WEBVTT - The Importance of Fasting and Prayer 0:00:00.380 --> 0:00:04.430 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.460 --> 0:00:08.390 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:10.490 Well, I got to take you to Alaska. I need 0:00:10.490 --> 0:00:12.830 some give me some Alaska bumper music here. We got 0:00:12.830 --> 0:00:13.610 to go north. Here. 0:00:13.850 --> 0:00:14.990 Alaska bumper music. 0:00:15.020 --> 0:00:17.990 Yeah. Give me some Alaska bumper music. Give me something there. Man. 0:00:17.989 --> 0:00:22.220 Up in Alaska, the state that stands alone. No dog race. 0:00:22.220 --> 0:00:24.200 Run from Anchorage to Nome. 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:25.460 They're doing it right now. 0:00:25.489 --> 0:00:28.670 Yes. Race with the lightning. Pace with the chilly winds. 0:00:28.670 --> 0:00:31.729 Do well beneath the northern lights. Cross snow and the ice. 0:00:31.730 --> 0:00:33.410 And it's called the Iditarod Trail. 0:00:33.409 --> 0:00:35.269 They had to move the start, didn't they? 0:00:35.510 --> 0:00:38.690 They moved the start to Fairbanks because of lack of 0:00:38.690 --> 0:00:43.430 snow over once early stretch of the race called the burn. 0:00:44.300 --> 0:00:46.040 Yeah. Lit. 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:47.270 Turn it up here a little bit. 0:00:47.300 --> 0:00:49.550 I did, I did I did the I did it right. 0:00:49.850 --> 0:00:52.220 Okay. There we go. That's good enough. I can't take 0:00:52.220 --> 0:00:52.880 too much of that. 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:53.419 That's fair. 0:00:53.450 --> 0:00:56.000 We need a new one. Should have contracted with Boston 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:57.410 to write it. And I did a run song. 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.310 Man, that would be a pretty epic. Yeah. Too late. 0:01:00.550 --> 0:01:03.430 Uh, so here's the deal. The Iditarod is going right now. 0:01:03.460 --> 0:01:06.520 In fact, I texted my buddy Mitch Seavey the day 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:08.680 before he took off and just told him I was 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.039 praying for him, and he responded, thank you so much. He's, uh, 0:01:12.069 --> 0:01:14.950 he's a competitor. They're out in it right now. I 0:01:14.950 --> 0:01:17.920 think right now, Mitch and the teams are moving toward 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:21.220 the Yukon River, and it's an epic race. I want 0:01:21.250 --> 0:01:23.410 to take you back to a place, though. It's called 0:01:23.410 --> 0:01:26.649 Happy Valley. They should have renamed it Unhappy Valley. You 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:29.709 come out of, um. You know, we're about 100 miles 0:01:29.709 --> 0:01:32.050 into the race, and you come off of a lake 0:01:32.050 --> 0:01:36.309 and you go down. It's called the steps. And, I mean, 0:01:36.310 --> 0:01:40.810 it is almost vertical. And if you can survive that, 0:01:40.810 --> 0:01:42.850 you got a big chunk of the race behind you. 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:46.270 One little stretch about, I don't know, a quarter mile. 0:01:46.330 --> 0:01:50.470 And it's just going right into a gorge. And I 0:01:50.470 --> 0:01:54.370 was navigating it pretty well. And I got down near 0:01:54.370 --> 0:01:58.000 this is 1979. I'm competing in the Iditarod Trail Sled 0:01:58.030 --> 0:02:00.200 Dog Race, and I got down near the bottom and 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:04.190 my sled just took a quick dive to the left. 0:02:04.190 --> 0:02:08.510 I somehow got over a stump. Tree stump of some 0:02:08.510 --> 0:02:12.410 consequence and it was right below snow level, and it 0:02:12.410 --> 0:02:15.710 just tore my sled up and threw me further into 0:02:15.710 --> 0:02:18.650 the ditch. And I'm sitting there in a heap and 0:02:18.650 --> 0:02:21.320 my dogs are looking back at me like, man, what 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:24.889 was that? And at that point, I still had 13 0:02:24.889 --> 0:02:28.070 dogs in my team, and I don't know what I 0:02:28.070 --> 0:02:31.160 was thinking, but I'm like, I got to wrestle this 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:33.859 sled back up onto the trail. I'm about six feet 0:02:33.860 --> 0:02:36.770 off the trail in deep, deep snow. I can get 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:40.340 no traction at all, and every time I'd push, my 0:02:40.340 --> 0:02:43.280 legs would go deeper into the snow. And then it 0:02:43.310 --> 0:02:45.590 dawned on me. I got a dog team hooked to 0:02:45.620 --> 0:02:46.550 this sled. 0:02:47.510 --> 0:02:49.940 You don't have to do it so much by yourself. 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:53.120 And I just looked at him and I said, guys, 0:02:54.410 --> 0:02:58.120 and the command is not mush. You say hike. And 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:02.290 I said hike! Hike! And they leaned into those harnesses 0:03:02.290 --> 0:03:05.830 and they pulled that now pretty smashed up sled up 0:03:05.830 --> 0:03:10.390 out of the ditch, back onto the trail. That's what 0:03:10.389 --> 0:03:15.040 I'm proposing between now and Resurrection Sunday for you. I 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.830 want you to join me on something. We've called our 0:03:17.830 --> 0:03:23.950 church One-eighty Chicago, to a fast starting today. Today is lent. 0:03:24.730 --> 0:03:28.330 I want you to join me. Not a full water 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:31.840 fast and no food for 40 days, but one meal. 