Power of a Fast Properly Done | Pr Kenneth Chin

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

will light up your team. The title today is power of a fast properly

done. That's right, power of a fast property that we know there's power

in fasting, but we know there's power especially when you do it properly.

Let me give you a funny thing I encountered just last week. I was

at a mamma's shop and I looked at this man who was coming to the

same mamma but he had parked illegally at the lane. Okay. I looked

at him, was, oh, you know, this guy's parking illegally.

And I don't know what made me look at him for a bit, because

I guess it's he coming up of the car and looking at his car once

twice, going to the front and making sure that it is well parked.

And I look at him, going like, but you're any part illegally,

you know. And so he went back into his car and parked it properly

in an illegal parking spot. And then when he came out, he was

very happy. And I was going to take a whole video of you know,

because it sometimes speaks of our lives. We know we are not doing

right in God's eyes, and yet we still want to park properly and make

it more convenient for others, I guess. But you know that when the

guy comes to summon your car, he's always saying, oh, well,

good pucking. Since you put so much effort in pucking, so well,

I won't give you a Sumone doesn't doesn't happen that way. So I want

to just encourage you. There is a right way to do things, and

it's not a right way in our eyes, that's the right way in God's

eyes. Gonna hear a good amen. So let's read Isaiah fifty eight,

verse six. This is the word of the Lord. Is this not the

fast that I have chosen? So just from the first sentence, you know

that there is a fast that God chooses, and there's a fast that we

choose. And he says, God says, to lose the bonds of wickedness.

Let me just speak that over your life. If you have some bondage

in your life, a bondage to some you know, something that you're not

proud of, something that you're trying to get rid of, something you try

to break free from. The Bible says that when we fast and fast properly,

it is to lose the bonds of wickness. So I pray bonds of

wackness in this room be broken in Jesus name, to undo heavy burdens.

So you have heavy burdens on your shoulders, in your heart, you're feeling

heavy their sadness, their sorrow. Fasting in a proper way is to undo

that. I remember there was one brother here. He's no longer in this

church, but one day when he was in this church, he came up

for prayer and he had a heart problem. He already went to the doctors.

They said he has to go and do I think they call it and

Joe Graham and I think he had to have a stent put in. And

so we had a prayer service on Tuesday, like we normally do every week,

or well twice a month, I should say, and he came up.

He came up, and we had one of our leaders pray over him,

and he said these were his words. He felt like there was a

shoelace that was tied in a knot. There was a knot in his heart.

And when the leader laid hands over him and prayed for him, he

felt an undoing. He actually said, I felt like the shoelace was undone

and the knot was gone. And so then he said that about two weeks

later he had to go for that procedure, and so you know, everything

was put up and lined up, and he was seated there on the operating

table and just call it for now, and the doctor came in and there

were like screens and even the man, this brother could see uh, this

particular what do you call it, a scope going into his system and into

his heart, and they were pumping right, uh the die right to kind

of like show where the blockage is. And then the doctor is looking at

the screen and he's already pumped once and he cannot see any blockage, and

so he's like, okay, never mind. He went out for a while

and he did something. He came back in again and this brother said,

is there anything wrong? He says, no, no, no, no,

no, you just relax, don't worry. I'm gonna pump them die

again and I'm gonna see whether there is that, you know, because we

saw it before and uh, and he pumped in again and he couldn't see

it. And he's even asking the patient, this brother of us of hours

in this church and said, can you see anything, Casey anything. I

think he was about to do it a third time. I don't know,

but he did it a third time or not, but he says, I

see you just you can't go through any procedure today because there's no blockage.

And he already felt it when he came for prayer at the front. He

felt an undoing of that heavy burden. Somebody say, a man, praise

God and to let the oppress go freeze. There anyone here feeling like you're

under oppression. It could be an oppression of health. It could be an

oppression of wealth or the lack of it, oppression of a boss that may

not be so kind. And I know that all the bosses here in this

room are very kind, but maybe you're working for a boss that doesn't understand

you very well, and you feel an oppression. And the Bible says when

you fast, you shall be free. And I like the last line because

the last line says that you break every yoke. And he starts I see

some high fights going on there. He starts by saying that God has chosen

a fast, and it ends by saying you will break the yoke. I

like that because that's how I live my life. Now. I wake up

the morning knowing that God has given me the power and the responsibility not to

wait for him to break yolks in my life. But I can break it

myself, because the Bible says you will break every yoke. And so that's

the power and the benefit of those who fast properly. Now is there improper

for us? Let's look at the next scripture, which is just the scripture

before the one we just read. Isaiah fifty eight, verse six was the

one we read. Isaiah fifty eight, verse five is the one we're gonna

read now? Is it a fast that I've chosen? So obviously not when

you read the rest of the words. A day for a man to afflict

his soul. So the fast thing that we go through is not to suffer,

is not to I want to, you know, put some kind of

affliction on my life so that God will suddenly notice. You know, some

people do that, right, They want somebody to notice, you know that

they kind of get beaten up, or or they cut their risks or you

know, oh, I wouldn't hurt myself so that God can see. No,

how God is not that kind of a god. He's a good God.

