Fasting | Pr Yvonne Chong

You're listening to a message to go from at church. We hope this message

will light up your day. It is you turn right now, and I'm

not sure how many how many of you are participating, And there's twenty one

days of praying fast together and it is still not too late to join us.

Is the second day. And you know how many of you have at

least once in the whole life as a Christian faster before faster and pray for

a need before. Yeah, that's really good. Good to see the different

hands. Uh, you know how was the experience for you know how they

got moved for you when you're faster and pray. I am you know asking

that. I mean you don't answer me right now, but I'm asking that

so that you know, to get us recalling. You know, a lot

of adult learning is remembering, recalling and applying as well. And today I'm

going to help us do that, all right, those of us who do

not know what fasting is, Uh, this is for you also, okay,

for us to understand a little bit more so. A lot of times,

uh, we may think of fasting or you know sometimes Christians, Okay,

there are different kinds of fast and now also is the start of the

Ramadan man Uh. You know our brothers and sisters, you know, from

the Muslim faith, they are also fasting. And so for us Christians,

what is fasting to us? Okay? What does it mean to us?

A lot of times or sometimes when I was younger, when I was a

teenager, whenever first always thought, you know, when I first, I

get to have my prayers answered, my needs answered. You know, It's

like how you know, you go to a vending machine like ha, I

have to engate. I put into EA and you know I can choose the

items that is selling it too, and you know, something comes out.

And sometimes we think, you know, when I fast and pray, you

know, sometimes we may think that is like a vending machine to God.

You know, God a ready faster and pray and I need an answer and

the answer will surely come no matter what. Uh, it is understandable.

But you know today first thing is beyond that, Okay. Fasting itself involves

a lot of restraining, abstaining and restrained from what you know, we restraining

ourselves from doing and enjoying something that we really love. All right, and

all of us here being created in God's image, something that we enjoy is

food, right, good food? So and and some of us besides food,

you know, we enjoy scoring, social media, Netflix. I don't

know what else you enjoy. So doing this showing one day is abstaining from

it. Yeah, and I'm gonna zooming a little further. You know,

for Christians, then fasting is not just going without or it's not just simply

abstaining, but the goal of Christian fasting. Okay, it's about getting all

right, Okay, you might get what all right, I'll explain a little

bit further. And it's about serving a greater purpose and serving a greater and

in mind. And eventually, you know, it would be a spiritual again

than a spiritual lost. And you know Jesus did not fail to decide or

say whether the church should or should not fast. Okay, I'm gonna do

this to Matthew chapter six now, verse sixteen to eighteen. And can I

uh, I do this every time I preach. I'm gonna get different ones.

So start reading the scripture. So if you have a Bible, you

can turn with me to Matthew chapter six, verse sixteen or eighteen. We

can start from the second row. Okay, So we'll pass the mic around,

so once you're done reading, you can just pass to the person next

to you and the person will just hold on to it. To the next

scripture, all right, medial chapter six, verse sixteen or eighteen, and

start reading. Thank you awesome, cool, Thank you so much for reading.

Yep, you can hang on to the mic first, you know,

to start singing. Okay, you can just hang on to it. It's

fire ready, okay. So Jesus, you know verse sixteen stas it starts

with when you first? Okay, Uh, that it means. It means,

it's compousory. It do's not saying you know, if you fast,

you know, if God uses the word evenings, it could still be an

option, all right, but when you first, all right, So the

word of Christ himself, you know, it is very very important. And

Jesus actually exhausts us to fast in a secret. Not for sure, it's

not a tatle I'm fasting. I'm doing a full fast, just you know,

having plain water for twenty one days. It's not that. Uh.

You know in Malaysian, you know in Bahasa will use the word sandiara ha.

Yeah, it's not just for sure, but it is birth out of

place of desperation. It is birth out of place of abundance as well.

And what it doesn't say here know when your father sees what you do is

secret, will reward you. Also God rewards fasting. But how all right

because his w's say right here will reward about how so you know fast in

itself? Right? It's not also a show or not to make a statement

to say, wow, you know my will is very strong. Some people

are like, wow, I can fast or twenty one days going without food.