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:34.810 If you're medically able to do this. If you're healthy 0:03:34.810 --> 0:03:38.230 enough to do this. If you're not, maybe just move 0:03:38.230 --> 0:03:41.080 it a little bit later and spend one meal a 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:44.350 day where you are seeking the face of God to 0:03:44.380 --> 0:03:48.700 overcome that one thing that's got you in the ditch spiritually, 0:03:49.270 --> 0:03:53.410 that's holding you back from running the race, holding you 0:03:53.410 --> 0:03:56.870 back from all that God has for you. You know, 0:03:56.870 --> 0:03:59.960 sometimes we wrestle with ourselves trying to get ourselves out 0:03:59.960 --> 0:04:01.790 of the ditch. Did you know you're hooked up to 0:04:01.820 --> 0:04:05.450 God and he's got all the juice you need? Yeah, 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.560 every bit of it. You say, Carl, do you believe 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:11.900 this stuff? I believe it. 0:04:12.500 --> 0:04:12.890 Yeah. 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:14.510 And I want you to taste it. 0:04:14.810 --> 0:04:17.719 Carl, before we give out this resource. This is something 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:23.180 that popped into my mind. Fasting is not transactional in 0:04:23.180 --> 0:04:26.090 the sense of I'm going to not eat so that 0:04:26.089 --> 0:04:28.130 God will give me something. Correct? 0:04:28.580 --> 0:04:31.820 No, this is about aligning our lives with the power 0:04:31.820 --> 0:04:35.990 source in our life, saying I'm desperate for you. Yes, 0:04:36.980 --> 0:04:40.940 it's just saying, God, I need you. You don't say 0:04:40.970 --> 0:04:45.890 hike to God. No, you say, God, pull me out 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.890 of here. And I don't know what it is. I 0:04:48.890 --> 0:04:51.589 don't know what that one thing is that's really holding 0:04:51.589 --> 0:04:54.170 you back from everything God has for you. But if. 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:56.900 If you want to know the most important day on 0:04:56.900 --> 0:05:00.770 the calendar for every Christ follower, it ain't January 1st, 0:05:00.770 --> 0:05:04.640 it is Resurrection Sunday. And I want to give you 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:14.570 a resource. I gave a message some time ago. You 0:05:14.570 --> 0:05:17.359 can listen to it. You can scroll forward through the 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:19.820 worship set. You can enjoy it if you want, whatever 0:05:19.820 --> 0:05:21.560 you want to do with it. Or you can just 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:24.830 go right down to an ebook, a little overview of 0:05:24.830 --> 0:05:28.669 its compilation that my bride put together of 30 different 0:05:28.670 --> 0:05:32.750 resources on fasting, practical things, how to fast, how to 0:05:33.020 --> 0:05:37.040 position your heart, why we fast. What we can fast 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:41.150 for all the ways that we're in the ditch. Man 0:05:41.330 --> 0:05:45.260 in a snowbank asking God, can you get me back 0:05:45.260 --> 0:05:47.150 on the trail? I want to run this race like 0:05:47.150 --> 0:05:51.529 never before and God can do it. We're calling this 0:05:51.529 --> 0:05:54.950 40 day fast, which the way the sequencing works up 0:05:54.950 --> 0:05:58.790 to Resurrection Sunday is every Sunday is a feast day, 0:05:58.790 --> 0:06:02.000 but every day, starting today, just skip one meal. Lean 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:06.050 into God. And then on Sundays, it's a feast day. 0:06:06.050 --> 0:06:08.089 If you want to join us and you want to 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:11.960 know some tips on fasting, get this link right now. 0:06:12.589 --> 0:06:13.729 Real simple to get. 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:19.520 Yeah, just text the word hungry. Hungry to 800 555 7898. 0:06:19.550 --> 0:06:25.400 The word is hungry and only the word hungry to (800) 555-7898. 0:06:25.430 --> 0:06:26.990 That links right in there for you. 0:06:27.710 --> 0:06:31.880 Yeah. Godspeed to you guys. God can do what you 0:06:31.910 --> 0:06:34.880 cannot do. Stop wrestling. Call on the name of God. 0:06:34.910 --> 0:06:37.640 Text hungry hungry to our number here and we'll get 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:38.810 that resource to you. 0:06:38.900 --> 0:06:43.640 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio, which is a 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:44.089 lot of. 0:06:44.089 --> 0:06:48.859 Teachings that are their call on our life. But then 0:06:48.890 --> 0:06:51.380 you stumble into these teachings, especially in the sermon on 0:06:51.380 --> 0:06:56.830 the Mount that Assumptions are made by Jesus that I 0:06:56.830 --> 0:07:00.070 don't know that we linger there long enough. One of 0:07:00.070 --> 0:07:05.380 them is when you fast. Not if you fast when 0:07:05.380 --> 0:07:07.600 you fast. Has that ever struck you, Ali? 0:07:07.630 --> 0:07:11.260 Yes. Because when you think about all of the time 0:07:11.260 --> 0:07:15.190 we spend talking about prayer, that is certainly the expectation 0:07:15.190 --> 0:07:18.700 for the Christian. I don't know that fasting is as 0:07:18.700 --> 0:07:23.410 much a part of our conversations or our spiritual disciplines. 0:07:23.410 --> 0:07:28.060 Yeah. Ronnie, when you give to the needy, when you pray. 0:07:28.060 --> 0:07:31.270 But when you fast right there in the sermon on 0:07:31.270 --> 0:07:33.070 the Mount, you can't miss it, can you, Ronnie? 0:07:33.100 --> 0:07:37.360 You really can't, Carl. And sometime we try to miss it, 0:07:37.390 --> 0:07:40.360 or we just miss it, or we just read fast 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:44.020 and don't pay attention. But, you know, fasting is mentioned 0:07:44.050 --> 0:07:49.090 69 times in the Scripture in 57 verses. And obviously 0:07:49.090 --> 0:07:52.910 Jesus talked about it and Jesus practiced it, as well 0:07:52.910 --> 0:07:55.760 as the New Testament church as well as so many others, 0:07:55.790 --> 0:07:59.300 not only in biblical times, but in history and even today. 0:07:59.300 --> 0:08:02.060 And so, you know, God can do great things when 0:08:02.060 --> 0:08:03.170 we obey God. 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:07.070 Doctor Ronnie Floyd, our guest this morning, speaker, author, encourager 0:08:07.070 --> 0:08:10.340 of Leaders The Next Generation, featuring a book today, The 0:08:10.340 --> 0:08:13.190 Supernatural Power of Prayer and Fasting. 