He's a good good father. Somebody say amen, And you don't have

to do anything bad to yourself or God to do something good. He's going

to be good all the time. Is it to bow down his head like

a bull rush and to spread outside cloth and ashes? You know how they

used to do that right in olden times? You know when they are said,

oh you know, they throw up ashes and they go like, oh,

you know, I'm so sad, my life is so bad now.

So the question is, would you call this a fus an acceptable day to

the Lord? I like the last sentence because it tells us that a fast

can be a day, doesn't have to be twenty one days. If you

do it for twenty one days, then it's twenty one one day. But

now we have six days left. You can just take one day aside and

make sure that day is a fast acceptable to the Lord. So it has

got to be an acceptable day, a day pleasing to the Lord. Amen.

So it's not our rules. We don't call the shots of what a

fast is. It's heaven rules. We want to live by the way Heaven

sees a fast, not pack our castle properly at an illegal spot. And

then we come up going like, oh, I feel good about packing my

car well so that I don't block any other cars in this lane. No,

and then when a higher authority comes to that car, they will decide

whether you're wrong or right. Yeah, And we have a higher authority called

Jesus, and Jesus rules all right, not man. Okay. Generally,

there are three reasons why we fast. Three h hunger, humility, and

health. If you're really hungry and desperate for something to happen in your life,

a miracle, maybe it's an unsaved loved one. You want your husband

save, your wife saved. You know, I don't embarrass my stepmom here

and my sister and and uh and the son. But for twenty years,

uh, they were not uh following the Lord earlier. I will tell you

something about you know, my my my mom was actually very very active in

the children ministry back in our churching FGA in the early days. And I

tell you she, you know, was just amazing. And then my sister

at at eight age four said to us when we asked what she wanted to

do when she was growing up or when she had grown up, she said

I wanted to be a missionary. She did even said it properly, miss

missus, all right, okay, And then and then something happened in my

family. Uh you know, Um, there was a break up, There

was a meltdown, there was all these things. The devil used it to

his advantage, you know, pushed us to the corner and really messed us

up. And uh my mom went ahead to you know, kind of start

her own life and all that and um and and and and went on for

about twenty years. But I want to tell you that for twenty years I've

been praying, and people who love them have been praying because we believe that

they belong to God and that there is no other joy that you can ever

experience except in Jesus. And today my greatest joy is you see my family

worship being together with me in the same church and serving the Lord. And

of course my sister is working for Malaysian Care, which means she's going even

further with serving God. And so I was desperate. I was hungry to

see my family come to know Jesus at this fast this particularly you turn.

I'm praying for the rest of my cousins and the rest of my family members

that they all will come to know the Lord. I'm hearing now my auntie

telling me, oh, your uncle has at least gone back to church.

It's a Catholic church, but at least gone back to church. And those

who used to never think about God and never think about eternal life are now

Maybe they're getting older thinking about the life after. But it's beautiful to be

able to pray for your family and to see God answer. Are you desperate?

Are you hungry for a miracle in your life? Hunger, humility and

health? Okay, even in the physical fasting is good. Now. It

takes toxin out of your body. That's why some of you are when you're

fasting get headaches because the toxic or go up to your head as is being

cleared from your body. And they are probably about eight to twelve medical benefits

that you can get from fasting, even physically, but spiritually, also a

healing happens. So let's now turn to the Word of God. In Second

Chronicle seven thirteen to fourteen. We'll read it and you'll find a three hitch

there Hunger, humility, and health. Here we go. When I shut

up heaven and there is no rain or this is desperate times. Or command

the locust to devour the land. God can do that because maybe the land

has sin against him. Or send pestilence. Some of you know that pandemic

was a pestilence. And now I was just talking about it. About Dani

Denghi has increased just last week they said fourteen point eight percent almost fifteen percent

of increasing danky cases. Two thousand over people with dany just last week.

And so now the DG of our Health Department is calling out for emergency,

is calling out for a whole group to come together to look into overcoming this

situation. Also telling us please go back to your house and overturn those plates

and those pots stuff at pails that has got stagnan water. And as a

fast as responsible in this nation and with a responsible citizens, I also want

to tell of you, okay, please make sure that your house is not

breeding ground for dangy. Can you do that? Go home and to make

sure let's all do our part. Okay, we're all Malaysians, were all

citizens, we are all people who love Malaysia. So let's bring that down.

But it can happen. A country can go through all kinds of things

that cause you to be alarmed, cause you to be attacked, cause you

to be a desperate all right. So in that desperation, the word of

God gives us an answer. If my people who are called by my name

will humble themselves. So there's a hunger to pray. There's a hunger to

fast, but there's also humility involved. Pray and seek my face and turn

from their wicked ways. Then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin.

