proverbs

Proverbs 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 tells us, trust in the Lord with all

your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show

you which path to take. So we just read about

one group of people in a corporate fast and God

provided a need. We see another group of people

in a corporate fast and God what? Speaks to them.

So we see during fasting that God provides needs

and there are people gathered here today and

watching online and you have a need. In fact,

some of you have many needs. Maybe you're struggling

mentally or emotionally or financially. I want

to challenge you. God can meet those needs during

a fast. There's some of you gathered here today

and you're confused. You need guidance. You need

direction. You're desiring, God, speak to me.

Should I be in this relationship? Should I get

married? Should I rent this apartment or buy

this home? Should I move to another city for

that job? Well, we just learned that during fasting,

the Holy Spirit speaks. And some of you need

guidance before moving forward with a decision

that will radically change your life. And friends,

this is the reason we do 21 days of prayer and

fasting to kick off a new year. In this community

of faith, we desire to hear from God regarding

the direction for our lives because walking through

the same old routines, the same old struggles,

with the same old habits year after year after

year, I don't know about you, but it gets old.

And it beats us down. And we're no good for God's

kingdom. Jesus speaks these words of truth to

us in John 16, 13, when the spirit of truth He's

going to guide you into all truth. He will not

speak of his own will, but he will tell you what

he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

Now there's other of you gathered here today

and you're currently struggling spiritually.

Maybe you haven't heard from God for a while.

Maybe you haven't sensed his presence. Maybe

you haven't been praying. You haven't been reading

your Bible. And you find yourself constantly

struggling to overcome habits and addictions.

You have no confidence in your relationship with

Jesus. Maybe for some, you've never fasted before.

And it's that group of people you're questioning,

why would I fast? It's not even possible for

God to move in my life, but I want to change

that opinion because it leads us to our third

thought. God challenges everyone to turn to him

and fast. It doesn't matter if you're in a relationship

with God, not in a relationship with God, distant.

The people of God that I'm about to read, to

you, they've been living in disobedience. And

their disobedience led to God sending a plague

of locusts on their land that ravished their

economy. The people had no money. They couldn't

pay their bills. Food was scarce. And God is

trying to get their attention. And I want to

highlight for some of you, you may be struggling

because God is trying to get your attention.

Because see, when God speaks or touches our money

or our livelihood, he gets our attention. For

all of you who feel like I'm not good enough,

I've made too many mistakes, I sin, I'm not close

enough to God for him to speak to me so I can

hear him. While these people were living in disobedience,

listen to God's heart, Joel chapter two, verses

12 to 13. That is why the Lord says, turn to

me now while there's time. Give me your hearts,

come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. So

notice, God is calling some of you today. I know

you're far away. I know you haven't been praying.

I know you haven't been reading your Bible. I

know you've been living in sin and disobedience.

You're disconnected from me. But in that disobedience,

God is saying, return to me. Let's continue.

Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear

your hearts instead. Pause there a second. Some

of you are thinking, I like my shirt. Why do

I want to rip it? Well, in this culture, when

the people, were frustrated and upset, there

was an outward sign of them ripping their clothes

and throwing ashes on their heads. But God is

saying, I don't want no outward signs of reverence.

I don't care about your church attendance. That's

not good enough. I don't care about you checking

a box that you read a verse this morning. I want

you to search your heart. I want you to look

inward. And notice, let's continue. Return to

the Lord your God for he is merciful and compassionate.

Slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He is eager to relent and not punish. And I want

you to see, church, that God is inviting us home.

In our insecurities, come home. In our sin, return

home. In our breakingness, return home. In our

negativity and doubt, come home. And you say,

why? Because God is gracious and merciful. He

welcomes us home. That's why Jesus told us this

story in Luke 15. So he returned home to his

father. This story of the prodigal son. You remember

he ran away. He spent all his father's hard earnings.

