Skip to content The Blessing of Fasting - Providence, Part 3 Jan 21 · 44 min ...more
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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 You are listening to Waters Church podcast. Waters Church is a multisite, multigeneration community of faith on the East Coast of America. Now for a message from our pastor.0:30 Things happen when we fast and pray as God's word, which brings me to Esther chapter 5. Now when we left off in Esther chapter0:41 4, Mordecai was not bound to Haman, Haman the Agagite, the son of Hamadatha, and Haman can't stand it. He's got an he's got an ego the size0:53 of Texas, and he can't stand that this Jewish man, Mordecai, will not bow down to him. So he devises a plan, not just to kill Mordecai. He wants to kill all the Jews, every single Jew. He wants to wipe them1:05 out. And so he goes to the king and he offers to pay 10000 talents. And we talked about this last week. If you haven't watched that message, go to waters church dot org or YouTube dot com slash waters church and watch1:16 part 2 of providence because it's all about the but thens in our lives when the enemy comes at us, when life hits us upside the head, when we ex when we get into some kind of chaotic experience we did1:28 not anticipate, what do we do? And the enemy is serious, and he's coming for you, and he wants to consume you. And all he wants you to do, the only thing you need to do for the enemy to win and triumph is just be1:39 passive, just be half hearted about Christ, just kinda, you know, go through the motions of Christianity or or or faith or or kinda half in, half out of the church. And all you need to see the enemy have his way with you1:50 in life is to be passive. But today, I'm here to stir up some some activity in your life that will do damage to the spiritual realm around2:02 you, that will that will knock the devil out. Now I was raised in the 19 eighties. In the in the 19 eighties, we were getting reruns every day of certain TV shows from the2:14 19 seventies and 19 sixties. That's how it worked. And I remember 1 of my favorite shows was Batman. And I'm not talking about the Christian Bale Batman that was phenomenal, that2:26 trilogy. And I'm not talking about the the Michael Keaton Batman from the 19 eighties, and and that was also a very cool style of Batman. I'm talking about that Adam West Batman. Raise your hand if you're an Adam West2:37 Batman fan. I expect, like, 4 hands in every location. I love that that, show. Every episode was the same. Here's how the preview2:49 it would go. The previous episode ended with Batman and Robin in this in this predicament that just seemed inescapable. They would be strapped3:01 to the rotating disc hanging over the pool of sharks with lasers on their head. No. That's a different movie. But they would they would just be rotating, and and the Joker3:13 would be laughing, and then the Joker would monologue for about 5 minutes and then he would and he would run off to the scene and and and then you would see the credits would roll and that was it and you were left with a3:25 cliffhanger at every single episode's end. It was infuriating because you you just couldn't stand it. I wanna see how it ends. So that was the trick. That was the bait by which they got you to come back to the3:37 show the next time. And so you would tune in and then you would see it. And it was like the same thing every time. And Batman in the first scene of the next episode would suddenly get out of this3:49 predicament. He would somehow untie his wrist with some kind of bat contraption. He'd set Robin free. He'd jump over the shark tank and then what would happen? The guys the henchmen would come running at4:00 Batman, and then it was what? Batman would face him and go, wah bam. Wa swoosh. Wa bam. Zap. Glurb. Like, that's how it would go. And it was always funny because4:12 those graphics were seriously impressive for 19 sixties and seventies television, but it was always the same thing. Like, just when you thought Batman couldn't get out of his predicament,4:25 something broke in his life. Something broke him free. Let me tell you about your life. You might be in a predicament. The spiritual joker, the spiritual4:36 riddler, the spiritual penguins coming after you wants your marriage, wants your singlehood, wants your purity, wants your peace, wants to take your joy away4:48 from you. And you feel trapped. You feel like this is it, and and the credits are about to roll in your life. But I wanna give you the power5:00 of God. I want God's power at work in your life. I can't give it to you. God give us gives it to you, but I wanna give you the way to get it. And here's what I thought. How many of you5:12 need a miracle in your life? You are hooked on some addiction that you just can't break free from, or you are facing a5:23 relationship challenge that you have never faced before, and it's getting to the point where you think it's just time to go our separate ways. We're done. This is over. And you're thinking, we need this. We need a5:35 divorce. No. No. No. No. You need a miracle. And some of you are like, I need to move. I need to get out of my my town. I need to get out of my business. No. Maybe you need a miracle in that job, in that5:47 occupation. Or maybe you're praying and weeping over a child that just refuses to get right. And you're thinking, maybe he needs medicine, or maybe she needs pills, or maybe, you know, she needs a5:59 different school. No. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Maybe she needs a miracle. Because here's what I need to remind the church of Jesus Christ today. He is still a miracle working God.6:11 He is still the God who comes through when all hope seems lost. He's still the God who breaks chains off of people's arms and off of people's6:23 hearts. He's still the God who divides seas, who raises the dead, who casts out demons, who heals the sick, and sets men and6:34 women free. And I wanna give you hope today wherever you are, whatever facing you, whatever trap the devil has laid for you, I wanna give you hope. Because in the end of Esther6:46 chapter 4, it seems like all hope is lost. But chapter 5, chapter 5 starts to show us what fasting and prayer6:58 does for God's people. Stand with me at all locations for the reading of God's word, and I'm gonna read this couple first verses here on Esther chapter 5. Here's what it says. On the third day7:10 everybody say on the third day on the count of 3. 1 2 3. On the third day. How many know God does some pretty amazing things on the third day? Amen. Amen. Amen. On the third day, Esther put on her royal7:21 robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's quarters while the king was sitting on those royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance of the palace. When the king saw queen7:31 Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he let and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her,7:42 what is it, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you even to the half of my kingdom. And Esther said, if it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I prepared for the king.7:53 Then the king said, bring Haman quickly so that we may do as Esther has asked. So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther,8:04 what is your wish? It shall be granted to you, and what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled. Remember he said that before? He says it again. Then Esther answered, my wish and my request8:14 is this. If I have found favor in the sight of the king and if it pleased the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I8:24 would do as the king has said. So there's a lot of weird stuff going on, but it's all gonna point to some amazing truths in just a moment. Verse 9. And Haman went out that day, this is the enemy of the Jews, he went out8:36 that day glad of heart. But when he saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he neither rose nor troubled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself, went home,8:48 brought his friends and his wife Zerah together, and Haman recounted to them all the splendor, his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he'd advanced above all8:57 his officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, even queen Esther, let no 1 but me come with the king to the feast she prepared, and tomorrow also I'm invited to by her together with the king. Yet9:09 all of this is worthless to me so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. Then his wife Jerash and all his friends said to him, let a gallows 50 cubits high, that's9:21 75 feet high. Let a gallows 75 feet high be made, and in the morning, tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it, then go joyfully with the king to the feast. This idea pleased Haman,9:33 and he had the gallows made. What do you do when your enemy is building gallows on which to hang you? You fast and pray.9:45 Let's pray right now over this word. Father, in Jesus' name, I ask that the words of my mouth would be pleasing in your sight and that the meditation of all of our hearts will also be pleasing in your sight.9:58 I pray you sow seeds of holy discontent in every single heart that we will not be satisfied with where we are, that we will not just settle for the status quo, that we will not10:10 let whatever's happening to us be just normal and eventually depressing or gut wrenching or10:22 or hardship. No. No. No. Lord, I pray that today, every person hearing this word will start to stir their spirits to action in fasting and in10:33 prayer. And through this process, help us to see Jesus. Him and him only, in his mighty name we pray. And everybody said, amen. Amen. Amen. God bless you at all10:45 locations. Okay. So you need a miracle. Here's my first thought. I want you to write this down. In your notes, write this down. You've tried other things. Now try fasting. You've tried other things.10:57 Now try fasting. You've tried medical prescriptions. You've tried therapy and counseling. You've tried talking it out.11:09 You've tried working harder. You've tried working overtime. You've tried new friends. You've tried new clothes. You've tried new diets. You've tried new11:21 fads, new style. Hey, you've tried it. Now try fasting. Because here's the thing, fasting does something for you that heaven offers11:33 that nothing