And what, oh, there you go, health, healing, healthy,

God will heal our land. God will heal our hearts. God will

heal our families. God will heal our marriages. God will heal our finances.

God will heal our businesses. In end, praise God. We're gonna

now read three portions of scripture before I give you ten quick points of what

a proper fast looks like. Okay, and I guarantee you when you pass

properly, there will be power. So let's read the word of God.

First three portions of scripture. Isaiah fifty eight is very very popular. Let's

read that why have we fasted? Verse three? They say, and you

have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and you take no

notice. In fact, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure

and exploit all your laborers. Don't do that, okay, those of you

who are fasting, I've got staff under you, may be your manager or

a very taila because I am fasting, so please you guys, just back

me up, do more work, cleaner toilets. You know, I know

it's my turn. I know I'm on schedule, but you know, la,

can you see I'm so tired I'm fasting. Don't exploit your laborers.

Next verse Indeed, you fast for strife and debate, so you know in

the time you're fasting, there's more arguments. How can all right, there's

more fights, Nola. Don't do that. And to strike with the fist

of wickedness. You will not fast, oh, very strong, you will

not fast as you do this day to make your voice heard on high Naturally,

God is not hearing you if you fast way verse five. Is it

a fast that I've chosen or we read this already earlier? A day for

a man to a fake his soul? Of course not? Okay? Would

you call this a fast? An acceptable day to the lord? So it's

not accepted if you do that, okay? Verse six? Is this not

the fast that I've chosen instead to lose the balls of weakness and do heavy

burdens, let the press go free, and that you break every yo?

Amen? Verse seven? Is this not? Is it not to share your

bread with the hungry? So it's also action to share, to give to

the poor. When you see the naked, that you cover him and not

hide yourself from your own flesh. At the eighth fifteen worship service, I

talked about being naked and being naked not just oh, you know, because

we don't usually see naked people are going around on a daily basis, you

know, And but naked can also mean that you are without covering. You

know. When Jesus loves us, he covers us, He covers us with

his blood, covers us with his angels. And there are a lot of

people out there they are being bullied by the devil every day because without knowledge,

without Jesus, without covering. And so even to pray for somebody,

like if I wanted to pray for my MoMA, Lord, I pray for

covering around her right and so therefore she will not be without covering, She

will not be without that protection. So even praying for people, covering,

praying for people's healing and all that. Praying for people's encouragement, that too

is to surround them or to clothe the naked. Are you with me?

And so that's very powerful. So when you're praying for your loved ones,

your family, your staff, your friends, your neighbors. Lord, I

know my neighbors don't know you yet, but I cover this, the whole

whole neighborhood. Do you know my whole street, by the grace of God.

You know, I found after how many years of living there? Said?

Twenty three years? Almost twenty three years? Did July? Twenty three

years? This July? And and and and there's so much peace on my

street. Uh and and no fights. I don't hear anybody arguing. I

don't even see idols though. I usually they put idols outside this one on

my street, and they put the idols inside. Uh. And so the

street is very you know, looks very clean and very nice, and the

neighbors are nice to each other. Uh and Uh no burglary, Praise the

Lord, No, no, no robbery. Uh twenty three years. I

know some people go to I don't see touchhoot in the Bible. So just

so just say praise God, Thank God, Hallelujah, Lord, thank you.

Okay, So there's a covering. So when I pray for covering on

my knees for my own house, I pray for my whole street. So

suddenly even they don't know Jesus, but there's a covering. There's there angels

on my street. Praise God. Uh. Don't hide yourself from your own

flesh, even from your neighbors, from your family. Let's look at verse

eight. Then your light shall break forth. Ah, this is a promise

of God. Your life shall break forth like mourning. Your healing shall spring

forth speedily. Not just will it come, it will come quickly. Amen.

How many have you need that today your healing will come speeding? Oh,

just to do your fast properly. There's a promise that will come,

and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be

your rare God. I like this last line because when you look at Effician

six, efficient six is the whole armor of God. Efficient six Verse ten,

Verse eleven says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord

and in the power of its mind. Put on the whole armor of God,

that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Try and go by memory, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

but against principalities, against powers. When I close my eyes, I

can remember better against principle, against powers, against the rule of the darkness

of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Okay,

aday, he says, Put on the breastplate of righteousness, the belt

of truth right, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the

sword of the Spirit, and the shoes that's shot with the Gospel. Now,

all the armor you wear protects your front, protects your friend, protects

your friend. There is nothing to protect your back. And I am so

thankful that when we fast, the glory of the Lord becomes your ray.

God, and nobody can stab you at the back, nobody can bully you

from the back. You can't see. But you don't have to always look

over your shoulder, because God and his glory shall be your Come on,

ray, God, do you believe it? Amen? Now verse nine.

Then you shall call and the Lord will answer. How cool is that?

