Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (6 page)

Faith is never blind faith, such as walking to the end of the diving board and jumping into a pool, hoping there will be water in it. Faith is confidence. When you say “I believe,” you are saying “I know.” When Jesus said “If you have faith,” He was saying, “If you know you can break this bondage, it will happen to you.”

The old farmer said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so”—but that is not New Testament faith. New Testament faith is believing what you know
is
so.

When you write out a faith-purpose statement, you begin to exercise the faith that is required for deliverance from your problem. Your faith experience leads to a faith expression (what you say) that leads to the faith event (fasting).

Although it is important to
fast specifically for a specific sin(s)
, it is not necessary to list specific acts. Identify the bondage by its principle, but do not write out the gory details. (Reliving the details can rekindle the tire of lust rather than producing power to overcome it.)

You fast repeatedly until you get a breakthrough
. When Jesus said, “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (v. 21,
KJV
), the verb action in the original language is continuous. Jesus meant we should continuously fast to get power over besetting sins. This may involve fasting for a longer time or more often (once a week for several weeks) than we might have expected.

Fasting for an answer is similar to prayer. Sometimes you can pray once in an act of faith, and God hears and answers. You don’t have to keep it up like a child begging for something a parent doesn’t want to give. On other occasions you must continually ask in faith before an answer will come. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (7:7). Why does God sometimes make us wait? Frequently He tests us to determine if we mean business. Often it takes time for conditions to answer our prayers. For example, we pray for rain, but it takes time for rain clouds to form.

Look at it from God’s perspective. He could answer immediately. He knows beforehand that we will pray in faith, so God could prepare the rain clouds ahead of time. But God sees our perspective. We need to pray often and fast continually to build up our faith and our “spiritual character.”

The longer we fast, the more we obey God. The longer we abstain from food, the more determined we become. After a time, our faith grows to trust God for greater miracles in our lives.

Those unable to break bad habits experience an overwhelming sense of frustration. They can’t break free of the bondages associated with their habits. They want to change, but something inside refuses to let them take control of their lives. Whether physically addicted to a substance or not, people experience psychological addictions to sin that prevent them from making the significant changes they desperately desire.

For those who struggle with a sin that has a grip that just won’t let go, the Disciple’s Fast offers hope. Choose the kind and duration of fast that
is right for you. Write down the specific foods to be avoided (see “Preparing for the Disciple’s Fast” at the end of the chapter).

Specific spiritual steps need to be taken, too. Spiritual bondage grows from seeds that are planted in our minds. The seeds send their roots into our subconscious minds, influencing our emotions, physical capacities and desires. Those of us in bondage would affirm our belief in God’s omnipotence, yet would also describe ourselves as helpless victims unable to break the power of sin, our old natures, Satan or our addictive habits.

This is why Scripture so often links fasting with prayer. If we attempt to break an addictive sin without taking into account the spiritual steps necessary to break that sin, we will experience the frustrations and discouragement of persistent failure. To break spiritual bondage, we must follow the steps God has provided for spiritual warfare.

“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4,5,
KJV
).
¹

Step 1: Renounce Counterfeit Control

The first step in breaking spiritual bondage involves
discerning reality from that which is counterfeit
. This requires recognizing and renouncing any control over your mind that is not from Christ. “As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3,
KJV
).

Counterfeit control may come from one of several sources. The anti-Christian values learned in an ungodly home can impact a family for generations. We have all been exposed to the godless influence of the mass media in the books, movies and music we experience. Have you ever been involved innocently or actively in the occult, New Age, spiritism, black or white magic, cults or other religions? These sources represent an external power that would influence our lives. Satanic rituals and bonding oneself to alien spirits also place people in spiritual bondage.

Jesus contrasted His ministry with that of the devil when He stated, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly” (John 10:10). To experience the abundant life Jesus promised and be free of spiritual bondage, we must renounce the counterfeit influences in our lives.

Pray audibly, “I renounce (
insert here those counterfeit influences that are holding you in spiritual bondage
).”

Praying audibly is the first important step on the road to experiencing your liberty in Christ. Take time to examine your history. Note all external and internal influences, and denounce them audibly when you pray.

Step 2: Acknowledge Self-Deception

The second step on the road to Christian liberty involves
discerning truth from that which is deceptive
. For many people, this step is very difficult. It involves acknowledging our own efforts to deceive ourselves, and choosing to embrace the truth of God. God wants to begin the process of liberating us from the spiritual bondage internally. David wrote, “You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom” (Ps. 51:6).