0:08:13.220 --> 0:08:18.110 Ronnie, why did Jesus fast? In practical terms, he's the 0:08:18.110 --> 0:08:20.810 Son of God. Why did he fast? Was he simply 0:08:20.810 --> 0:08:23.030 modeling the way? I know we're getting into some deep 0:08:23.060 --> 0:08:24.920 theology here, but what do you say? 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:27.590 Well, that's pretty deep. And, you know, I've had a 0:08:27.620 --> 0:08:31.640 lot of questions asked me about this subject for years. 0:08:31.670 --> 0:08:33.920 I'm not sure I've ever had anyone ask me that 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:39.200 specific question. I do believe, Carl, that it definitely is 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:42.380 a model. I mean, why would Jesus be baptized? It 0:08:42.380 --> 0:08:44.059 became a model. Why would he. 0:08:44.059 --> 0:08:44.900 Pray? Correct. 0:08:44.929 --> 0:08:48.110 You know, it would be a model. So I think 0:08:48.140 --> 0:08:53.170 it illustrates communion and Fellowship. There are things we do 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:57.819 at times that that we may not understand, but God 0:08:57.850 --> 0:09:00.880 honors them. And I think one of the things that 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:05.470 is really interesting about fasting is that it's it's almost 0:09:05.470 --> 0:09:09.819 mysterious with people, and they're not sure why that would happen. 0:09:09.820 --> 0:09:12.280 And they say, well, why does God bless that? If 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:15.730 he does? Well, I can assure you he does. But 0:09:15.730 --> 0:09:18.790 I believe it comes down to simple obedience to do 0:09:18.820 --> 0:09:22.000 what God says, that we would abstain from the most 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:26.020 natural thing we do, which is to eat. And we 0:09:26.020 --> 0:09:29.110 all enjoy eating. But in order to pursue the God 0:09:29.140 --> 0:09:32.170 of heaven, to do something in our life that only 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:33.280 God can do. 0:09:33.309 --> 0:09:36.189 Doctor Ronnie Floyd, our guest this morning. Okay, so we've 0:09:36.220 --> 0:09:39.550 established that all Christians are called to fast. Is fasting 0:09:39.550 --> 0:09:43.270 just related to food? You hear about people doing a 0:09:43.300 --> 0:09:47.410 social media fast or a fast from Netflix or other 0:09:47.410 --> 0:09:50.160 things that they give up that are pleasurable for them 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.650 for the sake of drawing closer to God. Is this 0:09:52.650 --> 0:09:55.500 the same category, or is that something entirely different? 0:09:55.530 --> 0:09:59.940 Well, I believe the biblical model Ali is is what 0:09:59.940 --> 0:10:03.780 the Scripture says, obviously, and it's all relating to the 0:10:03.780 --> 0:10:08.459 matters of abstinence from food. Every one of those verses 0:10:08.460 --> 0:10:12.750 that are in the Bible and the word itself means, 0:10:12.780 --> 0:10:17.370 you know, not eat shut mouth. I mean, that's pretty clear. 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:21.150 At the same time, there are people who perhaps cannot 0:10:21.150 --> 0:10:26.340 fast due to physical reasons, or perhaps they have some 0:10:26.340 --> 0:10:30.270 kind of disease or something, and they're on medication. Maybe 0:10:30.270 --> 0:10:33.510 they need to limit whatever fast they did. But I 0:10:33.510 --> 0:10:35.640 think when you really come down to it, I mean, 0:10:35.670 --> 0:10:38.100 I think you all probably have found this in your life. 0:10:38.100 --> 0:10:43.950 Whenever you really sacrifice something you do enjoy, but you 0:10:43.950 --> 0:10:46.530 put a pause on it for a season so you 0:10:46.530 --> 0:10:50.500 can do something better in this situation pursue God, which 0:10:50.500 --> 0:10:54.520 is always much better. I believe God honors that. You know, 0:10:54.550 --> 0:10:57.400 I can't testify that that you know that that's the 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:00.340 biblical model. I know what the biblical model is, but 0:11:00.340 --> 0:11:04.000 I'm not demeaning that and by any means, and I'm 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:07.060 not minimizing it because I believe God will honor that. 0:11:07.059 --> 0:11:09.309 When a person's heart is right, it's all about our 0:11:09.309 --> 0:11:11.830 heart and what our intent is. 0:11:11.860 --> 0:11:15.640 Rodney Floyd, our guest right now. Ronnie, coming up here, 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:20.020 I want to tackle some of that blue sky vision for, 0:11:20.050 --> 0:11:22.270 as you've written in your book, 12 Ways God Will 0:11:22.270 --> 0:11:26.950 Change Your Life The Supernatural Power of Prayer and Fasting. 0:11:26.950 --> 0:11:31.929 I think people need a story and then some hope 0:11:31.929 --> 0:11:35.110 for why would I withhold food? And because a lot 0:11:35.110 --> 0:11:37.090 of us head into fasting and we're like, we're so 0:11:37.090 --> 0:11:39.370 focused on being hungry, the last thing we can do 0:11:39.370 --> 0:11:42.070 is talk with God. So let's break it down. A 0:11:42.070 --> 0:11:45.490 little vision for what fasting can do for you and me. 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:46.360 Coming up. 0:11:46.390 --> 0:11:49.319 You can take him out of Alaska, but you can't 0:11:49.350 --> 0:11:53.309 take Alaska out of him. Carl is in the crew. 0:11:53.340 --> 0:11:56.250 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:00.990 We've got our special guest with us today. Doctor Ronny Floyd, speaker, author, 0:12:01.020 --> 0:12:05.190 really a mentor of leaders. And he's written a phenomenal work. 0:12:05.190 --> 0:12:09.420 The Supernatural Power of Prayer and Fasting 12 Ways God 0:12:09.420 --> 0:12:12.600 Will Change Your Life. So how does he change us? 0:12:12.630 --> 0:12:15.870 We need a vision for what can be. Otherwise, this 0:12:15.870 --> 0:12:18.150 is going to be an arduous task and it can 0:12:18.150 --> 0:12:20.850 become very religious and empty. Ronny. 