Found himself caught up in sin. And while he

was still a long way off, his father saw him

coming. And this is God for some of you. Filled

with love and compassion, he ran to his son,

embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to

him, Father, I've sinned against both heaven

and you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your

servant. But his father said to his servants,

Quick, bring the finest robe in the house. Put

it on him and get a ring for his finger and sandals

for his feet. See, I want to invite you and encourage

you. There's no excuse for any of us not to fast

and pray. We're all invited by God to be changed.

And for those of you who say, I haven't been

in a relationship with Jesus long enough to fast.

I don't understand it. That's for the spiritual

elite. I was just baptized two weeks ago. Answer

for yourself this question. Did Jesus call his

followers to fast and pray? That leads us to

our fourth thought. See, Jesus calls his followers

to fast. The answer is yes. In his most famous

sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. We read this

in Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 through 6. And

Matthew 6:5–6

when you pray, and notice what Jesus said there.

When you pray. Don't be like hypocrites who love

to pray publicly on the street corners and in

the synagogues where everyone can see them. I

tell you the truth, that is all the reward they'll

ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself,

shut the door behind you and pray to your father

in private. Then your father who sees everything

will reward you. So notice, twice Jesus speaks

to us, to me and you. He challenges us and he

says, when you pray. See, Jesus expects us to

pray. It doesn't say, if you pray, maybe you'll

get to praying. The text says, when you pray.

See, fasting and prayer is not for the spiritual

elite. This is for anyone who calls himself or

herself a follower of Jesus. He calls us to pray.

He calls us to pray in a private place. And it's

amazing. This jumped off the pages for me this

week. Notice that when we pray, we will receive

a reward. Who likes to receive a reward? Like,

I want a reward. But the interesting thing, notice,

Jesus never tells us what the reward will be.

I was like, God, what's that all about? It's

like the Holy Spirit whispered to me so we don't

limit our minds in what God is going to do through

us and in us. Because if we knew what the reward

was, then we'll just give a little bit. I'll

get the reward. But when we don't know what it

was, we want to go all in to get the greatest

reward. Because see, I believe the greatest reward

we receive from prayer is intimacy and closeness

with Jesus. Because I don't know about you, but

for me, in times of prayer, I've experienced

peace and rest that can only be experienced through

him. In times of prayer, I've experienced direction,

joy, happiness, tears, gratefulness. But it's

a choice. Church, it's a choice to pause, to

silence distractions and pray. But notice, he

doesn't just call us to pray. Jesus takes it

a step further, Matthew 6, 16 through 18. And

when you fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites

do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled

so people admire them for their fasting. I tell

you the truth, that is the only reward they will

ever get. But when you fast, there it is again,

comb your hair, wash your face. In other words,

look presentable, church. Comb your hair. Put

some deodorant on. Present yourself as a person

that loves God. And don't let anyone know you're

fasting. Don't walk around complaining, yeah,

pastor's got me fasting this week. Jeez. Did

you realize that if you're complaining about

a fast, all that is is a hunger strike? Like

if you're going to complain about a fast, don't

even do it. Because hunger strikes aren't going

to do anything for you. Just make you hungry.

No one will notice that you are fasting except

your father who knows what you do in private.

And your father who sees everything, who knows

our hearts, what's he going to do? Here it is

again. Will reward you. See, Jesus says, hey

church, don't make it about you. Make it about

God. And notice, there's the promise again. He's

going to... Reward us. Again, the reward isn't

known. So that our minds will not limit what

God wants to do in your life. See, when we're

fasting and we're pursuing God, he desires for

his people to become more like him. So we learn

that during fasting, God provided or met needs

for the people. During corporate fast, God, through

the Holy Spirit, spoke to the people. We learn

that God invites everyone. To fast and pray.

Even those that don't believe. I had a lady as

she was leaving this morning. She shared with

me, before I gave my life to Jesus, I fasted

three days. And then God made himself known to

me. And I had an encounter with God that radically

changed my life. So there's really no excuse

for any of us not to fast and pray. And notice,

Jesus said, when we pray, when we fast. We can't

get ahead of God, church. I mean, there's so

many of us. It's the new year, right? And you're

making up goals, and you're desiring to pursue

things, and you have vision boards for your life,

and you have all this stuff you want to accomplish.

