Fasting as a Sacrifice- Sunday 14th Jan 2024

Are you excited to be in church today? Amen, Let's do an anthem

and then we'll come back to the word of God. Amen. A sweet

God, the Mayo spirits work within us, A sweet God. The main

We go by knowing well, knowing well than us, speaking to our ship.

We will be blessed because we will be bless because speak will bless because

we can. We will be bless because you give. Can we do it

all over again, as sweet God, as we got the main sea.

We been speak Gods as we God, don't blame we fy og, knowing

well that us begins to wah, and we will be a less speacause speaking

will be blessed because you kids. We will be blessed because speaking will be

bless because He gives ster fast love sa f of the never esus mercy behind

you. You mean your face with your right hand lifted to the Lord,

Please say after me, Heavenly Father, this morning we bring thanksgiving as a

sacrifice. We bring our praise as a sacrifice to you. Made the lifting

of our hands, the meditations of our hearts, the word of our mouths

be pleasing to you, Oh God, in Jesus' mighty name, Lord,

as your word comes, let it come with light, and let it come

with understanding to my heart in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Please look to

the left and to the right and tell your neighbor it's good to see you

in church today. Amen. Please tell your other neighbor, I thank God

that you are here in church this morning. Amen. And please clap your

hands for Jesus. Amen. On behalf of our Father and the Lord,

the Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams. This morning, you are all welcome to church.

Amen. Please be seated in the presence of God. Amen. Ask

your neighbor seated by you, how was your week? What did they say

they had a good week or not so? Amen? And so we thank

God for another Sunday of his goodness. We thank God for bringing us together

again. Amen. Or I said Amen, are you excited to be in

church? Amen? You are excited to be in church. Amen. Then

say a better Amen. Amen, realize that many of your mates have gone

back to school. Amen. And so then it means that we need to

invite more of our friends to come and fill up the empty seats. Amen.

Can we have all those who are worshiping with us for the very first

time. If today's your first time of worshiping with us, we would like

to welcome you and acknowledge you. If you can, please stand on your

feet, like to give you a big youth in action. Come. Oh

man, this is actually in Chapel International, this is the Youth Church.

Amen. You're welcome to worship with us every Sunday. Amen, I just

come around briefly. Just tell us your name and where you're coming from and

if you're coming to If I can we have your come forward, will make

the work easier. Please come, yes, come and stand with me under

the lights. Yes, so you tell us your name, where you're coming

from, if someone invited you, or if you are here to worship with

us. Amen, please tell us your name. I'm Hubert say Anny,

I'm from Cassa. My brother invites me here, Danny Anny, Yeah,

yeah, it's me. Heah, where's where's the brother? Oh let's give

him a round of applause. Amen, God bless you for inviting your brother.

Amen, you're welcome. Amen. Please tell us your name. Venice

from as I came to visit my dad. You okay, so you are

visiting us while you are here, Amen, But anytime you come to our

crowded you should come and visit us always. Amen, So papers to come

and visit your daddy all times. So you come and visitors and change more

times? Can I hear an? Amen? Amen? What is your name?

Please? My name is Bella. Yeah, I'm from a guppy.

Hey, my sister invites me invited? Where's her sister? Give us a

wave? Amen? God bless you from inviting your sister. Amen. Please

tell us your name and where you're coming from. My name is Chlon.

I'm from Acra, Yes, and say Greig. God bless you. Please

tell us your name as well and where you're coming from. Manuel saying,

and I'm from Acra. I feel pleasant? Please in us? What do

we say to all of them? You are welcome to church and God bless

you. Amen. Over here Jesus is King. Amen. And if you

a follow up Jesus Christ, you should feel welcome because here Jesus is King.

Amen. Please take your seats while we clap for them. Amen.

