SPECIAL RCCG ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE
TOPIC: GOING HIGHER – PART 49 (FASTING)
MINISTERING PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DATE: 13TH FEBRUARY, 2022
BIBLE TEXT: 1 KINGS 19: 7-8
Let Us Pray!
SONG
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be Your Name Oh Lord
Hallelujah
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be Your Name Oh Lord
Mighty be Your Name
Mighty be Your Name
Mighty be Your Name Oh Lord
Hallelujah
Mighty be Your Name
Mighty be Your Name
Mighty be Your Name Oh Lord
OPENING PRAYER
Father, You are Mighty, You are Great, You are Holy; there is No One like You. Please, accept our Worship in Jesus Name.
Almighty God, as we come again to feast on Your Words, Please speak to us and let Your Words Perform Mighty Miracles in our lives. Help us to grow Lord.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
We are continuing with our Series on: “Going Higher” and we are now in Part 49 – “GOING HIGHER – PART 49”.
The Bible Text still remains the same as of Last Week – 1 Kings 19: 7-8.
7. And the Angel of the LORD came again the Second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the Journey is too great for thee.
8. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the Strength of that meat forty Days and forty Nights unto Horeb the Mount of God.
Elijah ate twice and he didn’t eat again for another forty Days and forty Nights.
Since we are talking about: Going Higher; I believed that if you have been with us – Particularly from the beginning (Going Higher Parts 1 to 49); i believed that by now, you are no longer in the Valley as I believed that you have grown. So, I believed that we could discuss something Pretty serious today – And that is Fasting!
GOING HIGHER – PART 49 (FASTING) MINISTERING PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
1. Pastor E.A Adeboye and Other Men of God during various Programs of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) – Monthly Messages during the Holy Communion Services, Holy Ghost Services, Thanksgiving Services, Divine Encounter Services, Shiloh Hours. Also Inclusive Messages from the Special Divine Encounter 2021, Special Holy Ghost Service 2021, RCCG Annual Convention 2021, RCCG Youth Convention 2021, RCCG Holy Ghost Congress 2021, Weekly Online Sunday Series 2021 (Going Higher), Other Ministrations of Pastor E.A Adeboye outside the Redemption Camp in Year 2021, Lets-Go-A-Fushing Programs 2021.
2. Weekly Sunday Messages as Preached by Pastor (Dr) Mensah Otabil (General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) Christ Temple, Accra Ghana) – Specifically Grouped together (Over 90 of such Messages)
3. Few Copies of Bro Gbile Messages to also add as Complement.
This Man went without food for forty Days and forty Nights! – He joined the “Very Select” Group of People. Moses who Fasted for forty Days and forty Nights (Twice) and even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who also Fasted for forty Days and forty Nights.
… So, Elijah is Number three (3).
So, there are three (3) of them recorded for us in the Bible – The “Very Special” Club.
It will interest you to know that on the Mount of Transfiguration, only the three (3) of them were there; apart from the Disciples:
I. Moses was there – He Fasted for forty Days and forty Nights.
II. Elijah was there – He Fasted for forty Days and forty Nights.
III. And then of course, the Lord Jeaus Chrust was there – He had Fasted for forty Days and forty Nights.
Who knows – Somebody listening to me now or reading now on the Label of DMC might want to join the “Elite Club”.
So, the Topic this Day is not for the “Faint Hearted”; it is for those who really want to grow very High!
I’m Praying that one of these days; at least it will be said of you – You too has done forty Days and forty Nights (Amen).
I am not boasting; but it might be an encouragement to you that my wife and I has Fasted forty Days and forty Nights that we cannot remember how many times now
Fasting is for NOW – Don’t let anybody tell you that Fasting ended when Jesus Christ said that it is Finished. No, Fasting is for now!
How do I know?
Matthew 9: 14-15 says that some People came to Jesus Christ and they said: We are Fasting, the Disciples of John The Baptist too are Fasting. But your own Disciples are not Fasting.
Jesus Christ said that when the Bridegroom is with them, they can’t Fast as they can ride on my Credit. But He said that when the Bridegroom is taken away from them; they will Fast in those days.
What was He (Jesus Christ) saying?
After my Death, Resurrection and that Session, these People will Fast – Fasting is for now! And we will Fast until the Bridegroom returns again.
Acts 1: 10-11 – The Angels told us: Even as we see Him going to Heaven, so He will Return.
… He is coming back again!
And when He Returns, there will be no need for Fasting anymore because in 1 John 3:2; the Bible tells us that when He Returns, we shall see Him and then we will be like Him.
And at that time, we will be in Brand New Bodies – Glorious Bodies, Bodies that don’t need food anymore.