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.940 Well, there's no question about that. Just like anything else 0:12:23.940 --> 0:12:27.540 that we would try to do in the Christian life, 0:12:27.540 --> 0:12:31.560 I believe one of the greatest stories would be the 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.469 one that God creates in each one of us when 0:12:34.470 --> 0:12:37.740 we do it, and because it becomes what we call 0:12:37.740 --> 0:12:41.040 a testimony and, you know, the power of testimony. Yes. 0:12:41.070 --> 0:12:43.380 When you look at the Bible, there are so many 0:12:43.380 --> 0:12:48.160 testimonies of it, for example, Jehoshaphat Surrounded by the enemies. 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:51.340 There was no way out, and he proclaimed a fast 0:12:51.340 --> 0:12:55.450 and called people to fast and pray. And God delivered them. Uh, 0:12:55.450 --> 0:12:58.900 Ezra on his way to Jerusalem with the people, taking 0:12:58.900 --> 0:13:02.199 them back to the land, uh, knew he had to 0:13:02.230 --> 0:13:05.740 go through enemy territory. He had told the King how 0:13:05.740 --> 0:13:08.199 great God was, and God had given him the favor 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.719 of the king. But it dawned on him right before 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.750 he left. You know what? We're about to enter enemy territory. 0:13:13.750 --> 0:13:16.090 And you know, if I talk to the king and 0:13:16.090 --> 0:13:19.449 tell the king, you know that I need a cavalry. 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.059 I mean, that doesn't really show him how great our 0:13:22.059 --> 0:13:26.469 God is. So I proclaim to fast, to humble ourselves 0:13:26.470 --> 0:13:30.550 and to specifically ask God for a safe journey. And 0:13:30.550 --> 0:13:33.339 I think the passage there in Ezra eight is one 0:13:33.340 --> 0:13:36.250 of the premier chapters in the Bible that gives to 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:40.270 us this specifics that involve any kind of fast that 0:13:40.270 --> 0:13:43.900 we ever do, and God delivered them in that situation. 0:13:43.900 --> 0:13:47.520 Carl and Ali and, you know, there are so many others. 0:13:47.550 --> 0:13:49.980 I mean, you can think about the New Testament church. 0:13:49.980 --> 0:13:54.240 You think about Jesus's own life. I mean, think about this. 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:57.750 The Bible says when Jesus was baptized, the spirit came 0:13:57.750 --> 0:14:01.050 upon him like a dove, right? And then it says, 0:14:01.050 --> 0:14:03.660 he as he was being filled with the Holy Spirit, 0:14:03.690 --> 0:14:06.689 he was led into the wilderness. Some people, when they 0:14:06.690 --> 0:14:08.850 walk in the wilderness in their life, they think, well, 0:14:08.850 --> 0:14:12.750 surely God is not behind this. Well, the Lord led 0:14:12.750 --> 0:14:16.200 Jesus into the wilderness. Into the wilderness. He faced massive 0:14:16.230 --> 0:14:20.400 temptation for 40 days of not eating. And then what 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:23.760 did he say? When or what the Scripture said is 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:26.910 said that he came out of the wilderness empowered by 0:14:26.910 --> 0:14:30.450 the spirit. Uh, like the dynamo is the word there, 0:14:30.450 --> 0:14:33.870 like dynamite there. And then it was in that same 0:14:33.870 --> 0:14:37.230 situation that Jesus proclaimed, The Spirit of the Lord is 0:14:37.230 --> 0:14:41.280 upon me, and he has anointed me to preach the gospel. So, 0:14:41.310 --> 0:14:45.910 you know, even Jesus model this miraculous thing. And so 0:14:45.910 --> 0:14:50.050 I've experienced it personally in numerous occasions, which are part 0:14:50.050 --> 0:14:54.550 of my personal testimony, not just recently, but going back, 0:14:54.550 --> 0:14:57.070 even as a college student, going back to when my 0:14:57.070 --> 0:15:00.250 wife had cancer, going back to when I was compelled 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:03.130 to fast for for 40 days the first time, the 0:15:03.130 --> 0:15:05.530 Lord led me to do that. And what God did 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.800 to the times of praying for our church, or the 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:12.070 times of taking people on a journey of fasting and prayer, 0:15:12.070 --> 0:15:14.680 when we had people pray for their burdens and fast 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:16.990 for their burdens. And so, I mean, I could go 0:15:16.990 --> 0:15:21.040 on and on about it, obviously, but there is something 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:25.660 that happens uniquely, mysteriously, and I promise you, it is 0:15:25.660 --> 0:15:28.780 a supernatural power of God that intervenes in the midst 0:15:28.780 --> 0:15:33.730 of life when we obey God. The simplicity of obeying 0:15:33.730 --> 0:15:34.990 God's word. 0:15:35.020 --> 0:15:37.810 Doctor Ronnie Floyd, our guest right now. Now, you mentioned 0:15:37.810 --> 0:15:40.330 a couple of different miraculous things that you've seen as 0:15:40.330 --> 0:15:43.420 a result of prayer and fasting. What is the appropriate 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.350 motive to go into a fast with. Is it okay 0:15:47.350 --> 0:15:50.710 to fast because I want God to answer a specific prayer. 