You see you're not clapping your hands. Amen. Please tell your neighbor you

are. You didn't invite somebody clap your hands to a you're not clapping,

so you cry? What should we do with you. Amen. Our reach

out campaign is still ongoing. Amen. And so for all of you who

are reaching out, my prayer for you that God should bless you in a

special way this month. Amen. May you receive a sudden notification on your

phone that will make you smile. Amen. Oh, yes, I like

that one. May you receive Ammo alert as Saturday Momo alert that will make

you smile in Jesus' mightingay. Amen. Amen. And so you are all

keep playing? Are you tired? Yeah? Keep playing? Amen. You

are all welcome to church today. Hallelujah. Amen. Our theme for the

year has declared by our father, the Archbishop, inspired by the Lord Holy

Spirit, is open doors for this year. Amen. And so this year

we are walking into some open doors. Is anybody with me? Amen?

And we've come to understand that doors give access, doors give access. And

so in Revelations chapter three, Jesus said to Apostle John that right to the

church in Philadelphia, that I know your works and I see your labor of

love towards other Christians. And because of that, I've said before you an

open door that no one can shut. Amen. You caught the revelation.

Amen, I've said before you an open door that no one can shut.

So this year God is going to open the doors to our destinies that no

devil can shut those doors. Amen. And Jesus by his spirit is giving

us keys on how to walk through doors this year. Amen, to open

doors that are shut this year, so that this year, by the time

the year goes to an end, we are well fulfilled as believers and as

children of God. Amen. And so in the beginning of the year,

I started to teach you on three keys. The Lord was telling me to

teach you. The first key is the key of humility. Amen. The

first key is the key of humility. And in this year, we are

not going to be proud. If we were proud last year, this year

we are not going to be proud because we want to walk through an open

door that God has set before us. But if we are proud, we

can't fit into that door. So we need to humble ourselves so that we

can walk through that open door. Amen. And so we also lends that

humility is like a cloth, So we put on humility to be like Christ.

And we are going to be deliberately humble because God exalts the humble God

exalts the humble. Amen. And so because we want to be exalted by

God this year, we are deliberately going to humble ourselves. How many of

you want to be exalted by God this year? In your school you want

to be the darling boy. You want to be the solomony in your school.

Amen. In your house you want to be the darling boy or the

darling girl that when your daddy or your mummy wants they want to take a

major decision like buying a new house, they will ask you which area do

you want to live, Or they will say, oh, we want to

buy a new car, what car do you think we should buy? They

will ask of your opinion? Amen. Humility is the key. Amen.

The second key I told you about was the key of thanksgiving. The key

of thanksgiving. And thanksgiving is important because before you can walk into the presence

of God, the key that pins up the gates into the presence of God

is thanksgiving. Some one hundred vers four enter his gates with thanksgiving and into

his courts with God with praise. So even your praise this year should be

different, Amen, because you are entering God's gates with thanksgiving and with understanding

and God will inhabit your praise. So you know what God wants to do

this year. God wants to make his habitation in your house. God wants

to dwell where you are because God has given you the key to be able

to come into His presence. So while you are in your room, you

start thanking God, you start blessing him, you start giving him praise.

You thank God for all the benefits. And before you know it, you

break out into a praise in your room and you are singing praises to God,

and suddenly you feel the weight of God's presence in your room. Amen

that if there is somebody who is sick in your house, when they pass

by your door, they are healed. Amen. If there's someone who is

suffering from anxiety, when they walk past your window, the Holy Spirit touches

them. Amen. That if there's someone who needs deliverance, who needs a

touched from God, because the presence of God is with you, when they

come close to you, they will say there is something about you. I

can't quite figure it out because they don't know the presence of God. God

will help them because of you. Amen. And finally I spoke to you

about the key of sacrifice. Last week, Amen, that sacrifice is very

important in the life of a believer. Amen. And it is so because

in the Old Testament, priests used to offer sacrifices to God. Amen.

Priests used to offer sacrifices to God. But guess what God has made us

priests. God has made us priests onto himself, So we can also offer

spiritual sacrifices onto our God. Amen. So we don't need to go and

look for chicken, white chicken, blue chicken, yellow chicken, or goods

or lies or chicken feet or pop feed to do any sacrifice. We can

offer up to God's spiritual sacrifices because God is building us. God is building

us up to become spiritual priests who can offer spiritual sacrifices to God. Amen.