in this world can accomplish in your life. And I've got from this text, I got 7 benefits of fasting. Just picking up the story once again11:45 in Esther 5 1. Just notice this little textual hint here. The the scripture says, on the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace. Okay. On the third day of11:57 what? Well, to to to know the answer to that, just back up to chapter 4 verse 16, what Esther had just called for. It says that she said to Mordecai, gather all the Jews to be found in12:09 Susa and hold a fast on my behalf and do not eat or drink for how many days? 3 days. You say, pastor, why are we doing 7 if they only did 3? And I understand that question, but only notice12:21 that they didn't eat or drink. This is an extreme fast for extreme conditions. So we are doing an extreme fast, but we're gonna drink for 7 days instead of not You can't do a true, true fast total fast of no eating and12:33 drinking for more than 3 days. It's unhealthy. You'll you'll die. But but this was an extreme fast, and it was to last for 3 days. And she said, and I'm gonna do the same thing with my young women, and then I will go to12:44 the king. And if it even if it's against the law, and if I perish, I perish. So she is facing a trap. She is Batman clasped to the rotating contraption hovering over12:56 the tank of sharks. And she says, we gotta fast. So they fast. And on the third day of the fast listen to this. On the third day of the fast, they fasted 1, 2, 3, This is the end of the fast,13:08 and things start moving in the spiritual realm on Esther's behalf. And I just think that somebody needs to hear this today. You have got no movement13:20 in the spiritual life and you're wondering what is going on? Why am I so stuck? Why can't I get any traction? Why can't we get this fixed? Why can't I accomplish this plan? Why can't I get victory over this? It's because13:31 you need to fast and pray. And Jesus told us that we need to be people who fast and pray regularly. And I wanna know I wanna know, maybe some of you need to hear this text from Jesus13:43 because he assumed we would fast in Matthew chapter 6 17. And he writes this or he said this, when you fast, anoint your head with oil, wash your face, and your fasting will not be seen by others. But when your father13:54 who is in secret sees you fast, the scripture says that your father will what? The last 2 words. The father will reward you. I don't know about you, but I like rewards.14:07 I sign up for the reward card. I got a reward card for every grocery store, every shoe place. I mean, got reward cards everywhere. I'm14:19 so thankful for iPhones now. A lot of them times, you can just put them on your wallet or on your iPhone. But I love rewards. There are heavenly rewards waiting for you when you fast and pray. And14:30 make no mistake about this text. The the first verse of Esther 5 is deliberately saying that after 3 days of fasting, stuff, spiritual things14:42 started to move in a positive direction for Esther and the people of God. 7 benefits of fasting, and then we're done. Number 1, write this down. Boldness. Boldness. Some of you14:54 need boldness in your life. You cannot be a Christian without boldness. You can't. The Bible says that there's a God in this world that is out to get you, and he15:06 wants you to shrink back. He wants you to get all scared and nervous and anxious and and worried about your future. He wants you living far15:18 less than where God has you. And and and frankly, just to put it simply, the devil wants to scare you. He's a roaring Peter says he's a roaring lion. You know what a roaring lion is? Just an image of15:30 of fear. He's a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And and Esther, up to chapter 4 in the book, she's just a scared little mouse. She she hears that15:42 the edict has been proclaimed that her people are going to be annihilated in 11 months. And Mordecai says, you gotta go. You you've come to the kingdom for this such a time as you gotta go talk15:54 to the king. And she's like, well, I don't know. He hasn't called me. I don't know where our relationship stands. I used to get chocolates on a regular basis and now nothing, and I don't think he's16:05 into me anymore. And Mordecai's like, are you kidding me? You're gonna die anyway. You have got to step up and show up. And I wonder who needs to do that in your16:17 life. You gotta step up. You gotta show up. Hey, fathers. You gotta step up and show up in the home. Hey, moms. You gotta step up and show up in your in your marriage, in your family. Who needs to step16:29 up and show up in their business? And you've allowed the devil to just roar you into a closet of fear and anxiety and trepidation. And what I see happening in in16:41 Esther's life is after the fast, on the third day, she sister's got boldness. She's got boldness. Look it again. She stood. She put on her royal robes, verse 1,16:53 stood in the inner court of the king's palace, just went right into his palace and just presented herself. That's what we are given in Christ Jesus. The ability17:05 to put ourselves into the presence of the king with boldness. The scripture says that that we can come before the throne