I’m taking a few posts to talk about fasting. I believe that fasting is one of the most neglected sources of spiritual power in the Christian walk.
In my last post I said that the New Testament fast is totally different than that of the old. I base this upon the words of Jesus Himself when He was questioned about fasting by the disciples of John the Baptist.
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Matthew 9:14-15
When asked why He didn’t make His disciples fast, Jesus replied that they were not going to mourn while He was here with them. The Old Testament fast was a humbling process before God for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of this. Humiliation for sin was finished – God’s provision had arrived.
The Lord then goes on to talk about the “new patch” and the “new wineskins” in the next verses (v16-17). Most Christians have no idea that Jesus was talking about fasting when He gave these illustrations.
It’s obvious to me that the Lord didn’t want the disciples to get confused. This would have happened if He made them fast according to Old Testament tradition, and then later on tried to teach them the New Covenant fast. He must have felt it was better to start them off correctly right from the beginning.
That’s also why I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the Old Testament fast. Under the law, fasting was a whole different thing than in the New Testament church. Unfortunately, many Christians have no idea what the fast is all about now. It’s my prayer that you will by the end of this series.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18
The first thing we see here is that Jesus said, “When you fast…” Preachers are always quick to point out to their people that Jesus said, “When you pray…” They explain that it means Jesus expects prayer to be a regular part of the Christian walk. They do the same thing with “When you give…” What happened to fasting?
It seems to me that the Lord wants fasting to be just as much a part of our lives. Many of us ignore it and think our walk with God will not suffer for it. Jesus assumed that fasting was to be a regular part of the Christian walk. I believe that most of us don’t understand it, and that’s why it is not practiced.
Question: How important is fasting in your walk with God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, Christian walk, disciples, fast, fasting, fasting changed, humble, humility, Jesus, mourn, New Covenant, New Testament, old covenant, Old Testament, spiritual, spiritual fasting, spiritual power, when you fast
In my last post I talked about how we needlessly put God to the test. It was something Christ refused to do during His earthly walk.
When I began this series, I shared how I personally went through one of the worst points in my life. During this time we were one of the families who lost their homes in the recent mortgage crisis.
But I can state, without reservation, that at my worst financial point, I was still better off than most of the world’s population. I had a roof over my head and a full belly. How dare I even entertain the idea that God failed to provide for my needs. If I’m truly walking in faith, then I acknowledge that I serve a faithful God, who I never need to put to the test.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:8-9
The devil continued his assault using the promises of God. This time he used a promise specifically aimed at Christ, the Messiah. He was making a deal with Jesus in which the Lord could obtain the Messiah’s blessing without having to endure the pain of the cross. As far as the Lord was concerned, this was the last straw.
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Matthew 4:10
Jesus saw right through the devil’s smokescreen, and rejected the offer without even giving it a second thought. How dumb can we be? So often we fall when the enemy tempts us to do foolish, unscriptural, and even ungodly things…all for spiritual reasons, of course. We sometimes make crazy decisions all under the guise of “God wants me blessed, happy, and wealthy”
I’ve heard things like, “God told me that this is the woman He created for me.” My question is what about the woman you’re married to right now? What about “God hates divorce”?
By His life, Jesus showed that He lived above the promises. He lived as a Son empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We’ve lost the whole concept of sonship. I desire to post about it in depth someday. But for now we need to see how very differently Jesus lived than we do. He didn’t feel the need to spend His life rehearsing the promises. Neither did the Lord try, in His power, to fulfill the requirements so that He could obtain the blessings.
Jesus lived His life in the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s my goal, and the goal of these posts. That the church of the living God would wake up to our impoverished condition, and rise up to the potential that the Lord placed before us when He said that we would do the same works that He was doing (John 14:12).