And last week we spoke about some types of sacrifices, and we spoke

about the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and so in as

much as thanksgiving in itself is a key into God's presence, it is also

a sacrifice. We spoke about the sacrifice of praise, that bringing your praises

up onto God is considered a sacrifice. We spoke about prayer as a sacrifice.

We spoke about offering yourself as a living sacrifice onto God, so you

yourself, you can be a sacrifice onto God. We spoke also about another

type of sacrifice, the evening sacrifice, which David qualifies as the lifting up

of our hands. So saving God, praising God, lifting up of your

hands is considered as a sacrifice. Amen. And yet last week I remember

reminded you about the song we used to sing way back when we're younger.

We bring sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. We bring sacrifice

of praise into the house of the Lord. So we offer our sacrifices to

God as we are furl to you. The sacrifice is says of thanksgiving,

as we all all to your The sacrifice I says of praise. So we've

come to understand that praise, thanksgiving, the lifting up of our hands,

prayer, and the evening sacrifice, and also a living sacrifice which is us

are all types of sacrifices that we can offer to God. Amen. So,

in the same way the fettish priests will offer chickens to trees and stones

as a sacrifice, we our sacrifice is not chickens and stones. Our sacrifice

is praise, prayer, living sacrifice, lifting up of our hands. Amen.

And so today I want to speak to you about fasting as a sacrifice.

Fasting as a sacrifice, Amen, And as our custom is every year

the beginning of the year, the church goes on the first, and this

year, by God's grace, the first is for ten days, and we

have already finished five days, and we are doing the next one week a

men Monday to Friday, fasting to God. Amen, for a new way,

in a new direction. Amen. And so what does the Bible say

about fasting, Because fasting is a spiritual exercise that not only Christians first,

Muslims first? How many of you have heard Muslims first? Thing before?

Yes? Even traditional people do first. Yes. Do you understand unbelievers are

fasting and you a child of God, you are not fasting, then there

is something wrong. It means you like your food too much. Amen.

But as a priest that God has called and God is building up so you

can offer up sacrifices. Fast thing is one of the things you can offer

up onto God. Can I hear an Amen? Amen? So fasting is

essentially giving up something for a period of time to focus your thoughts on God.

Okay, so you can do food fasting. You can fast and not

eat for a period of time to focus your thoughts on God. It is

not fasting when you are deliberately refusing to eat. You are on hunger strike

and you are not focusing on God. You are your You are doing the

things you used to do. You are doing it over and over. There's

no God elementing your first. It is not a first. It is hunger

strike. Amen, and it loses its spiritual essence. Amen. And so

while we are fasting as children of God, we focus on God. Our

minds, our thoughts are focused on God. We make time to study God's

word. Amen. We make time to study God's word, and we pray

three things. Our thoughts are on God, the things of the Kingdom of

God. Things above number two. We study the word of God. You

can't fast and not study the word of God. When you, God will

give you revelations of his word. Amen. There are people I know who

say that they've read the Bible five times. So I asked them which Bible

did you read? And they will tell you, oh, the Bible,

I've read it five times. But when you look at their lives and you

consider it to Jesus, They are not like Jesus at all. So then,

which Bible did you read? It means you read the Bible like a

story book. And if you read a Bible like a story book, it

won't benefit you in any way. So when you are fasting, study the

word of God. God will give you revelation into his word. Amen.

Because the Word of God is full of mysteries, is full of revelations.

As you read, lights will come into your heart. Understanding will come into

your heart. Amen. And so the goal of fasting to focus your thoughts

on God, who is the God of all flesh. Amen. Fasting is

a spiritual activity. Fasting is not a religious activity. When you look at

fasting as a religious activity, you will be eager to wait and for the

time to come. So for you, you just want to sleep and let

the time pass by. And the thoughts that occupy you is that challenge.

