STRATEGIES of WAR – Part 3: Sometimes, Fast is Slow
How many times have you tried to fix something, change something, or stop something, only to be left discouraged, disappointed, and defeated?
I know the game.
We’re going back to the first week of the series and the same story. We read about the demon-possessed boy who suffered from violent seizures. His dad brought him to Jesus for help and healing.
The thing we didn’t talk about was the setup to Jesus’ involvement in the first place. I left it out on purpose because I wanted us to just lean into the devastating darkness and the spiritual warfare in which we constantly battle, but it’s relevant to today.
The reason this father is desperate for Jesus is of course the health of his son, but he had already sought deliverance unsuccessfully. In the story we read that the man tells Jesus that the disciples of Jesus were unable to drive out this evil spirit – meaning they attempted and failed.
As we recall from last week, Jesus restored the boy and brought new wholeness to this family. But we now get a peek into some of the behind the scenes with Jesus and his disciples.
These guys had been with Jesus on mission following him, watching him, and learning from him as he fed thousands, healed sick, and delivered people from demons. They had also just been sent out by Jesus without him to spread the good news of the restorative kingdom of God. In sending them, scripture says that Jesus gave them “power and authority to drive out ALL demons and to cure diseases.”
This failure had to come as quite a surprise for the disciples. Can you picture them scrambling and panicking wondering what was going to happen as the boy’s father said, “I’m going to talk to Jesus since you guys can’t handle this?”
Oh crap!
But have you been there? You’ve found success in certain areas, felt empowered in certain arenas, taken control over things that others seem to struggle with. We push for this excellence in life, rising above the norm, becoming a force in the world. We long for a place where our talents, our abilities, our education, our skills, our experience is needed and desired. We post about those victories. We bring others, any who will come on board; we feed off the following.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Maybe you just long for control.
And while success and power in some areas brings contentment, there are other areas that leave us feeling helpless. And typically, what happens is we control HARDER things we can. The more that’s out of control the greater the compensation, the more damaging the consequence from our management of things we can control. In an attempt to create control, we allow another thing to get away from us (i.e. eating, exercise, substances, self-harm, self-medicate, anger toward others, etc). It somehow feels we have control here, but we end up hating ourselves more in those moments and situations.
These are places of great spiritual warfare because the enemy uses this crap to keep us from experiencing life to the full that Jesus came bring us.
So, what’s the answer? Go back to the story.
The disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t do this one? His answer is simple yet profound.
“This kind only comes out by prayer (some translations add and fasting).”
Take note of this: Jesus DID NOT PRAY or take a day to fast about this. He just handled it.
So, this can mean only ONE thing! Jesus was PRAYED and FASTED UP! It had to be a regular practice of his. He lived in this state of constant communication with the Father and regularly put his body through deprivation for the intent of spiritual fulfillment.
When the body is denied what it WANTS the spirit can get what it NEEDS! It’s on the other side of this that deliverance happens.
Ashly and I had recorded almost 10 years of public marital bliss, but at the end of 10 years internally, we were one decision away from the actual end. Darkness had a very stronghold on us and there were demons we couldn’t shake.
We began a fast, and at the end of 40 days, we saw deliverance, had new life breathed into our marriage, and gained strength to make it another 10 years and beyond. Since then, we’ve faced difficult moments and frustrating situations as well as painful circumstances that could derail any marriage. We’ve held on, fought through, and rose above. We’re still in process but we WILL be victorious!
Prayer and Fasting aren’t magic pills but miraculous practices. I believe in them and continue to engage in both. I want to invite you to join me. Every first Friday of the Month, I fast. It begins the end of Thursday and goes till dinner Friday night. This is an intentional prepatory practice with time of seeking God about what I’m lacking and on behalf of others. I’ve even used it to pray for you.
So, what’s your demon? Maybe deliverance is on the other side of some self-denial. Join me on this coming first Friday and any successive ones following! The fast can be excruciatingly slow and the outcomes vary. But remember, like the disciples learned sometimes, yesterday’s fasting is deliverance for tomorrow crashing!
Brett
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