Fasting and Prayer | Pr Matthew Chang

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So today what I'm gonna do is to teach us

and to go through together collectively seven key UH seven

key UH fasting prayer points that we can actually go

through together, and then to pray for ourselves. Because as

I was thinking about what to you know, what to

preach about, you know, I just felt the need from

UH in an direction from the Lord, to teach. Not

everybody understands or not everybody fully UH is able to

all they say get into the heart or prayer yet

And sometimes it's not because you don't have the heart,

but sometimes you don't know how to begin as well.

So today's our role will be we're gonna the road.

The objective today is to equip everyone. We sort of

a mindset of how to pray, you know, during this

fast and prayer. How should we begin? First? How do

I pray for myself in a way there I don't

feel like I'm so needy, I'm so you know, trying

to bargain with God. You know, when I pray, I

don't know whether I'm praying the right way. You know

what I'm saying what I'm saying. You know, sometimes you

feel like you're hitting and missing. You know, you know

what I'm talking about, you know, yeah, you know you're

you're here like you're feeling him is And sometimes when

you had a bad day or when I pray like that,

you know, I ought to pray when I'm doing it.

In day number nine and number ten, it's like, oh,

you know, Jesus asked the forgift, but this guy just

cut me in the front of me and I was like,

m m, you don't feel like it, you know. So

today we're going to go into specific prayer and I'm

trying to put it into order. Okay, So in some

parts and then after when I go through all this

at the end, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna

get every one of us to begin to pray, to

start to begin to go through all this to pray

some of it. I might pray some of it. I'm

gonna get you guys to pray as well. It's gonna

hope it doesn't take that long, Okay. So the first one, okay,

the first point that we want to get everybody to pray, okay,

is too fast and to pray that we will humble

ourselves before God. That's the first thing before when you

pray for anything else, before you start to Hey, God,

these are my prayer. Needs you do your routine. The

first thing we ought to fast and to get into

is to humble ourselves. Okay, I'm going to read some

scripture here Ezra chapter eight, verse twenty one. Then I

proclaim a fast there at the river of Ahavah, that

we might humble ourselves before our God to seek him,

to seek from him the right way for us and

our little ones and all our possessions. And then James

chapter four, verse ten says, humble yourselves in the sight

of the Lord, and he will lift you up. Okay,

so let's remain there. There's nothing more important in prayer

and in fascinating anything that you do than your posture. Yeah,

I mean right, God knows your need ready, but it's

your mannerism, your posture, and your position. And a lot

of times when we come into fastening and prayer, we

I think we struggle to humble ourselves because humbling, it's humbling,

you know, it's not about a lot of times humbling

it's not about you. And so when you begin to pray,

What do you say, God? You know I really have

a problem. No, you even have a problem. You don't

even say that you're than God. It's not about me.

It's not by my pain. It's not about whatever I'm

going through. You already know. You already know, ever since

I woke up until now, you already know what I

go through. But Lord, I revere you, and I fear

you more than anything else. And so Lord helped me

to humble myself. Now it is not about me, Okay,

it's not about me, and I fear you and want

to humble myself because I know if I don't get

this right, I miss the whole day, I miss the point.

So help me to fear you first, Help me to

humble myself before you, so that I might seek you,

you know, seek from you what is he say the

Bible saying the right way for us? Then I might

know what is right, not what is mine. You got

mean right, You fear and you humble God because I don't.

It's not just about my pain. I want to get

what he is right, because you know everything. I want

to know what is right. I want to know what

is your way so that I might be blessed so

that I might pray and ask for the right thing

for my family, for my children, and all that I

possess as well, you get, I mean right, That's why

it is right. What's very wise? He proclaimed. A fast

at the river ariver means it's a place where everybody gathers.

Everybody goes to okay, everybody goes through okay. But when

they find you know that they don't just fast what

they eat, you know, They're fast what they drink as well,

you know. And they will have a river flowing before them,

and they will refuse to drink, and they will stay here.

And then what even though there's a flowing river, even

if I first I will I will fast. There is

humbling you know, you mean right, what you want and

what you need is flowing before you. I choose to fast. Okay.

So what are you going through right now? Into your

as you're going through your fast and prayer, are you

humbling yourself in the Lord? Are you seeking the Lord?

I put a few prayer points here as we go

through later for some of these here as we humble

ourselves before the Lord. The key thing is to when

we a road here to humble our hearts to remove

all prideful thoughts? What are prideful thoughts? The prideful thoughts

are not very obvious when you know there's a thing.

You know. Prideful thoughts are not very obvious when you know.

They are very hidden. They are very self righteous, they

are very they seem very holy, seem very moral, since

very virtuous. But yet it's rooted in a law of pride.

And the first thing that you have to admit before

God is that, Lord, I can't even begin to search myself,

you get, I mean, right, I don't even know. I

don't even know. Sometimes when I think that this whole

week I'm right, I could be completely wrong. And so Lord,

right now I'm gonna bring everything maybe I've spoken to someone,

maybe the way that I even bring up a prayer,

maybe the way that I've conducted my behavior. All of this,

Lord is open for examination. I'm saying. You know, you

don't You don't close the case, you know, but said Lord,

whatever that I thought and what I've bad there, I'm

opening it up. Open up all the cases. You know,

a lot of times we just want to close the case.

You know that was done? Ready close, kise God, God,

the receipt is still there. God is saying, no, it's

not none. But if you are humble enough that you

will open up the case, said God, open it up.