What food can I eat to break my first? Your preoccupation is on how

I can break my first rather than the process. So fasting is a spiritual

activity, Amen. And please tell your neighbors seated by you Firsting is not

a gift please tell them again. First thing is not a gift. Nobody

has the gift too fast. First thing is a discipline, Amen. And

so you need to cultivate that discipline, and you need to exercise yourself in

that discipline. Amen. And so because first thing is a sacrifice, it

is very hard to do. Amen. If you decide today that, oh,

I'm just going to do a few things, I'll skip breakfast, I

will eat now, I'll eat maybe around twelve you you'll be fine. Do

you understand? But you decide today that tomorrow I will first four am tomorrow

you feel hungry. By six am, you feel like you are dying.

Seven am you say I can't breathe your stomach, you feel your heart beating

your Stomachom. You are deliberate that I'm going to fast, because it becomes

a sacrifice, you are offering up on to God. You face opposition.

Amen. There are people who have gone the whole day without eating. But

if you say we are fasting by the time is nine o'clock, can I

guess some bread to eat? Because it becomes a difficult thing because it is

a sacrifice. Can I hear an Amen? Am I talking to somebody today?

Amen? So let's look at why do we fast. Why do we

fast? Amen? And for the context of us being, in the context

of us being Christians, and for the purpose of following our Lord and savior,

Jesus Christ. Jesus when he came to the earth, he fasted and

he prayed. Amen. So, because we are disciples of the Lord,

everything he did, we are doing. Amen. So, Jesus was baptized.

We have been baptized. How many if you have not been baptized yet,

give the Lord a wave and shame the devil, or give the Lord

of wave above your head. Amen. You've not been baptized yet. Amen.

Will have a session for you in the course of the service. Amen,

and take your details and get you baptized next month. Amen. Is

that a good place? I thought? You clap your hands. Yeah,

so you get baptized. Everybody here has to be baptized. Amen. So

number one reason why we fast Exodus chapter thirty four of US twenty eight.

Exodus thirty four of US twenty eight. When you go into scripture, there

are so many references to fasting. But I've just picked a few scriptures because

if I'm too exhausted, we'll be here the whole day. Amen. And

so this is Moses fasted forty days and forty nights. He fasted forty days,

for it was over one month without food, without water. And at

this point in time he was in the very presence of God. Amen.

We fast for direction. We first to seek God's direction. So Moses went

to God seeking direction. And so the Bible says that so he was there

with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank

water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the Covenant of the

Ten Commandments. So the direction God gave to Moses while he was fasting forty

days and forty nights before God was that God gave him direction and gave him

the Ten Commandments for the children of Israel. Amen. And so we first

number one four direction for godly direction. Let's become Matthew. Chapter four as

one to elect talks about our Lord Jesus Christ after he was baptized by John

the Baptist godly direction. The Bible says that then Jesus was led up by

the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. The reason the Holy Spirit led

Jesus into the wilderness was for him to be tempted. And Jesus fasted forty

days and forty nights in the desert on the mountain, and Satan came to

tempt him. He came to tempt him with their three major diseases. He

came to tempting with their three major sins, the last of the eyes,

the last of the flesh, the pride of life. Write it down.

The last of the eyes, the last of the flesh, the pride of

life. He came to tempt him with these three things. And his plan

was that Jesus will fail. But because he was in a fast, when

Satan tempted him in many ways, Jesus responded, let's look at this two

and when he had faster forty days and forty nights, after which he was

hungry verse three. And now when the tempter came to him, he said,

if you are the son of God, command these stones to become bred.

Next verse ver's five, then then you know, go back to the

st Yes. Then he answered, and said, it is written man shall

not live by bread alone, but by everywhere that proceeds from the mouth of

God. Now the question is why do we eat? Who can't tell us

why we eat? No, not Daniel, somebody else? Why do we

eat? Yes? Yes, to obtain energy? Who agrees with him?

Okay? Who else can tell us why we eat? Why do we eat?

Yes, Harrison, Sorry, to satisfy hunger. That is what I

was looking for. We eat to satisfy hunger because there is a need.