You shall cry? And he will say, here I am if you take

away the yoke from your midst the pointing of the finger. So during fasting

time, stop pointing finger. Don't blame, blame, blame, blame,

blame. Don't have any blame game in your life. Fast properly. Okay,

if you've got to point any finger, point your own heart, say

heart, my own heart needs to change. Otherwise, don't don't speak any

wickedness about anybody. Otherwise your fast will not be proper. Let's look at

verse ten. If you extend your soul to the hungry. Wow, that's

good, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the

darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. Last verse verse eleven.

The Lord will guide you continually, or do you need any guidance from

the Lord? You're fast will help guide you and satisfy your soul in draft

and strengthen your bones. Anybody needs any strengthening in your bones. You shall

be like a watered garden, hey man, and like a spring of water

whose waters do not fail. Today I'll theme for Espresso's garden, and Serena

has done so well together with the team. Let's look at Matthew Matthew,

Chapter six, verse sixteen to eighteen. Moreover, when you fast, somebody

saying, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad

countenance, for they disfigure their faces. However, you ever disfigure your face

doing a fast. It's not easy to disfigure your face, but some people

do. Right. Oh yeah, gone, who tima. It's very very

sad to fast, and you disfigure your face so that you might be seen

by men. And that's the wrong fast. You don't fast for men.

Otherwise there's no power, all right, as surely I say to you,

you already have your reward if you fast for men. Okay, men will

come to your poor thing, poor thing, poor thing. No, okay,

how do we do it? Verse seventeen. But when but you,

when you fast, somebody say, when you fast, and on your head

and wash your face next one, so that you do not appear to men.

Don't appear to men, no need. Men don't need to know.

But to your father, who is in the secret place. And your father,

who sees in secret, will reward you openly. I got good news

for you. Our father in heaven don't want to reward you secretly. He

actually wants to reward you openly. He reward you openly so much their own

neighbors know. Huh, well, what's this? Why my neighbor gets who

bless on that your nonbelieving family will know? He why this this guy?

Huh? You know why this cousin, why this brother, why this this

son? Why do his parents know? Why? Why? You know?

God was reward you open lima your colleagues will know. And yet it's fasting

that he's done in secret to your father, who is in a secret place,

and then he rewards you openly. Father, in the name of Jesus,

I pray that every single person here shall be rewarded openly, so obvious

will they are blessing? Bee that neighbors, friends, colleagues, family members,

relatives, even enemies. Well know that God is with us and God

is for us. Amen. All right, let's look at verse Oh well,

the next post of scripture is Matthew seventeen, nineteen twenty one. Then

the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why could we not cast it

out verse twenty. So Jesus said to them, because of your unbelief.

For surely I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed,

very small, very small. You will say to this mountain, wow,

very big, very big, small seed of faith, big mountain,

no problem. Move from here to there, and it will move, not

maybe will these words of Jesus, and he does not lie. And nothing

will be impossible for you. Don't you like that last bit? Nothing will

be impossible for you? Come on, let me hear a good amen.

Nothing will be impossible for you. How is this done? Verse twenty one?

However, this kind does all go out except by prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting. I'm gonna give you now ten points of what it looks

like to fast properly, and most of it is drawn out from the scriptures

we read. Number one. It's a spiritual discipline approved by Jesus. Jesus

says when you fast. He did not say if you fast, So it's

not something optional, not something like oh maybe if I like it, I

feel it. No, he said, when means he expects us to fast.

Of course, he didn't say how often. He didn't say every year,

He didn't say a certain time. No. He just says when he

believes that there will be times in our lives. Hunger, humility, or

health, that we will be needing to fast. Everybody say amen, So

it's when when not if also recognize that it's a spiritual discipline, not a

physical discipline, meaning to say that it's not physical. First, you're not

losing weight. This is not your reason. And if you lose weight,

it's a it's a bonus, but don't do that. If you want to

diet, then they call it a diet. But otherwise, you know,

when you fast spiritual, it involved the spirit and it's a discipline. No

one can just wake up in the morning go like, oh okay, I'll

just fast and I think it's easy because I dieted ten days last week and

I should be able to do this, you know, sub sub story,

easy, no problem. And then only to realize that when you went to

the office, your office colleagues brought the best breakfast that you've ever seen in

your life, and already the spiritual battle has started. And your friends invite

you to lunch and say it's a dim sum buffet and it's on us.

All other days for the last one year, they never invited you. It

has to be now, all right, And you say you're on a Daniel

fast and the restaurant only selves meet. You know what I'm trying to say.

So it's the spiritual thing. You must recognize that. Don't play play

okay, it's not by mind nor by power. It's by the spirit.