You know I'm not. I know I don't need you,

don't need the permission, but I want you to open

it up. I want you to search me. Okay, search me?

Is I know when you don't done your job ready

most of the time you want to tell your boss

I'm done ready. You know if you if you, if

you're my boss, if you really trust me, you don't

have to check like you just trust me like we

always treat God like you trust me like God. You

know I'm I'm you know I've been serving for you,

I've been doing this. You trust me like that. I'm right?

But is that how we approach God. The way we

approach it is not like hey, because based on our

previous merit, you know, the way approach God is God.

I want to get this right. I fear you, and

I want you to open up whatever my thoughts and

whatever that I done, search me through or maybe you

know I have a fight with my wife, and then

my spouse again, and then with reconcile already done ready,

But then God said, yeah, you think you did, but

you didn't do it the right way. You strong arm

the person, you blackmailed, the person you emotionally, it manipulated

the person, you lie, you cheated. You know, God deals

with you. You get mean right. God wants you to

be fully pure and pure clean. Okay, So we ask

God to remove all prideful thoughts, and that begins by

willing to open up our hearts and our past as well.

Teach me true dependence, okay, teach me to truly learn

to depend, not just to say that I depend, but

do I really depend on you? You get mean right?

You know that's why they come to the river and

I will not drink. Lift me up in your time,

not so that not let not not let let myself

not let my words and my my heart want to

live myself up before people. Sometimes you want to tell

people say, hey, no we have here, we are successful,

or you know we are better. You know we want

to lift up. We want to. Another way is to

validate ourselves. We want to you know, prop ourselves up

before before people and before God as well. But God

says it's not yet time. This is not yet time.

You don't leave yourself up. You think it's time. No,

it's not your time. We want to rush ma. We

want to think that we are settled a redeemer. We

got it downe redeemer. But it's no, don't know. It's

not according to your time, to our time there. But

but it's according to God's time. Which it's very powerful

when you say no, God is according to your time.

You get me right. It's like you know sometimes when

you when you when you try to what they call

it discipline a child or reprimand a child right. Sometimes

one of the things that you know they do is

that they want to get out of the room as

quickly as possible. You know, you know what I'm talking about.

You're like laughing away that they want to get out

of the room as fast as possible. How many of

you want to get in the review? You want to

sit in the room for as long as you want. No,

you want to get out of the room as fast

as you want, one and all. But then when you

realize that you are completely wrong, and if you get

out of that room before you are before you before

time or when everything is done properly, properly, you miss

out your opportunity for growth, you know, for real change,

for real success. You know you're not say what I'm saying. No,

when you get out of the roomans I just want

to get out of know, you know, But I say, no, Lord,

I know that I'm wrong, I'm not. I need to

humber myself. So don't let my flesh lead me out

of that room and lead me and pull me out

this time when it is premature. But let me stay there,

let me humble myself. And really, you know, it says

I'm listening to you, that I might meditate, that I

might reflect the Lord, that you will teach me. And lastly, say,

let me not be wise in my own eyes. Don't

let me feel like i'm you know, sometimes it's good

and that at the end of the day that you

doubt a bit of yourself. You know, God, I prayed

the right way there. Tomorrow I'm not tomorrow I'm gonna

seek again. God desires that type of earnestness. You know

that you you think you hear the word of God

and you turn to say, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm

gonna pray again tomorrow. I think I heard I think

they could be true. Again, but I'm going to pray again.

Then after that you're saying, I'm gonna, hey, you know,

maybe I will check with my spouse, maybe I will

check with someone about me. This is true because you

know you are so earnest to purify your heart and

what you hear from God to test whatever that you

hear as well, and God honors you for that. You know,

you got mean right not to say that, Hey, you know,

it's not the case where you are trying to say that,

hey God, you help me, okay, And then you know

you and God, and then you try to bargain. We've

got whether God tests you, you know, and whether you

test God whether he's able to keep his promise. There's

a different, different kind of test when you earnestly seek

desire from God's confirmation like Gideon did you know with

the with the fleets and it's like God, because I'm

just so afraid to hear wrongly. And God honors you

for that because you have a clean heart. Okay, everybody, Okay,

so far. That's how you begin your prayer before anything else,

Before you think you know how to pray for someone,

what you ought to prayer. First thing is fast humble

ourselves before God. Secondly, if fast for repentance and renewal,

before you talk about other people, talk about yourself, airs

join not Chapter three, verse five. So the people on

Ninevah nine or nine believe God, okay, believer they say

they believe, Okay, then proclaim a fast and put on sackcloth.

From the greatest to the least of them. This is

the thing, you know, believe. It's an entire process. It's

not a one time moment. If you believe, you will

keep on believing. If you believe, you will keep on repenting.

If you believe, you will keep on confessing. If you believe,

you will continue committing continuous one another, continue, continue, continue,

And so the product of the people on Ninavainva was

one of the most wicked towns, very wicked one a

if you know about the religion and what they practice

is very very evil. But yet God, even to a

town like that, God showed mercy, you know, to Senna

and send Jonah next time with your teacher to send

Johnah to go and preach. And he had one of

the greatest evangelists evangelistic rally ever. You know, people go,

I feel like a stadium and he preacher, we unwillingly

are uninvited that in the middle of the city are

converted the whole city. You know, no one has ever

done that before. You know, whole city are faster. You know,

whole city are turned or converted the government in one day.

