Isaiah 61:1-7
61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. KJV
Isaiah 58:1-12
58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rearward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. KJV
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungredKJV
Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered KJV
Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. KJV
Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yokeKJV
2 Corinthians 10:3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 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 KJV
- · Flesh - NT:4561 sarx (sarx); probably from the base of NT:4563; flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extension) the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or (by implication) human nature (with its frailties [physically or morally] and passions), or (specifically) a human being (as such): KJV - carnal (-ly, -ly minded), flesh ([-ly]).
- o NT:4563 saroo (sar-o'-o); from a derivative of sairo (to brush off; akin to NT:4951); meaning a broom; to sweep: KJV - sweep.
- · War - NT:4754 strateuomai (strat-yoo'-om-ahee); middle voice from the base of NT:4756; to serve in a military campaign; figuratively, to execute the apostolate (with its arduous duties and functions), to contend with carnal inclinations KJV - soldier, (go to) war (-fare).
- · Weapons–tool, instruments
- · Carnal-NT:4559 sarkikos (sar-kee-kos'); from NT:4561; pertaining to flesh, i.e. (by extension) bodily, temporal, or (by implication) animal, unregenerate: KJV - carnal, fleshly.
- · Mighty - NT:1415 dunatos (doo-nat-os'); from NT:1410; powerful or capable (literally or figuratively); neuter possible KJV - able, could, (that is) mighty (man), possible, power, strong.
- · Pulling down - NT:2506 kathairesis (kath-ah'-ee-res-is); from NT:2507; demolition; figuratively, extinction KJV - destruction, pulling down.
- o NT:2507 kathaireo (kath-ahee-reh'-o); from NT:2596 and NT:138 (including its alternate); to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively) KJV - cast (pull, put, take) down, destroy.
- · Strong holds - NT:3794 ochuroma (okh-oo'-ro-mah); from a remote derivative of NT:2192 (meaning to fortify, through the idea of holding safely); a castle (figuratively, argument) KJV - stronghold.
Daniel 10:1-11:1
10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia .
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia : and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.KJV
1. I. Fasting Brings Revelation
1. a. Daniel 10:1In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. KJV
1. i. . . .a thing was revealed unto Daniel While Daniel was fasting God showed him something that He was about to do, before He began to do it.
2. ii. . . .And the thing was true . . .fasting can bring about a greater truth than we were aware of before we fasted
1. 1. God revealed truth to Daniel
3. iii. . . .and he understood the thing. . .Fasting can bring a greater understanding
2. II. Sometimes Fasting Isn’t Fast
1. a. Daniel was fasting for three weeks
2. b. There is not a mention that Daniel had anything “special” or “spiritual” happning in those three weeks.
1. i. He may have felt that nothing was happening, that his fast was really going nowhere, but we later read that was NOT the case.
3. III. Fasting Causes Us To Seek Jesus Like Never Before
1. a. Daniel 10:2In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. KJV
2. b. In place of our food, we can spend that time in prayer and seeking God, that will draw us closer to Him
1. i. Job 23:12I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food KJV
2. ii. James 4:8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. KJV
4. IV. Fasting Is A Solitary, Intimate Action
1. a. Daniel 10:7And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone KJV
2. b. Matthew 6:16Moreover when ye fast , be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. KJV
5. V. Fatsing Lays Things Bare Before Us . . .And God
1. a. Daniel 10:7so that they fled to hide themselves.
1. i. Sometimes we choose to hide from ourselves the things in our lives that need to be changed.
2. ii. Fasting can bring to the forefront hidden stuff
1. 1. Attitudes
2. 2. Hidden sin
3. 3. Hidden motives
4. 4. Pride
5. 5. Selfishness
3. iii. Man has seeks to hide his sin, God sees hidden sin and deals with it.
1. 1. Genesis 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.KJV
2. 2. Genesis 3:21Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.KJV
1. a. Death had to cover sin – in this case the death of the animals who gave of their skins.
2. b. Fasting is “dying” to self, becoming humble before God that His will prevails over ours.
6. VI. Opens Our Eyes To The Things Of God
1. a. Daniel 10:8and saw this great vision
1. i. Daniel was seeing things while he as fasting that he likely would not have seen had he not been fasting
2. b. Daniel 10:8and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.KJV
1. i. Isaiah 64:6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.KJV
1. 1. OT:1935 howd (hode); from an unused root; grandeur (i.e. an imposing form and appearance):KJV - beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty.
1. a. Daniel realized, perhaps because of his fasting, that he was not grand, or excellent, or glorious but that his best was not good enough and that God alone was all of those things. His best was corruption, fasting brought about a humility inside of Daniel that caused him to realize his humanity and Gods Amazing Divinity.
2. ii. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statues and my judgments;18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;KJV
1. 1. NOW – indicating that there was a time that God did not let His eyes be open and his ears attent to the prayers that were being prayed!
2. 2. NOW – what before was NOT chosen and sanctified was NOW chosen and sanctified!
3. 3. NOW – His eyes and His heart were there perpectually!
4. 4. What was the change? Most wont recognize where these verses are from, though they follow some very know passages. We read these and understand that there was a significant change in what was going on in the relationship with God and His people – what brought about this change, this revival? Check this out . . .
1. a. 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2. b. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statues and my judgments;18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;KJV
1. i. My People – these were written to the people of God, not those who did not know Him, this was speaking of a backslidden state, a luke-warm heart, people who had “fallen out of love” with their King
2. ii. Shall humble themselves . . .wow, that is fasting in a nut shell. Want to humble yourself before God? Want to get closer to Him? Want to revive the passion of your relationship with The King? THEN FAST!!
3. c. Daniel 10:8and I retained no strength. KJV
1. i. The fasting, vision from God, and awareness of his human state brought about a complete sense of being overcome with The Presence of God. When we realize that God is The Almighty, we fall before Him in awe and worship, not fear of Him, but of Holy Reverence. This Great God, The Almighty, Sovereign, Creator of Heaven and Earth, is still our Heavenly Father and He not only welcomes but BECKONS us into His Presence!
1. 1. John had the same sense of being overcome with The Presence of Jesus
1. a. Revelation 1:17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.KJV
2. b. Acts 17:27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.KJV
1. i. In our weakness, in our humanity, He is our Strength!
7. VII. A Messenger Sent From God!
1. a. Daniel 10:11And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.KJV
1. i. Can you imagine being Daniel and having prayed and fasted for three full weeks with not really anything tangible to show for it – then all of a sudden God sends a heavenly messenger who says “FOR UNTO THEE AM I NOW SENT!”
1. 1. If you don’t “feel” anything while you fast – DON’T GIVE UP
1. a. Fasting is linked with faith – link them together and know that while you may or may not SEE something happening, something IS HAPPENING!
2. b. Daniel 10:11And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.KJV
1. i. UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK . . .
1. 1. Pray! Fast! Gain understanding that there is a realm of existence where things are happening when we fast and pray!
3. c. Daniel 10:12Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.KJV
1. i. From the first day!!!!
1. 1. The very first day God was on the move because of Daniels prayers and fasting, his humility caused Heaven to take notice!
8. VIII. An Issue Of The Heart
1. a. Daniel 10:12for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God KJV
1. i.
Mark 9:17-29
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. KJV
