Threefold Cord & Fasting

Greetings,

                We have been in a series on the threefold cord of prayer, giving, and fasting because according to the Bible a threefold cord is not quickly broken. If we want to be numbered among those that are not quickly broken, it is important we incorporate these three essentials into our walk with Jesus.

“And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Fasting is the third element of the threefold cord. It is unfortunate that many people are unfamiliar with the idea that fasting is an essential part of the faith. Part of the reason for this is that the importance and relevance of fasting is rarely taught. As a matter of fact, there are some churches that never teach on the power and purpose of fasting. This is truly unfortunate.

I’m going to spend this letter introducing you to some of the clear object lessons and promises in Scripture regarding fasting. As you will see, even though fasting is not fun, it is well worth it.

“But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.” (Psalm 35:13)

In this passage the psalmist explains that he humbled his soul with fasting. Fasting is a humbling experience. It makes us aware of just how weak our flesh really is. It increases our awareness of God and His activity in and around us. Humility is a very important quality that all Christians should embrace. In God’s kingdom, it is the humble that are exalted in due time—not the prideful and arrogant.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6)

Another important characteristic of fasting is its role in breakthrough. As we walk out our faith there are times when we hit walls even though we are praying regularly. In these moments, it is often fasting that activates the breakthrough. In the book of Esther we read about a breakthrough fast.

The story goes that there was a plot to commit genocide against the Jews. This took place during the Medo-Persian Empire. Esther had been chosen as queen by Ahasuerus (the king) due to her beauty. What the king didn’t know was that she was Jewish. When she learned of the plot to destroy her people,  she knew that something drastic would have to be done. She would have to appeal to the king, knowing that it could cost her life. She needed a breakthrough and so she called for a fast.

“[Esther said] Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16

                In order to activate a breakthrough, Esther called for a corporate fast. This particular fast she called for is known as a total fast (since neither food nor water is consumed). The results were magnificent. At the end of the fast she barged into the king’s royal court which was against the law for her (Esther 5:1). Instead of ordering her death, the king extended his scepter to her and gave her favor (Esther 5:2). After treating the king and a man named Haman to several banquets she revealed the plot against her people (Esther 7:4-6). The king left the meal in anger, returning after a brief moment of consideration to put the plot to an end (Esther 7:7). He began by having Haman, the instigator of the plot, committed to death (Esther 7:8-10). This was true breakthrough not only for Esther but also for the entire nation of Israel.

                Another illustration of the importance of fasting comes from the book of Daniel. The prophet went on a three week fast eating “no pleasant bread, neither flesh nor wine (Daniel 10:3).” While this isn’t a total fast, it is clearly a biblical way of fasting. For those of you that are interested in more information about this particular fast I recommend that you visit this blog.

                This fast caused the answer to Daniel’s prayers to be answered in the form of a heavenly visitation. The heavenly being  explained to Daniel that he had come for “the prophets words” but that he was withheld 21 days by the prince (or ruling fallen angel) of the kingdom of Persia. As a result of Daniel’s fast, a breakthrough occurred when Michael (an archangel) showed up to help. This allowed the heavenly messenger to arrive with answers to Daniel’s intensive seeking.

                “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. 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. 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.” (Daniel 10:12-14)

                There are many other fasts in the Old Testament but due to time and space I cannot possibly go through all of them here. Instead we are going to transition into the New Testament. Our object lesson comes from a situation during which the disciples could not cast out a particular spirit. In this case we learn from Jesus that fasting is important in spiritual warfare.

“And I brought him [my son] to thy disciples, and they could not cure him…And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew  17:16, 18-21)

Jesus clearly says that driving out certain kinds of spirits will require prayer and fasting. This means that fasting is important when it comes to spiritual warfare in the new covenant. What we must realize is that fasting and prayer is the solution to a lack of faith—or as the King James Version puts it: unbelief. The disciples weren’t able to cast the devil out because of unbelief. Therefore, we learn that fasting and prayer is an effective way to increase our faith. Living a fasted lifestyle will leave us empowered to deal with powerful spirits upon encountering them. Jesus is not saying that every time we encounter a powerful spirit we will need to go on a three day fast—notice that Jesus (who had formerly gone on a forty day fast) drove the spirit out on the spot with no problem. He is saying that when we incorporate fasting and prayer into our lifestyle we will be able to handle powerful spirits when we encounter them.

This is one of the reasons why the apostle Paul clearly modeled a fasted lifestyle. In his own words:

“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings” (2 Corinthians 6:4-5)

“Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft… In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” (2 Corinthians 11:23, 27)

Fasting was an essential part of Paul’s lifestyle. He understood that Jesus expected that His followers would fast, and he also understood that he was tapping into spiritual benefits by fasting. If Paul found it necessary to live a fasted lifestyle, we should too. As Jesus puts it:

“And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” (Matthew 9:15)

What is a Sheep Nation?

This link is to an audio teaching discussing what a sheep nation will be. Due to technical difficulties no written teaching was sent out this week.