You know. It's like the greatest reality evangelistic rally ever

by a guy who was unwilling. You know, it was

so unwilling, you know. Okay, But then he says that

the people believe. And when you believe, you fast, you

believe your heart follows it as well, you believe you

will repent. In First Semuel, chapter seven, verse six, he says,

they're so they gather together and mispaer and drew water. Okay,

get Misspi is a very important place, if you know,

if you read the Old test all the way from

Abraham all the way to King David, it's a very

important place. Okay. And now they drew water and pour

it out before the Lord. Like I said, what did

that mean? They're not gonna drink, We're gonna throw the water.

We're gonna pour it out whatever that we think that

we have, whatever that we desire. When you put out Lord,

it is meaningless. It is not. First we'll pour it

out and we said, Lord, we're going to fast, and

he says that and they're faster that day and say

that we have seen against you our scein dealing with

how sin is more important than anything else. You get

what I'm saying. No, that's the first thing that we

that that's the second thing that we all need to

focus on when we're fast. And then when the prayer points,

when we talk about fasting for our repentance and renew will.

I know I'm going a bit deeper, and I want

to take you guys a bit deeper. I want to

take you guys for that. You know, when you go

into daily you're not like, oh, I'm just gonna pray

little book. It's good, it's a good start. But I

want to take you guys a bit deeper so that

when you're like, say, hey, when you're fasting, you're not

just fas a meal is an achievement. You know when

you're fast that you really okay, I know what exactly

I need to pray? Now, you know you can. You

are fully equiped. You know what to do. What do

you what do you pray? Say you pray and say, God,

please expose and forgive my sins. God, have mercy. Okay,

have mercy on me. I say it starts with humility.

Only a humble person will ask for mercy from God. Okay,

renew my weary spirit and make it respond. The thing

comes from you, know, repentance comes from my heart and

not knowing just that you're wrong, in knowing that you've

been doing wrong, and you've being one. You've been insisting

on this own way, and you come to realize that

your heart has not changed. You need the change of heart.

And you realize that, hey, God, you know what I've

been trying to do. I've been trying to do, but

I have not responded. Something is wrong with my heart.

My heart has grown desensitized from responding. Ready, you get

me from desensitized? Right? You know some of you are

struggling with lust and least seeing with all these things,

with material possessions, you know, with your own dreams and

your own desires. And then you hear one time, yeah,

I all do, but then your life doesn't reflect it.

I realized that, hey, my heart is not responding. So Lord,

please give me, give me renew my heart, make it

respond I don't want a heart. They just hear, but

they don't respond. They say, God turned my heart fully

and cleanse me from inside out, from within, or just

do not just validate my what I myself from what

I do, but better for my inside out? Do I

sincerely want to do that? Okay? So far number three? Okay,

fasting for hunger for more of God, hungering for more

of God, changing of my appetite, my desires, and my dreams.

Isn't it You repent and you asked the Lord I

want to turn away, But any of you are willing

to change, to ask for a different epetite? Okay, to

hunger for more of God, it's one thing. But to

change my appetite, my desires, and my dreams. Some chapter

sixty three verse says, Oh God, you are my God.

Early will I seek you? My soul thirst for you,

My flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty

land where there is no water. And Matthew chapter six

vers tree, but sik first the Kingdom of God and

his righteousness, and all these things shall be added on

to you. Okay, So what does it? What does it

actually reflect in terms of your prayer? Point First, of

all deepen my hunger. It's not that you A lot

of that's were just connected to be a good Christian.

You know, you know what I'm saying. If I'm not

saying this a bad thing, if you if you try

and understand pass out what I'm trying to really mean,

all of us are just okay to do become a

good creature. We think we're just I don't know, I

don't know. Instagram Christian? You know like that you get

mean right? We appear like you know, we appear like

a Christian, sound like a Christian, and but it's not there.

You know. It's like, you know, you're happy you have

a girlfriend because you can now you're a boyfriend. You

can announce on the Instagram right now. But how is

a relationship with that person? You know? You know what

I mean, right? Do you really know that person? You know?

You get I mean right? And it's like, do you

really hunger for God? Coming to church doesn't mean you're

ungry for God? No, by the way, you know I'm saying,

you know, it's very important, doesn't mean that you you know,

if you're married, come back to your house doesn't mean

you're in love with your wife. You know, some of

you are like, oh, I'm facing my wife. You know,

it's the walk of I don't know why the walk

of it, but it's like, you know, it's the same thing.

Some of you are laughing away, But it's true. It's true.

It's true, isn't it? But are you hungering for more

of God? What do you desire for God? And if

you don't want, like when you desire for God? What what?

Why is that you want? You know? What is your priority?

What you know? What is important to you? You know

sometimes like hey, you know if you missed out? You know?

Sometimes I know this is something that I always try

to ask myself and you know, I mean, you know,

like for example, like you know sometimes hey, when you

the things that you watch on your phone? Are you

always watching a certain thing? I also catch myself, I'm

the things that why I do? And I was like, okay,

I have to intentionally listen to you know, intentionally, I

tell my heart what is more important? Listen to a

sermon you know, or read the Bible. Have a routine

that you know, you stick to a routine that no

matter what you do, that you will always get the

first things first okay, depend on your hunger. When you

read a word and you get stuck. You know, a

lot of people say, I don't understand, but is your

hunger for God so much that you don't stop there?

A lot of people just stop there, you know. And

then they because first of all, I feel they did start.

Most of the people they struggle with Bible reading because

they reading the lasting and after the day. If you

read so many messages or the whole day, and someone

sends a message, you know, just before you sleep, but

chances are you're not going to read it as an investment.