1 Corinthians 15:51; the Bible made it clear that – We will not all die, but we will all be Changed.
When the Rapture comes; those who are not even dead, their Bodies will be Transformed – It will become like the Bodies of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At that time, we won’t need food – Whatever He (Jeaus Chrust) eats in His New Bodies, that is what we will be eating. But until, we will Fast!
Now, those who will tell you that Fasting is not for the Age of Grace!
Hey, Paul of the Apostle of Grace said in 2 Corinthians 11:27; He said that I Fasted often.
… You can’t say you know of Grace more than the Apostle of Grace himself.
Why?
I. So that I can keep my Body under (1 Corinthians 11: 24-27).
II. So that i can subdued the Flesh.
III. So that the Flesh will not cause me to be a castaway.
… I want to finish my Race and I want to finish it very well.
Many People run a race, only one will win – I want to be a Winner and so i subdue my Body.
I have told my children that all these Sports Coaches will tell you that what is important is to take Part in the Race and you don’t have to necessarily win the Race.
I said: Is that so? Ask them, how come they don’t give Medals to Losers?
I don’t want to be a Loser and None of you my children will be a Loser – Amen. We will Fast, we will subdue the Flesh. Because Fasting helps – It helps you to do several things:
1. It helps you to bridle your tongue.
When you are Fasting, you will soon discovered that talking takes a lot of energy. So, if you want to Fast for a long time, you have to learn to keep your mouth shut.
When you are Fasting, you will soon discovered that many atimes when you talk, you don’t gain anything by talking – You keep your mouth shut.
James 1:26 says: You say that you are Religious and you can’t control your mouth; it says that you are deceiving yourself and your Religion is vain.
2. Fasting helps you to control your Temper – Particularly, Long Fasting.
Why? – Because you are too weak to fight. Why you get angry easily is because you have Plenty of energy. Let me see you getting angry when you have been Fasting for twenty one (21) Days and Nights.
Now, you have just enough Energy to move you from one Place to the other. Anybody offends you, you just say: God Bless You, leave me alone.
And Ecclesiastes 7:9 says clearly: Control your Anger because Anger rests in the bosom of Fools.
How come is it that the Body hates Fasting?
Galatians 5:17 says that the Flesh lust after the Spirit.
Do you know what it means by that?
It means that your Flesh wants to fight your Spirit – It can’t agree with the Spirit.
I have said this before – If we do not say that there is Fasting tomorrow, you can wake up in the Morning and won’t eat till 2pm. You won’t even bother. You will be busy doing your work and enjoying yourself.
Let us announce today that there will be Fasting tomorrow, some of you will still be eating till 12 Midnight. And as soon as you wake up, hunger will wake you because the Flesh does not want you to Fast.
And if the devil does not want you to Fast, you will be amazed that there are certain Mountains in your Life that had not moved but when you are Fasting, they move.
Matthew 17: 14-21 tells us that there was a demon the Disciples of Jesus Christ tried their best to cast it out and it refused to go. Jesus Christ came and casted out the demon and then the Disciples came to Him quietly and said: Sir, how come we were not able to cast him out?
He said that tris one (demon) won’t go out except by Fasting and Prayer.
… There are certain Mountains that won’t move unless you back your Prayer up with Fasting and Prayer.
You need to know and I’m sure that you know by now if you have followed all these way that the Spiritual controls the Physical and the devil knows it.
I mean that everything that happens to Job in Job Chapters 1 and 2; it was because something has been discussed in the Spiritual.
In Exodus 17: 8-13; when there was a war to be fought between Israel and the Amaelekites; Moses went to the Mountaintop, lifted up his hands, contacting the Heavenlies and Joshua was downhill fighting. As long as Moses hands were Up, the children of Israel were winning the battle; when his hands came down, they started losing.
On an occasion during the Convention. On the Friday of the Convention, it rained and one of my children came to me and say: Daddy, it rained on the Holy Ghost Night of the Convention. I said: Yes.
He said: What happened? You are supposed to be on the Mountaintop, you are supposed to be in your Prayer Room Praying.
I said that it rained! I fell asleep. It was the Rain that woke me up.
Ha, daddy you slept? – I said I am Human Being like you. I said that the devil must have known that I fell asleep and so it rained.
But then I smiled and told him – Daddy put me to sleep and when I woke up, I asked him: Daddy, how could it be? He said that: I want it to Rain because the crowd coming tonight is going to be much. I need to cool down this Place before the crowd come.
Don’t let anybody deceived you that what is going on in the Earth has no Spiritual Connotations? – It has!
And when you learnt to Fast, you are aligning yourself with the Spirit, who is in constant fight with the Physical.
CASE STUDY
The Case of Esther – You know the Story of Esther very well.