Question: How have you experienced people doing foolish things for “spiritual” reasons?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, empowered, faith, faith or foolishness, faithful, foolishness, God is faithful, God's provision, Holy Spirit, Jesus, presumption, promises of God, sonship, spiritual, trusting God
I’m posting for a while on how to walk in our anointing. In my last post we saw that the power of the Holy Spirit follows the anointing. Today, I want to start getting into some details that we may have missed along the way. If I can find the key to the anointing, then the rest will fall into place.
It’s interesting to note that anointing is only mentioned 13 times in the New Testament. Of those, it’s only referred to as a spiritual anointing for us 6 times. There’s a reason for so little mention in the N.T. It comes from an ancient practice in the Old Testament. If we can understand that usage, then we’ll have a good foundation for understanding the anointing in us.
Anointing was a ceremony of pouring oil on something or somebody. It was used for a lot of things. Personally, I don’t care about how to anoint cooking pots. What relates to us is the usage with prophets, priests, and kings. I want to know how anointing brings power.
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.”
The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
1 Samuel 16:1-3
God told Samuel to go and anoint a new king over Israel. He gave Samuel a Word – Go to Bethlehem. He told Samuel that He would show him what to do when he got there.
Once in Bethlehem, Samuel went to the house of Jesse as instructed.
Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
1 Samuel 16:5
According to the Word of the Lord he was given, Samuel invited – called them – to come the sacrifice. In actuality, he was calling them to come to the anointing of the new king of Israel.
It should be clear from this passage that anointing involves calling. The two go hand in hand. To reject your calling is to reject the anointing God has for you.
God has called you to do a great work for Him. The anointing is what enables you to walk in the power to fulfill that calling. Anointing is not a license to do whatever you want with God’s power. It equips you to fulfill God’s plan in your life.
Question: What is God calling you to do at this point in your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anoint, anointing, anointing and calling, calling, God's plan, Holy Spirit, king, power, power of God, power of the Holy Spirit, priest, prophet, spiritual
God is calling His church to a higher level in Christ. The return of the Lord is very close, yet sometimes the church seems to act like we have all the time in the world. Are you complacent about where you are spiritually? Or do you want to see a greater move of God through your life?
At one point in his life, Moses had a similar choice to make.
Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Exodus 4:19-20
Moses had been away from Egypt for a long time. But in this time of his life, God was calling him to return to his former home. The difference was that this time he had a mission from God – to set his people free. Even so, it still required a long wilderness journey.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to start. The planning and organizing are usually pretty easy.
I enjoy hiking. There are times that I have spent a few days on the trail.
When morning comes and it’s time to move on, thats when the truth of this is made real. It’s not that tough to break camp and put things away into your pack. But when you finally put your pack on, and stand there with your trekking poles in your hand – a subtle transformation occurs.
Suddenly, without warning, the campsite that you’ve called home for the past twelve hours is no longer yours. Now you’re a part of the trail and looking for a new destination.
We may be very satisfied where our life is right now. But this isn’t our destiny – the Lord has a greater work He wants to do in us. When God calls us to a higher level, we can never be satisfied this way again.
Remember that we need to be a people who are packed and ready to go. This world is not our home and the things of this world will never truly fulfill us.
Sometimes we just need to go before the Lord and reiterate to Him our total commitment to following His path for our lives – no matter where it leads. We need to thank Him for the destiny that He has prepared for us. Then, we need to be open and listening for any course changes He may speak to us.
It all depends on our attitude. Am I satisfied where I’m at, or do I hunger to see what God wants to do in these last days?
Question: Do you desire to move up to a new level in Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: attitude, Christ, complacent, course changes, destiny, greater move of God, higher level, hunger for more, Jesus, Lord, Moses, move on attitude, moving on in Christ, return of Christ, satisfied, spiritual, spiritual level, the world
In my last two posts I’ve been talking about the power of God at work in us. We have seen that spiritual power relates very closely to natural power. Just as power in the physical universe produces change, God expects His power to change us and those around us.