You're gonna think it's a spam, you know, and sometimes

some of you you read the Bible, might it might

look like a spam to you. You know. In other words,

I don't understand, and you're not gonna pursue it. You're

not gonna pursue it. You're not gonna think about it,

you're not going to meditate upon it. And then you

realize how about other people can get so much and

you don't because you don't, you don't labor for it.

You realize that oh if I, if I, if I

have to understand it, I have to go and learn

up a lot of other different skill sets or different

you know, different understanding from background. Yeah do it? You mean? Right?

That's how people who are passionate about any job they do,

they do it as well. I know. People entrepreneurs are there.

For example, they are an engineer and decide to go

into agriculture. Right, they might not not know zero about agriculture,

but because they are so they see their ambitionis success.

Even they are not involved into it, they will learn it,

you all, and it becomes so much better than anyone

else you know in that field, even though they don't

have a background in there. It's because why, because of

their passion and their desire, nothing is going to stop

them and they become so they become an expert, not

by accident but by intention. Okay, And so in the

same way as well, you know, are we you know,

willing to deepen our hunger to seek the Lord, to

understand him the second, to change my worldly desires? How well?

You do you know that? Do you examine yourself whether

you have a healthy appytite? Have you ever ask yourself

do you have a healthy eputite? Do you have a

good healthy eputite? Because just because everybody is doing It

doesn't mean that it's a good thing, you know. Okay,

doesn't mean that sometimes everybody eat hoking me. But then

you're older, ready and you're your health problem ready, you're

like it looks good man. There. I was playing basketball.

Then someone suggested you from my church and I started, hey,

you know it's ten o'clock ready, you know? And now

this I don't even eat after like, you know, nine o'clock.

I try not to that, but my wife knows sometimes

I do. Okay, I was ten, what should we eat?

Then the guy was saying, oh, I'm thinking of going

to our hocking. Me was like, oh my god, the

forbidden words. Man. Then Calvino is like turn a cross

and now you know after you had I had a

pet two hour basketball and sweating, like yeah, what should

we eat? And this guy is like fifty plus you're

looking at me. He's like howking me? Me and my

parents are like what forbidden thing? You just cast out? Man?

It's like what I was so scared of eating? Hooking good?

So it's a highs Like I don't know, man, maybe

we go for tosay or something I said to photos.

But sometimes it's like, you know, you have desire dosn't

mean it's right. You know, you know what I mean, right,

It doesn't mean that, Hey, you like something, Yes it's good,

but it's not beneficial. You all you can I'm saying, No,

it's good, but it's not beneficial and not and you

allow so many good you know, as I taught you

guys before and all, how the salt loses the saltiness

when you have too many good things. When your salt

gets mixed with the sugar, the am mesty, the chalcol,

the powder, the curry powder, everything, there is not salt anymore,

and you lose your saltiness. Ready, you can want a

lot of things, but then you lose what is most important.

So one of the things that if you're really willing

to fast forward, would you ask God to change your

worthy desires the more if you really go deeper God,

are you you know, are you willing to allow God

to even shape your dreams? You know, it's like God,

it's not just my dream. I want you to give

me good and godly dreams. Powerful, isn't it? God? Give

me good and God? One of the best prayers you

can pray for your child, for your children, give them

good and godly dreams, not just follow anything on Instagram,

shorts or TikTok you all God give them good and

godly dream teams. You know, to hear them says I

want to do this, I want to do that. It's

one of the most amazing things. We can give them

good and God these things and feel me with you

that I might always please you, that I might always

be a blessing to you. Okay. So Eric ricap is too.

Fasting for more of God and then changing of our appetites,

our desires and dreams. There's a verse. I can't remember.

I thought you was here. I want there's a there's

a verse about God, you know, filling us with new dreams.

You know, if if the if the XTIV maybe became

finny for me. Okay, but don't have to here, okay.

Number four, Fasting for wisdom. Okay. So now you have repented,

You're you're you're you're humbling yourself. You're repenting, and you're

asking God to change your heart and your desires. Now

is a time when you begin to pray for what wisdom.

It is right and it's appropriate. In fact, you should

pray for wisdom before we pray for people. You should

pray for wisdom, You should pray for understanding, You should

pray for discernment. These three are different. Another time I'll

teach you, guys, what is the difference between this three?

These three are different? Okay, wisdom, understanding and discernment, okay,

Daniel Chapter nine, verse three. It says that then I

set my face towards the Lord God to make requests

by prayer and supplication, with fastings, sack cloth and ashes.

And then it says that then the Angel appeared before Daniel,

and he informed me and talked with me, and said, oh, Daniel,

I have now come forth to give you skill to understand, Okay,

to understand. Philippians chapter one, verse nine. And this I

pray that your love may abound. Okay, good that you

had love may abound more and more. In knowledge and

in discernment. You are filled with love great. But if

we are without wisdom, you're without discernment and understanding, we

will perish. You're not no, you will perish. You can

have all the love, you can hold, all the good intention,

good intentions. Uh, But without wisdom, understanding and discimine, you

will perish. Your house will perish. The things that you

build will perish. Okay, an I said, but you must

understand my where I come from. No, no, it's not

my Do you have understanding? If you have understanding, some

of these words will not come out of your mouth.

You guys, if you have understanding and wisdom, you will

not even begin to do these things and make people

guess your intention. You know you know what I mean. Right.

You must build your family with wisdom, understanding, and uh

and discern one one. And you cannot tell your children

that say, hey, I'm telling you, no, I'm sitting you.