There was this Man called Mordecai, the Uncle of Esther and there was this Man called Haman, an Officer of the King.
Haman expects everybody to bow down to him but Mordecai said that I won’t bow down to anybody except my God. And so Haman said: Fine, I will hang you and then I will destroy your People completely.
And so Mordecai sent for Esther, who was then a Queen – Help us Oh Queen; we are in trouble.
Esther said that you can’t go before our King without him sending for you.
Mordecai sent a Message back to Esther – You better go in because if we Perish, the fact that you are in the King’s House is not going to mean you will be spared. You too will die with us.
Esther replied in Esther 4: 1-17 – Gather the People together, Fast for me and I too will Fast; then I will go and see the King. If I Perish, I Perish.
They Fasted and then Miracle began – They Fasted for even just three (3) Days and three (3) Nights.
By the time you get to Esther 5: 1-6; Esther appeared before the King without being summoned:
I. The first thing that the Fasting did was that Esther found favour with the King.
II. The Second thing is that instead of the King asking her to be killed; the King spared her Life.
Fasting can Change Death to Life!
III. Then the King said to Esther – I don’t know what you are coming to ask for but it is already granted.
In Isaiah 65:12; the Bible says that God Promise that before you Call that i will answer.
Fasting guarantees an answer to your Prayers even before you Pray.
IV. And then more than that; the King said to Esther – Ask up to Half of my Kingdom and you will get it.
You know what? – When you Fast, you get more than you asked for!
Ephesians 3:20 says: God is able to do Exceedingly Abundantly more than you ask or think according to the Power that is working in you.
V. And then, things got better and better that by the time you get to Esther 6: 1-end; Oh the King handed over all manner of things to her.
The Bible tells us that the King couldn’t even sleep. And because the King couldn’t sleep, Mordecai got Promoted.
May I Pray for those of you who will take Fasting serious from now on – That those who could Promote you, those who could help you and refuse to do so; they won’t even be able to sleep (Amen).
VI. And then we get to Esther Chapter 7 – All because some People Fasted, the arch enemy of a Whole Nation became completely uprooted.
VII. Then we move on to Esther Chapter 8 – The house of Haman was given over to Esther.
You can Please read the whole Book of Esther.)
You know that we have always read Proverbs 13:22 – When we said that the Wealth of the Wicked is laid up for the Just.
Do you think that the Wicked is just going to let go of his Wealth easily? – No, you get it by Fasting,
Wealth Changes hands when you Fast
VIII. And Mordecai got Promoted.
Psalms 75: 6-7 says that Promotion does not come from the East or West or South; God is the Promoter.
Fasting can lead to Promotion!
IX. And then finally, you get to Esther 8: 3-17; and a Whole Nation was Delivered,
Not only were they delivered, the Bible says that all the People around became Jews because they were afraid of the Jews.
… A Whole Nation Delivered; a Whole Nation now has Dominion!
But you say: Sir, I’m not sure that I can Fast? – Well, you can’t do it on your own.
Philippians 4:13 however says: I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me.
I never thought that I could Fast. But then, I gave my Life to Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ came into my Life, Grace came, Ability to do all things came.
And that Grace and Ability is available to you now if you will Call on the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your Life and take absolute Control.
And I will soon be hearing your Testimonies of how you Fasted and you are able to move Mighty Mountaints – Amen.
ALTAR CALL
So, if you are listening to me now or reading now on the Label of DMC; and you want to surrender your Life to Jesus Christ; don’t be afraid of Fasting – When Jesus Chrust is in you, things will become easy.
Call on Him now and say: Lord, take over my Life, come and dwell in me so that i can become empowered to do Mighty Things for You. Let Your Blood wash away my sins and i will seve you all the days of my Life.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
PRAYER FOR SALVATION AND CLOSING PRAYER
My Father and my God, once again I want to Thank You for Your Words and I want to Bless Your Holy Name for those who have heard or read Your Words and are determined that they too want You to come and dwell in them; so that they can Fast and move Mountains and they can become “National Deliverers” and they can do Great and Mighty Things for You.
Father, Please receive them, save their Souls, let Your Blood wash away their sins, come and dwell in them, come and empower them to do the Impossible.
And I Pray that everyone of us who are Your Children, who has been Fasting and Praying; if there is still any Mountain still left in their lives, let them be moved now.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen.
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
Now, I rejoice again with those of you who has surrendered your lives to Jesus Christ – He is coming to dwell in you now and Great Things will begin to happen.
Please, contact me – I will want to have your names, your Address and your Prayer Requests. And I Promised you that I will be Praying for you.
And Please, contact the nearest Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to you. Tell the Pastor there that i sent you and he will teach you what to do Next.
God Bless You – Amen!!!