And don't forget it's the spirit who led Jesus to the wilderness Matthew four,

Verse one. Spirit of God led Jesus to the wilderness to fast and to

be tempted. That's what the Bible says. The spirit of the Lord led

Jesus to be tempted in the wilderness, and Jesus fast forty days and forty

nights. Number one. Number two is done unto God alone. Please,

it's enough. Scriptures in the Bible who say don't do it to men,

don't have an appearance of fasting to men. Don't get your reward from men.

Otherwise that's all you get. If you do anything of the flesh,

you know you won't get anything of the spirit. So do it unto God

alone. And this will help you through the challenges. When you are faced

with the challenge, you just remember God is to you. When you hear

music coming from your stomach, how many have you heard before? Some of

you is is a squeal, some of you is drum drums going off whatever

you know, or it just goes like that. You just say, Lord,

it's unto you. Do you hear this noise? Is my stomach speaking

in tongues? Okay? And and and just every time you feel hungry,

you remind yourself is unto you. Lords unto you. Otherwise you know what

you're gonna do, right, You're gonna stop bluffing yourself. Number three,

it's another level of prayer. So there's a asking. The Bible says,

ask and you shall receive. There's a seeking, seek, and you shall

find, and there is a knocking knock and it shall be open to you.

I think it's found in Matthew seven. All right, So there is

a deeper level of prayer. And so if you find that you're asking is

not enough, Oh, I asked God one day, I asked God one

week. I prayed this prayer for one month. I prayed for half a

year. I prayed for one year. You know, twenty years. I

prayed for my family to come back to Jesus. Oh, and it's not

answered. So you know you need to go deeper. Put it on to

the next gear and start to seek. And when you seek, you start

to focus, don't you. And when you knock, you're desperate. Come

on, you know you know how you have you have done that before.

You've called, never answer, you know, you text, never answer.

So now you're gonna have to drive up to the house. And when you

drive up to the house, you're knocking desperation at Oh are you okay?

You knock? You knock? All right, it's another level. It's serious.

Number four. It's serious. No. If a parent, every parent,

he understands this. When you go upstairs, maybe your daughter, your

son is studying. Maybe okay, exam is monday, all right, I

haven't studied all that much. Studying out crazy and you say come down for

a break. Say no, no that mom, I can't. I this

is serious. Uh, you know I've got examps to row and I don't

think that. No, La, you studied. You always say that daughter's

son. I know you studied already. You know a lot of people like

that. They say I did study it. Then they get a h Some

of us hate people like that, I know because some of us have to

study so hard. Oh I do study, argue study, you know.

Uh. And then got eight as. Some people uh, um, they

got a gift. Some people like me and I studied like crazy before we

can even get a bee. Um, I see bees in restaurant. You

see bees in restaurant, B B B for for bargos, uh birthday,

birthday and see for clean. No no, no, non't believe that you

want a okay, so a okay, it's serious. And you said no,

I got you your favorite ice cream Hagen Das or or Baskin Robbins.

You know I got you all your favorite flavors. And the child says no,

I no. Then the moment that will go, I think this is

serious. But when you faster, the Lord will look at you and go

like, Okay, now it's serious because this guy you know what my well.

I review to you my fast, not to break my fast, but

to review to you. One of it is too fast sweets, And I

tell you the truth. I tell you the truth. Sweet is my middle

name. Actually food is my middle name. That's why it's Kenneth food Chin

KFC. But but sweet, it's part of that food. I love sweets

so much. I tell you. When I celebrated my sister's birthday is day

she cut a really nice uh pandan cake feel with corn ice cream in the

middle, Okay, and it's called conny cake or something like that. So

uh, you know, I just looked at it and I went like,

oh lord, you see you see my sacrifice, you know. And then

I took her to eat a hot pot because she likes hot pot, so

a hot pot and uh at this place in Keyside. And after you eat

that, they got trace of desserts. It's serious, and so you don't

even say anything. God looks down and go like Kenned Chian moisa serious,

serious, serious, it's focus, very focus, seguel. You know you're

seeking. Have you ever tried in six or something you really need? Like

your husband told you, I need that stuff by tonight, you know,

otherwise I'll lose this contract or I'll lose my life or and then so you're

searching, right you you're flipping chairs and you're flipping tables, and and someone

says, hey, hey, your favorite movies on the forget it, you

know, and you go looking, hey, hey, yeah, your dinner

is on the table. You forget it, Like, don't worry, you

know, I can go one night without food because you're seeking, you know,

you're you're looking even under carpets, under the sofa. Maybe it's a

lost key, maybe it's a laws, lease or contract or something so important

to you. It's focus, it's focused fasting. It's focused. Number six.

It's not legalistic. Let's get into what's not. It's not legalistic.

It's not by law. It's by grace. It's by faith, not flesh.

And I think a lot of people get tempted to use their flesh or

their own strength to do things. I tell you right now, not just

fasting, like anything that you're doing for God. If you move in the

flesh, you will never experience the things that God has in store for you.