I hope you understand, my heart. Children don't understand how

they understand punishment. Okay, you know it's true. That's why

when you sometimes when you try to, oh, I hope

you understand why you always do against And you don't know.

My mommy is and daddy is hard and me we

love you so much this thing. And they listen for

a while and they still repeat one. You need to

You need to have parents. You need to have wisdom

and understanding. Teach them clearly right from wrong, not hot.

You know you teach them right and wrong. You know

there's this difference of parents are to teach them hot

you know, no, don't understand hot. Teach them right from wrong,

clear consequences you get I mean right. God in the

gunmenent in the God said, if you love me, you

will obey me. God say that no. If you eat,

if it you die, you get me right. You touch

the fire, you will burn yourself. Don't do it? Clear

straight you teach them right and wrong, clear consequences, responsibility,

you're not you didn't watch the close up tomorrow cannot

go to schooler. But then sometimes we parents will come

and parash with them. My make up to save you.

Now you know what I'm talking about. Now we will

like to rescue them. But remember your parents, your job

is to teach them right from wrong. This becomes a

parenting classoray, but it's true. But it's the hardest because

you see your kids in pain a lot of times

when they have to learn from consequences and right from wrong.

It's very difficult. It's very very difficult. That's why a

lot of times our father's finally easier to do that.

Mother's finding very hard. That's true, true or not, fathers

agree with me, Father's hill just let themself follow from

mother's No. You see mothers always want to keep our

children safe. It's true you need that, but Father's responded

to keep them strong. Don't see what I'm saying now,

teach them right from wrong. But you need both, okay,

right from wrong. If not, the father will abuse them.

I don't know what happened to them. You need both, okay,

but it's very very important. Okay, need fasting for wisdom, understanding,

and it's someone the same with us as well. You

don't sometimes, hey, you, what you need in your life

is not more worship songs and not seriously, you know,

what you need is not when you're play in the car.

It's not more. What you need to play in the

car is teaching and understanding the word of God. So

in what the prayer points came to reveal and expose

things in my life and around me. Firstly, open my eyes,

open my eyes things in my life. Is you want wisdom?

You need to open your eyes what is happening in

your life right now? And that's always the hardest thing,

you know, to see the look inside in you? Right now? Hey,

am I headed to the right direction? If you're eating wrong?

You know that, Hey, am I eating wrong? You don't

need your wife you don't need your mother your father

to tell you something is wrong in my life to expose.

And then secondly to things around me, the people that

you hang out, the things that you watch, things that

are happening and coluding. Are you naive about it? You

can't mean, are you like, oh, I don't know what

is happening. I just go with whatever that I feel

like today, I feel like doing this. You don't even look,

and when things happen, you don't understand, you know why

it's happening. You're becoming like a foolish virgin You can't mean.

It didn't say at the Evil Virginia, the tenth evil

foolish Virginia. The problem and the lesson is that they

were foolish, not because there were bad people, you all,

but they were foolish. But yet the same calamity and

horrible and will come to them if they are not wise.

So we must be loving, but we must also be

wise people. And you must be aware of this time

and the season. Someone. You know, when I grow up,

I hardly read news one not and my dad hated

really taught me. Well, you know, you just your world

is just basketball and games. You know, my day is

like trying to get to read news. You know why

it's happening around the world. You know, some of us,

we grow up, we don't read new some of you

even grow out. Don't know why reading news. I don't care.

Your news is your TikTok. You don't bother it's why

it's happening. You don't know why it's happening to your neighbor.

You don't know what's happening in the church. You don't

know what is happening. But you got to open your

eyes because you are still stuck and focus on your own.

When you don't know what's happening around the world and

out of ignorance, it leads to foolishness. You know what

I'm saying. No, ignorance leads to foolishness. Don't be like

the ten foolish virgins. You know this sounds very very

very very important. Okay, everybody, Okay, so far huh. Rightly,

and then to review and expose things in my life

around me, to rightly divide your word, To rightly divide

your word. Some of you you're living on all theology.

You know, if it's all and good, okay, but it's

all and wrong. I got a problem with that. Okay,

you got it's always good, it's good. Okay, you've got

no problem. Okay, you eat rice, you continue eating rice, Okay,

I've got no problem with it. But if you eat

hockey me and continue eating hoky, mean, yeah, you gotta

be checked a bit. You get me. Some of the

things that you learn you got to re examine. You know,

you cant re examine a bit, you know, really really

sometimes you you know what, I don't want to put

down any one or any passes are sometimes about some

of the things out that we teach and pass down

from churches are need to really exact mean one and

all need to be reaxaciting some people. There's a teaching

that says that you work hard as a Christian. You

work hard. Then when you're later, when you're fifteen sixty,

you start serving. How many are you heard before? It's

been passed time and being taught before and all. And

so because of that, you know what happened, and the

churches are they started losing all the young people. The

same old seniors are still serving and serving in the

youth group as well. Because all the people say, I

work right now, I pour into it. And when I

grow up already, when I have all the money, then

I will serve. You think by the time that they

will give, they will serve and give of the time.

Very difficult, very very difficult. You had to start young.

Not you see some of the things they don't do

by intention one and not you know, really not by intention, man,

because they see that they perceive the world a certain way, okay,

and then they pass it down and you don't understand,

and you just catch it. And because you you we

were a bit ignorant and lacking understanding, and but things

pass down into us and it affects generationally, you know,

and in the community wise as well. Okay, So help

us God right now to be able to take your

word and to take the word that even sometimes people,

to be able to rightly divide. You mean, to rightly

divide the word, that your truth will prevail in our lives.