0:15:50.710 --> 0:15:53.050 Is it okay? I mean, not is it okay? But 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.090 is that the right motivation? I want God to answer 0:15:55.090 --> 0:15:57.430 my prayer, or I want him to prepare me for 0:15:57.430 --> 0:16:00.430 something I have coming up? Or it's sometimes it feels 0:16:00.430 --> 0:16:02.950 like our motives could potentially get off. We don't want 0:16:02.980 --> 0:16:05.950 to use this as a tool to try to manipulate God. 0:16:05.950 --> 0:16:07.360 How do we discern that? 0:16:07.390 --> 0:16:10.900 Well, I believe you have. You've named several reasons why 0:16:10.900 --> 0:16:13.840 we would do it. And I think that, you know, 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.360 if God if you know, God's not going to bless it, 0:16:16.390 --> 0:16:18.790 if he if you're trying to manipulate him. And I 0:16:18.790 --> 0:16:21.490 think I tell people this often, you know, fasting and 0:16:21.490 --> 0:16:23.440 prayer is not a couple of hoops to jump through 0:16:23.470 --> 0:16:26.620 in order to get God's favor. God's bigger than that. God. 0:16:26.620 --> 0:16:29.380 God looks at your heart, and I can assure you, 0:16:29.380 --> 0:16:31.480 when you look at the Scripture and the first chapter 0:16:31.480 --> 0:16:34.600 of the book is that I talk about an invitation 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:39.490 that God extends to us, that you cannot decline. It's 0:16:39.490 --> 0:16:43.240 how God shows us when we need to fast. And 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:45.130 I'm not seeing a lot of this, but this is 0:16:45.130 --> 0:16:47.890 brand new material. The Lord put in my heart as 0:16:47.890 --> 0:16:50.860 I was writing this book, and that could be some 0:16:50.860 --> 0:16:54.040 of the very things you mentioned. Like a need, like 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:57.190 a burden. It could be a spirit of restlessness that 0:16:57.190 --> 0:17:01.240 enters your life. It could be desperation. Perhaps somebody has 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.930 a disease. Perhaps you need an answered prayer, you know, 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.479 do we sell our home or do we not? Do 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:10.149 we take this new job or do we not? We 0:17:10.150 --> 0:17:13.179 need to draw aside and see what God says. Or 0:17:13.180 --> 0:17:16.600 maybe somebody just really desires a fresh touch from the 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:19.600 Lord and they feel like, you know, I need to 0:17:19.810 --> 0:17:22.150 spend time with God. I mean, I could go on 0:17:22.150 --> 0:17:25.090 and on for the reasons that the Lord may call 0:17:25.090 --> 0:17:27.910 you to do it, but many of those are modeled. 0:17:27.910 --> 0:17:31.420 Think about when Nehemiah, for example, in the Scripture, there 0:17:31.420 --> 0:17:34.899 was a need that arose and a burden came upon him, 0:17:34.900 --> 0:17:39.040 and he fasted and prayed about that burden. And God 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:42.240 sent him to go rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. 0:17:42.270 --> 0:17:48.420 Ronnie, does fasting change us or our circumstances more? 0:17:48.450 --> 0:17:54.060 I think that God often changes us to align with 0:17:54.060 --> 0:17:57.780 his purposes, and I think that that's what happens. He 0:17:57.780 --> 0:18:02.940 changes us. He can change circumstances. Some people ask, you know, 0:18:02.970 --> 0:18:05.850 do we change God when we pray and fast? Well, 0:18:05.850 --> 0:18:08.760 I'm not sure we ever change God. God is the 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:13.650 same yesterday, today and forever. He's always dependable. He is sovereign. 0:18:13.650 --> 0:18:16.979 He knows everything. But here's what I have found Carla 0:18:16.980 --> 0:18:20.100 and Ali. And this is one of the greatest treasures 0:18:20.100 --> 0:18:23.640 of fasting and praying is that when we fast and 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.450 pray and we give that specific need or that list 0:18:27.450 --> 0:18:31.169 of needs before the Lord, and we diligently withdraw and 0:18:31.170 --> 0:18:34.230 talk to him about them, you know what? Whether God 0:18:34.230 --> 0:18:37.620 answers those the way I had hoped or not, when 0:18:37.619 --> 0:18:41.629 I finish, it's really okay Because God is alive in 0:18:41.660 --> 0:18:45.500 my heart. God, I've given this to you. This is you. 0:18:45.530 --> 0:18:48.650 You do what you want to do. And we always 0:18:48.650 --> 0:18:51.290 don't get the answers to our times of prayer and 0:18:51.290 --> 0:18:54.229 fasting the very week we do it. Or week a 0:18:54.230 --> 0:18:58.130 week after that. You know, Daniel got an answer after 0:18:58.130 --> 0:19:01.310 the fast. And I think that many times God does 0:19:01.340 --> 0:19:05.000 answer our prayers after. But you know, God always is 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:09.410 fulfilling in your life, my life, everyone's life, his sovereign 0:19:09.410 --> 0:19:13.820 and providential will. And when our attitude lines up with that, 0:19:13.820 --> 0:19:18.260 it's almost like we realign our lives to God's will 0:19:18.260 --> 0:19:20.030 when we fast and pray. 0:19:20.060 --> 0:19:23.000 I want to give some practical kind of guidance or 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:24.860 ask you to do that for folks maybe who are 0:19:24.859 --> 0:19:27.500 brand new to it. What's a what's a good starting point? 0:19:27.530 --> 0:19:29.780 I mean, do I you mentioned you'd done a 40 0:19:29.810 --> 0:19:32.180 day fast. Do I skip a meal? Do I try 0:19:32.180 --> 0:19:35.900 to fast a day three days, seven days? What guidelines 0:19:35.900 --> 0:19:38.570 would you give someone who's new to this? Completely. 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:42.990 I would say this, Ali. Whether it's a pastor or 0:19:43.020 --> 0:19:45.900 ministry leader who's going to lead his church or his 0:19:45.900 --> 0:19:49.350 ministry into a season of fasting for a period, or 0:19:49.350 --> 0:19:52.950 whether it's an individual who's listening today, I think it's 0:19:52.950 --> 0:19:56.040 really critical. It's just like any other area of your 0:19:56.040 --> 0:19:59.159 Christian life. You just have to start where you are 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:02.220 and so be wise. And so what I would encourage 0:20:02.220 --> 0:20:04.710 people to do is to call a one mill fast. 0:20:04.710 --> 0:20:07.470 And that's where I would start. And, you know, you 0:20:07.470 --> 0:20:10.290 could tell, you know, you could decide, I'm going to 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:13.889 eat breakfast, I'm going to eat dinner today. But from 0:20:13.890 --> 0:20:17.909 9:00 to 5:00, I'm going to really try to draw 0:20:17.910 --> 0:20:20.639 a side in some of that time and seek the 0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:24.660 