Did you ask God about that? Because, see, God's

got a plan for all of our lives this year. And

here's my challenge to all of you this week.

This is the final week, the last seven days of

our 21 days of fasting and prayer. And even if

you have not been fasting for the first 14 days,

I'm challenging you, start tomorrow. Start tomorrow.

Let's go after God with all of our hearts this

last week. Let's make a choice to not feed our

flesh, to not give it to pleasure this week.

And I want to challenge you. Choose something

to fast that brings you pleasure. If you're trying

to figure out, well, Chris, what do I fast? For

some of you, it's coffee. Get rid of it. Maybe

it's soda, sugar and desserts. Maybe alcohol.

Maybe breakfast or lunch or dinner. You may be

a gangster and just fast all week. Everything.

Just go liquid. Get some water, some juice in

you. Some bone broth. All week. I said, Chris,

why would I do that? To slow down and hear from

God. To slow down and hear from God. To want

a reward from God. To want Jesus to speak to

you, to give you opportunities. And you're like,

well, Chris, okay, I'm hearing the challenge.

Why should I do it? Well, five reasons that we

should all pursue this last seven days in a fast.

surrendering our body to God this week. And the

first is this, it silences the flesh. So for

those of you that are struggling in these battles

with the flesh, fasting is for you. Romans 8,

5, those who are dominated by the sinful nature,

think about sinful things, but those who are

controlled by the Spirit, think about things

that please the Spirit. See, God desires to free

us from our habits, from our sin, from our struggles,

and tear us down and pull us away from God. The

apathy, the laziness, the self -interest, the

stress, the negativity, the doubt, the addictions,

nicotine, weed, prescriptions. Right? God desires

that our spirit comes alive. And we choose to

allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives. And

that happens when we put him first. Galatians

5 .16. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your

lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful

nature craves. You silence the self, right? You

silence the flesh. And you focus on God and prioritize

your spirit, which leads us to our next result.

It deepens your relationship with Jesus. We're

reminded in Jeremiah 29, if you look for me wholeheartedly,

church, you're going to find him. See, when we

engage in prayer and fasting, it's a fundamental

invitation for God to enter our lives more fully,

to overwhelm us with his love. The invitation

that God offers to us is intimacy. And it allows

for us to go closer to Jesus. And by depriving

ourselves of physical food, you know what we

do? We create space for spiritual nourishment

and growth. We set aside distractions and we

focus on prayer. We invite God into our hearts.

We pave the way for personal transformation that

all of us want and desire. See, this process

not only strengthens our relationship with him,

but it also cultivates a greater awareness of

God in our lives everywhere we go. John 14, 15,

if you love me, church, obey my commandments.

Put him first. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide

and lead your life. You know week after week

here, we say, come Holy Spirit. And for many

of you, this is the only place you hear it. No,

we need to be praying that prayer everywhere

we go. As we get into our car before we go to

work, come Holy Spirit. As we get out of our

car, heading into work, come Holy Spirit. As

we get into a disagreement with our co -worker

or our classmate, we say, come Holy Spirit, not

out loud, but in our minds. Because you might

get slapped. But that's how we live. Which leads

us to our third truth. Church, you're going to

hear from God. If you prioritize fasting and

prayer this week and silence that flesh, God

will speak to you. John 10, 27, my sheep listen

to my voice. I know them and they follow me.

See, fasting creates a space where we can hear

God's voice more clearly. In the busyness of

life, right, the noise of our schedules, the

thoughts, the distractions, it drowns out God's

still small voice. You say, God, is that you?

Well, fasting quiets the external, right? Shuts

it down and invites the eternal to wake up. Our

hearts come alive and we receive his guidance,

encouragement, and direction. Remember Revelation

3 .20, look, I stand at the door and knock. Jesus

is standing at the door of our hearts. Remember

this letter was written to the church. It isn't

for outsiders. So if you got that shirt that

says stand at the door and knock, I'm knocking.

