ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE?

ADVERSITY HAS ADVANTAGES
TIMES OF GENERAL CALAMITY AND CONFUSION HAVE EVER BEEN PRODUCTIVE OF THE GREATEST MINDS. THE PUREST ORE IS PRODUCED FROM THE HOTTEST FURNANCE, AND THE BRIGHTEST THUNDERBOLT IS THE ONE ELICITED FROM THE DARKEST STORM. (CALEB COLTON).
WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THE DOOR TO OPPORTUNITY SWINGS ON THE HINGES OF OPPOSITION. AND DON'T EVER FORGET THAT PROBLEMS ARE THE PRICE OF PROGRESS. THE OBSTACLES OF LIFE ARE INTENDED TO MAKE US BETTER NOT BITTER.

ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE?
I HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT THERE’S NO SUCCESS WITHOUT PAYING THE PRICE. LIFE WILL NOT ALWAYS BE SMOOTH SO I MUST LEARN TO COPE WITH THE LOWS’ AFTER EXPERIENCING AND ENJOYING THE HIGHS’.
Text: Matt 8:28-34 & 2 Sam 24:24
Here Jesus is in Gadara, as it is called today. The people living here were from the tribe of Gad. In the Old Testament, when the land was being divided up among the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Gad stayed on the wrong side of the Jordan River. What happened to them? They went into the pig business, which, as Jews, they should not have done. Once you disobey the Lord, the next step of disobedience is not so difficult. Before long you are walking out of His way and His will altogether.

When Jesus entered into this country, He was met by two men possessed with devils. “Devils” is an unfortunate translation. The word properly and literally is demons. These were dangerous men, demon-possessed men.
29 – 34. What have we to do with thee …? They reacted with resentment at Jesus’ intrusion into their realm, meaning “What is there in common between us?” Their reference to Him as the Son of God indicates that the demons were fully aware of who Jesus was, and their question about being tormented before the time also indicates that they were aware of why He had come to earth. While the demons seemed to understand that they will ultimately come under the judgment of God, here their concern seems to be that of a premature suffering (Gr basanizoµ). The reference to a herd of many swine draws attention to the fact that they were being kept illegally by Jews who were living in this gentile region. Swine were considered unclean by the ordinances of the Mosaic Law. The whole herd … perished. This is Jesus’ only recorded miracle that was destructive in nature. The fact that Jesus granted the demons’ request was because of His concern for the man. The spiritual principle in this incident is that those who are deliberately disobedient (as was the case of the pig-breeders) deprive themselves of divine protection and place themselves at the mercy of the forces of evil. Certainly, losing the herd of pigs, which was unlawful in the first place, was insignificant when compared to the man’s gaining his deliverance.
The entire city turned out to see what had happened. There is an impressive statement in Mark that, upon coming to Jesus, they saw the demoniac "sitting and clothed and in his right mind" (Mar_5:15). Here was their opportunity to recognize true values, the value of persons above the material, and to rejoice with those who were delivered. But the loss in their business, the destruction of the herd of swine, was too great for them to see the movement of God in their midst. Consequently, they made a choice between (1) their way of life and (2) the person and ministry of Jesus; they entreated Jesus to depart from them!

This is a graphic illustration of the choice between the values of the kingdom and the materialism of the world. The pigs had perished and what did it matter to the people that two men were made whole if their economy was now in recession? This is human selfishness in its most blatant expression. But it is not foreign to our times, for the needs of the Third World, the plight of the hungry and starving, (especially children), do not appear to be as high on our agenda as safeguarding our own economic privileges, spending millions to reach the moon, trillions on arms and weapons of mass destruction all in the name of defense and security. And this is true of the church, where we speak so deliberately about "protecting our security" without a commensurate concern for the well-being of our brothers in other parts of the world. It was Bishop Zulu of Zululand who said in Pretoria, South Africa, "What is wrong with the Church today is that she has something else on her agenda which she has elevated above the will and person of Christ."
- Jesus came on the scene and found a serious problem – two men possessed with demons

terrorized an entire community.
- Jesus saved this city from that constant threat by setting these men free,
- But Jesus received an unusual level of rejection. Leave our city, in other words “Save us/solve our problems but don’t interfere with our pigs.” Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Be willing to pay the price. It will cost you to follow Jesus with all your heart, but HIS grace is sufficient for you.

IT'S A NEW SEASON

A season is a period of time during which certain fore-ordained events takes place.
Take for example the weather pattern during a year. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter formally begins in the winter solstice-Dec 22 or 23, Spring on the vernal equinox- March 20 or 21, Summer on the summer solstice – June 21 or 22 and autumn in the autumnal equinox –September 22 or 23.

I believe this is the season of a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit as never before seen in the world. Joel prophesied it that in the last days God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.
Joel 2:28-29
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

THE THREE-FOLD PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

1. TO EVANGELISE – A MINISTRY TO THE WORLD OF MEN
2. TO EDIFY (TO BUILD UP) - A MINISTRY TO THE BODY OF CHRIST
3. TO WORSHIP & EXALT HIM – A MINISTRY TO THE KING OF KINGS

BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NECESSARY FOR US TO: -
a. ACCOMPLISH WORLD EVANGELISATION
b. SEE NATIONAL & GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION
c. SEE A CONSISTENT MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD – SIGNS,
MIRACLES ETC.
d. SUSTAIN AN OVERWHELMING LEVEL OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
e. ENSURE SENSITIVE, SPONTANEOUS, PROPHETIC AND REVELATORY WORSHIP &
PROCLAMATIONS.

DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
We have therefore received: -
i. Power to witness effectively – Acts 1:8
ii. Power to worship prophetically - Acts 13:2
iii. Power to work faithfully – Acts 20:24
iv. Power to warfare triumphantly – 2 Cor 2:14; 1John 4:4.

IN THIS SEASON FOUR THINGS WILL BE EVIDENT:

1. National Transformation - Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. That whole organized system of social, economic, materialistic and religious philosophies which have their expression through organizations, personalities and governments must be crushed.
2. Manifestation of the Kingdom of God. Rom 14:17, John 14:12; Matt 4:23-25
THE KINGDOM WAS MANIFESTED THROUGH:- Matt 4:23-25
TEACHING – in their synagogues
PREACHING – the gospel of the kingdom
HEALING – all kinds of sickness
DELIVERANCE - to those who were demon-possessed.
3. A Hunger for God. Psalms 42 & 63
4. A SEASON OF REFRESHING & RESTORATION in the church. Acts 3:19.

FASTING, A TIME OF CONSECRATION

FASTING, A TIME OF CONSECRATION
Definition:- Fasting – Heb. ‘Sum,’ to cover the mouth; ‘inna napso’ – ‘to humble oneself, to afflict the soul.’ Greek – ‘nesteuo’, to abstain from food. It is a practice found in all societies and cultures throughout the centuries, and is prompted by a variety of objectives and rationales. Although it is a well established spiritual discipline occurring in both Old & New Testament and other religious literature, it is not confined to religious usage only.
The fast of Mahatma Gandhi and the IRA hunger strikes were instruments of political pressure and protest against injustice.
— Andrew Murray says, “Prayer is not merely coming to God to ask something from Him. It is above all, fellowship with God, and being brought under the power of His holiness and love, till He takes possession of us, and stamp our entire nature with the lowliness of Christ, which is the secret of all true worship.”

TYPES OF FAST

1. The Normal Fast –
Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
It meant abstaining from all food, solid or liquid but not from water. This seems to be the fast that Jesus took. We are told, ‘He ate nothing’ Luke 4:2, but not that He drank nothing. Afterwards it says He was hungry, not that He was thirsty. Though thirst pangs are more intense than those of hunger, Satan tempted Him to eat but not to drink. This would suggest that the fast was an abstaining from food but not from water. In fact the human body could not survive forty days without water. So a normal fast then involved abstaining from all forms of food but not from water.

2. The Absolute Fast –
“For three days he…. Neither ate nor drank” Acts 9:9
This is abstaining from eating as well as drinking. Normally this is not longer than three days, because any longer period might result in physical injury. The body can go for long periods without food and be physically benefited but not without water.
Ezra 10:6
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
He was overcome with grief at the shameful compromise of the people – he says “I rent my garments and my mantle and pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat appalled.” Ezra 9:3. Overwhelming concern drove him to fast not taking food or water.
Esther 4:16
16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
A crisis of enormous proportion threatened the whole Jewish race with extermination. Even Esther herself though being Queen, so she called an absolute fast because desperate situations require desperate measures.
Acts 9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
There was a spiritual revolution taking place inside of Saul that would change his life forever.
NB: There were instances of absolute fast that had to be supernaturally sustained because of the long period. For two periods of forty days & nights Moses sat in the presence of God, neither drinking water or eating anything. (Deut 9:9-18; Exod 34:28). The first occasion was when he received the Ten Commandments from God. The second was immediately following because he broke it after seeing the idol worship of the people. These two fasts were undertaken virtually without intermission and taken together would constitute the longest absolute fast ever in the world – eighty days without food or water.
Elijah’s forty days fast - 1 Kings 19:8
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.
Two leading representatives of the O.T, Moses the law giver and Elijah the restorer (Mal 4:4-6; Mark 9:12) for both had a supernatural ending to their earthly life as well as a supernatural re-appearance with Christ on the holy mount.
The absolute fast is therefore a fast without food or water. It’s an exceptional measure for an exceptional situation.

3. The Partial Fast –
Daniel 10:3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

They did not defile themselves with that which was offered to Babylonian gods, instead they asked for vegetables and drank water. Daniel 1:15
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
The partial fast allows many variations, for example sticking to one type of food for the duration of the fast. It is very beneficial to those who work otherwise and cannot entertain a normal fast.

JESUS SAID, WHEN YOU FAST – NOT IF.
Matthew 6:2,5,16 – When you give alms…when you pray…when you fast.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

When you fast – He left us in no doubt that this must be an integral part of our life and ministry.

TO BE HEARD ON HIGH.
Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
FASTING IS DESIGNED TO MAKE PRAYER MOUNT UP AS ON EAGLES’ WINGS. IT IS INTENDED TO USHER THE PRAYING INDIVIDUAL INTO THE AUDIENCE CHAMBER OF THE KING AND TO EXTEND TO HIM THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE. IT MAY BE EXPECTED TO DRIVE BACK THE OPPRESSING POWERS OF DARKNESS AND LOOSEN THEIR HOLD ON THE PRAYER OBJECTIVE.
Joel 2:12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
“FASTING HELPS TO EXPRESS, TO DEEPEN AND TO CONFIRM THE RESOLUTION THAT WE ARE READY TO SACRIFICE ANYTHING, TO SACRIFICE OURSELVES TO ATTAIN WHAT WE SEEK FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” (Andrew Murray).
“YOU DO NOT QUALIFY TO BE BUSY FOR GOD, IF YOU HAVE NOT FIRST BEEN BUSY WITH HIM”