Threefold Cord & Giving

Greetings,

                Last week we began discussing the threefold cord of prayer, giving and fasting. When we combine these three essentials of the Christian faith it makes us stronger as believers. As the Bible says, a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

“And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

It is my humble opinion that only a fool would argue against the biblical principle of giving. Giving money is essential in order to finance the advance of the kingdom of God on earth. It is also essential in order to activate the promises of God’s provision for us. Consider the following passage.

“Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38 AMP)

We all want gifts. There is not a person I know that would not receive a gift of one million dollars if it were offered to them with no strings attached. When we look at what the Bible says about receiving, we find that there is a straightforward principle involved. The Bible clearly says: GIVE. It really couldn’t be any more straightforward. Some Christians think that they can look to God for provision and ignore His clear way of doing things. Unfortunately they only deceive themselves. We must give.

The Bible goes on to say that with the measure we give it will be measured back to us. I like to think about hot chocolate. If I only have one ounce of hot chocolate mix I can only make about one cup of decent hot chocolate. If I try to make more hot chocolate, it comes out watered down and gross. Who likes to drink watered down hot chocolate? Hot chocolate is best when water is limited to the amount of hot chocolate mix that has been added. When it is, the hot chocolate comes out rich and delicious.

God wants to give us the best quality. His gifts and provision are truly rich and delicious. However, what He can give to us is determined by what we measure out. It is kind of like Him providing the water for our hot chocolate mix. If I measure out one ounce of hot chocolate mix, I can receive enough water to make about one cup of excellent hot chocolate. If I measure out 100 ounces of hot chocolate mix, I can receive enough water to make a whole bunch of hot chocolate! Not only will I have more than enough to satisfy all of my desires, but I will have an abundance of hot chocolate to share with those in need.

God does not want you to have watered down hot chocolate! Therefore, there is a principle that limits what is measured to us by what we measure out. If you only give a little of your increase (and by little I mean relative the amount that you take in) God will only have a little given back to you. If you give a lot of your increase, God will give a lot back to you, and you will have more than enough to satisfy all of your desires and an abundance to share with those in need!

Consider this next verse on giving.

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Giving is like sowing seed. If I sow one seed, I will be able to harvest one crop. If I plant many seeds, I will be able to harvest many crops. Even if I plan to only feed myself, it would be unwise to plant only one seed. The principle is clear. The more we sow, the more we will be able to reap. The more we measure out, the more will be measured back to us.

This is why when Jesus speaks about giving He does not speak to it as a possibility. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to receive the rich and delicious blessings of God? This is what Jesus says.

“Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:2-4)

Notice that Jesus says, “When you do your alms (or giving).” He does not say “if”. As He goes on He addresses how not to go about giving. He says don’t sound a trumpet before you. In other words, you are giving to God; you are not giving so that people get impressed by how often or how much you give. God is not impressed by our giving when it is done to impress or earn the approval of men. This type of giving is done in hypocrisy. Therefore Jesus says don’t give this way.

He also makes the comment that we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. What does this mean? The idea is that we are not to publish or publicize our giving and make it an act of pride. Instead we are to give cheerfully as an act of surrender and devotion to God.

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

When it comes to just how much we should consistently give, it becomes a point of dissention between some Christians. Tithing, which is defined as the giving of 10% of our increase, is something that some Christians will argue against until they are blue in the face. The argument is usually that they “can’t find” tithing taught in the New Testament—that it was only part of the Law of Moses. Since Jesus fulfilled the law for us we should not be required to give 10%. The fact of the matter is that the first recorded tithe was performed by Abraham, who gave a tenth of his increase to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20). This act predated the law, meaning tithing is not limited to the law.

Furthermore, most of the people that argue against tithing have financial problems. Sure some may be relatively well off. However, these individuals often lose a lot of money to frivolous things like unexpected expenses, missed opportunities, and other unfortunate circumstances. In short, they are not receiving God’s best for their lives. Conversely, most of the people that tithe faithfully always have everything they need, and in time wind up with abundance if they remain faithful.

As a quick testimony, when I moved from Tulsa to Chicago I did so by faith. I moved without a job opportunity into a terrible job market with orders from God to not look for a job. God simply told me He’d give my wife a job and that it would supply for our needs while I entered a season of prayer, study, fasting, and writing. We quit our jobs in Tulsa by faith and moved to Chicago. When we arrived on November 1, we purchased nearly $5,000 worth of new furniture. Then we took a vacation to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. We also purchased over $1000 of Christmas presents that year and Gloria didn’t even receive her first paycheck until the very end of December. This is not to mention our other mandatory expenses such as our car payment, car insurance, and so forth.

After a two month period of with no pay checks coming in I began the process of publishing my first book Noah’s Ark and the End of Days. This project cost me nearly $10,000. I printed the book without acquiring any debt. Prior to moving to Chicago, our combined salaries totaled $23/hour. The question is how was this possible? The answer: tithing. I gave no matter what, and I refused to quit. Thus, God made the impossible possible and I walked in His financial blessings. Had I not tithed, the numbers would have spoken for themselves.