The body needs food. So we eat to satisfy hunger. Amen. Somebody

in the first service says that, oh, but when we are full,

we can't eat again. Yes, you can eat, but if we give

you a food table here, you can eat everything. If you try to

some point, you vomit everything you've eaten. So we eat primarily to satisfy

hunger. Amen. And so Satan came to tempt him that, yes,

you are hungry, you need to eat. So let me tempt you this

way. Yes, are you say you are the son of God? If

you are truly the son of God, turnd this stone into bread because you're

hungry you need to eat. And guess what many of us would have failed

this taste because you would have shown Satan, Yes, I'm the son of

God. I can tend it to to bread. I will tend it to

McDonald's beggar king with double fat cheese, tomatoes and onions, and put draping

sauce on it. But Jesus answered and said, man shall not live by

bread alone. Please tell your neighbor man shall not live by bread alone.

Amen, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

So here Jesus gave us a revelation about the word of God. We eat

to set justfy hunger. By Jesus said that it is not only food that

satisfies hunger. The word of God satisfies hunger. Amen. So in David's

accounts in the Psalms, he said, your word is sweeter to me like

honey. God's word satisfies hunger. God's word is like meat. It satisfies

hunger. Amen. And so when you are fasting and you focus your mind

on God, and you study the word of God and get a revelation of

God's word, it appears to you like food. So you can fast for

a long time and you are not hungry because the word of God feeds you.

Oh are you clapping? Amen? So God's word is food to us.

Amen. Because man shall not live by bread alone. Amen. So,

the next time anyone asks why are you fasting? You can tell them

for divine direction, godly direction, because man shall not live by bread alone,

but by everywhere that comes out from the word of God, from the

mouth of God. Amen. And the more you say to yourself, you

will come to believe it and then will start working in your favor. Can

I hear an Amen? Amen? Number two, we first to humble ourselves

before God. We first to humble ourselves before God. Who has met to

anybody who really likes talking part they talk by? You've met some people they

can't talk, they don't stop, they're always on it. You know the

cure for them? Give them seven days drive first they will keep quiet.

You'll be like the guy I know they're around. Meanwhile, the guys sitting

there by, something is going on. Amen. Their cure to pride is

fasting. Depending on your level of pride. To determine the depend on the

number of days you need to fast. So as they were coming to God,

they had to fast to humble themselves before they come to God. Amen.

So the scripture is what Ezra chapter eight, verse twenty one to twenty

three. Ezra eight twenty one to twenty three. Then I proclaimed the first

they are the river of our hover, that we might humble ourselves before God

to seek from Him the right way for us and for our little ones and

all our possessions. They first came to God by humbling themselves through fasting.

Amen. And so fasting as a sacrifice will bring you to a place of

humility. The Bible says that Jesus lent humility by the many things that he

suffered. And the many things he suffered, one of them was fasting.

Fast things will humble you, Amen. And so number two we fast to

humble ourselves before God. Amen. And so here fasting aims to drive us

to humility. A person who doesn't believe there is a God will not fast

for no NATO because they believe that they are The world was created by a

big bang. How many of you believe us the world was created by a

big bang. It's a total nonsense. If you have gone to school small

and your brain is working very well, you know that the world cannot be

created by a big bang, because the world is a result of great architectural

design. Even the way you are framed as a human being, no two

people look the same, even identical twins. There's some difference between them.

The number of hair on your head. The Bible says that God knows the

number of hairs on your head. So when you are going to school,

cut off all your hair. God knows all the hair that are falling.

Do you understand, Yes, God knows, because he's a master architect.

He has the blueprint for creation. When God said let there be lived,

and light came forth, it wasn't because of a big bank. Do you

understand? It wasn't because of a big bank. It was because it was

deliberate by design. So God separated the waters from the above from the waters

beneath, and he put a firmament to divide. It was a deliberate design.

Amen, if you know anything about civil engineering. When you're building a

house, what do you do? You build a foundation? Do you understand?