That's for you, not them. I will come in and

we will share a meal together as friends. See,

God desires a personal relationship with you

and me. One where communication flows freely.

And he speaks to us as we read the Bible. Friends,

we have got to spend time reading the Bible.

I want to challenge you. Get up 20 minutes early.

Get in a devotional and listen to God speak to

you through the Bible. That's the primary way.

And if we're not giving him time, he won't reveal

truth to you. And you won't know the commandments

to follow. You have to create quiet moments.

You have to set aside time every day to be silent

before God. To be still and listen. Remember,

we're bombarded with what to do, where to go,

what to listen to, what to wear, how we should

look. Inject your face. Do this. Do that. Friends,

you've got to silence that junk. You got to get

quiet before God. Remember what Jesus said. Get

in your room. Shut the door. Listen to me. And

then when you listen to him, when you're praying,

ask God some questions. Yes, share in your concerns.

But share with him your questions, your decisions.

God, why is this happening? What are you doing?

I want to know where to go, what to do. Like

be real and raw with him. He wants to hear from

you. I mean, the last time I checked, Revelation

3 .20 says, come in and I'll have a meal with

you. When you have a meal with someone, it's

give or take. It's not just Jesus downloading

into you. No, you're speaking to him. And then

when you hear from God, write it down. Man, that's

important. Make a note in your phone, God's speaking

to me, and start recording what he's saying.

Because as you journal, that's how change happens.

And then again, you stay sensitive to the Spirit.

Holy Spirit, come. Holy Spirit, come. Fill me

up. Make my heart on fire. Now, for those of

you that may be wanting more of the Holy Spirit,

starting in February on Sunday nights, I'm going

to be leading a Holy Spirit class. In the evenings,

we're going to do it. During senior high youth,

we're going to start and meet in here. Rick and

I are going to lead. a class on the Holy Spirit,

who he is, what he does, what he doesn't do,

how he speaks to us. We're going to be laying

on hands praying for people. We're going to believe

God's going to move. February 1st, 5 o 'clock,

right here. And yes, it's during the dinner hour.

Don't eat. I did it on purpose. You can eat after

we learn about the Holy Spirit, which moves us

to our fourth result. We receive freedom and

healing. Now it's interesting, in the New Testament

when we read the word fast, in the Greek it literally

means no eat. Now in the Old Testament, in the

Hebrew, the word translated for fasting literally

means shut your mouth. I like that one better.

So true biblical fasting involves the voluntary

refusal to eat food for a specific period of

time. in order to more intensely pray and seek

God. You say, Chris, why would I do that? I love

this quote by Bill Bright, founder of Campus

Crusade for Christ. He said this, I believe the

power of fasting as it relates to prayer is this

spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given

us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher

in a great revival and spiritual harvest around

the world. I love that word, atomic bomb. And

just like Rhett was sharing with spiritual and

generational curses and strong, blow them up.

Choose to fast. It doesn't matter what it is

you're struggling with. If you say to yourself,

Chris, I just can't help myself. I just can't

help myself. It doesn't matter if it's sexual

addictions or temptation, overeating, drinking

drugs, overspending, shopaholic, depression,

suicidal tendencies. I believe that if we bring

them all before God in fasting and prayer, he

can set you free. How do I know that? Listen

to Jesus' mission in Luke 14, 18 through 19 and

21. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has

anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He

has sent me to proclaim the captives will be

released, the blind will see, the oppressed will

be set free, and the time of the Lord's favor

has come. Then he began to speak to them, the

scripture you've just heard, remember he's quoting

an Old Testament prophecy, has been fulfilled

this very day. So think about this. The same

spirit that anointed Jesus to share those words

and read those verse, The same spirit that rose

Jesus from the grave now lives in you and me.