of God's grace17:17 with boldness, knowing that he will hear us. He will respond to us. And some of you, you have been shrinking back. You might not even realize it. You've been shrinking back in life. You've been shrinking back in your17:29 spirit. You've been kinda letting the devil pow, boom, boom. He's hitting you. He's pushing you back. Pow, boom. And you're strapped with fear, holding back your wrist, and you need can we do it again? You need Batman's17:40 power and bonus. Just kapow. Bam. Boo. Boo. In Jesus name, devil, step off. Like, thank you to Michael in the back. He's on top of it. But but this is this is what I'm17:52 asking you to think about in your life. Where do you have fear where you need to have faith? And you're not gonna have faith if there's no boldness in your life. I wonder who here's lost your18:03 nerve in the faith. You've you've you've gone cold with expecting things to work out in your favor. You've allowed the increase of18:15 wickedness in our culture to to to shroud you, to to cause you to fear and and grow anxious. And I I I don't think that God's people18:27 are made to be there. And I am expecting, I am confident that if you fast and pray, you might not feel it while you're fasting and praying, and that's just a qualifier18:38 here. None of these things are you really gonna feel while you fast and pray. But on the third day come on, somebody. On the seventh day, man, there's gonna be a breakthrough in the spiritual realm, and boldness is18:50 coming back into your life or maybe for the first time in your life. Do you understand that the Bible says that's that fear is a spirit? Fear is a spirit. All the young people listen to me. I say19:02 this to you all the time. But anxiety, man, that's not a chemical. It's a spirit. It's a spirit. Your your social anxiety disorder, it's a spirit. It's the devil19:14 having his way with you. It's your flesh thinking you're a nobody. It's the it's the world pushing you into a corner, and you need Christ to rise up in you. Because my bible tells me in second Timothy19:26 1 7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sound mind. Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.19:37 That's the first benefit that some of you desperately need of fasting. Here's benefit number 2, favor. Oh, like this 1. I love this 1 Because when Esther and the19:49 Jews fast and pray and Esther gets bowed and walks into the presence of the king, he extends his scepter to her. The20:01 Bible says in chapter 5 verse 2, and when the king saw queen Esther standing in the court, she won say the word, everybody. She won favor in his sight. Circle favor in your20:13 notes if you got them out. And he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. Let me tell you how this is important. Because in chapter20:25 2 of Esther, there's favor all over this girl. She's got natural beauty, and then she's just got, like, this charm that just captivates20:36 everyone who's in her presence. The king's eunuchs just favor her, and God favors her. And then she walks into the king's presence in Esther chapter 2, and20:48 he favors her. And there's just favor over her life. Okay. But but listen, this is something that some of you are going to resonate with. From Esther chapter 221:00 all the way to Esther chapter 5, that's a distance of about 3 to 4 years. And there's no mention of favor over Esther's life. There's none for those 3 to 4 years.21:12 And I wonder who needs to think about this for a moment. When you started out with Christ, you could feel and sense God's favor. You saw supernatural, serendipitous21:24 blessing come into your life. But if you're honest, it's been a while since you've seen it. You you haven't received favor like you had in the21:35 early days of your faith. Or maybe you're just realizing it now as I'm talking to you that you're like, where is that divine favor over my life? You know what fasting does? It gets the favor back.21:48 It gets the favor back. Come on. This is an ancient king. Ancient kings were on to another woman every single week of the year. He Esther's old news.22:00 But but he sees her, and I have no doubt that her boldness because this is the truth. Women men love a bold woman. My my wife came and found me. She's the 1 that came and talked to22:12 me. But anyway, she's got boldness in the presence of God or in the presence of the king, and and and he takes notice of her, and favor comes upon. I think about some of you think that Christianity is, oh,22:24 maybe I don't know. God might know. It is not that. It is march into the presence of God expecting him to hear you and know that he is for you, and he wants to bless you.22:37 And she gets that. Boldness and then favor, and I think that some of you need to get the favor back. When Jesus was on this Earth with his disciples, he didn't fast and pray, and they criticized him for22:49 it. They said, look, Jesus, why don't you fast and pray? We fast and pray all the time. The Pharisees fasted twice a week. Why don't you fast and pray? Jesus responds to them in Matthew chapter 9 verse 15. He says, can22:59 the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Translation, I'm here. They don't need to fast and pray. I'm here. And if you have Jesus Christ physically in the flesh standing next to you, walking with23:11 you through life, let me tell you something. You don't need to fast and pray. He'll just move the traffic out of the way. He'll just, you know, he'll just remove the enemy. He'll just heal the sick. Now you don't need to23:23 fast and pray. But notice what Jesus says in Matthew 9 15. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. Notice what Jesus is saying. And this these are the days23:35 that we live in. The bridegroom has gone to heaven. Jesus has gone to heaven. And he it's been a long time we've been waiting for him to come back. And what are we supposed to do? We're supposed to fast and pray. Because23:46 I believe when we don't feel God, and some of you will go through seasons in your life, don't feel God, it's that time when you need to say, I don't I'm not sensing God's work in my life. I don't see the favor in my23:55 life. And I know it's not a feeling all the time, but just the favor of God and just knowing that he's with you and just, you know, that confidence that fast and pray. It's you gotta get it back. You gotta go back to to24:06 where you began sometimes. And maybe you've never fasted before, but what fasting and prayer does is it just kinda humbles yourself to that place where you came to Christ, humble, broken, contrite because of your sins,24:17 because of your messed up life, and you came humble. And fasting is let me get back to that humility so that I know that God is gonna move and stir something up inside of me. So boldness, favor. Here's number24:29 3, an open heaven. Benefits of fasting, an open heaven. And this is what Esther gets. She gets this golden offer from the king. It's said24:41 twice. I I showed it to you. Verse 3, when the king saw her, he said to her, what is it queen Esther? Whatever whatever you want, up to you, the half of my kingdom. Later, verse 6, and when they were eating and drinking24:53 wine at the feast, the king said to Esther, what is your wish? It shall be granted to you. What is your request even in the half of my kingdom? When scripture repeats something, it's meant to draw us into focus on it,25:03 and here's what Esther was given when she fasted and prayed. When the people fasted and prayed, she got an open invitation to make her requests known to the king. And I believe that's true for you.25:15 See, what fasting does, it deprives the flesh of what earth offers so that the spirit can receive what heaven25:27 offers. And I'm I'm just telling you that we live in a consumer culture in this country. There are golden arches on every street corner. There are Dunkin' Donuts25:39 next to every, you know, outlet mall, everywhere. You can just appease the fleshly appetite at any moment. And you might not realize this, but your flesh, your your25:51 stomach is a spoiled, rotten brat. It really is. Do you understand that you don't need to eat nearly as much as you think you do? You don't. I mean, I think most of America is case in point that you don't need to eat26:02 nearly as much as you think you do. And some of you are shooting up drugs to make sure that you remember that chemically. But I got news for you, your body needs discipline. Your body needs to be denied26:14 because it if you feed this beast, the flesh, I'm talking about my body. If you feed this beast, it just gets grosser and bigger and gnarlier and more controlling. And the best way26:26 to win some battles in the spiritual is to starve that sucker. Starve it. You know, I this might sound morbid, but I26:38 when I start a fast, I look forward to the hunger pains. I do. It sounds so morbid, but it's true. I look forward to that hunger pain because that first hunger pain, and it's gonna last. If you26:50 do this all 7 days, you're not gonna lose hunger pains for the first 2 days. But when they come, I start to say, that's right flesh. Take that. Oh Tim, you see27:02 what you you get under the the power of the Holy Spirit and I think you gotta look forward to the I mean it might be painful, it might be miserable, but but rejoice because what you're doing is27:14 you're beating that flesh into the ground to say, you're not in charge. The Holy Spirit is in charge of my life. And we get an open heaven. And what does27:26 heaven give us? Heaven gives us what earth can't give us. Letter a in your notes, the fruit of the spirit. Some of you need joy and love and peace and patience and kindness27:37 and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self control. These things come not from this world, they come from the holy spirit. And then I thought about there's another gift that heaven gives through the Holy27:49 Spirit, through fasting and prayer, and it's the leading. Let it be in your notes. The leading of the spirit. You need direction. You need to know where to go. You need to understand the times. You need to know what to27:59 say to the person who's confronting you. You need to know how to talk to the person that you've got to reconcile with. You've gotta learn how to parent, or you've gotta learn how to do the job well. And and God's given28:10 you a mouth, but you keep bumbling and stumbling in your