And the foundation? The Bible says that those who build a house on

what is sand, when the rain comes, you'll sweep it away. But

guess what the earth is formed or framed on water. The earth is the

lords and the fullness thereof the world. And they that dwelt the rain,

for he founded it upon the seas, and the established it upon the waters.

The foundation of the earth is water, but we are here. When

you're walking, you feel the earth moving. Can you do you feel like

a semen when you're walking. No, it was by deliberate design. Amen.

So to come to God, you need to acknowledge. Hebrew says that

for those who come to him must know that he is. You must acknowledge

who he is, and you must come to him in humility. Amen.

And so fasting will humble you before God. Amen. Is there anyone who

is going to fast this year? The Lord? I need to be humble.

I need your glory, and how I can get your glory is by

humbling myself to come to you. If you go on that journey, then

you meet God at the end of that journey. Somebody say, Amen,

Man number three, we first for spiritual freedom. The opposite of freedom is

bondage. As I fifty eight, verse six, the opposite of freedom is

bondage. You can't be in between. It's either you are free or you

are bound. Amen. It's either you are free or you are bound.

And there are many people who are bound in the spirit. People who don't

know God are bound in the spirit. Do you see how you tie put

a chain around the dog and you'd say, should should go go? No,

don't go ahead, come here. Many are bound in the spirit.

There's a yolk on their neck in the spirit. But when you come to

Christ, Bible says that he whom the sun sets free is free. Indeed.

Amen. And so the Bible says that this is God's speaking. It

says that is this is not the first that I have chosen to lose the

bonds of wickedness. There are bonds of wickedness from families. There are certain

families there's a caveat that no body should go to school beyond JHS. So

on your if you print out your CV, the whole family the highest level

of education. Iss. If you dare go beyond it, you end up

being some something, You'll be a worthless something. You you will get ahead.

A story about a woman in the family nobody has going to school.

She's the only one. She has a PhD. And guess what the PhD

she has. She's not lecturing in an UNIVERSITYO. She's selling granted at the

roadside. She has a p They will make you useless. So they are

bonds of wickedness. Amen. There are certain families they say that no girls

should get married. So you realize that in our family there are a lot

of beautiful ladies there, but no body is married. Everybody is born one,

born, two, bond three, but no body is married. Those

are bonds of wickedness. And so God is saying that this is not the

first that have proclaimed to lose the bonds of wickedness. So first thing brings

spiritual freedom and deliverance to undo the heavy beddings. They are people who are

carrying heavy loads. They are like articulated drugs in their spirits, madly articulated

drugs. They load their things so heavy, so fast, things will bring

you spiritual freedom. Because by humbling yourself to first you come to know that

Jesus said that come to me, or you who are heavily laid in.

All of you are carrying heavy burdens. Come to me and I will give

you rest. So fast things will bring you to spiritual freedoms. Amen,

And to let the oppress go free, To let the oppress go free.

Freedom. There are some who are carrying diseases. Some are carrying diseases,

some are carrying epilepsy, all sorts of dangerous diseases. They are oppressions.

Amen, And So if there is anything that is oppressing you and you don't

want it anymore, one way you can get rid of it is going fast

and tell God Lord your word, says in Isaiah fifty eight, verse six.

This is the first you have chosen to lose the bonds of wickedness over

my life, to undo heavy beddings over my life, to let the old

press go free. I want you to set me free, amen, to

let the oppress go free, and to break away every yoke. So by

going on a first you can be set free spiritually. Can I hear an

amen? Oh? Can I hear a better amen? Amen? And so

In Matthew chapter seventeen, verse twenty to twenty one. Matthew Chapter seventeen,

verse twenty to twenty one, a man came to the Disciples of He came

looking for Jesus, but Jesus was not around. Maybe Jesus had gone to

do some meetings. So he met the disciples and the man's child was sick.

So he said, oh, ab a Jesus, disciples, so pray

for him. Let him be well, because I've seen Jesus do miracles.