Lord about what's on my heart, especially during that 20 0:20:24.660 --> 0:20:27.960 to 30 minutes of when I normally eat. I'm going 0:20:27.990 --> 0:20:31.020 to get myself in God's Word and ask God to 0:20:31.050 --> 0:20:34.230 speak to me about what I'm talking to him about, 0:20:34.230 --> 0:20:37.680 and I think that that is the first step you 0:20:37.700 --> 0:20:42.710 sustain yourself with water and with juice and you'll be fine. 0:20:42.740 --> 0:20:45.230 You really will be fine. Now, when you get into 0:20:45.230 --> 0:20:49.280 extensive fasting, then you know you need to really consider 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:51.950 a lot of things. You might even need to consider 0:20:51.950 --> 0:20:55.760 talking to your doctor. You might need to consider your condition. Obviously, 0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:59.449 there's a lot of things, but starting at the basics, 0:20:59.450 --> 0:21:02.420 I would start with a one meal fast, and then 0:21:02.420 --> 0:21:06.080 I might go to a one day fast at another time, 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:08.330 and then I may go to a three day fast. 0:21:08.330 --> 0:21:11.480 And because all of those are different points and they 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:15.260 all are points of growth in our Christian experience. 0:21:15.290 --> 0:21:18.620 Love it. This is powerhouse. This is powerhouse. Boom crew. 0:21:18.650 --> 0:21:20.359 You want a link for this? We got it for you. 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:24.080 It's called the supernatural Power of Prayer and Fasting 12 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:26.570 Ways God Will Change Your Life. And I want you 0:21:26.570 --> 0:21:29.899 to get this link right now. Just text the word 0:21:29.900 --> 0:21:36.920 fast to our number 800 555 7898. Fast to 800 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:43.260 805 55, 7898. Ronnie, you are a blessing, young man. Yep. 0:21:43.260 --> 0:21:46.530 I called you young man. We're just getting started on 0:21:46.530 --> 0:21:49.500 this journey through eternity. But, Ronnie, thank you from the 0:21:49.500 --> 0:21:50.310 bottom of my heart. 0:21:50.340 --> 0:21:53.429 Thank you. Hey. Thank you, Carl and Ali. The Lord bless. 0:21:53.430 --> 0:21:55.350 You. And it's always great to be with you. 0:21:55.650 --> 0:22:00.240 A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 0:22:00.240 --> 0:22:04.140 in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:22:04.170 --> 0:22:06.090 You know, today is an epic day, and we're going 0:22:06.119 --> 0:22:08.459 to talk about this day of lent and something that 0:22:08.460 --> 0:22:10.830 you can lean into. But I want to put out 0:22:10.830 --> 0:22:14.369 an appeal for prayer in a couple of ways. One 0:22:14.369 --> 0:22:16.379 is if you would lift up prayer for our team. 0:22:16.380 --> 0:22:20.160 We've got somebody at home today with a bad, bad 0:22:20.190 --> 0:22:24.690 bug and she has got when you when you are 0:22:24.690 --> 0:22:29.550 shaking so kind of forcefully that it's hard for you 0:22:29.550 --> 0:22:32.310 to even get sleep. When you get the chills like that, 0:22:32.460 --> 0:22:33.990 you gotta. You got a bug. 0:22:34.020 --> 0:22:35.129 Oh, yeah. Please pray. 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:38.960 Yeah. Please pray for Super Dai. And Ali is, uh, 0:22:38.960 --> 0:22:44.419 feeling punk. Um, we're going to avoid the jokes today. 0:22:44.420 --> 0:22:48.140 They'll be back. They'll be back. I know that some 0:22:48.140 --> 0:22:50.270 of you are like, oh, I needed my jokes today. 0:22:50.300 --> 0:22:52.040 I know, but it is. Ali thinks it's funny. I 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:54.229 don't think that you or I, Carl could be a 0:22:54.230 --> 0:22:55.280 replacement for it. 0:22:55.640 --> 0:22:57.590 Come on, man. It'd be a total nightmare. 0:22:57.920 --> 0:22:59.570 I'd be a mess. If you want to try, I'll 0:22:59.570 --> 0:23:00.830 give you the space for it. Yeah. 0:23:01.640 --> 0:23:04.340 You know, if there's one day on the calendar, though, 0:23:04.340 --> 0:23:07.190 that you can set for a restart in your life. Boy, 0:23:07.190 --> 0:23:08.570 I've got it for you. You know what it is. 0:23:08.570 --> 0:23:14.450 It's not January 1st. It's Resurrection Sunday. Think about that. 0:23:14.480 --> 0:23:18.320 The celebration of the empty tomb. That our Christ is alive. 0:23:18.830 --> 0:23:20.720 So I want to tee up something for you by 0:23:20.720 --> 0:23:24.740 asking a funny question, but a very serious one. I 0:23:24.740 --> 0:23:26.000 asked it about a year and a half ago and 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:29.450 we got crushed with responses. This will be totally anonymous. 0:23:30.020 --> 0:23:34.190 Totally anonymous. I'm going to read out the responses, but 0:23:34.190 --> 0:23:37.710 not your number. The occasional name that we have here, 0:23:37.710 --> 0:23:40.680 we will not. This is just between you and God. 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:45.090 And you're saying I agree with you. God, here's the question. 0:23:45.810 --> 0:23:49.500 What is the one thing that stands between where you 0:23:49.500 --> 0:23:54.270 are today and all of God's blessings? Think about this. 0:23:55.590 --> 0:24:02.490 It's a sin. Shame. Repent. Repeat. Or maybe it's something 0:24:02.490 --> 0:24:06.450 that you've pushed to the shadows. It comes from a 0:24:06.450 --> 0:24:08.760 family of origin. There's something going on in your life 0:24:08.760 --> 0:24:16.260 and it's like, man, this habit, this hang up, this addiction, 0:24:16.260 --> 0:24:20.820 this thing that I do. The Holy Spirit's revealing it 0:24:20.820 --> 0:24:24.570 to you right now. That one thing that's holding you 0:24:24.570 --> 0:24:28.169 back from everything and you know it. Everything inside you. 0:24:28.170 --> 0:24:33.180 You know it. And you've maybe never told anyone. What 0:24:33.180 --> 0:24:37.430 is it? Text it to us right now. 800 555 7898. 