In closing I challenge you to put the Lord to the test—prove Him. If you are not giving, or if you have been giving but not tithing, I challenge you to start by faith. According to the following verse, this is exactly what God challenges His people to do. Furthermore, we need to realize that when we rob God of our tithes and offerings, we really do leave our finances unprotected against the attack of the enemy. This means that giving is an important aspect of spiritual warfare.

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:8-10)

Threefold Cord & Prayer

Greetings,

                During my teenage years I had this ridiculous saying that I can only groan at in remembrance. I actually used to say, “I don’t get hit by cars, cars get hit by me.” This was in reference to the thought that my muscles were so great, not even a car could hurt me. Can you imagine? What I have learned is that I can be quickly broken. However, there is something that is not quickly broken—a threefold cord.

“Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12)

What does this have to do with spiritual warfare? Over the next three weeks I am going to present to you the threefold cord of prayer, fasting, and giving. Put together, these three elements of our faith produce a work in our lives that is not quickly broken. They are all necessary elements of our faith, yet many people utilize only one or two. Some so-called Christians do not practice any of these essentials. It’s no wonder that people have some of the problems that they do.

 Let me be very clear here. Praying, fasting and giving are not optional when it comes to the Christian faith. Sure, you may exercise your right of choice and refrain from these activities. However, when you weaken the “cord” by removing strands, it’s much easier for the cord to break.

I like to think about floss. Healthy gums and healthy teeth require regular flossing. Any dentist will tell you that brushing is not enough. If your gums bleed when you floss, your gums are not in good shape. In any case, not all floss is created equal. I once purchased discount floss, which initially turned out to be brutal. It felt like tree bark. As a matter of fact, it was so horrible my wife started to get concerned when I would floss. Why didn’t I stop using it? Who knows? The benefit was that it never broke while I was cleaning my teeth. Although it was initially uncomfortable, it proved itself to be solid and powerful.

On another occasion I bought some classier floss. Sure it felt great as it easily glided through my teeth. Unfortunately, it would constantly break. As I made my way through my mouth the floss would get shorter and shorter. When I arrived at the end of my flossing I would literally be pinching the ends of the floss because so much had broken off. It would be too short to wrap around my fingers.

Some of you may have a walk with Christ that resembles crumbling floss. It just never seems to stay together. You find yourself holding on for dear life, always wondering why things just keep falling apart. What you may need to realize is that you’ve been taking the “easy” road of the faith and exercising your right of choice. Instead of choosing life, you’ve been choosing death.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Choosing life is always a harder road. It’s kind of like flossing with terrible generic floss. Sure it feels like tree bark, but man does it get the job done. The fact of the matter is that eventually, I got used to it. Now, my gums have the strength of a thousand elephants (just kidding). Seriously though, when you ponder on your walk with Christ, would others comment that it displays power and intimacy? If not, maybe it’s time to incorporate another strand to your faith.

The difference between strong floss and the weak floss is the amount of reinforcement that the floss has. The strong floss is thick and made out of coarse material. The weak floss is thin and flimsy. Spiritually, Christians that don’t incorporate prayer, fasting, and giving into their walk with Christ tend to be flimsy. Christians that do incorporate all of these things are stronger, reinforced, and maintain greater intimacy and relationship with God. They also reap the spiritual benefits.

                In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus is in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. Notice how he phrases some of His wisdom.

1.       “Therefore when thou doest thine alms…” (Matthew 6:2)

2.       “And when thou prayest…” (Matthew 6:5)

3.       “Moreover when ye fast…” (Matthew 6:16)

                Notice how Jesus presents these concepts. He does not present them as possibilities. He does not use the word “if.” He uses the word “when.” The assumption is being made that Christians WILL do these things. Therefore, Jesus is giving instruction so that when we do these things, we will do them with wisdom and understanding. This is extremely important to understand.

                This week we are going to focus in on prayer. Since so much of spiritual warfare has to do with prayer techniques, I am not going to go into as much detail in this letter. Specifically regarding prayer, this is what Jesus says:

                “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:5-7)

                The first thing that we need to take away from this is that prayer is not an option, it is a requirement. Two, we should not pray like hypocrites. Unfortunately, some have taken this passage to mean that anyone that prays in public is automatically a hypocrite. This is not true. Jesus is speaking to this because that’s what the Pharisees and Sadducees (the hypocrites) did in that time. The drive behind their public prayers was pride and arrogance, therefore Jesus said don’t be like them.

Three, we should take away the understanding that the Father is in the “secret place”. This is not a physical location in your bedroom. This is a spiritual location that we must enter into in spirit. When we enter this place, we will openly receive the rewards of God. Dwelling in the secret place of God most certainly has its benefits.

                “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:1-4)

                Four, we should not use vain repetitions. Repetitive prayers do not invoke relationship and intimacy with God. Instead, they root us in tradition and keep us away from true relationship. God desperately desires deep and intimate relationship with us. Therefore, Jesus says to toss the vain repetitions out in favor of heartfelt prayers. God wants us to come boldly before His throne of grace.

                “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)

                Next week we are going to resume our discussion on the threefold cord of prayer, fasting, and giving. I am firmly convinced (as one who practices all three) that Christians who incorporate all of these elements into their walk with Christ will not be easily broken. This is what I want for you.

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!