The problem with self-deception is that we are so successful at it that we don’t know we are successful and don’t realize the damage it does to us. Many people have deceived themselves for so long that they have difficulty believing they are deceived.

Several biblical principles may be applied to discern areas where we have deceived ourselves. First, we deceive ourselves when we hear and fail to apply the Word of God in our lives (see Jas. 1:22). Second, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Also, “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3).

Another way we deceive ourselves is in evaluating our wisdom by the standard of age rather than by the wisdom of God (see 1 Cor. 3:18). Finally, we deceive ourselves when we think we can sin and then escape the consequences (see 1 Cor. 6:9). Some ministers who have fallen into sexual sins probably began as men of God, but committed “minor” sins and thought they got away with them. As one thing leads to another, their sins became more severe and they thought they were above the consequences of sin.

As long as we continue to deceive ourselves, we will remain in spiritual bondage. In contrast, Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). To move out of the realm of self-deception
into the liberating truth of the gospel, we must admit we are deceived.

Pray audibly, “I acknowledge (
insert here those areas where you have deceived yourself
).”

When you are honest with God and yourself, you allow God’s truth to free you from deception.

Step 3: Forgive to Overcome Bitterness

The third step on the path to liberty involves
forgiving others so you can overcome bitterness and gain freedom
. If you refuse to forgive anyone, you place yourself in spiritual bondage to them and to sin. Paul reminded the Corinthians:

If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:10,11,
NIV
).

As you work through your bondage to sin and others, you should list the names of those you need to forgive. This is a list of names, not a list of sins or other violations they may have committed against you or someone to whom you are close. Continually bringing up past sins is evidence that you have not forgiven them.

Forgiveness is a choice. Because God requires us to forgive others, it is something we can do. Our natural inclination is to seek revenge when we have suffered. When we don’t want to let others “off the hook,” however, it means they still have their hooks in us. That places us in bondage to them. If we don’t forgive others for their sakes, we should forgive them for our own sakes.

Forgiveness is not merely a conflict between yourself and the offender, but a matter between you and God. When you forgive, you choose to live with the consequences of wrongs committed against you. If you do not forgive, you will live with bitter consequences anyway. The choice is yours. You choose whether to live in the freedom of forgiveness or in the bitterness of bondage.

Pray audibly, “I forgive (
insert here the names of those who have wronged you in some way
).” As you forgive others, you experience God’s forgiveness in your life.

Step 4: Submit to God’s Authority

The fourth step involves
overcoming rebellion in your life by submitting to the authority of God and those He has placed over you
. Jesus compared being under authority to a manifestation of great faith (see Matt. 8:8-10). This involves trusting not only God directly, but also the line of authority He has appointed to provide leadership in your life.

God has placed all of us “under authority.” We are called to submit to the authority of (1) civil government (see Rom. 13:1-7); (2) church leadership (see Heb. 13:17); (3) parents (see Eph. 6:1-3); (4) husbands (see 1 Pet. 3:1-4); (5) employers (see 1 Pet. 2:13-23); and (6) God (see Dan. 9:5,9). Each of these authorities has a sphere of influence in our lives. Dealing with a rebellious spirit or attitude and placing ourselves under authority is another step toward breaking bondage in our lives.

Pray audibly, “I submit to (
insert here the specific authority in your life
).”

Submitting to the authorities God has placed in your life is an important element in the Disciple’s Fast because it is evidence of your submission to God Himself.

Step 5: Take Personal Responsibility

To break your bondage,
confront the problem of pride with a spirit of humility
. This is the only way you can accept your share of the responsibility for your problem. You can overcome bondage in your life by following the example of Jesus Christ. When you give in to the sin of pride and self-exaltation, you are in bondage. Jesus Christ wants you to be free. He promised, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Freedom is not being passive. You submit to Christ to become active. You are free to actively do what God wants you to do. The key to experiencing full freedom in Christ is to take responsibility for your actions. When you confess your sins, God promises both cleansing and forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9).

Each time you confess the same sin, God forgives; however, even though God forgives, the inner “you” becomes progressively weaker in esteem or acceptance. Many Protestants suffer from a condition I call “confessionitis,” which is the same “confession box” cycle of Roman Catholics. They repeatedly confess their sins, but then immediately return to their sins after confession because they are in bondage to them.