You get me, like truth will prevail. To rightly divide

your word things that you're taught yourself, things that you've

been taught before. You must rightly divide your word in

humility and submission. That people don't go and simply come

out to your home leaders and say hey, no, no, no,

no no no. If you do that, you come and

look for me first before you look at them. Okay,

I'm gonna have a word with you, okay, okay, with honor,

respect and love. Okay. But you must in your own

life and so start focusing. What have you not been

rightly dividing prayer for a spirit of discernment, especially for

your own life? Patience patients are very important. Patience and

go together. Wanna very rarely it doesn't go together? Wana, okay,

and God if you know why I say, patience and

demone go together. Okay. A lot of people say they

are discermined, but they still go get and bling one

and no, I discern that I will win a hand

or twenty one. That is why casinos. You see that.

I know I'm deviating. You know what's the difference between

casinos and any other informal investment. It's not the risk

you know it's time you see a you go to

study here, it's also a risk, you know, true or not,

you pay more money in your studier than you go

to casino. No, but why isn't your study a risk?

Did you are you guaranteed to pass it? Are you

guaranteed to get a job? You did? Didn't think it's

raised because maybe your parents told you so, or all

the world told you so. But you put so much

money into it. But yet you go to a casino.

It's different. Why because the one thing that the casinos

they do is they give it to you. Now. Why

is time important? Because time because reality I can't rereach now.

When you go to study, you say, I can earn

a living in the future, but casino is now. If

you lost your money, you can get it better now.

If you got it, you can buy your new tesla. No,

if you go this, you can go of course tomorrow.

How reality is power. That's why they don't. They don't

will by it. They win you by reality with time. Now,

how many feel like to go to casino you put

in that you earn it back in five years one

you would never. It's always now, isn't it. It's the

promise of now that changes that warps everything around you.

That's why if sometimes you have a scheme and anything,

it warps you because it is now. It's not that

the reaturon is, but it's now. It's the time. Time

changes your reality. It changes you perceive reality, and it

changes the way you make decisions. You know. But there's

another time we talk about finances. Okay, the power of

time and reality or like sounds like some avengers things already. Okay, okay,

open and open my understanding to your word. I've talked

about it before. Let mean, quickly move on and I

will begin to close. Ready, Fasting for strength number five,

Fasting for strength against temptation. Okay, Matthew chapter twenty six.

He says, watch and prayer unless you enter into temptation.

So it means what means that you can avoid temptation

when you watch and pray. You don't always have to

put yourself into a place of temptation. You can watch

and you pray that you don't enter something. So okay,

there are two parts. Don't be exposed to temptation or

entering into temptation is different thing. Temptation is like a

door or one another gave me. Sometimes you don't you

don't need to pass through the door. But you don't

even need to be near the door. You don't need

to be near the door. You know. They says that

you know when you the one of the first things

that actually happened that The early in Genesis are when

Kine harbored hatred and murderous intent for his brother Abel. Right,

you know, he actually young. If you read the story,

I think Genesis chapter four, right before Kine committed the murder,

it says that God actually counseled him, you know, sheee,

God actually did a pastoral work with him, you know,

disciple him, you know, try to disciple him. Hey, what

are you doing there? You know? And then God reviewed

to him. Scene is crouching at your door. Scene it

is crouching at your door means by what you harbor,

you attract something at the door, but you must resist it.

You must resist it. Okay. Means a lot of times

it comes, but we don't have to entertain it. But

when it comes to the door, it's very dangerous. Al

Ready it means you're dance, I mean to start courting

it ready, Okay, we gotta avoid that. We gotta avoid

coming aggressively knocking and out door. There are things in

our life we invite. Scene aggressively knocking and your door.

One an, you don't have to do that one and all.

You're just putting yourself into trouble. We do that, you know, okay.

So there are things in our life. We got to

really be very careful to do that. Okay. So and

then one more First Corinthians, chapter ten. No temptation has

overtaken you accept such as is common to men. But

God is faithful who will not allow you to be

tempted beyond what you are able. So what this verse

means that God is intend to give us hope, okay,

to give us hope, not in every temptation if you

go into it, if you're always tempted and you have

no hope, but that's it. Look God, that's the temptation

that I eat whatever I wander. Ready. Ah, there's always

hope people, Okay, you don't have to eat every doughnut

and cheer ros you'll see, okay, not every hockey and

it comes into my ear. There's always hope. Okay. So

what are the prayer points? So guard me from sin?

First of all, put a guard in our lives. Strengthen

our weak spirit, help us to stand firm and to

discipline our flesh. Okay, to put our flesh into discipline.

And that's where sometimes you can prayer. But then you

can go into a fasting. And but that you keep

struggling with the same temptation. But in fact, before you

pray for you got you ought to deal with that first.

I'm not saying that you're asking you to be perfect,

but you have to work on it. Okay, we have

to work on it so that we don't give room

for the evil one to bed to to to establish

a foothole in our lives. Number six, This one is important.

Fasting to seek direction from God. Okay, Fasting to seek

direction from God. Okay, let's right up to eight. We

talked about it earlier. I'll go to just Probastrys bite

the verse six. Trust in the law with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways.

Acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. Okay, now

that you have wisdom, now that you have understanding, now

that you are fighting against your temptation, you want to

ask direction. Isn't it direction what you should do? Direction

for your work, for your career, or your finances, for

your family, for your health. How do we ask and

pray from God? Okay? Firstly, grant me a God live here.

