Great exploits

 

I have been fasting. I felt it was expedient for my own physical purposes, but it quickly acquired also a spiritual dimension. 

Physically, it had to do with developing more stamina and resilience. As my spring trip to Cologne [Köln], Germany proved that I was not quite there (and it was not a surprise to me - I consciously decided to take the step to expand my somewhat shrunk sense of vision, and put myself to test). 

I had been doing rounds of the Almased plan [unsurprisingly, also this comes from Germany] for a decade (or longer), and it was the time. It also helped that a known minister from the States was coming to pay a visit to my home church. I used the Almased fast both for my own physical purposes, and for drawing near to God. Also, it was helpful for the intercession for the last Sunday of November with all the meetings of the mentioned preacher. The meetings were excellent. But the last one, in the evening, it was not just good, but the best. I had seen this type of anointing come over this preacher when Holy Spirit told me to go to his meetings in autumn 2012. Truth to be told, Holy Spirit told me to do two things in September 2012 - to go to the mentioned meetings, and also to the London KT church [which is my home church today] - to the School of Evangelism that God had instructed Reinhardt Bonnke to do in order to replicate himself spiritually. 

In short, Reinhardt Bonnke asked everyone three questions, and that was the end of his application. 

He read all these questions carefully through, consulting with the Holy Spirit who told him whom to take. 

Initially, he planned to take about fifty people. But the plans changed and eventually he accommodated more [as the hall was full]. People came from the Word of Life bible school in Uppsala, Sweden, from Toronto, from South America, Switzerland and elsewhere. There was a group of Chinese Christians who used to gather to the food hall during the breaks to pray together. 

So, I have a number of like-minded people whom I met in the first week of January, 2013. 

I have maintained connections with some of them, but the others are all over the world and the UK. 

So, as for the Almased long term plan [which served a dual purpose as a type of a fast], I eat now two home-cooked nutritious recipe meals [and one shake of Almased] a day. Yay! It has been eight weeks since I had my last second meal [and everything sweet is cut off also today]. 

Talking about fasting, some time ago when I had a conversation with a good old-time friend about the call of God and the challenges accompanying that, she responded with the fasting card. I had been doing the same Almased fast, more or less successfully [it has four phases, and my current phase can last indefinitely....then I could have been in the fourth phase with three meals and one drink of Almased - which is a scientifically generated mixture, based on a lifetime of research by a German metabolic doctor/researcher who first used it on his own family https://www.almased.de/wissenschaft]. 

Kenneth E. Hagin used to say that we could not change God by fasting but ourselves. 

It is not a must, but a helpful discipline, and it helps us draw near to God and develop greater spiritual sensitivity. Also, Jesus mentioned it in a certain context that emphasised how it can provide our prayers and spiritual movements a certain boost factor. Daniel fasted and gained a spiritual victory. [His fast was similar to mine.]

Daniel 10 [New King James Version]

Vision of the Glorious Man

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”

18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”

So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince. 

We can see in verse 3 how Daniel ate no pleasant food for three weeks. 

3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

We can also see how it took three weeks for the spiritual conflict to be resolved in the heavenlies. 

Verse 12 says that God heard Daniel from the first day that he set his heart to understand, and to humble himself before God. 

12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

A battle took place in the heavenlies, and Daniel was involved in it via his fasting. The battle was held between the angelic army of God, and the demonic army. They were the ones who did the fighting in the spirit realm. 

We can read from verse 13 how the prince of the kingdom of Persia [and we are not talking here about the natural, but supernatural, spiritual realm and the spiritual angelic vs demonic entities] withstood the angel of God for three weeks [twenty-one days]. 

Then the battle was fought, and over. 

God prevailed. 

The supernatural realm is real. There are two-thirds of the good angels who are on our side, and one-third of fallen entities who are attempting to fight against the plans and purposes of God. 

Now, how is it connected to my post and fasting, in particular. 

I do believe that the abovementioned last Sunday of November, and particularly the last - evening meeting, were at least somewhat impacted by that. For me, personally, the last meeting was as if God speaking to me [via an anointed human vessel] about the things that mattered and were relevant to me. Most of that I knew, but it is not about knowing, but doing what we know we are supposed to do. So, it provided me personally the spiritual boost that I knew I would benefit of. That was sufficient to keep me going along the set trajectory or the path [I knew but still hesitated when I turned my eyes to the natural which made me instantly sink like Peter started to sink when he turned his eyes off Jesus] God had set ahead of me. 

It has been a bit of an Abraham path [which was what He used on the morning of the fourth of October 1992 in Okeechobee, FL [where He had taken me rather Sovereignly, via showing me a vision, and then manifesting it in 21 days] when He taught me to take every tender feeling and submit it by handing it over to His Hands the way Abraham handed over Isaac, the promise of God - for Him to give it whether life or death; and it was also the day when He ministered death to this for the first time, every tender feeling had to find its way to His altar....and it was a quick death every single time]. [I did not understand it fully at the time, but now I can see the bigger plan, and it makes every sense - it was His safeguard to keep me from going astray.] [I still managed to do the latter, at a tremendous loss to myself, but I made it through it unharmed like Paul and Paul's fellow convicts and the crew and their overseers who might have lost everything after deciding to overrule Paul's warning....while every single life was still saved.]

[I cannot say that God did not warn me. He showed me a panoramic blood-curdling vision, possibly the only one of this kind. - I can only wish I would have had a degree of bitchiness in me, and I would not have decided to "walk in love", but hindsight is a poor instructor. We learn of our experience, though. The fiery furnace was there. It brought into my life a lot of unnecessary suffering, which spilled over to impact also the lives of the ones closest to me. But it is a past experience, and I emerged from it with a greater degree of sharper spiritual vision which had to do with a gift of discernment, or biblically a gift of discerning the spirits which has been operational in my life ever since. And this is a thing of value!]

So, this is it today. 

Off to do mighty exploits. 

Daniel 11:32[b]

[New King James Version]

32 ...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.