(John 8:31-36 NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (32) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (33) They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” (34) Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (35) Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. (36) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Jesus is speaking to believers.
You cannot be set free indeed unless you are willing to admit that you are in bondage.
Addiction: doing something you don’t want to do or not doing something you want to do.
(John 8:35-36 MSG) A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. (36) So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.
- The unspiritual
The spirit man part of us is dormant or dark.
(1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV) The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
- The spiritual
The spirit man has come alive and is awake.
The best way to change your life is to change your life spiritually.
2017 will be the best year of your life if it is the best year of your life spiritually.
(1 Corinthians 2:15-16 NIV) (15) The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, (16) for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Make this your resolution: how spiritual can I be this year? Because this will affect every area of your life.
- The worldly (carnal)
(1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NIV) (1) Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly–mere infants in Christ. (2) I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. (3) You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?
The part of you that is in control is the one that is strongest.
The one that is strongest is the one that is getting fed the most.
(Galatians 5:16-17 ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (17) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
The Problem and the Solution
(Matthew 17:14-18 NIV) When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. (15) “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. (16) I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” (17) “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” (18) Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
- Unbelieving: not connected to God.
- Perverse: too connected to the world.
(Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV) Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” (20) So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (21) However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
- Prayer connects is to God.
- Fasting disconnects us from the world.
Fasting is not trying to prove to God how much you love Him.
What would happen if you had seasons in your life where these two are heightened?
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
- Set your objective.
(James 4:2-3 NIV) You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
- Declare our dependence on God. (first things set the priority)
- Ask for forgiveness. (individually and corporately)
- Refocus on the spiritual.
- Invite the presence of God in our lives.
- Believe God for answers to specific needs.
- Decide what you will do.
Make a commitment and stick with it!
Resources available online about types of fasting.
- Expect
(Isaiah 58:8-9 NIV) Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (9) Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I…
We are praying these things for you:
- Healing
- Holiness
- Hearing from God
- Help