I have food. I have a very strong will. It is not

about our own strength as well, but very fast. In a Christian way,

we are saying that God, you know, I expressing my emptiness and

this is my longing of one thing to be filled by you. All right,

God rewards the expression of our emptiness and the longliness to be filled by

him. So knowing that strength, uh, those of you us, those

of us right who are faster before we would know that you know, especially

okay for example, right, I love, I am okay with vegetables and

fruits. But you know somehow when I start fasting, right, I have

even when I do Daniel fast which is abstaining from me and all other nice

you know, sauces and delicacies. Right, somehow I crave for more fried

chicken. On nowadays I don't crave a fried chicken, but somehow that happens.

So sometimes like whoa. Okay, I can fight this. But actually

it is not about my own power or by my own will. Uh.

You know, it is from my heart that knowing that only God himself works

in us and tough us. Okay, let's send to Philippians chapter two,

verse chelf to thirteen, and you can read next. Okay, Philippins,

chapter two, verse chef to thirteen. Therefore, my beloved, as you

have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence, but much

more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling verse

thirteen. For it is God who works in you both to will and to

do for his good pleasure. Yep. So first thing does not come from

own power, but the first point from my heart that God himself works in

us. All right. You can see in this verse are clearly in this

verse second point first bead chapter four, verst eleven. First Beader, Chapter

four, verst eleven. For example, if you have a speaking gift,

speak as though God was speaking his words to you. If you have the

gift of serving, do it passionately with the strength God gives you, so

that in everything God alone will be glorified to Jesus Christ for him, for

to him belong the power and the glory forever throughout all ages. Amen.

So it is not about our own power and strength. The first point from

my heart that God himself works in us. And second is but it's about

the strength that God himself supplies. Okay. So it is the strength that

God is true, God's enably that we can so that all power and all

glory belongs to Him, that the Lord Jesus maybe glorified at the end of

the day. All right, that's what the scripture says. So we need

to realize then that it's not about our own strength or real power. But

yes, but even it is not about reward Sessa that we will get because

we first it's not you know, okay, God, I fast you reward

me. It's not about that also or not for shure to add us.

But you know, it is also about our answers to earnest prayer. Okay,

what does that mean? I'm gonna turn us to Revelation chapter twenty one,

verse six. What's the mic now, oh? Okay, Revelation twenty

one, verse six. Revelation chapter twenty one, verse six. He said

to me, it is done. I'm the Alpha and the Omega, the

beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty, I will give to

drink without cast from the spring of the water of life. I'm sorry,

I'm sorry. Okay. Let's before we go to Revelations chapter twenty our verse

six. Legs turn to Romans chapter five, verse one to two. Romans

five one to two. Next person can turn so Ephicients chapter two eighteen.

You can be on standby, and then the other one will be Ephicians chapter

three, verse twve so Romans five one to two, Ephicians two eighteen and

Ephicians three tough Romans five, verse one. Therefore, having been justified by

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him

also we have access by faith into disgrace, in which we stand and rejoice

in hope of the glory of God. And then Efphicients treat offs to eighteen

efficient, for through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father.

Efficients treat off in whom we have bondness and access with confidence to faith

in Him. Yep, thank you. So if you're read here says that

fasting expresses and unusual earnestness and fasting calms hand in hand very much with prayer.

And it makes a really special plea. Okay, when we fast and

pray, it makes an extra special plea to God with added intensity. Okay,

from our every normal, our normal every day prayer. It's my English

correct sequence, our normal every day prayer. Okay, it adds an intensity

to it. So it is a kind of special measurement in life of faith.

Okay, normal life, our everyday life is not fasting at all.

Normbal life is always you know, a steady state of prayer. You know

we should pray every day, right, That's what God says. And prayer

is not just a special template of how you do it. You know,

prayer can happen the whole day. Uh. It is a communication between God.

But when we first it is you turn on the special mode changed functions.

Uh. And and you you become on a mode of unusual prayer.

You switch from normal every day prayer to an unusual prayer mode. And and

you know, setting intentionally setting ourselves aside for him. All right. So

that is the first one, okay, that it is earnest. It is

an earnest prayer to God. And the second one will be we're asking as

well, God, I need more of you in my life, you know,

saying that God, you know it's going to be less of me.

I'm dying to my selfish or myself needs and I need more of you.

And we are saying, you know, I need more of your guidance,

I need your protection, I need deliverance, I need provision, and I

need to kind of you know, see from a perspective at least once a

yeah, some people first toys a year as well. And I do know

you know some people start fasting from land. Okay, that is forty days

before Good Friday, so you know, and this perspective, when we start

fasting, right, God switches us. Uh. And if you can see

it right, all of us we are created. We know that we are

created in God's image and and and He has made us as well to be

eaters and drinkers that you know, we know how to enjoy good food.