0:24:37.460 --> 0:24:39.890 It is a powerful thing when you can agree with 0:24:39.890 --> 0:24:43.340 God and in this case, a couple other brothers, and 0:24:43.340 --> 0:24:46.580 just say, I'm agreeing with God on this one. I 0:24:46.609 --> 0:24:50.030 am looking at square in the eyes. I'm looking in 0:24:50.030 --> 0:24:52.730 the mirror, and I'm saying, this is what is holding 0:24:52.730 --> 0:24:58.820 me back and I know it. What is it? 800 0:24:58.850 --> 0:25:04.700 555 7898. There's something liberating about just texting it in 0:25:04.700 --> 0:25:07.040 and going, this is what it is, guys. Just want 0:25:07.070 --> 0:25:08.570 to give it to you. This is what it is. 0:25:08.600 --> 0:25:14.420 805 five five 7898. What is it? What's holding you back? 0:25:15.470 --> 0:25:17.750 I'm going to break those down for you. We're not 0:25:17.780 --> 0:25:20.840 going to. You're going to remain totally anonymous. But let's. 0:25:20.869 --> 0:25:24.020 It's a powerful thing to put in. This is what 0:25:24.020 --> 0:25:29.899 it is. And the first one in is alcohol. Good. Honest. 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:37.950 That's great. What is it for you? Text 800 555 7898. 0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:41.730 And coming up, I'm going to take you to the 0:25:41.730 --> 0:25:45.720 Iditarod Trail. It's going right now. The Iditarod is in motion. 0:25:45.720 --> 0:25:49.050 My buddy Mitch Seavey is going for a fifth victory. 0:25:49.050 --> 0:25:51.300 And he might pull it off, even though he's in 0:25:51.300 --> 0:25:54.660 his 60s. He's got an incredible team of dogs. But 0:25:54.660 --> 0:25:56.490 I want to give you a metaphor that is going 0:25:56.520 --> 0:26:01.500 to help you understand that what you've been trying to 0:26:01.500 --> 0:26:07.800 do in your own strength, it won't happen. But with God, 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:11.760 all things are possible. What is that one thing that's 0:26:11.760 --> 0:26:15.449 holding you back from everything? Just text it to us here. Totally. 0:26:15.450 --> 0:26:24.030 Anonymous 805 55, 7898. They're pouring in here. Drinking, sexual purity, gambling, gluttony. Food. 0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:29.760 What is it for you? Codependency? Sports betting. Oh, now 0:26:29.760 --> 0:26:38.900 we're getting. Now we're going there. 855 five 7898. And 0:26:38.900 --> 0:26:42.320 we got hope around the corner here. Guys, we got hope. 0:26:42.380 --> 0:26:47.359 She's a choreographer extraordinaire and everything is Greek to her. 0:26:47.390 --> 0:26:51.350 Super die is in the crew. It's Carl and crew 0:26:51.380 --> 0:26:52.850 on Moody Radio. 0:26:52.910 --> 0:26:55.670 We've had so many responses here asking the question. 0:26:55.670 --> 0:26:57.680 Here, and I'm going to give you some hope right now. 0:26:58.220 --> 0:27:01.730 What is that one thing that's holding you back from 0:27:01.730 --> 0:27:07.160 all of God's blessings? Remaining totally anonymous here, asking you 0:27:07.160 --> 0:27:16.159 to text in your responses 800 555 7898. Having a 0:27:16.160 --> 0:27:18.619 child by one man and letting her and another man 0:27:18.619 --> 0:27:28.520 think he's the father. Wow. Discipline in all areas of life. Procrastination. Anger. 0:27:29.270 --> 0:27:42.370 Television is my distraction. Anger. Envy. Jealousy. Self-defeating actions. Little 0:27:42.369 --> 0:27:50.619 spurts of lust. Time management. Flirting. Control and fear. Competitive 0:27:50.619 --> 0:27:53.619 jealousy and envy. Just reading out your responses. That's all 0:27:53.619 --> 0:27:59.470 I'm reading here. Overindulging in food and impulsive spending. Hidden 0:27:59.470 --> 0:28:07.870 drug addiction. Bad relationship with my husband. Laziness, fear and sin. 0:28:09.190 --> 0:28:11.740 Thank you so much for your honesty and for those 0:28:11.740 --> 0:28:14.409 of you that didn't even text in, you know that 0:28:14.410 --> 0:28:21.699 one thing that's holding you back from everything. So I'm 0:28:21.700 --> 0:28:25.660 about 100 miles into the Iditarod. Back in 1979, 1100 0:28:25.660 --> 0:28:28.600 mile dog sled race across Alaska took me 21 days, 0:28:28.630 --> 0:28:31.160 eight hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds to get there. 0:28:31.160 --> 0:28:33.260 But along the way, I had times when I thought, 0:28:33.260 --> 0:28:36.139 I don't know how I'm going to get out of here. 0:28:37.220 --> 0:28:40.370 I was going into what's called Happy Valley down the steps. 0:28:40.370 --> 0:28:42.350 It's going into a gorge in order to get up 0:28:42.350 --> 0:28:46.850 over a big Alaskan mountain range, in order to get 0:28:46.850 --> 0:28:50.960 down these steps. It's basically a freefall. Teams in front 0:28:50.960 --> 0:28:55.580 of you, they're rolling. No brakes will really slow the sled, 0:28:55.610 --> 0:29:00.320 but you got to mash down anyway. I was flying 0:29:00.320 --> 0:29:03.950 down what's called the steps and almost made it to 0:29:03.980 --> 0:29:07.520 the bottom in good shape. And then my sled lurched 0:29:07.520 --> 0:29:10.700 to the left and bam! I hit a stump that 0:29:10.700 --> 0:29:13.940 was hidden underneath the snow, and it ripped some of 0:29:13.940 --> 0:29:18.320 the crossbars out, and it catapulted me into the deep 0:29:18.320 --> 0:29:20.810 snow that had no trail underneath it. 0:29:20.840 --> 0:29:21.590 Man. 0:29:22.130 --> 0:29:24.140 I sat there in a heap, man. Just. 0:29:24.530 --> 0:29:25.580 I'm sure it hurt. 0:29:25.580 --> 0:29:28.160 Just. Oh, it was a mess. My rib cage was 0:29:28.180 --> 0:29:30.100 banged up for a while because I hit the handlebar 0:29:30.100 --> 0:29:35.530 when I was oh man, jumping over, I found myself 0:29:36.520 --> 0:29:39.940 just disoriented and going, how in the world did I 0:29:39.940 --> 0:29:44.410 get here? And then I'm doing something crazy. I'm trying 0:29:44.410 --> 0:29:47.440 to get this sled back up on the trail so 0:29:47.440 --> 0:29:51.040 I could start running this race again. And I'm pushing 0:29:51.040 --> 0:29:54.970 and with every push, probably six feet of accumulated snow. 0:29:54.970 --> 0:29:57.160 So with every push, I'm going deeper in the snow. 0:29:57.160 --> 0:29:59.350 I'm going waist high now I'm going chest high. And 0:29:59.350 --> 0:30:04.330 now I am stuck. And then it dawned on me. 0:30:05.710 --> 0:30:12.220 I've got 13 dogs attached to this sled. And I 0:30:12.220 --> 0:30:14.560 just looked at him and I said, hey guys, give 0:30:14.560 --> 0:30:18.730 me the command. Hike! Let's go, let's go. And they 0:30:18.730 --> 0:30:23.380 leaned into their harnesses and I held onto the handlebar, 0:30:23.380 --> 0:30:27.110 and they pulled that sled that was totally derailed and 0:30:27.110 --> 0:30:30.830 banged up and me back up onto the trail again. 