Today is the last day of our current 21-day corporate fast. I want to share a few thoughts with you about this fast, and to encourage you.

First, every fast is different.

​Fasting with a right heart always helps you draw closer to God, but what that looks like will be different every time. Why? Because God does different work in our heart at different times. So when you fasted five years ago, He might have done one thing–but He might have done a totally different thing on this fast. 

It’s all because He’s constantly transforming us into the image of Christ. And He moves us from glory to glory, faith to faith, and strength to strength. So you aren’t in the same place now that you used to be (thank God, right?!) … and that means His work looks different now than it did in a past season.

But here’s an encouraging key you should know:

​There is always warfare in the spirit realm over your breakthrough. And the bigger the breakthrough that’s coming, the harder the warfare.

Spiritual warfare doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong; it means you’re drawing closer to God and the enemy doesn’t like what God is about to do for you, so he tries to prevent it.

But the enemy can’t stop what God is going to do for you. Only you can stop what God is going to do for you. And the only way to stop it is if you stop seeking Him with all your heart.

As long as you seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, then ALL these things will be added to you. (See Matthew 6:33.)

There is also always a purging before a surging.

Related: Purge Before Surge Prophetic Dream

For me, in this fast, it has been a purge. Yes, the Lord has given me supernatural grace for it–He will do that for you too, and I’ve heard reports from some of you that He has. I thank Him for that!

But for me, from the moment we started fasting, the warfare has been intense. It has felt like all hell has broken loose. 

Also, the Lord has been digging things out of me.

Particularly in the last few days (since we’ve been nearing the end of the fast today), He has been showing me things I need to let Him change in me.

For example:

• He has been talking to me about being content in whatever state I am–whether I feel like I have what I need/want/desire or not.
• He has been talking to me at a new level about finding my joy in Him alone, even if circumstances do not look how I want them to look in my life on the outside.
• He has been talking to me about not drawing back from my position of faith, for if I draw back from faith in His big promises, then His soul has no delight in me.

God, have mercy. This is tough stuff.

But beloved, God is merciful. And He deals with these things in us to make us more Christlike–and because He knows that He has to deal with these things in us before He can bless us in the ways we are asking Him to bless us.

So even the discipline of God is merciful.

Even the purging produces a surging of His Holy Spirit in us and through us. And even the hard times–those times when we weep on our pillow and can’t see the light for all the discouragement that seems to overtake us–even those times He works for our good.

But as long as we continue to seek God …

Even when we cry out, “Lord, I believe! Help Thou my unbelief!” like the father of the demonized boy did in Mark 9:24 …

Even when your heart is in agony and all you can do is desperately gasp, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” …

… And even when it feels like God has forgotten you and is ignoring your desperate cries for help …

… We still have to cling to the One who is our only Hope.

Even when we get mad at Him sometimes.

Yes, I’ve dealt with that on this fast too. The last few days, I’ve been angry at God for not doing what I wanted Him to do when I wanted Him to do it. God didn’t do anything wrong–indeed, He cannot do anything wrong–but I’ve been very angry at Him for not producing the manifest answers to my prayers when and how I asked Him to.

So I’ve had to yield that to the Lord also, confessing my total dependence on Him and yielding to His perfect ways and His perfect timing. I’ve had to pray through many Scriptures, especially in Psalms 1-41, about how God defends us and helps us in our time of trouble and need.

And I’ve had to pray that He would do All The Things for me, not by might, nor by power (for I have none of either), but by His Spirit. (See Zechariah 4:6.)

But even in all these things, the Lord has been faithful and merciful.

The Lord is mindful that we are but dust. He is quick to forgive us for all our failings when we confess our sins to Him, for 1 John 1:9 says:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

And He picks us up when we fall, washes us clean in His blood, fills us with His Holy Spirit anew and afresh, and keeps on shepherding us down His straight and narrow path toward the eternal perfection of Jesus Christ.

God, how we need You. Be merciful unto us, O God. Be merciful.

So we have to keep on believing, even when our faith is weak.

We have to strengthen the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees, that what is lame may not be dislocated, but may rather be healed. (See Hebrews 12.) And we have to realize that He will not, He will not, He will NOT leave us without support.

He is our Rock upon whom we can depend. And He is the Rock that is higher than we are. He is God who shelters us under the shadow of His wings.

And He WILL come through for us–for you and for me–in His own sweet time, for all His ways are good and His timing is good too.

Even when His timing frustrates us.

Because you see, My friend, God’s primary concern is not what we want at any given moment.

He IS concerned with what we want, for the Bible says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. However, His primary concern is to form us, mold us, and shape us into the image of Christ.

And that requires discipline, correction, time on the Potter’s wheel, and waiting.

Even when we don’t like to wait.

Even when we cry out in desperation for breakthrough that doesn’t seem like it’s coming.

We still have to wait on the Lord and be of good courage, letting Him strengthen our hearts while we wait some more:

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV).

And so we fast in submission to God, even if we don’t enjoy what He does in our hearts while we separate ourselves unto Him in these seasons of consecration.

Fasting is not always fun, but it IS effective.

And God has heard our cries. He has heard and seen our prayers–including yours, beloved. And His Word says:

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns” (Psalm 12:5 NKJV).

So let’s pray a simple prayer together as we conclude this fast today:

“Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You humbly and in Jesus’ mighty and precious name. Thank You, Abba Father, for all You have done. We give You praise for ALL the work that You are doing in our hearts, and we honor You and magnify You as King of the universe and Father to the fatherless.

Abba, we bow to You and yield to You again today, and we humbly invite You to do with us as You will. And after You have done all Your good and perfect will, we ask You to bless us indeed, in accordance with all that You have promised us.

Sustain us by Your grace as only You can, for it is not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit that all things are done. Thank You, Abba Father. In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.”

What has your fast been like? What is the Lord doing in your heart? Leave a comment below, and we will pray for you!