Seeking Breakthrough

Matthew 17:14-18 (NKJV)
And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

The thought behind this verse in Matthew has always intrigued me. The story of a man who takes his son to the disciples fully expecting them to heal his son. Or should I say, fully expecting God to heal his son through them. Yet, that doesn't happen. For some reason, even after Jesus has "sent" his disciples to perform miracles, and they have performed miracles before this...they cannot do it.
I'd like to hit pause on the story here, and think about what that means for us...today. Today, there is no "person" of Jesus sitting around, waiting for the time when someone fails to perform a miracle. Thinking about it like this, there is a danger in us being somehow unequipped as the disciples were in this situation.

Let's look at this for just a moment. The deal is that this boy has a "demon" according to the bible. Some translations say "epileptic," yet the root cause is understood to be a demon, something evil and from Satan to plague humans. The disciples try to cast it out, but the boy's state is unchanged. The boy is not healed. When Jesus hears that the disciples could not take care of this, there is a statement he makes about the "faithless and perverse" generation. I can almost hear the tone, like an exhausted tone. Jesus calls for the boy to be brought to him. The boy is healed.

So we have the disciples, who on some level are "faithless and perverse" where Jesus wasn't.
Now it is the same power healing the boy through the disciples, and through Jesus. So that means there is something about Jesus that was different than the disciples.

Matthew 17:19-21
"19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Jesus points to the "unbelief" of the disciples as a reason they could not cast out the demon. Yet after describing that, there is more. In vs. 21 Jesus says, "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

OK, I've gone long enough without just saying it.
I believe that we (as believers in Christ) hold the keys to unlock the power of God in our lives. Specifically, the decision we make to pray and the decision we make to fast for spiritual breakthrough. I firmly believe that there are things that God wants to do in people's lives on this earth that aren't done because we don't prepare ourselves to usher them into being.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Now I'm not saying to stop eating today, because that is not biblical.
Fasting is refraining from "something" (most often food) for a spiritual purpose. I would bet that one of many spiritual purposes that Jesus had fasted / prayed for was to cast out the demon in that boy. That obedience unlocked the power that was needed. See, Jesus was God in the flesh. He had the foreknowledge to know what was coming his way. There was times spent with the Father in secret where I think this foreknowledge was extended and made clear so that Jesus would know what action he needed to take to be obedient to the will of the Father. Jesus at this point knew that it was God's design to heal this boy, so he could make statements about what was preventing it from happening separate from the will of God.

There are many other examples of fasting breakthrough throughout the bible. Moses, David, Elijah, and Daniel to name a few; not to mention Peter (was fasting when he saw a vision to go to the Gentiles), and on many occasions Paul.

I find myself in a spot in life where I "need" breakthrough spiritually. There are health issues with my family that I'd like to see taken care of. Doctors can't find a true cause. That's the great thing, for those of us who believe in Christ, we will always have a doctor who is capable of healing. What if your healing lies behind a fast? What if it lies behind 40 days of fasting?

I have fasted before. A few 3 day things and 1 time a 14 day fast drinking just water. While I'm thinking of it, don't fast without drinking water. Water is a faster's best friend. Drink water, and plenty of it. When you fast, give up something that matters to God. Food normally matters to all of us, especially certain types of food. Only try longer fasts after you have tried shorter ones, and only try complete fasts (no food or water) after doing a few longer fasts so you are familiar with the territory. There is faith about true fasting, and there is focus on God. If you have any questions or doubts, consult a medical doctor as you fast. They should tell you that it has true medicinal benefits and can help keep your body healthy. I say that understanding that all of our bodies are different, which is why you should talk to a doctor that is familiar with you and can guide you the first few times.

Even though I have fasted before, I don't personally know the extent of blessing found behind fasting. Don't get me wrong, I have experienced blessing behind a fast, I just hear many people talk about blessings and how God "opens the floodgates" when people fast. Like fasting is a key to unlocking deeper relationship with God and unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit. I want that in my relationship with God. I "hunger" for deeper relationship with Him that is meaninful, practical, and can show people that He is the only God that is to receive glory, worship, honor and praise. Remember, no food is not enough. Have purpose.

I think it is time for me to find out "how deep the rabbit hole goes."
Chances are it is infinite, because God is infinite.

I am reading a book right now by Jentezen Franklin called "fasting."
I recommend it for anyone thinking about this topic. I am finding it greatly helpful and encouraging.