You want direction. Have a God live here. You get

me in right one direction? Have a God live here.

Whom you fear will determine how you behave And say

what I'm saying now, if you understand the person what

they fear, you will not understand how they behave. It's

very powerful one. You know, you want to know a

person even I always say this, sir. I was in

the youth camera and then I had a session with

the campus and how many way you can Yeah, I

don't I address. I address with the with the guys are,

but this one I want the ladies to hear. Okay,

I want the ladies to hear this. How do you?

And the question I was tackling is how do you

know this guy or girl is the right one for

you or it's a good candidate. And I know as

I'm switching from fasting and do this, Okay, I need

to teach these you guys very important. Well, why is

the one of the qualities that you need to look for?

Actually the first important quality you need to look for

in a guy or a girl. It's not whether they're beautiful.

I mean all this, Okay, you guys are attracted to

but one of the most important thing is look at

them and ask yourself, are you able to discern what

they fear in their life? What do they fear? Do

they feel failure? Do they feel embarrassment? Do they fear

not having a job? And you see how they react?

Do they fear their parents? If the fair the parents are,

it's going to tell you a lot or know. Meantime,

when you get married you can really observe. But are

they going to listen to your parentmo or do you

more when you begin to build your own family? No

big deal, huge deal. You want to name your child

this way? But they fear their parents want they might

name that Shaul, might end up with a different name.

What do they fear? If they don't fear anyone, you're

in trouble. If a man, I don't fear anything, I

only love you. You'd better be You better start walking

away to the exit door. You better start walking to

the exit door. You know why is that? Because if

a man fears nothing, means he responds to no one

at all. If he fears no one, how are you

going to reason with him? How are you going to

reason with him? You catch him cheating, you catch him

being unfaithful, you catch him doing anything, How are you

going to talk and reason with him? People? You can't

change him one or her. Seriously, here, he is not

your responsible. You know. People can change, but not because

of you. Find out what do they fear, not just

what they say their lives. If they fear God, their

lives will show it. The most important thing that you

must look from me is whether they fear God. If

they fear God, even if he has done wrong, you

can still reason and find hope, you know, because he

listens to God and all. You know what I mean, right,

It's so important, you know, it's so important because you

will mester out. He will mess up, she will mess up,

You will mess up your life. One you can't mean right,

But it's more important. What do you fear? And they

will steal where you go? If a man fears no one,

if a lady fears no one and answers to no

one but tells you, hey, I love you at fture,

how can you talk and reason and build a family

with that person? Very difficult one. Now, if it's abusive,

how are you gonna reason with him? Who can reason?

Your parents, their parents, their friends, who you're alone? It's

true enough. So one of the things that you gotta

look for, what kind of what kind of person. What

do they fear? Don't talk about all what your passion was,

your dream? No ask the question what not ask that,

but you really observe that. What do you feel? What

kind of answer this? This? Or maybe that's my question

for my for my daughter that before you finding God

and what do you feel? I find out your fear

factor first, you know, I want to know your fear factor.

Fear factor app you know, not not what tinder is it.

I'll call it the fear factor. That's okay. It's very

important to know what they fear. Grant me a godly

fear and also faith in God. It came out we

ought to have fear, We ought to fear God because

we are so fearful. We're so We're not so fearful

that we run away, you know, we're so fearful that

we run towards God. You know you can. I'm saying,

you know because I know that no one else will

have my good intention apart from God. And I know

that if I depart from me, if I don't abide Him,

I may seem like successful, but our perish. So no

matter what I do, and the only approval that I

desire more than he is from God. God must approve.

You can't mean life that godly fear, you know, and

it's God. And when your children does that, you know,

I don't care what my friends say, don't care what

I think. It's nice and all I want to see God.

What does my man they be think? First, that's right,

you know what I mean. I sometimes I say, then

touch you no. But sometimes it comes to a time

that no. Son and daughter, we want you to make

your own decision as well. You grow up as well.

But it begins with the fear of the Lord because

you allowed you, because you start to allow them to

make their own decision because you know now their heart

is pure to want to do what is right. You

know I'm saying now you know because of that fear,

now your heart is pure to do what is right.

And then say Godd, also have faith in God. This

comes to time, faith in God, that God. When I

make mistake in life, it's not going to be a checkmate.

You know, we're gonna make mistakes in life. I would

you don't make mistakes like we make SI, but it's

not gonna be a checkmate that we stop moving in life.

And all a lot of that. So we don't want to.

Oh God, it's going to be if if I don't move,

I move and make the rest of check made ready,

and my life is all gone. I messed up everything ready,

Please people, God doesn't play chess like that one. Okay.

God's providence is greater than your mistakes. And so when

I move as well, I move, and I stand in

faith as well, the Lord that you will be with me.

He came in you fear God, but you're also in God,

and there's power that you continue to step into places

that are unknown as well. Okay, that's very very important.

And so with that and guided with fear and also faith,

you ask God to what drawn up my fears that

are of the world, ungodly fears, fear of failure. But

let me draw it also that let me hear you clearly,

this is what you should be praying. The Lord that

you will guide my steps and everything that I do,

guide me as I do. It's just right and wrong, Okay,

I know. Let me use all my intelligence, oh my

my energy and my time to do prepare everything that

I can. Okay, Then instead of when you can do

from one to ninety nine, you do from one to

ninety nine instead of waiting at one. God tell me

to do all the way to ninety nine. No, you

got away all the way until the nineteen nine until

that very last. Sha God, I've done, I prepare everything.