Although some of them may claim that, Okay, I'm not a foodie,

but somehow, when we taste good food, we enjoy it. When we

taste a good drink, we enjoy drinking it as well. Uh. And

he made I put it this. You know, he made our whole world

edible. Almost anything natural that's created by him is edible and drinkable. Okay,

okay, like that's something set. It's not safe for eating and drinking,

but uh, most of its Uh why you know, why does God

do that? You know if I imagine here, you know, God,

your creative, your creative God, right. Uh. He creates us to

enjoy everything so that we are able to better taste of His goodness. Okay,

and just making a parallel comparison. Uh, and be able to taste

of his goodness when we are filled. And you know, when our stomachs

are not handy empty, I would say hungry or do you know people who

are hungry are angry? Right when our stomachs are empty, you know,

just go around grumbling and everything is just wrong in the whole world. Uh,

you know, anyone just simple irritation, you just flare up and you

turn green. But when we are full, everything is just nice and peaceful.

I know for me, right. If I'm extremely hungry, I get

hungry my you know, the different ones were close to me, and they

know that it's like, okay, better feit even before she explodes. And

they do know. Sometimes if I go to a meeting very hungry, they

get me a banfirst and whatever our My temperature will lower down a bit and

I'll be okay in meetings. But I do sometimes catch myself to make sure,

okay, don't lose it. Don't lose it. But when we are

full, we get to enjoy everything that God has for us or for me.

For me, I'm not too sure about you, guys. I shouldn't

generalize, but for me, okay, Isaiah fifty five versus one. Let's

say what it says. Maybe I'll just read it everyone. Oh, it

starts here. I don't know why. Maybe it's a hot can you know?

Ha, man of you hock can here. That's that's a dialect I

speak. You know this is very good ho. Everyone who does come to

the waters, and you who have no money come buy and eat? Uh

and and yes, come and buy without money and without a price. Not

God himself in Christ is the one who satisfies us. Moll. Then what

food can do to us. He's the one that crunches our tis with the

most purest water that we can actually find. You know, drinking normal type

water will entirely crunch us. By drinking from the well of life, you

know, drawing from God will crunch outs. Okay, in him? You

know, our souls eat what is good, and we delight ourselves in rich

food. Okay. Let me bring you to Isaiah chapter fifty five, verse

two. It says, Yah, why do you spend money for what is

what is not? Break? And your wages for what does not satisfy all

our young doubts? Here we know you know somehow every monthy pay a lot

of bills in the end, like hey, it's almost running now and not

satisfied yet, Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and

let your soul delight itself in abundance. Okay. Revelation twenty one, verse

six. Who was it that's supposed to be okay? Life? Gollad Revelation

chapter twenty one, verse six, verse six. He said to me,

it is done. I am the Alpha and the omega, the beginning and

the end to the thirsty. I will give water without cause from the spring

of the water of life. A matt thank you and Revelation twenty two seventeen.

Revelations twenty two seventeen. The Spirit and the Bride says, come and

let the one who hears say come. Let the one who is thirsty come,

and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of

life. Yep, thank you so much. We're fast because we are thirsty.

You know. For those of you who are homes last week, yep,

you have learned about fasting, and well, we're fast because we're hungry.

Our friends around us when thinks like you're crazy. You know, when

we're hungry, we eat loud. We don't fast right, but when we

are hungry for change, we fast. And you know I have a list

of you know, other purposes why we fast as well, to guide us.

You know, some of us we just don't know where to start.

But you know the first thing, you know, some of us made it

fast because you know, we want to strengthen our prayer life. Okay,

I think with Gien there is us slight. I can't remember. I can't

remember a number. The purpose of Christian fasting, okay, the first one

is strengthening our ernest prayer is drawn out from Ezra chapter eight a tree Joel

two, verse twelve and extat in tree. Or we may also fast for

the purpose of seeking God's guidance. We may fast as well for his deliverance.

Are that's that of protection? Were fast to humber ourselves before Him?

Is our SCRIPTUREROLA. So those of you here and like, Okay, I

want to join in Newton, but I don't know where to start it?