Don't, please, don't move in the flesh. Abraham, as a

man of faith, with Sarah, his wife, had a promise from God

that they will get a child. And they waited and one was ninety,

one was eighty. They got a promise, and they couldn't wait anymore.

They had an idea, and that idea sounded like a good idea. Take

Hagar, take my mate, you know, sleep with her. You know.

I'm not sure whether Abraham was you know, fighting their thought, whether

he was totally against it, but he said thank you, I think,

And and he took Hagar and had a child, and Ishmael was born.

And Ishmael is a huge problem, not the person Ishmael, but you know

that the whole act of going by your flesh going at a time when you're

supposed to be waiting upon God's promise, you thought maybe you knew better,

maybe you had better idea than God's idea. Now I know waiting period is

the hardest period I understand. And the only way to overcome that anxiety and

anxiousness in your waiting period is to trust God. To just continue to trust

in the Lord. Otherwise you and I were birth Ishmael's I know of some

people are who said to me, pasta, I signed up for master's degree

during dependent I say, why, because it just sounds like a good thing

to do. I said, no, if the Lord told you do it,

great, No, if the Lord really let you do it good?

Good? Because why not? Right use of time? But I say,

did you ask God? Not? Because if you don't, or PhD or

whatever it is, or those a pandemic can be any other time. You

know, it's a commitment. No, And then you're going to have to

say or sorry, pasta, I can't come for this Sunday, can't come

for next Sunday too because I got classes or pasta. I can't serve an

extreme anymore because I got classes or Saturday practice time or whatever or Friday.

Do you understand? So you don't know that actually good has to say no

to the Lord many more times. And you probably not ready for that because

you didn't see that far. You just thought it was a good idea.

And so master's and PhD. I tell you what I have been offered myself,

even in Singapore Canneth, do your master's in mysology, meaning a master's

in missions. And I had to pray about it first, because I tell

you what, It's not about the degree. It's about the time. It's

about effort about this is about the commitment. And maybe I actually was supposed

to do something else for the Lord. Maybe the Lord wanted me to do

something else for him in that time. Only God knows. And so that's

why it's very important. Don't birthish meals because then you will regret in the

days to come. But if God leads you do it, do it.

Therefore you are spirit led jest, Like I told you, point number one

was spiritual discipline, meaning fasting is a spiritual act and you have to discipline

yourself spiritually. Everybody say, okay, praise the Lord. Don't birth ishmails.

And for those of you who have birthish meals, I pray that God

will give you the grace to overcome to do what you need. If you

can escape the ishmael by doing something, please escape like how the Bible says

that don't be surety for or guarante and Bibles, if you can escape from

being a guarante, escape and ask your friend forgive me sorryla, and shouldn't

be a guarantee for you, etc. If you can escape some of these

things, escape, But if you can, then I know you have probably

had to pay for your sins. But it's all right. God will forgive

you and me of our sins and may not help us to make right what

is wrong. But for those of us who have not made that mistake yet,

don't make it all right. Don't do anything out of the flesh just

because you are bored. Okay, number seven, it's not a challenge.

You know. I've met some people when at the beginning of the fast,

I said, what are you fastinger? Then they'll say whole day fast.

I said, wow, that's very challenging because you see at the work.

Then they said, past without a challenge, How can now I go like,

But you're not supposed to challenge yourself in fast. The Bible already say

it is not a day to afflict your soul. You're supposed to fast unto

the Lord. Fast what you can make it serious, make it focus,

but don't just challenge, because otherwise you're in danger of moving in the flesh.

And you know what will happened, right, what will happened would be

like you're very hungry, la hungry, and you see the cup of my

lord or nest um, you see no one else looking, and then you

make yourself my lord, and you drink very fast, and you hold one

us all right, so you will start doing things that you know you're not

supposed to do, just to be able to survive. But in the first

place, you probably shouldn't have challenged yourself like that, because it's not a

challenge. God doesn't want you to afflct yourself. He doesn't want fasting to

be a challenge. He wants it to be spirit lad. He wants to

bless it. He wants to make it right, make it proper. I

remember last time in school, Uh, we had friends. I won't say

who who are? Who they are because both of you in school, you

will know who who fasted? Uh and uh you know Uh. They will

tell me at the end of the day. Well, and they will say,

hutang have youy aays heard your friends say whut before? Uh? And

and and and And we feel for them because they can in the country.

What does a whole day in school? Someone played football like crazy? Then

they forget. Oh you know, but they play football and they sweat.

They don't know, and we really few for them. In fact, I

sometimes when they go to the host and wash their face, somewater goes in.

I know that because I've seen. I said, oh, I can

hear you slurpring away? Who can washing face? I feel for them,

so I don't judge them washing face three or four or five SIPs? You

don't And but who are you kidding? You see who are So let's not

fast for men, Let's fast for God. Are you with me? He's

very important. Now After saying that, I'm not looking down on them,

but it's hard to do it from early morning to you know seven seven something,

you know know what? They're very hard. Not challenge Please don't challenge

yourself at number eight. Please don't compete among yourself. Huh, you can

only do one meal? I do too, you know, no wonder goes

besting me. Don't do that. Don't do that. He's don't come practition.

