By Any Means Necessary

Someone from the crowd responded, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, since he has a spirit that doesn’t allow him to speak. Wherever it overpowers him, it throws him into a fit. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and stiffens up. So I spoke to your disciples to see if they could throw it out, but they couldn’t.” Jesus answered them, “You faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to me.”  They brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a fit. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.  Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been going on?”  He said, “Since he was a child.   It has often thrown him into a fire or into water trying to kill him. If you can do anything, help us! Show us compassion!”  Jesus said to him, “‘If you can do anything’? All things are possible for the one who has faith.”  At that the boy’s father cried out, “I have faith; help my lack of faith!”  Noticing that the crowd had surged together, Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.” After screaming and shaking the boy horribly, the spirit came out. The boy seemed to be dead; in fact, several people said that he had died.   But Jesus took his hand, lifted him up, and he arose.  After Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we throw this spirit out?”  Jesus answered, “Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer.”  Mark 9:17-29 (Common English Bible)

Jesus lived a consecrated life

(sacred, dedicated formally to a religious or divine purpose)

(Consecrated -- Webster -- sacred; dedicated formally to a religious or divine purpose)

Though Jesus was still the Son of God when he was on earth, he became the Son of Man, an actual human being with the same needs, desires, bodily functions as us.  The miracles that people witnessed and we read about were a result of the consecrated life he lived and His faith.  He made intentional choices about his conversations, thought processes, etc. which means we can too.

Clearly The 12 Disciples didn’t see fasting and living a consecrated life as important or missed it altogether.  They were embarrassed when they couldn’t cast the demon out and Jesus blasted them openly which leads me to believe this wasn’t the first incident where they couldn’t perform (can you say SHAME???).  Many contemporary Christians are in the same predicament as The Disciples.  They live a surface Christian life, just enough to get by.  Some want titles, positions, fame, etc. but they don’t want to put in the time or pay their dues.  For example:  people want to be recognized for their great accomplishments but they don’t want criticism; or they want to look good, but they don’t want to exercise and eat the right foods; or they want the notoriety for the wrong reasons, they have a “See-Me” spirit; recognize me, like me, approve me, me, me, me, me, me because they have a narcissistic personality.  I’m sure you have heard the saying:  people want to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die, etc. 

We can find evidence of Jesus fasting 40 days at least once after he was baptized.  This extended consecration prepared Jesus for ministry because it was after that consecration that he chose his Disciples and began His work.  Jesus exemplified what we are doing right now:  Preparation, Process, Position, Promise.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  Matthew 4:2 (NKJV.

He didn’t skip a meal or two from 5am and end at 5pm, think about what he was going to eat, watch TV, surf the net, post stupid stuff, read the Enquirer, Star magazines, hang out with his buddies at the mall.  Obviously those things weren’t invented, I’m making it relevant for today.  Jesus separated himself from everyone, got away from the familiar, denied His body the nutrients it needs for a full forty days and nights.  I believe he was led by God to spend intimate time with His Father, God (and ours) to receive insight, clarity, wisdom and a strategic plan for the assignment He was sent to earth to carry out. 

Don’t run out and think I’m telling you to go on a 40 day consecration, I am not!  Jesus was an example to us of sacrifice in many ways.  He was willing to self-sacrifice temporarily in exchange for a higher level of quality time with God and He was willing to suffer for it.

 

My thought for today is:  By Any Means Necessary:

“Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa and tell them to give up eating to help me be brave. They aren’t to eat or drink anything for three whole days, and I myself will do the same, along with my female servants. Then, even though it’s against the law, I will go to the king; and if I am to die, then die I will.”  Esther 4:16 (CEB)

The book of Esther is an amazing book about a beautiful young woman whom God took from the life of a peasant to the palace in order to use her to save an entire nation of people.  She did so knowing that if things did not go in her favor she would be executed.  I know we have drama that we are dealing with on a daily basis, but how many of us can really say that everything we are facing is a “life and death situation which will not only affect you but the lives of hundreds of thousands of others”? 

Victory Nugget:  When God blesses, delivers, raises you up, it’s not just for you, it is to bring glory to Him and to be an example to others of what God can do.  That’s why it is so important to share the goodness of Jesus because it gives hope to others.

Back to the thought for the day -- By Any Means Necessary:

Esther knew that she couldn’t carry this plan out in her own strength so as the Queen she called a solemn fast (consecration) for her people, the Jews, for three days of no food or water.  They needed God’s favor, direction, protection and wisdom, a consecration is one way to get his immediate attention.  As a result of Esther’s obedience and her sacrifice, she saved her people from genocide and the men who devised the plan were executed instead.

Anybody can make excuses about their inability to live a successful life as a Believer because they keep falling to the temptation of ____________(you fill in the blank).  But you know somebody is serious when they make a choice to push their plate back and say I’m not going to eat anything until I hear from God.  When we take bold steps for God, draw the line in the sand and say enough is enough, God will put the right people in your path to help you and if necessary He will intervene supernaturally.

Prayer and Fasting Scriptures:

·        But when they were sick, I wore clothes for grieving, and I kept a strict fast. When my prayer came back unanswered.  Psalm 35:13 (Common English Bible)

·        I then turned my face to my Lord God, asking for an answer with prayer and pleading, and with fasting, mourning clothes, and ashes.  Daniel 9:3 (Common English Bible)

·        Jesus answered, “Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer.” Mark 9:29 (Common English Bible)

·        She was now an 84-year-old widow. She never left the temple area but worshipped God with fasting and prayer night and day. Luke 2:37 (Common English Bible)

·       Don’t refuse to meet each other’s needs unless you both agree for a short period of time to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come back together again so that Satan might not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.  1 Corinthians 7:5 (Common English Bible)

It’s important that your spouse knows you’re fasting, not necessarily for permission, but for knowledge.  What if s/he planned to surprise you with a meal and you have to decline because you’re fasting; or planned a romantic morning, afternoon, evening?  It would be disappointing to both of you because if you break your fast/consecration to participate, you will feel like crap and if you don’t break the fast to participate, you will mostly likely feel like crap but they will too.  It could open the door for an argument, blah blah blah blah blah.  You can ignore me altogether and justify the fact that you are grown …. Or you can listen to some wisdom … I’m just saying.  The choice is yours.

In His Humble Excellence,

Tan