What? Yeah, the same spirit that Jesus said upon

him is now living in us. So for those of you

who are struggling, right, look, there's good

news. Receive it. He has sent me to proclaim

captives will be released. You'll be free. The

blind will see, the oppressed will be set free,

the time of the Lord's favor has come. You know,

if you're struggling with a physical condition

and desire healing, get up here and receive prayer

today. Right? It's a desire. It's a belief. Because

last time I checked, when we fast and pray, Jesus

said there's going to be what? Church? A reward.

Which leads us to our final truth about fasting.

When we fast, then we actually practice kingdom

principles. In Isaiah 58, verses 6 through 7,

Isaiah 58:6–7

notice how these verses begin. No, this is the

kind of fasting I want. So God was correcting

the people during this season, right? The Jewish

people, they were fake fasting. Ripping their

clothes, throwing ash on their head. Crying out

to God, but their hearts were wrong. Sin, disobedience.

And God says, no, this is the kind of fasting

I want. Free those who are wrongly imprisoned.

Lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free. Remove the chains

that bind people. Share your food with the hungry.

Give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to

those who need them. And do not hide from relatives

who need help. These were the words from God.

To his people when they were just living in religious

routines. Going through the motions. Hearts full

of sin and disobedience. Right? When we fast,

it's not about showing up to church and checking

a box. No, it's about fasting and serving the

poor. Right? It's not about being religious.

It's about pursuing God with our whole hearts.

God says, church, this isn't what I've called

you to. I haven't called you to a bunch of religious

duties. I've called you to change the world.

That's what you are called to do. You are called

to forcefully advance God's kingdom into a Western

culture that is quickly forgetting about God

even exists. But you have a living God, a spirit

inside of you that you can hand to people, but

you've got to be connected to him, and we're

connected to him when we fast and pray. We have

to be concerned about the needs of the people

around us, both in the church and outside of

the church. Friends, everywhere we go, we find

broken people in the tri -state area. In our

schools, in our workplaces, in our families,

our friends. Everywhere you go, there's broken

people. And when we fast, see, God opens our

eyes to see those needs, to meet those needs.

I don't think it was happens or just chance that

suddenly we received this phone call this week

and said, they didn't call me, but they called

Steve and said, hey, can Hub City take on 42

more kids? And it wasn't even a let me pray about

it, it was a yes. And it was a yes because we've

been praying 24 -7 for the entire week. That

we know when needs need met, we meet them. Because

that's what this church is called to do. We're

called to change the world. You are called to

change the world. Have you ever seen yourself

as a world changer? And see, I believe that's

the problem with our current culture. See, our

current culture, especially you young people,

if you're under 30, you have a purpose, man.

You have meaning. You have significance. Stop

playing the games. Get your head out of the TV

and come serve in God's kingdom. And for you

older people, yes, your body hurts. Mine does

every day. You wake up and you say, man, why

does that hurt again? Let me tell you something.

It's only going to get worse. There's only going

to be more and more and more pieces that hurt.

So let's just focus on what God wants to do through

us and in us, and that's changing the world around

us. I want to read with you as I close that same

verse, Isaiah 58, 6 through 7, from the message

paraphrase. Eugene Peterson writes it this way.

And I want you to reflect on and receive this

truth in our fast. This is the kind of fasting

I'm after. Break the chains of injustice. Get

rid of exploitation in the workplace. Free the

oppressed. Cancel debts. What I'm interested

in seeing you doing is sharing your food with

the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your

homes, putting clothes on the shivering, ill

-clad, being available to your own families.

You hear that, dads? Make time. Do this and the

lights will turn on. Your lives will turn around

at once. That's called living in abundance that

Jesus promised. Your righteousness will pave

your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.

Then when you pray, God will answer. Remember

that reward? You'll call out for help and I'll

say, here I am. If you get rid of unfair practices,

quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other

people's sins. If you are generous with the hungry

and start giving yourselves to the down and out,

your lives will begin to glow in the darkness.