How are you only doing? Daniel? Father, and he'll fast?

I yeah, see see it like you don't do that? No, no,

no, it's unto the Lord. It's him and God's his heart,

all right. I'd rather him fast properly with a Daniel than to try and

do a one meal fast and you know, you know, do the wash

face drinking somewhatter girl situation. Don't do that. No, I'd rather you

do it properly. It's not a competition. It's not forcing God's hand.

Number nine, it's not forcing God's hand. Oh God, I want my

will to be done. I want this girl, Lord, I want this

girl to be my girlfriend. Twenty one days, I'll be fasting Lord.

Oh God, fast shot hand. You're gonna answer me. You're gonna give

me this girl even though she's married. Oh God, you hello, you

know this guy is so good looking you know, and he's already a father

of three. And don't give me, no, no, don't fuck God's

hand can never be false. His will doesn't change, you know, who's

will need to change hours so fast? Thing changes us, not God.

It aligns us to his will, even to accept his will. I remember,

uh, you know, many many years ago, I was offered to

work in Melbourne. And uh, I don't know why we are Asians,

many of us, not all of us are ours. You know, we

don't go through this, but we always think that it's greener on the other

side, especially on the whiter side, you know. And uh, you

know people are telling me about Melbourne, do tell me about Australia. My

wife and I feared my wife before she married me. You know, she

already had a chance to go to Sydney, uh, and someone was going

to propose to her and when, if, if, if she accepts the

marriage, you know, take her overseas and she know, wow, I

love overseas. So I don't know whether she loved the guide more than she

loved overseas, but she loved the idea of being able to be stepped off

of feet or all and go to Australia. So I you know, I

got the offer. I got the offer from a pastor called Roland SiO.

Okay, he used to be a pastor in Fga. He went there,

he started FA Melbourne, and he had another pastor who was a youth pastor,

my friend Larry Sebastian. And Larry Sebastian has had had gone on to

or what's going on to worship pastor and they need a youth pastor. Denewed

that I was part of the youth midstry. Here said Kenneth's cup. We

came. We we bought the etiquette, you know, with the little money

that we had. Arrived there. They picked us up from the airport and

went straight to eat Team Sum and Team Sum was very good in Melbourne.

And I didn't know but they were actually you know, they were throwing this

rod, fishing rod and they were slowly trying to reel us in. Okay,

teams are very nice. Yeah, Melbourne got good teams Um. After

this, Candida are gonna show you homes Melbourne homes are very nice. Showed

us homes, biful homes with beautiful landscape. Actually got the communing look like

that when I first came. That's why I was, Yeah, that's why

I came because you know, bicycle path, walking path roundabouts. Now the

gem is something all together. But you know, uh took us to homes

and the homes was so nice. Don't even have to be double story,

single story homes. Land. Every house is a bungalore, you know,

because it's own land. You got grass all around and all very nice.

You know, people cycling and you know, living the all zil life,

do you know what mean? So then he showed me the house over and

you can afford it, Cannith, we want to pay you a thousand and

six hundred assy dollars. And this is how long ago? Two years into

our marriage, so almost married twenty eight years twenty six years ago, one

thousand and six. I think was quite a billa. But you know,

hey, compared to nothing, living by faith, no money, one six

and zero, very easy complation, all right. So then they showed me

where the church was. They showed me all cars. They said, Kenneth,

you can buy cars for cheap. And my friend was really driving a

nice car, and you know, I think he bought it for twenty thousand

ALLZI dollars. At that time, I'm like wow, is Kenneth affordable,

affordable? Come come, come, you know. I said, yes,

thank you so much, past Roland wife, thank you for the tour.

We're gonna go back and gotta pack our bags. And then I in the

plane going back to Malaysia, I said, Lord, thank you. Dreams

do come true. He was silent. Came back getting ready packing our bags,

you know, and you know, two years almost two years of marriage,

nothing you know in our room, nothing much heaven, you know,

gathered all the goods of this world. Yet and then I got down my

knees one day and I lit up my hands and I said, Lord again,

I want to say thank you for opening the door. Wow, oh

this is this is gonna be so good. You know what a big shot

is, right, A big shot is a small shot away from home.

And so I wanted to be a big shot because a big shot is a

small shot away from home, and so I wanted to be away from home.

So everything I come back to Malaysia. I'm a big shot, you

know what I'm trying to say. And everybody want to take me out for

my kind because I am a small shot away from home, a man,

praise God. So I was ready to be a small shot away from home,

so that every time I come back, I'm a big shot. Hey,

listen, the lad said to me, who say you're going? I

really wanted to fast, But I now understand right as I understood that even

in those days, is not to force God's hand. Is not to force

God's hand. You know there's a scripture that we read earlier. I don't

know whether it fits this point. I want to say to you very quickly.