We also saw that the first component of this power is love. This relates to voltage in the realm of science. Love is the spiritual pressure placed upon us to produce change. It was what compelled Christ to minister the way He did.
Actually, I can’t think of any more powerful force in all of life other than love. For the love of God, or another person, we will do things that we might never have done under ordinary circumstances. Love is a driving force in many of the things we do.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:5-6
Here is the source of our spiritual power. The same love that drove Christ forward is now placed within us. When we had no power, God saved us by the death and resurrection of Christ. He has plugged us into His power source. The very love that pressures Him can now drive us forward to bless others.
As I said before, our power can be measured. Let’s use our spiritual volt-meter. Do you feel a pressure that drives you to reach out to the lost? Does love compel you to be a blessing to those around you even when you don’t feel like it? Do you have a compassion for those who are in need? If not, then you haven’t tapped into the love of Christ.
It’s so easy to say, “I love the lost and I want to see them saved.” But if there is little or no pressure to do something about it, then that’s a sign that there’s little or no love voltage. The verdict is simple, no love, no power.
If you want to see this principle in action, just look to the early church in the book of Acts. Spiritually speaking, they should’ve had a sign over their door which read “Danger High Voltage”! They felt the pressure of God’s love to the point where they were willing to die, if necessary, to bring salvation to those around them. We must do what it takes to live in intimacy with the Lord. Only in this way will His love increase in our hearts.
Question: Do you ever feel the pressure of Christ’s love within you?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: change, God's power, heart, hearts, high voltage christian, love, love of Christ, love of God, love the lost, measured, natural power, porducing change, power, power of God, power source, powerful force, pressure of love, produce change, spiritual, spiritual power, volt meter, voltage
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Think about it. Do everything in the name of Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it’s speaking, doing the dishes or driving the car. We must do it all in His name.
Many believers don’t know what this means. Doing things “in Jesus’ name” is part of a lifestyle of service to God. We need to see it as more than just a last line for a prayer. It means living our lives as if Jesus Himself were living through us.
We sometimes get the idea that Jesus only wants to be involved in the “religious” parts of our lives. That kind of thinking couldn’t be more wrong. We are, by nature, spiritual beings. We carry the spiritual with us wherever we go, whatever we do.
The challenging part is learning to cultivate the spirit no matter what the activity. That’s the goal of these posts. I want us to see our daily activities in a new light.
No matter what you do throughout the day, you can use it to strengthen your relationship with Christ. Take some time right now, and meditate on what it means, to you, to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Tags: Christ, Christian, Christian witness, disciple, Jesus Christ, Jesus' name, lifestyle, name of Jesus, service to God, spiritual, spiritual life, testimony
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
This is one of the most important areas of your life. It will either make or break you. It’s always interesting to see what people do with their “down time”. I’m talking about the time during the day that you’re not having to concentrate on what you are doing.
This is the time that you’re getting dressed, driving to work, or doing other things that don’t require a lot of thought. These are times where you have nothing but your own thoughts to keep you company. Using the time wisely can be very challenging.
Of course, with many people, this time is filled by their I-pod, radio, or cell phone. The last thing this society wants is to think too deeply. Like it or not, we need to take the time to think about important issues.
It has become abundantly clear to me through the Word of God and my own experience that what you meditate on during these times will ultimately shape your character. If you are to achieve the maximum benefit from this, then you need to focus on what is spiritual – the Word of God, God’s calling on your life, and songs of praise and worship.
As these thoughts start to fill your mind, a change starts to take place in your heart. You start to be drawn upward to God. This idle time will now become a time of spiritual growth, renewal, and refreshing.
Take the opportunity today to turn off the external “noise”. Begin to steer your thoughts toward the things of the Lord. Discover the power you need for living as you fill your heart with the only thoughts that can bring lasting change to your life.