Should I go, I've done it by faith. Ready. If

you say no, I will say no, But I say

I will go. You gotta do all your due diligience.

You get me in like a Locatian. Don't do they

do digits and just say God, God, if you are there,

you will fly me all the way there. If there's

a case is relate only to crawl wis dot to

go path the wilderness? Ready? You know you got mean right? No,

you gotta work all the way under the very edge.

Then you stand by faith. You gotta walk all the

way to the to the red sea before God passed

the Red sea. A people, it's very very very important, okay,

the last one fasting to hear and respond to God's

calling and ministry. That's so important, isn't it. Some of

yours are so scared because always about my needs first

in it. But a lot of times are God said,

yes you have a good heart, but will you obey?

Will you listen and obey? So important now because a

lot of times that we pray for what we want

to do. First all, we think this is the most important,

you know, But how many times that we prayer, said God,

even though I think it's important, it's urgent, I think

that you know best, let me hear. And sometimes God

ask us to do their different things. You see Joshua

when here arrival at the really, uh what the world? One? Jericho? Okay?

In that Jerichoa, he was preparing to fight, you know, okay,

but then he saw the Angel of the Lord, and

the Angel of the Lost says that this is holy ground.

What does it mean that it's holy ground? It means

that this battle belongs to the Lord. You know, you're

not pursuing your gender to win. This war is actually

God's gender. You think you are in your own mission. No,

you are. You are just a small point in God's

overall mission. This is holy crowned, you know, Minsa. Everything

must be said apart. You cannot bring your sandals. You know,

you cannot walk in walk day. You want to go

there it Laksa. You want to go to the Master's

bedroom there and jump and bring your children. You can't

do that. One or not because you're in the Master's house.

You know, you don't do your own jedda. Everything that

you like to do, all your lifestyle is put away.

You know. You know what I mean? Right, you are

in God's realm. You got to conduct yourself and conduct

after You've got to fall after the Master's agenda. Holy

ground you all. You know what I'm saying, you know.

And so it's so important that when we fast, when

we pray, and we want to enter into the presence

of God, you must be willing to hear the Master's agenda,

and Master's agenda for your life. And God said, are

you willing to listen? And now are you willing to obey?

That includes for your family, for your business, for your study,

every part of you. You think you are not the master.

You are not the mission giver. God is the mission giver.

You got it all wrong. Well, God is the mission giver.

What's the vision? God is the one who gives you

are supposed to tune in and download with your fogy

or fungie, download it into your life and get it correct,

you know, not the other way. Okay, So when you

what do you pray? You say, God reveal my calling

and sorry, maybe I will read the scripture for extrater

theting verse two. Okay, he says that, and they minister

to the Minster Church in antiochy, and the minister to

the Lord and Fastest, and the Holy Spirit said to

the whole entire church, now separate to me, barnabash and

soul for the world to which I have called them.

So if you desire, God will speak his ministry and

calling into your life. Okay. And then in chapter ten,

Verstreet says, I ain't no pleasant to know me, or

whine came into my mouth, nor did I annoy myself

at all till three whole weeks were fulfilled. Why did

he do that? Because you wanted to fulfill the ministry

that God has given to him? Take him, I hear.

Nothing else matters but to respond to God's calling. And

so how should we pray God reveal my calling? How

many of you are willing to ask for that? You

know a lot of people say that I want to

know your calling, but a lot of people are scared.

You know why, because it changes their plan. It's like

suddenly you're answering an MCQ question and suddenly got another

option come up. It was not my part, my plan,

but it's the right answer, A, B, C, D. Then say,

oh you are my colleingue God, E that's the right answer.

You're like, no, I want A A, B, C and D. No,

you give me an E. But it's the right answer.

God will not. It must for you to answer this.

You must, you must. It's very important for us to

know who God is. It's not about the proper, it's

not about the mission, but it's about who God is.

When you understand who God is, the mission is secondary.

Is God going to ever short change you? You see?

However going to short you? Does He care about you?

Does he love you? Has he ever failed to provide

for you? Then? Why you doubt? Now? You come mean right?

Who he is has never changed. So why does this

mission change how you think about him? It's just that

it is not calling here, but he is still the

same God. Okay, so God revealed my calling equip me? Okay,

not just that you're calling equipment. No God, If this

is like equip me, what do I need to do?

What do I need to learn to prepare? Some of

you like, oh, maybe I need to go for missions,

I need to read the Bible, I need to start,

you know, going for certain things, you know, learn up

certain skills. Lord open my ears and Lord strengthened me

to obey as well. Come, let's stand together. I'm gonna

recap here and I'm gonna I'm gonna lead all of us. Yeah,

I know a time is up. I'm going to lead

us here to teach us how to pray, to teach

us how to go deeper in the Lord. Amen. So

the first one is fasting to humble ourselves. Secondly fasting

for repentance and renewal. Thirdly to fast to hunger for

moral God to change our appetites, for wisdom and understanding

and discernment. Fifth for strength against temptation. Number six for direction,

and lastly to hear and respond to God's calling. I

know I didn't cover everything. I know some of you

you'll probably had different needs, but I thought I focus

on who you are insight first, get your gears and

your compass right, and once you do, when you set

things in order. When things are in order, I hope

that God will minister and give more understanding and clarity

for you as well.

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

information on our church, please visit exchurch org. We are

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week is going to be a good week, a hit

for you. God bless