Daily Devotion

January 16, 2014

Stay the Course


“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”Isaiah 40:31

There are two powers at work when you fast: The human will and the supernatural power of God. When you decide to exercise your will and put your flesh under submission to the Spirit of God, His supernatural power kicks in and helps you fast according to the level of the commitment that you have made.

The anointing that comes through fasting and prayer gives you a fresh strength to fight for your family, for your kids, for your marriage, and win! But it takes work to get your flesh under submission. Paul explained in Romans 7 that the flesh wars against the Spirit—and the Spirit wars against the flesh. Which one are you empowering?

I go through all kinds of extremes during an extended fast. One thing I notice is mood swings. One minute I am eager and confident about the fast, and just a few hours later thoughts like, “What’s the use? This is crazy!” start filtering through my mind.

As many times as I have fasted, it never fails that at some point on every fast I become overwhelmed with the feeling of uselessness. In fact, the enemy raises his ugly head to drive that point home as he whispers, “What good is it really doing? Give up.” That is when I remind myself that I’m sharpening my ax, I’m regaining my edge and I’m going to take him out!

Understand that sometimes on a fast you can’t hear God speak over the sound of your stomach growling. You can’t focus on morning devotions for thinking about oatmeal. (It is amazing how, during an extended fast, even the most bland foods sound wonderful.) You want to read the Word but you have a headache, you are cold and probably tired from the toxins being filtered out of your body.

You might feel like you are just physically falling apart, but stay the course and don’t let your flesh or the devil short change your reward! If there is one thing the devil cannot stand, it is waiting.

Essentially, fasting is waiting … on God. You will renew your strength as you wait on Him.

The Fasting Edge

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