Jonah 3:1-10

In today's word, there are many sermons that can be given from just this 3rd chapter, but more than that I would like to ask you about something more specific. To the city of Nineveh, God was going to bring down the city because of their sins. It was a city that needed three days to walk but only after a day the city heard the message and began to fast. Many of us have tried fasting. Today I want to ask you about fasting. Why do you fast? The people of Nineveh fasted after hearing God's message and even the king got up, took off his clothes, out on sackloth, gave a command to fast and sat in dust. He did it to try to change the will of God. Do you fast also with this repentant heart? Do you fast like this or do you fast because you desire something. What kind of fasting prayer will God accept? When water leaves a container depending on where you are in this world it will leave either going clockwise or counterclock wise. It is pulled one way or the other by the pull of gravity. There are things in our lives that we ae told to get rid of but we hold onto these things in fear of letting go, or refusing to do so. We can't let go because we feel as if we will die if we do. But if we just let go, and allow Jesus to to dwell in us, then just as the water will flow out we can let go of the things in our lives that we must rid of. It is because we do not have Christ in our lives and He is not our focus. We are to let go of everything in our lives, our children, careers, spouses, but we can't, then do you think that we need to fast? Moses fasted for fourty days and God took care of him. When God calls you to give you the blessings in the spirit, the point is not that you need to fast, but the point is to see the face of God and to let go of everything else in this world and know that GOd will take care of you. The point of the Nineveh's fast was repentance. It is the basic foundation of prayer and fasting that you repent for every sin that you have committed. When you fast how are you to do it? It is the prayer or repentance that is important. There is also intecessory prayer as in the story of Esther. David also prayed for others while he fasted. Have you fasted because someone else was sick or their health to get better. As a father have you fasted for your children? Have you fasted for you spouse? Have you fasted for your customers? These are imporatnt prayers that God listens to. There are also prayers when you seek the help of God. When you are faced with a great trial you can fast and sek the help of God. You are in a position wherever you are in you family or your business, and you can put yourself out there and fast for those around you. If at somepoint you have come to realize that you need to change your life and start living differently, it is not that you pray because you need things for this new life like money and anythign else for you chosen path, but it is the prayer that you will only submit and trust in God. It is the prayer that you will follow Him. How many times have we fasted for selfish reasons? We need to think about the reason of why we fast. Are we to fast for sins, for others, for God to do His will? We must consider the purpose of our fast rather doing it for our selfish reasons. You may consider yourself a person of prayer and think yourself a great person because God answers all your prayers, but what matters will be in the end will you make it into the promised land? God gave the Israelites eveyrthing they wanted but who went into the promised land? Why does God hear the prayers of some and not others? Why did God not dave Dabid's child even though he fasted for a week? The ones that God loves He is more semil. Do you want God to hear your prayers? The prayers that you do for yourself are the lowest of prayers.