This is Now the way to be heard on
high!
Put action into your Fast
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
Many may think that I am saying that the time for people to fast is over. That is not what I am saying at all. What is over is the manner in which fasting is done. A time to afflict the soul? No longer. What the Lord is seeking from His people when it comes to fasting is to shift the focus from self to others, from inaction to action. How so? Look at what it is He is asking His people to do. This is His chosen way of fasting for us today.
Freedom from Tyranny
Let us look at the examples that the Lord has laid before us. Each of these is a form of tyranny over the life of another. Whether that tyranny is the result of demonic influence, human actions or simply the circumstances of life, we are involved in a ministry of freedom and helping others to achieve that freedom of heart, soul, mind, and body. Below are four examples of what the Lord is asking you to do and with each line, what is the problem. This whether you are the cause of the problem or someone else.
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
Deception
Why deception? Because it is the chief tool of those who are wicked yet lack the power to afflict others through force or co-ercion. They want to gain power over others so that they may sway the actions of those who are under their influence. They use lies, distortions of the truth, false accusations, rumour, slander, ridicule, to win over the unsuspecting soul. They sow the seeds of doubt to destroy faith and reason, then carefully teach their own perverse faith through twisted reasoning. They like using strings of "logic" which they weave back and forth around the soul of another, slowly wrapping their ideas tighter and tighter until the listener is bound as if by ropes. The process is slow for in the end they want to create a willing disciple who will think as they do. Will have the same goals and desires. It is the tool of the cult. The tool of the deceiver and the deceived. matt 23. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
To undo the heavy burdens,
Duty
Remember matt 23.4 above? There are those who through their position in government, church, organizations, etc., have moral and /or ethical authority over others. The power they wield over us is the power we have given to them to govern our actions for the common good. This in itself is not wrong. The problem comes from those who will use their position to "persuade" others to work and sacrifice much for things which are not for the common good or that is injurious to only the few who are being asked for the benefit of others.
Well then, if they are persuaded to do the work with a willing heart can this be bad? It is if the tool of persuasion is pressure tactics. Their main method to gain obedience is to instil a sense of obligation. The extreme weapon at their disposal is exclusion in some degree of fellowship. Basically... it is your duty to obey and if not you are out. These authority figures over others exploit those who are under their authority. If one believes that their survival is dependant upon being a part of the group or perhaps their very salvation is attained through participation in this group, you can then see the power that those in authority over others can wield.
To let the oppressed go free,
Force
We descend even further with this example for we are no longer talking about those who have a choice. The power of another to afflict and inflict harm upon another is through the use of brute, physical force. They can deny access to food, water, shelter... the essentials of life. It is the oppressor who wields the whip and the sword and compels obedience until it is done or the oppressed are killed or placed in prison. Here there may be resistance in the heart of man to the oppressor yet they are powerless to do anything about it.
And that you break every yoke?
Slavery
The bottom... Resigned to their fate. They are puppets. No justice. No recourse. No hope. No resistance. Only obedience. This is; demonic possession, addictions, sin obsession, physical and/or emotional enslavement.
Here is some understanding
All this comes about because of the "Sin of the World" and Satan is its chief architect. He is the father of lies that leads to deception. He is the cunning serpent that leads to wrongful obedience. He is the god of forces that strikes against the world. It is he who enslaves mankind through sin. That is why it is said: eph 6.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. For this spiritual battle it takes spiritual weaponry: 2 cor 10. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Fasting is more than the denial of food and drink. Fasting is the denial of self so that we can be filled.
Fasting is a spiritual weapon in our arsenal. When we fast we prepare ourselves to receive the power and the authority we need for the battle, which comes with the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Then we put on the armour of God and put feet to our fast. Denying self we go and... loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free and break every yoke.
29 November, 1999
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