Your shattered lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go. I will give

you a full life in the emptiest of places. Firm

muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well

-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never

runs dry. You'll use the old rubble of past lives

to build anew. Rebuild the foundations from out

of your past. You'll be known as those who can

fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and

renovate, make the community livable again. I

want that for the tri -state area. You know,

people can call this place a crap hole. It's

no good. It's not worth anything. People never

change. There's drugs everywhere. This is my

home. This is my home. And I love this place.

And I love the people in it. And here's your

mission, church. Will you stand with me? I'm

going to close with a simple challenge. I'm going

to get you out of here. I want to challenge all

of us in this room, all of you that can hear

my voice. I need you to fast this week. I want

you to commit seven days to fasting and prayer

like you've never done before. I want you to

figure out what God's telling you to give up.

And I want you to give it up. And I want you

to say no to that. And I want you to silence

that flesh. And I want you to draw closer to

Jesus like you've never done before. Talk to

him. Cry out to him. Believe that God will use

you, that will transform you. Step out in faith.

Pray for people. Lay hands on people. Believe

that God's going to move and use you. And if

you're fasting and you're praying, I believe

you're going to receive a reward. For others

of you that are struggling, you're distant, you're

far from God, you're struggling with habits and

addictions, I believe God's going to set you

free this week. I believe healing will be released

in your life this week. I had no intention of

sharing these words this morning, but God put

it on my heart this week that I need to challenge

you to do it. That it's going to be life -changing

for many of you. You have no idea what you're

doing? Okay, this is what you do. Figure out

what God's telling you to give up. something

that brings you pleasure, some type of food.

I'm not talking about social media or NFL games

or NBA games. I'm talking about food. Cut it

out and replace it with God. Prayer, reading

the Bible, and serving other people. And when

you do that, you'll receive a reward that will

vastly outnumber anything that you could do in

your own strength. And I believe many of you

already know what you need to give up. You already

know. Now make that choice to step out and go

after God for a week. And I believe we'll gather

back here next Sunday on fire for God like we've

never seen before. And I already know what I'm

going to share next Sunday. It's just like this

download is happening. And I believe a lot of

that download is happening because of what's

going on in the walls, 24 -7 prayer, like people

are pursuing God like we've never pursued before.

I was at that celebration of life yesterday and

everybody's like, man, I hear good things there.

I hear good things there. I hear good things

there. I'm like, yeah, God's on the move. And

it's not anything we're doing. We're just following

along. It's not me. I certainly am not the eloquent

speaker. I'm just a person that's being used

by God. John Wimber used to say, I'm a fat man

in God's pocket. I can't use that quote because

I'm not a fat man. I'm just a man that's broken,

that struggles with his flesh, but is pursuing

Jesus and wants to see the world change. Amen?

Let's go do it together. So before we go, I want

to pray a simple prayer. I believe people are

here that need to get back in right relationship

with God. Maybe you're distant, far from God,

never have been in relationship with Him. We're

all going to pray together this simple prayer,

believing that you're going to come home to God's

kingdom. Amen? Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken.

I'm full of doubt, shame, regret. Sin. Change

me. Forgive me. I believe you're God's son. I

believe you died for me. I believe you're alive

today. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with

your spirit, God. In Jesus' name, amen. All right,

I'm going to that. No one leave. I got to share

words of knowledge, and I'm going to that door

to say goodbye to everyone. Prayer team is here

on my left and right. These were the words of

knowledge shared with me this week. If you're

struggling with sciatica pain, come receive your

healing. You have pain in your left hip, come

receive your healing. You have right knee pain,

it's causing problems when you walk, come receive

your healing. You have severe headaches and migraines,

come receive your healing. You have healing loss

in either ear, come receive your healing. You

have outside pain. of the heel of your foot that

moves to the front of your foot. That's my right

foot. So if that's you, come forward and receive

your healing. And for those of you that missed

out on coming forward last week and receiving

the blessing of experiencing God's presence,

if you want more of the Holy Spirit, come forward

and allow the prayer team to pray for you. Amen?

God bless you guys. This series closes next Sunday.

Can't wait to see you and connect with you.