So they prayed. The thing wasn't going and Jesus came. So the we're

asking the Lord that why is it that? Oh we prayed and in your

name and all these things, and nothing happened. And Jesus said to them,

because of your unbelief. Shortly, I say to you, if you

have faith as a master seed, you will say to this mounting mountain,

move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be

impossible. For Iver's twenty one. However, this kind does not go except

by prayer and fasting. Listen, there are certain things you are dealing with

or you are going to deal with in future, somewhere in your life that

just simple prayer will not let it go. But you need to be able

to fast, and you need to be able to pray. Amen, you

need to fast and pray. Oh, the place is quiet. The message

is if you are struggling with funication, first thing and prayer would dry it

out. Amen. What did I say? Fasting and prayer will drive it

out. If you have a disease of lying, you can't tell the truth.

I didn't churge those who like to lie, they're in churge. First

thing and prayer would dry that thing out. Amen. Because I may of

you know that Jesus said, liars will not enter the Kingom of God.

Yes, So if you are into lying the business of lying, you should

not, Charlie, You're not going anywhere. If you're into funication, oh

please, no place for you in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of

God is shot, the gate is shut permanent lead. But by fasting and

prayer you can set yourself free. Amen. And so the point is that

through fasting and prayer we fast for spiritual freedom. Amen. And so the

purpose of fasting is more than just giving up food. The spiritual implications are

very great. Amen. So in my thing that I'm just giving up my

breakfast, but the spiritual implications are very great. I hope you understand.

So Number four, we first to seek guidance, the guidance of the Holy

Spirit Act Chapter thirteen vers three. Actually after thirteen ver three, before the

apostles dispatched the disciples to go with the gospel message to the Gentiles, they

fasted and prayed before they laid hands on them and sent them away. Amen.

And by that very act, the Gospel of Jesus Christ came to this

part of the world and went to many parts of the world. That many

people are saved because of this very act. Amen. Number five. Were

fast to grow spiritual strength, Matthew, Chapter four, verse two, were

fast to grow spiritual strength. Amen. If you want to be able to

pray for somebody or for people to see results, one way you can achieve

that is by fasting. Because by fasting you grow in spiritual strength. Amen.

First thing is like charging your battery. Fasting and prayer combined, It's

like charging your battery. Amen. So because Jesus fasted and prayed for forty

days and forty nights, a Bible says that, and God anointed him with

the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went about doing good, delivering

all those who were oppressed of the devil. And God was with him.

Amen. So if you want to be able to see results to your prayers,

you need to be able to fast, because everywhere Jesus went. If

he meets a blind man, be healed. If he meets a lame person,

be healed. If he meets a dead person, he says, oh,

you are not dead. Riser. He stood at Lazar's's tomb, says

Tabitha Kumi. Lazarus came out a dead man four days dead. Stinking modern

cacle. He came out. Amen. When he commands, he said to

the wind, peace be still. He was sleeping, there was a storm.

He woke up. And you see when we read that, many people

think that Jesus shouted, Hey, peace be still. Kings don't shout.

And besides, you has just woken up from sleeping. Can you imagine yourself

just waking up from bed and all the first thing you do is to shout,

wop, peace be still. The storm became still. Amen. So

if you know how to fast, if you learn how to fast, you

learn how to pray, there will be situations that will come up in your

life and the lives of your brothers, your sisters, your family that you

just say, peace be still and the storm will come down. Amen.

When we started the first I woke up what was on Tuesday or Monday morning,

and my right leg there was a sharp pain in my right leg.

I couldn't walk on my so I was limping and I was like, ah,

this one to When I went to bed, my leg was fine.

So why have I woken up and my leg is doing apache? I said,

in the name of Jesus, the same way you came, you are

leaving the same way I went downstairs the leg that was saitting me. I

walked down the stairs. By the time I was coming up the stairs,

that pain had gone. Amen. And so when you learn how to first

and to pray, you energize yourself in the spirit you wor you energize.

Please tell your neighbor you like eating too much. You eat too everything you

are eating. And tell your neighbor, but this year you need to learn

to fast small and you need to learn to put your stomach down first from

food. Tell your phone phone charlete this week, mean that you don't get

no business. Put the phone under your bed, blue phone. First thing.

