Devotion 818

When a word comes out of the mouth of God, it is already accomplished. Nothing can stand in the way of the word of God. Jesus Christ was slain before the foundation of the world. That is how powerful the word of God is. Before he created the world, he had a plan for the redemption of the world
A word that doesn't just begin as a word. A word begins as a thought a word is an expression of a thought. The creation of the universe began with God as his thought. Before any man or woman was formed in their mother's womb, they were in the thoughts of God. The thought was expressed as a word, and he placed that word in Adam, the first seed. When Adam fell out of fellowship with God, the plan was already in place for the redemption of the fallen seeds of Adam. The plan of God from the very beginning was to have children in Christ through adoption.

Galatians 4:4-5 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

God spoke this plan even in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

He called the second Adam the seed of the woman because He is the only one not born out of the seed of the man, the man being the first Adam.

When the mouth of God speaks, it is considered done.

Isaiah writes.

Let's read.

Isaiah 58:1-5 "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. [2] Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. [3] Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. [4] Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. [5] Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?"

God did not recommend fasting for men to just afflict themselves and continue in their wickedness, but fasting was for men to die to all their efforts and all their senses so that God can move through them to others. They were angry at Jesus Christ when he healed on the Sabbath because they never understood the Sabbath.

Luke 6:6-9  "And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. [7] And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. [8] But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And He arose and stood forth. [9] Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?"

The Sabbath was to be a channel for God to flow through His people to others. That was exactly what Jesus Christ was doing on the Sabbath. They misunderstood the Sabbath. Therefore, they misunderstood the Lord of the Sabbath.

Luke 6:5 "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

Today, we understand that we do not fast to get close to God, but we fast so God can flow through us to others. We do not fast for ourselves, but we fast for others.

We continue our reading.

Isaiah 58:6-10 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [7] Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? [8] Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. [9] Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; [10] And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:"

If we fast for others, then will our light shine bright, lifting up the ones who are down, loving those who have not yet tasted the love of God. Fasting is to make us representatives of God to other men and women.

We conclude our reading.

Isaiah 58:11-14 "And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. [12] And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. [13] If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: [14] Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

If we do not make the fasting about ourselves but for others, then the Lord promises to cause us to ride high. He will cause us to ride upon the high places of the earth and take territories for Him. His word, once spoken, shall never return to him void.

Be a channel through which God can flow. BELIEVE and confess Jesus Christ, the second Adam, as we revealed Him from the first Adam. You were in his thoughts even before you were a seed in Adam in the garden of Eden, in Christ!