When the disciples couldn't cast the demon out, remember Matthew seventeen, they

came to Jesus and said why couldn't be cast out? Jesus said, he

gave the answer. The answer is very simple, because of your unbelief.

And then he said, if you have faith as a muscles seed, you

will say say, you're gonna speak say to this mountain. A lot of

us Christians I don't say what No, we just hope and wish. No,

you got to say, so you've got faith, your faith have got

to speak into the mountain. Mountain move too. Many of us don't speak

to our mountains. We've got to speak to our mountains. So we've got

to speak, say and the mountain will move nothing would be impossible for you.

Then he says, however, this kind does not go out except through

fasting and prayer. Now I'm wondering what kind. Now it could be that

this kind means the stubborn kind of spirits, so stubborn that it won't go

out so fast and pray. It could mean that, but it could also

mean something deeper, which I caught from the Lord, and I love it

even more than the first explanation I gave you. The first explanation is stubborn

spirits need to be faster and prayed. Okay, okay, I can accept

that. But Jesus gave the answer why the spirit couldn't come out, and

he didn't say anything about praying, fasting. He didn't say anything about the

level of spirit or how stubborn. He just said, is because of your

unbelief. That was the answer. And so I think it could also mean

when Jesus says this kind cannot go out except by praying fasting, he meant

this kind means unbelief. And all of us in this room have a certain

level of unbelief. And the more hurt we've been in life, the more

we have unbelief, the more I'll trust has been betrayed. The more unbelief

we have. Do you know, I believe it's easier to cast out a

spirit than to cast out your unbelief. I cannot let past. I can't

believe. I can't because I've been hurt so badly. I can't believe in

people anymore. I can't trust in people. I've been hurt so bad,

I've been cut so deep. Casting demons are is one of the easiest things

to do in Jesus name. But I'm telling you there's something deeper that the

Lord wants to deal with, and he says you've got to prey and fast.

I think the fastinger is to fast your unbelief. You have to come

to the preas your by okailler. I have unbelief, but I'm gonna fast

that I'm gonna fast. I'm gonna say, God, help my unbelief.

That's why the Father is said, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief,

help my unbelief. That means your unbelief can be helped. You need

a fast, And the more you fast your unbelief, it becomes belief and

becomes faith. And without faith, it's impossible to please God. But faith

moves mountains. So see he's like this, right, your faith is supposed

to be a muster. C See how small is this? It's smaller than

what I'm showing you right now. It's so small. But you know what

covers it, what blocks it is this big thing called unbelief, And this

big blanket called unbelief is covering the small seed. Once you remove the black

kid, all you need is one small seat to move mountains. But what

happened. The small seat is covered by so much unbelief you won't believe it.

So much unbelief you won't believe it unbelief. I've been hurt before.

I'll never love again. The last love of my life broke my heart to

pieces. I'll never you know, it's all these things that we go through.

I start business, I'll never start another business because I failed three times.

And yet you know, the calling of the Lord upon you is to

be a businessman. You just probably haven't found the right one. Probably the

last tree is to help you become a better businessman. The failure makes you

better. In fact, in your case, maybe the failure made you bitter.

Everybody. Okay, I don't think i'll ever get married because I always

fail relationships. Hold on a minute, Hold on a minute, don't say

never, don't have unbelief, trust God fast unbelief. This kind cannot go

out except what kind. I didn't see any other kind Jesus talked about.

He didn't even say this is a spirit of epilepsy. He just says,

because of your unbelief, he can't get cast out. So I get it

very clear in my mind. Jesus gave the answer, and then he said

this kind cannot. So I pray in the name of Jesus that even as

you fast, you are being changed again. I want to say. It's

not forcing God's hand right, but it's changing our hearts. And finally,

it's not just about abstinence. Don't do this, don't do that, don't

eat this, don't drink that, don't take sweets, don't take you know

this thing that you promise not to take. Is also action is do do

do? Do? Think about the poor, do about the naked, do

a cover the naked, do do do a think about those who are hungry.

Share your food, share your bread, think about your neighbors. So

it's not just don't do don't do, it's do what to do? What

do you do in this next last six days of Uton as we come towards

Good Friday and the end of Uton, what do you think you could do

in this next six days? Some of you maybe as saved the money that

you have saved for lunch and maybe give it to missions. Save the money

that you are saving for dinner, or you're not taking any sweets and usually

you spend about fifty ringgit for sweets and ice cream and chocolates over a week.

Take that and put the fifty ringgit into a good cause. Maybe give

it to your tea lady, bless somebody with a bless somebody and make a

difference in somebody's life. Amen. Now I will now draw to a close

with the ten points. I just want to encourage you fast properly and you

will see power. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit us Church RG. We are also active

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good week ahead for you. God bless