0:30:32.450 --> 0:30:35.450 Got some baling wire out, put a few things together 0:30:36.950 --> 0:30:42.050 and off we were racing again. For some of you, 0:30:42.050 --> 0:30:46.520 that is a perfect metaphor for where you're at spiritually today. 0:30:48.080 --> 0:30:51.830 You don't know how you got here. How did lust, 0:30:51.860 --> 0:30:58.250 how did wine, how did laziness. How did this become 0:30:58.250 --> 0:31:00.140 such a part of your life that you feel like 0:31:00.140 --> 0:31:04.100 you're off the trail and it's holding you back from everything? 0:31:04.130 --> 0:31:06.380 Here's what I want you to know. You won't get 0:31:06.380 --> 0:31:09.440 out yourself. But if you hook yourself up to God 0:31:09.440 --> 0:31:16.880 in His power. It's more than possible. It's probable because 0:31:16.880 --> 0:31:18.860 it's God's will that you not be stuck in that 0:31:18.860 --> 0:31:30.580 ditch anymore. That I promise you. Today is lent. For 0:31:30.580 --> 0:31:37.420 1800 years it's been celebrated and practiced. It's a great 0:31:37.420 --> 0:31:44.860 day to redeem, and it's headed toward 40 days plus 0:31:44.860 --> 0:31:49.570 four Sundays that will culminate in the resurrection, the best 0:31:49.570 --> 0:31:55.390 calendar day we have for celebrating God's ability to pull 0:31:55.390 --> 0:32:01.420 us up out of a ditch. You want that? And 0:32:01.420 --> 0:32:03.520 coming up, I'm going to tell you how. 0:32:03.670 --> 0:32:06.820 He's a sports fanatic with a stat for anything you 0:32:06.820 --> 0:32:11.110 can think of. Young Thunder is in the crew. It's 0:32:11.110 --> 0:32:13.630 Karl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:32:13.960 --> 0:32:16.600 Got a lot of responses asking the question, what is 0:32:16.600 --> 0:32:19.239 that one thing that's holding you back from all of 0:32:19.240 --> 0:32:22.630 God's blessings? And you know what it is. If it's procrastination, 0:32:22.630 --> 0:32:27.320 if it's too much doomscrolling if it's if it's wine 0:32:27.320 --> 0:32:29.239 that you were sipping and now it's sipping you, the 0:32:29.240 --> 0:32:31.580 list goes on and on. And you know what that is? 0:32:31.610 --> 0:32:33.680 The Spirit of God lives inside you and he wants 0:32:33.680 --> 0:32:36.260 to give you victory. And much like my dog team 0:32:36.260 --> 0:32:39.740 on the side of the Iditarod Trail, oftentimes our notion 0:32:39.740 --> 0:32:41.780 is I got to get out of here. But when 0:32:41.780 --> 0:32:44.990 I realized, hold it, my team is right in front 0:32:44.990 --> 0:32:47.270 of me. They're hooked to the sled, and I was 0:32:47.270 --> 0:32:51.320 chest deep in snow with a banged up sled off 0:32:51.320 --> 0:32:55.490 the trail. And I simply said, guys, hike! Here we go. 0:32:55.490 --> 0:32:57.830 And they leaned into their harnesses and they pulled me 0:32:57.830 --> 0:32:59.750 back onto the trail, and I was back in the 0:32:59.750 --> 0:33:02.480 race again. That's the way it is for you and 0:33:02.480 --> 0:33:05.840 your relationship with God. You've tried too long in your 0:33:05.840 --> 0:33:08.540 own power to get back up on the trail. God 0:33:08.540 --> 0:33:10.460 in his strength wants to do in you what you 0:33:10.460 --> 0:33:15.380 can't do yourself. You're hooked up to God. He's got 0:33:15.380 --> 0:33:18.200 the strength, he's got the power, he's got the juice. 0:33:18.200 --> 0:33:21.560 So I want to invite you into something. An adventure 0:33:21.560 --> 0:33:24.400 here today is lent. It's the beginning of a 40 0:33:24.430 --> 0:33:28.990 day fast. Given that, and if you're looking at a calendar, 0:33:29.230 --> 0:33:34.000 add Sundays, four of them. You've actually got 44 days 0:33:34.030 --> 0:33:37.630 till Resurrection Sunday. But I want you to join me. 0:33:38.170 --> 0:33:42.730 Our two church campuses are starting today. Elders were anointing 0:33:42.730 --> 0:33:45.910 with prayer on each campus from 6 to 8 a.m.. 0:33:46.630 --> 0:33:49.480 You don't have to be there for that. Wherever you 0:33:49.480 --> 0:33:51.910 are in this world. I'm inviting you to join us. 0:33:51.940 --> 0:33:57.100 If it's prompted in your heart by God to skip 0:33:57.100 --> 0:33:59.800 a meal a day, six days a week, starting today. 0:33:59.830 --> 0:34:03.100 Sundays are fast days or feast days, I should say, 0:34:03.100 --> 0:34:06.850 but every other day, fasting one meal to seek God 0:34:06.850 --> 0:34:10.600 for deliverance from that one thing that's holding you back 0:34:10.600 --> 0:34:12.400 from everything. I want to encourage you to do it, 0:34:12.430 --> 0:34:17.680 my friend. God can do it. He has the power 0:34:18.640 --> 0:34:21.850 and he wants to help you today. And I've got 0:34:21.850 --> 0:34:24.600 a resource for you. I did a message on Isaiah 58, 0:34:24.630 --> 0:34:27.719 and my bride actually did an e-book, a compilation of 0:34:27.719 --> 0:34:31.980 30 books that are going to help you with details, 0:34:31.980 --> 0:34:35.580 do's and don'ts, ways to prepare for a fast ways 0:34:35.580 --> 0:34:40.620 to head into it, and what you fast for. And 0:34:40.620 --> 0:34:42.960 I want you to get this link, and we're going 0:34:42.989 --> 0:34:45.509 to give you practical resources so that you can get 0:34:45.510 --> 0:34:49.319 victory today. Text the word hungry. The name of our 0:34:49.350 --> 0:34:52.170 what we're calling our fast is hungry for God. Text 0:34:52.200 --> 0:35:00.270 hungry to 800 555 7898. Just that word. Hungry to 0:35:00.300 --> 0:35:05.280 805 55 7898. And what we're going to have for 0:35:05.280 --> 0:35:08.100 you is a link that is going to give you 0:35:08.100 --> 0:35:14.250 all the resources you need to get victory text hungry 0:35:14.250 --> 0:35:21.120 to 800 555 7898. Especially my brides little mini e-book, 0:35:21.120 --> 0:35:22.500 no cost. Just come and get it.