Can this can be a checklist for you as like Okay, do I need

to humble myself? Do I need to seek for deliverance? Do I need

to repent before God? You know? Do I need to greet an expression

of grief? The next one fast thing? You know, because your concern

for His work is that you know something that God is sting within your heart,

for the community, you know, for your campus, for Malaysia,

for your own country, for your family, Then you know fast for it,

expressing counsels for His work, overcoming temptation and dedicating ourselves to him.

Uh and the best of our expressing our love and devotion to Him. If

at all all the above right, it areas that we could fast for you

know, does not really resonate with you. Then at least you know fast

to express of our love and devotion to him. At least you know just

set aside these twenty one days to do that, can you know? Johne

six, verse thirty five says Heah, and Jesus said to them, I

am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger.

You know that, you know kingdom, how heaven rules and Heaven's rules.

Kingdom rules are very different from earthly rules. Right. I am the bread

of life. He who comes to me shall never hung and he who believes

in me shall never first. And one of the best regular reminders of it

can be abstaining temporarily from food. The best reminder for this is to abstain

from food some eighty one, verse ten. Can someone read it? Some

chapter eighty one, verse ten. Yeah, the mic? Where's the mic?

Oh? Behind? Okay? Some chatter eighty one verse ten. So

wow, So you know, God remind them that the issue likes that I

was the one who brought you out of Egypt. And it's quite cute.

God got to say, you know, open your mouth white and our feeld

so means God can actually feel us, all right, when we come to

in angry. And I'm going to close really really soon with this. God

requires beyond the nine points that shed so the nine points I will actually cummunate

to this or it contributes to this very fast. Even for example, you

know, we are seeking God's guidance, you know, for deliverance, to

humber ourselves before him, and you know, an expression of repentance or whatever,

not right, I don't know what God would do is he will adjust

us, he will align us, he will calibrate us. You know,

those of you who are into engineering, cars, machineries, you know,

anything needs any machine needs calibration. Right after use it for a while,

you need to calibrate it again, align oil again, adjusted again, so

that we can be further used for God's greater purpose, and so that what

right that the Lord may be glorified in us and through us as well.

I'm gonna close with a testimony here. You know, yesterday for those of

us who were at pray, I you know one one of there were two

status testimony share and one of it I just wanted to reshare it, you

know, talking about just adjusting and calibration. So this girl by the name

of Angelie so you may have met her some not not yet. Uh.

And you know she has been a believer, a Christian for just three years.

She has been in a relationship with a guy who is not a believer

for four years. So the year was it last year? Yeah? Last

year when she's started, you don't you know, God challenged her to align,

to calibrate herself to be more like Christ. And one of the areas

that God challenged her to foregoal was her relationship, because in the relationship,

you know, she became really dependent on the guy, and you know she

seek the guy first then seeking after God. Yeah. For those of you,

you know, I don't know, in the relationship, sometimes your partner,

or if it's not a relationships, well it could be your parents.

Uh, it could be your pet dog, your pet fish, your boss.

For those of you who are working, your children, those of you

who have children, you place them above God, right and God like.

For Abraham, he had to check God had to check his heart whether Isaac

was above the Lord when he asked Abraham to author Isaac as a living sacrifice,

you know. And for ANGELI, you know, she had to bring

her relationship, her bgr Biger relationship to the altar and offering up to God,

you know, as a sacrifice to God, because God wanted all of

her. And that was even her first day of fasting on it. You

know, the areas in our life when we start fasting, it's you know,

like how you put the tree, you know, you pun it because

there are certain parts which does not contribute to the growth of the tree.

When we start fasting, you know, although you know, it's dying to

ourself. But God will start pruning. He'll start sculpting our areas that does

not belong to him. That's it's not what he intends us to be as

well. So for Angeline, you know, she had to give out a

relationship, but she did say, you know, I had a journey and

privileged so to disciple her. She's so, I have a person that a

disciple. We call it a huddlew the girl. Those of you who are

not familiar with it, it's okay. You can ask the leaders in acts.

You are a really big in discipleship relationship. So I disciple this girl,

and this girl is discipling her. So we all journeyed together with her.

And that's the you know, the amazing thing about being a next,

that's a family here to journey together with you, uh, to the ups

and downs and journey not just to be there for you, but to help

each every one of you to be more like Christ. Yeah, so we're

there for her. And she said that, you know, although it was

painful, but she knew she had a laid down at the feet of the

cross, laid down on the altar and move on. And where she is

at today, it's a really amazing. She has grown so much in a

lot, taking a lot of faith steps, and you know, she's seeing

every area of her life. You know, God has been blessing has been

growing even area her studies as well. She's one of her top few students

in her in her badge, you know her lectures, you know, even

to her thesis and her final year project and why or not right she she

can't start to talk and her lectures have good praises and reports about her Ah,

and that is because she has learned to listen to the voice of God.