words. But God wants to give you leading on how to walk in confidence. Acts chapter 13, while they were praying, worshiping the28:22 Lord, and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul. I I it's 1 of my favorite passages of the Bible. Acts chapter 13 verse 2. Because it's saying,28:35 whole the Holy Spirit speaks when when we fast and pray. Who needs to hear from the Holy Spirit? Which brings me to number 4 benefit of fasting and prayer.28:47 Write this down, discernment. Oh, my friends, this one's big. This 1 is huge. And I get this from Esther chapter 5. I do. So28:59 she's got boldness. She's got favor. She's got an open heaven. She's got the king literally saying to her, ask whatever you want, and I'll give it to you. And amazingly, Esther doesn't say, well,29:11 there is this law on the books that needs to be removed. The reason why she doesn't say that is because she understood the kingdom of Persia. The kingdom of29:23 Persia, if the rule was if a law is in place, the law never gets revoked. It's been repeated in the book of Esther several times up until this moment. So she understands. Let me just29:35 say it like this. She has discerned the times in which she has lived. So she comes up with this weird plan. Like, I don't you you look at it. When you look at this, it's like, what are you29:46 doing, girl? Look at verse 4. And Esther said, if it pleased the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared. Really? That's your plan? That you're gonna throw a29:58 party. And and this is your means to delivering the Jews from annihilation. Okay. Think about this. Well, you've never thought about it, but30:10 I had time to think about this. That's what my job is, and so I've I looked at the whole book of Esther, and I and I found something out about the book of Esther that's so cool. Alright. Here we go. Did you know that30:19 there are 7 feasts in the book of Esther? In fact, the book is just covered with feasts. Feasts dominate the whole stinking story. In the first chapter, there's 2 feasts going on.30:30 There's, no. There's 3 feasts. There's, King Xerxes' first feast of 6 months, then his 7 day after party feast, and then Vashti's personal private feast with her lady friends, and then there's Esther's feast in chapter30:42 2. And now she's gonna throw 2 feasts in chapter 5 and 6, and then there's gonna be another feast when the Jews finally get victory over their enemies, and now that leads to30:54 the feast of Purim, a feast that the Jewish people to this day celebrate every single year. You know what Esther did? You know why she called for a feast? Because she knew how31:06 this she knew how this kingdom ticked. She knew what got Xerxes' attention. This guy liked a good party.31:18 And the reason why she doesn't just come out and say, I need you to deliver my people from annihilation is she used discernment given to her by the Holy Spirit, listen to this, to speak31:30 Xerxes' language. I wonder who needs to know how to speak the language of the people you're dealing with. I wonder who needs to know how to31:41 talk in such a way that your voice starts to win people over in your life. I wonder who needs to, through this fasting31:53 and prayer time, let the Holy Spirit come and and put a guard over your mouth. Because if you're honest today, you'll say, my mouth gets me in so much trouble. And and some of you, you32:06 you boast about that. Oh, 0, my mouth always gets me in trouble. And and really, under the surface, it it bugs you to death that you just can't keep your mouth from getting you in trouble.32:17 And I think that this is what God God's gonna do in some of your lives this week as you fast and pray. He's gonna put a guard over your mouth, and then he's gonna give you discernment on how to read the room, to32:29 read the community, to read the family member, to read the marriage partner, and start speaking in a way that brings favor into your life with them. What Paul says in Philippians, so32:41 powerful, he says, it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and discernment. We can't just love people. We need knowledge and discernment on how to love. We need to love with discernment.32:51 Some people need different things than we are able to give. We need discernment to know that. The word for discernment in the Greek from Philippians 1 9 is We get the word thesis from this. It means to33:03 understand the real nature of something, to understand. You might see it 1 way, but discernment gives you a backstage view of what's really going on. And some of you, I'm telling you, I'm so33:14 excited for this to happen in you because you've never operated in discernment, and this is gonna be the first time in your life you don't just see things on face value. You can see behind the thing, and you can33:26 start speaking in such a way that you start to move things with your mouth in a positive direction in your life with your children, with your spouse, with your family, with your boss, with33:38 your employees. And God's gonna give you grace and a conversation gift that's seasoned with salt. What what Paul what Paul talks about. Season your conversation with salt so that people wanna hear33:50 more of what you're saying. Man, we need this now more than ever before in a world of confusion. We need discernment on what's true and what's right and what's good. And Esther just she's just got it. She just starts34:01 nailing this. Number 5, benefit of of fasting. Peace under pressure. This 1. 