In Matthew 9:15 it says, "the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and they will fast."
These are the words of Jesus when he was asked by the disciples of John the Baptist why they fast and the Pharisees fast, but his disciples don't. They were seeking understanding.
Sometimes we don't understand why others do things different than us, but instead of getting offended and coming up with your own preconceived ideas, ask the Lord and He will bring you the knowledge and understanding. NO ONE has it all together, and NO ONE is trained the same way. Don't partner with a spirit of comparison. Just ask Jesus.
In verse 16 it says. "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
The Lord actually won't give you the next level you are seeking to protect you if you still have your old garments on? He will with hold the new from you because it will actually make a worse tear hurting you more than helping you. He is a patient God, and would rather wait than damage you. Go through the process. If your not moving forward, seek Him on what old garment you need to take off.
Verse 17 says, Neither is new wine put into old wineskin. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
His wine is precious to Him. Submit to the process of increasing your wineskin so you can get new wine.
Fasting is the BEST WAY to tear down that old wineskin. Fasting refines you form the inside out preparing you for the new wine He wants to give you.
Fasting completely empties us of self. In your weakness the Lord can deposit His strength and use you as a mighty vessel. He uses His vessels the greatest when they can say, "I have nothing to give."
So many people have a regular prayer life, but do you have a regular life of fasting? How do you keep your flesh submitted to the Lord? Yes prayer and reading the word of God is a great tool, but I promise you, add fasting to the trio, and you'll begin to flourish like never before.
In Mark 9:29 Jesus said to the disciples who asked him why they couldn't cast the demon out "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
I'm not saying all, but maybe the reason some of your prayers or commands to the enemy aren't answered is because you have prayed, but you lack fasting. It doesn't say prayer OR fasting, it says prayer AND fasting. There is another level of authority when you combine the two, and even more when you have a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, reading the word, and sitting in His presence.
When we fast His word says that others shouldn't be able to see it from the outside, but that the Father will see that inside we are dying. So get your selfie sticks out. Let's look great from the outward view, but on the inside lets pick up our cross and die to self.
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