All those like watching pornography her this year. Tell the pornography people that

challenge me that you one year first me that you don't get no business no

more. Amen. TikTok your all day. If we check your balance,

the data you buy, if we can create it, can buy a car

all of TikTok. Then you are laughing, Oh, Charlae, this you

are laughing and you are fooling. Instagram rap chats. Hey. You see

that by the time you are thirty years, if you calculate all the money

you used to buy data to be on Snapchat and laugh. Realize that chid

myny day. So learn to first, it is not every day it should

be on your phone. There's addicted to their phone. They can't even put

their phone down. When they are walking by the rosa. They're holding their

phone. When they are sleeping there, holding their phone. When they are

going to the toilets, they're holding their phone, when they are going to

bathcrad they're holding their phone. Now. They even take pic videos when they're

bating, and they will edit it out and put it soap. This I

use this soap. I use. You need to learn to go on the

first, Amen, so that I don't follow what the world is teaching.

Amen. Because the prince of this world, who is Satan upon some the

devil, he wants to lead you far away from the will and purpose of

God. If you allow him, he will lead you. And John Tanten,

the thief not comes not but to steal, to kill, and to

destroy. By the time is done with you, you'll be finished. Amen.

So we first to grow in spiritual strength. Amen. Jesus fasted and

was strengthened by the angels of God after he passed the test. Bible says

that God sent angels who came and ministered to him, became a minister to

him. They brought joel of rice, they brought goods, they brought kibabs,

they ministered to him. They brought him jews. After the forty days

and forty nights, first day they ministered to him. Amen. So when

you learn to fast, God will send angels to minister to you. Can

I hear an? Amen? And please be on your feet amen, if

your legs are yours and you can stand. Amen. So next week,

God willing, we'll go deeper into this Amen. But we have five more

days for the church first to end. So if you know you're joined,

please join and then fast. You can fast from morning when you wake up

till about midday, and then break your fast and eat something and go about

your day. Amen. But do something. Please tell your neighbor, do

something. Amen, Do something Amen. So we're going to pray. Our

prayer point is one that Lord, we want to humble ourselves before you give

us the grace to seek your face through fasting Ezra Aid twenty one twenty three,

Give us your grace to fast, to humble ourselves before you can Somebody

just open your mouth and pray to God this morning. Say Lord, give

me grace. I need grace. I need grace. I need grace.

I need grace. I need grace to exercise myself in fasting as a sacrifice,

In fasting as a sacrifice. Give me grace. Give me grace that

any attempt of mind will not be discouraged by the whisperings of the enemy.

The mighty name of Jesus, give me grace. Oh God, give me

grace. O Lord, give me grace. O Lord immigrace, or Lord

in Jesus' precious name. We pray with thanksgiving Amen, with our heads bowed

and our eyes closed. If you are here, you are not born again.

You know in your heart you are not born again. Jesus said to

Nicodamus that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of

God. Unless a man is born of water and of the spirit, he

can't enter into the Kingdom of God. So if you are here, you

are not born again. Jesus is not lord over your life. Jesus does

not rule in your heart. Jesus does not reign in your life. The

will of God is not done in your life. But you want to surrender

your life to Jesus for him to come into your heart and to be lord

over your life. If you are here, you are that person. Please

walk to me in the front. Wherever you are, just walk to me

right here in the front. Let's say a simple prayer together so that Christ

Jesus will come and live in your heart. If you are here, you

don't know Jesus. You want to receive Jesus. You want Jesus to be

lord over your life. Just for a moment, just walk to me and

then let's say a prayer together. Or you are here, you are born

again. By your backsliding, Jesus no longer reigns in your heart. You

want to rededicate your life to the Lord. Please come to me. Fin

our call, final call. Father. We give you thanks for today.

We thank you for your word, and we thank you for all that you

are to us. We pray the Lord reign in our hearts, ruling our

lives. N Let your will be done in us in Jesus' precious name.

Man, well, can you club for Jesus while you take your seat?

Mm hmm.