An Unforgettable Illustration - the Power of Prayer and Fasting — Shane Idleman

Fasting as a Measure of Spiritual Desperation

Sometimes people don't understand why I mention fasting often. Is it because it gauges desperation? It gauges desperation. Are you desperate enough to miss some meals? Or does King's stomach have that strong of a rain in your heart?

Isn't that the truth? Let's be completely honest. That's the truth. Fasting sounds the alarm. Our lack of hunger for fasting reveals our lack of hunger for God. And a lot of you are new, so I can do this again.

Prayer and Fasting as a Spiritual Sledgehammer

But what fasting does, let me give you an illustration. Okay, prayer, this is prayer. You know where this is going, Phil, don't you? This is prayer. You can get some stuff done. Any guys that use this at home?

You can get some stuff done. But sometimes, sometimes, sometimes you gotta, sometimes this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting. Sometimes you gotta hit the enemy over the head with a big sledgehammer.

Sometimes you gotta break the concrete, the rock and the strongholds of the addiction. This will do it sometimes. But sometimes I gotta get out the big guns. I gotta get on my face before God Almighty.

I gotta do some damage to the enemy's kingdom. Sometimes this time does not come out except by prayer and fasting. It is like a sledgehammer to the enemy's plans. It's like hitting a block wall. I can break down a block wall with this.

It's gonna take me a long time. You just keep hitting those cinder blocks. You get a little hole, little hole gets bigger, bigger, bigger. So I'm gonna have to come back tomorrow. But sometimes, you get right to the point.

You add a little emphasis. And that's what prayer does. Prayer and fasting. I'm gonna leave that just for illustration. You don't forget that. That's 25 pounds. That thing is heavy. But my dad used to do that all the time.

He'd say, go get the sledgehammer. I'd come back with a little hammer. He'd go, no son, that's not gonna work. That's not gonna work. Guys, what we've been doing is not gonna work. Five minute devotionals.

Quick little prayers. They're not bad. But sometimes, sometimes you gotta pull down heaven. The principalities that have been unleashed on this nation. Joel prayed. And Joel fasted. Remember Joel? We talked about the book of Joel.

Sound the alarm. Call the sacred assembly. And cry out to God. Call a fast. See, there was desperation. What about Esther? Before there was destruction on the Jewish people. Call a fast. Nehemiah, call a fast.

Ezra, call a fast. Jeremiah, call a fast. Jesus, why did Jesus fast before he began his ministry? Is it just, hey, I'm just gonna try this out for 40 days. Let's see what happens. I'm getting a little bit overweight.

Let me have some autophagy take place. Let's get rid of some of this extra weight and just hit the ministry field a little bit lighter. I believe it prepared him for ministry. There's something about submitting the flesh in this area of fasting.

And I get discouraged just like you do. That's why I don't read comments anymore on social media. Sorry. But they go something like this. There's no hope for America. There's no hope for California. And I say, says who?

I mean, let's be honest. Says who? Because I know the darker the darkness, the greater the light. I know that God often, God often gets us down to that last hour. God's not worried. He's not, oh, I got hit by a right hook by the enemy.

The Power of Intercession in Times of Crisis

Now what am I gonna do? God's not worried. That the power of prayer and fasting with intercession. Do you know what intercession is? Do we have Jeremiah? There it is. This is God. This is God talking to Jeremiah.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me. And I will listen to you. Jeremiah interceded. God said, I'm gonna do this to the people. But Jeremiah, if the remnant just calls on me, if they call on me, that remnant, that's a voice I will not turn away.

He told Moses, get away from these people. I'm gonna wipe them out. And Moses says, no, God, stay your hand. I'm interceding on behalf of the people throughout church history, throughout biblical history.

When God's people interceded on behalf of the land, God said, I will stay my hand of judgment. Is there not 50 men in Sodom and Gomorrah? I will not destroy it because of 50 men. The righteous, the remnant taking a stand.

It's weary, it's difficult, but it can be done. See, it's the atmosphere of prayer and the language of heaven that changes the game. Think about this, in the temple of God, in the Old Testament, the temple had one room so sacred, so sacred that no one could go in there, except one person, once a year.

The Holy of Holies and Access to God's Presence

And he better have his ducks in a row and everything done right, or he's gonna die in that room. This room's so sacred where God's presence was, so sacred, gonna intercede on behalf of the people. God said, you come here, I'll dwell with you, I'll meet you here in this tabernacle, this holies of holies, I'll meet you there.

And that's one thing that's wonderful about the resurrection, when Jesus said, it is finished, and that veil that separated that room, it was tore, and God basically said, now you have access to the Father.

That sacred room, now you have access to the Father. Wouldn't that change the way you pray? God hears the prayers of his people, so I expect all of you tomorrow at 8 .30, we're having corporate prayer.

Corporate Prayer and Earnest Seeking of God

The prayer room's probably not gonna be big enough, maybe next door, here in this multi-purpose room, we're gonna pray. I believe in a God, but it's not to come to church, hear a sermon, go home and go to In-N-Out Burger.

That's not the scriptural course. Actually, have nothing, try to fast tonight, go home and open the word of God and be hungry. If you're hungry for God and begin to cry out for him, he hears that desperate call.