When she was doing her thesis as well, Uh, you know,

she's like, hey, I don't know what to do, but God told

me to do this and do that, and then they did it. H

and all her batch mates didn't get it right. She was the only one

who got it right because she listened to the voice or the Holy spray.

But it started somewhere. It started with her obedience of listening to the leading

of the Lord. Okay, and I hope, oh first, yeah,

you know, who have not fasted yet join us, and those who are

fasting, you know, just remember this, you know, as we first,

you know, may this be our theme for the next one in one

days? That is this march, Old God, I want more of you

next twenty one days. I want more of you. And it's not just

for twenty one days, but let it be the start of the whole of

twenty twenty four. So this march, Oh God, I want more of

you. All right, So how does this, you know, contribute,

you know, this theme for this year that all may know. That's the

theme of ex church for this year, so that everyone may know. And

how does fasting, you know contribute to that? On us to turn to

Isaiah last scripture, last scripture, Ready, I promise Isaiah chapter fifty eight,

verse six to fourteen. Maybe I can get banned to read it.

Since the man is in front. Isaiah chapter fifty eight verse six to fourteen.

To undo the haavy burdens, to let the oppress go free, and

that you break every yoke. Is it not to share your bread with the

hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor word casts out when

you see the naked, that you cover him and not hide yourself from your

own flesh. Then your light shall break forth like the morning. Your heating

shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory

of the Lord shall be your real god. Then you shall call, and

the Lord will answer. You shall cry, and he will say, here

I am. If you take away the yoke from your meats, the pointing

of the finger and speaking weakness, if you extend your soul to the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall cut down in the darkness,

and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you

continually and satisfy your soul in draft and strengthen your bones. You shall be

like a watered garden, and like a spring of water who waters do not

feel fall. Those from among you shall build the old waste places. You

shall raise up the foundation of many generations, and you shall be called the

repairer of the bridge, the restorer of street. To dwell in. What's

the thing if you turn away from your if you turn away your food,

from the Sabbath, Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holiday, and

call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and

shall honor him. Not doing your own ways, not finding your own pleasure,

not speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the love.

And I will cause you to write on the high heels of the earth

and feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your father. The mouth of

the Lord has spoken a man, Hey, man, thank you for reading.

I'm gonna bring your attention to this now ah verse six. Is this

not the fast? I have chosen to lose the bonds of wickedness, to

undo heavy bird, to let the oppress go free, break every your share,

your break with the hungry, bring your house to the poor who are

cast away, clothes the naked. And you know it's just basically to do

good for someone else, to do good to the people around you. You

know, wheny fast, we should even more do this. You know so

that what is the intention? So that all may know it's not because all

may know that you are fasting and you're hungry and you're suffering, not that

that all may know true your love for each other through your actions. All

right, you know you bring food to the poor, open your house to

those who are homeless, feet, you know, break every yr, every

bondage. You know, by sharing cries to other people, it's also breaking

the spiritual your bondage as well. And I'm want to close with this as

well, close, close, okay, Sabbath verse thirteen. If you turn

away your food from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day

and called the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the lot, honorable

and shall honor him, not doing your own ways, not finding your own

pleasure, not speaking your own words. So what is set aside for the

Lord for me? Anything? Any day that I set aside for the Lord

is Sabbath unto him. And you know that is why it is not even

as a church to encourage you. And it's not at the day on Monday

till Saturday. It's not at least Sunday Saturday aside for the Lord. Not

to use it for your own pleasure, not to use it for your own

ways, but to use it for the Lord, and then what he will

bless you. And that is the word of the Lord. And I will

encourage you. For those of you who have not been consistently coming to church

on Sunday, do that set aside, you know, if you have committed

to be at home, set aside whatever you set aside for the Lord,

do not touch it. Gosse whatever that is set aside for him is holy,

and we should not touch something that is holy already, something that we

have already given unto the Lord. Yeah, and when we first, you

know, that is setting aside ourselves and setting aside ourselves for the use of

the Lord as well. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For

more information on our church, please visit as Church the Org. We are

also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to

be a good week. I hit for you. God bless