Tags: Bible, character, Christian, deep thought, destiny, devotion, distractions, down time, driving, encouragement, focus, getting dressed, growth, meditate, meditation, praise, renewal, spiritual, think, thought life
Exodus 15:22-25
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.
When walking through the desert, water is a great necessity. The effects of dehydration can be severe. In the above verse, Israel found themselves having to trust God for their most basic needs.
Sometimes in life we go through wilderness experiences. In the natural we can plan ahead to have the necessary food and water. But in our life-journey we occasionally run into unexpected droughts. These are the times we must trust God to feed our souls.
Grumbling and complaining about the situation that we find ourselves in is not the way out. The solution is to walk in faith. We know God will not fail us – He will see us through. Why then would we want to wallow in self pity, when in reality, that only makes matters worse?
You must seek the Lord, especially if you are going through a hard time right now. Spend some time in His presence, and obtain spiritual refreshment. Let Him strengthen your inner man. Renew yourself before His throne. In that way you will always have an abundant supply, no matter how bad the situation.
Tags: Bible, Christian, complaining, destiny, devotion, distractions, drought, encouragement, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, grumbling, overcoming, power, prayer, presence of the lord, problems, refresh, renewal, revival, self pity, spiritual, strength, trust, victory, wilderness
Mark 6:51-52
Then he [Jesus] climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
The weather is something you and I can’t control. Every part of the USA has some kind of natural dangers that occur regularly. Whether it’s tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, or mudslides, there is no way to stop it once it starts. Most of what you encounter in these conditions is out of your hands, all you can do is prepare for it, and do your best to survive through it.
Even worse, are the spiritual and emotional storms that we face. Many times they come upon us with no warning at all. These upheavals can sometimes ruin the rest of our lives.
The good news is that no matter what you face in life, you’re never alone. When the disciples struggled to cross the lake they were never out of the Lord’s protection. It is good to know that when danger arises, He can walk on water to rescue you. Only He has the power to still the storm you’re going through and never break a sweat.
The trouble with the disciples was that they had not understood all that they saw in Jesus up until that point. Scripture says that their hearts were still hard. They should have been able to expect the Lord to show up when they needed Him. Instead they end up completely amazed that they were able to survive the ordeal.
Remember that the Lord can make a way for you when the path seems hopeless. Never forget to acknowledge His protective care over your life. Even in your darkest time, expect the Lord to show up and guide you to safe haven. Yield to Him today and let Him direct you to your destiny in Him.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, danger, destiny, devotion, disciple, distractions, earthquake, emotional, encouragement, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, God's love, Holy Spirit, hurricane, Jesus Christ, mudslide, overcoming, prepare, problems, protection, spiritual, storm, strength, tornado, trust, victory, weather
1 Timothy 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Physical training and exercise is good. We need to be in shape if we want to do our best work for God. I firmly believe that God wants us to take proper care of our physical bodies.
That, however, is only part of the story. We also are to be in shape spiritually. Our inner being requires just as much care and attention as the outer. Unfortunately, most Christians ignore this fact to their own detriment. Of the two of these goals, I believe that keeping our spiritual life in shape is the tougher assignment.
One of the reasons I enjoy hiking so much is that wilderness training can meet both needs – physical and spiritual. On the one hand, I have lost thirty pounds since I started hiking and I can now run up a flight of stairs without breathing heavy. On the other side of the coin, through my time spent with the Lord in the woods I have developed a new depth of insight into the Word of God. In the wilderness, prayer and meditation can be accomplished for hours at a time with little or no interruptions. At the same time you are increasing your physical endurance.
However you choose to work out your spiritual training, this is a good day to deepen your walk with the Lord. Seek Him as you walk before God this day.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, godliness, hiking, Holy Spirit, in shape, meditation, overcoming, physical training, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, spiritual, spiritual life, strength, victory
I’m taking a few posts to talk about fasting. I believe that fasting is one of the most neglected sources of spiritual power in the Christian walk.
The Spirit and the Word 