0, somebody needs this 1 in their life. You ever think about the fact34:13 that the Bible says in verse 4 that she said, if it pleased the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast I prepared. And then later, and this is not on the screen yet, but later, verse 8,34:25 during that feast, the king makes another offer, have whatever you want. Open heaven again. And she said, okay. I'm gonna throw a feast tomorrow, and I want you and Haman to come then again. Haman.34:37 I get I get inviting the king to the feast, but I don't get Haman. But this is the discernment at work. And she she has given she has been given34:49 spiritual discernment. I don't I don't even know if she was really thinking this out. I think the spirit was guy I think the Holy Spirit was guiding her. But here's what I thought about, and you got to think about this.35:01 The guy who literally signed the edict, wrote the document to kill her people, is gonna be eating at the table with her.35:14 And I just had this thought. How do you eat in the presence of your enemy? How do you eat when you know the people in the table are35:25 coming for you? Oh, my friends. You might know that passage from Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie I don't want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He35:37 leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Your rod and your staff, they35:46 comfort me. You prepare a table before me. Where? In the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I35:58 will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever and ever. And David had gotten a hold of what of what Esther got a hold of in Esther 5 through fasting and prayer, that when you are filled with the spirit36:10 of God through fasting and prayer, you can have peace in the presence of your enemies. Somebody is facing somebody in your life, and they're coming36:22 at you, and they're harassing you, and you're like, they're just getting inside. It's 1 thing for enemies to be outside of you, but how many know they so often get up inside of you? You know what you need. You need36:33 peace. You need peace in the pressure. Number 6, fasting gives patience in the process of God's deliverance. I wanna do this 1 real quick because it's about patience. And I don't like talking about36:45 patience because I don't like patience. That's why it's a gift of the Holy Spirit. But here's what you see. Now back to Esther chapter 5 verse 8. She's got patience. She's like having feast day36:57 after feast day, and she's not in a rush. And to me, it's like, man, if I I if there's a if there's an edict that's about to come from my people, I'm like, let me let me get this thing fixed quick. That's me. I like to37:07 think I I like to fix things quick. But discernment added to peace yields patience. Are you hearing that? Discernment, knowing what to do, added to peace in the presence of your37:18 enemies leads to leads to patience in the process. So she she invites him to the next night, and then things really start to roll in the next chapter. I love this passage from James chapter37:30 5. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. Be patient about it being patient about it until it receives the earthly early and late37:40 rains. You also be patient. And then this next line, establish your hearts. What is fasting and prayer? Father, some of you some of you, this gotta be your prayer this week. Father, put some patience in here. I37:52 need my heart established so that I'm not freaking out at everybody, so that I'm not worried all the time, so that I'm not, always complaining about where I am in life. How often it is so easy to fall into just complaint38:04 central and just start you're not praying, you're just complaining to God. You're just telling him all of these things. Everything's not work. I don't know why. Where are you? And I and I get it. You should complain38:14 because he'll hear you and he will respond. But sometimes we gotta realize that all we've done for the last couple of weeks with our prayer life is complain, and we now need to be patient and to know that the latter38:26 rains are on the way. Colossians chapter 1 verse 11 says, we also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so that you will have the endurance and patience you need. Underline you need.38:39 You need it. May you be filled with joy. I think joy is on the other side of patience, but patience is on the other side of discernment and peace. And finally,38:50 number 7, benefits of fasting, frustration in the enemy. Frustration in the in the enemy. Now this this 1 doesn't come to you. This 1 comes to your39:02 enemy, and I'm not talking about people. It might be people, but you got a spiritual enemy that needs that that you can frustrate. Listen to me very carefully, Waters Church people. Listen to me, everybody watching meShow more
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