True Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

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King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Chapters: MATTHEW 6-7
Message: True Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

Hello My Friend,

I have been struggling to find some answers from God and failing miserably as it seems every time I get one answer that I think might be the one something else comes up and then I get a different answer. Did you ever experience that? I guess you can call it a crossroads, everything is going in the right direction and you think you are doing good, then all of sudden there is a shake up and you find yourself back at square one. While I do believe that it is all coming to me what needs to be done in at least of few of those inquires to God, the problem is getting everyone involved to agree. Then as I was reading the chapters for today, this passage stuck out to me so much so that I knew it was God giving me some insight.

[Matthew 6:31-34  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.]

[Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.] I think that part of my problem is that I am working in a mans world where we are expected to respect each others cultures, religions, and lifestyles while I cannot say a word about my Jesus. There is a reason why I only talk to a few people in that massive building and am even cautious about what I talk to them about, although I am never ashamed to talk about my faith. The world will use you, abuse you, and sell you out faster than you can blink your eye to make a name for themselves. Nevertheless, we have so much to be concerned about today that it does no good to worry about the future because this is not our home. While we do need to prepare ourselves for the future, we need to be less concerned about what tomorrow brings and more concerned about today, for we have no guarantee of tomorrow, but we do have today, [James 4:13-14  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.]

I do not care who you are or what religion you belong to, everyone wants God’s blessings, the problem is not believing in God and what He is capable, the problem is in the execution. Religion, has three things in common, giving, prayer, and fasting. Just like everything else, there is only one way to give, pray, and fast, and that is God’s way. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Jesus, is continuing His sermon, and starts teaching them the proper way of giving, praying, and fasting. Giving tithe is perhaps one of the most controversial topics among Christians and churches often differ in what is biblical when it comes to giving a percentage of your earned working income to God every week or however you get paid.

[Matthew 6:1-4  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  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.  3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:  4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.]

[let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:] Jesus, is telling us to stop worrying about what others think, this is not about a number, it is about giving back to God what He has already given us. When I tithe I do not have a specific number or percentage of what I make, I give whatever God suggests. Sometimes all it takes is two pennies to touch God’s heart, so regardless of how much we give, it all comes down to what God wants and that we have given it with all our heart, [2 Corinthians 9:7-8  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:]

You see, the more we give to God and that includes our time and talents, the more He will bless us and provide for us. Christians who are always struggling and complaining that God does not take care of their needs lack the one thing they need to be doing for God and that is giving time to Him. Prayer, is more than just asking God for the things we have need of, it is our direct line of communication with Him. Prayer, is another controversial topic among Christians, some people are so long winded that they will put you to sleep, some get so elaborate that you swear you jumped back in time, some start speaking other languages, while others start chanting. Jesus, goes on to teach us how we are to pray, first, He warns us on what not to do.

[Matthew 6:5-8  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.  6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.]

[use not vain repetitions…they think that they shall be heard] Vain repetitions is not asking God for something until He either gives it to us or tells us to stop praying about it. Jesus, is referring to chanting, like those who kneel on carpets a certain number of times every day, bowing and chanting the same thing over and over again. Prayer, should be direct, simple and earnest, it must be reverent, hallowing God’s name, and unselfish. In fact, Jesus teaches us how we ought to pray, [Matthew 6:9-13  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  11  Give us this day our daily bread.  12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.]

[And lead us not into temptation,] There is just as much controversy over this phrase among the religious as there is praying. Just think about what Jesus is saying here, God, never leads us to temptation that is sinful. Jesus is referring to divers temptations, those things which are hardships in life, [James 1:2-4  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.]

God knows whether or not each and every prayer is true and straight from the heart. Sometimes when we want to produce an effect on God and have something that we really need to reach Him with we result to prayer and fasting. Fasting, is another controversial subject among Christians and religions, this is when we abstain from food for a period of time in order to use those hunger pangs as time for prayer. It is used to reach a deeper connection with God. What we are actually doing when we fast is putting our flesh needs to the side while we seek answers from God. Well, Jesus, has something to say about that as well.

[Matthew 6:16-21  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.  17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;  18  That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.  19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.]

[anoint thine head, and wash thy face;] Anointing and washing of the face were signs of cheerfulness and joy, which were directly contrary to the Jewish canons, which forbid these things. Christ, allows fasting, but it is quite different kind from that of the Jew. Christ’s fasting is not about abstinence from food, and of other life’s conveniences, rather an abstinence from sin. In the acknowledgment and confession of sin, accompanied by the exercise of faith and hope in God, there is no better way to get God’s attention, [Isaiah 58:6-7  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?]

The Christian life is not about letting ourselves shine out in the world, it is about letting Christ shine through us. And it is not about giving the largest amounts of money to the church, saying mile long prayers, or twenty-four hour fasts, it is about a relationship with God, one that reflects the life of Christ living in us. The scribes and Pharisees were proud of what they were doing to show their dedication to God and their law, as Jesus continues to speak to the people, He warns them about the dangers of getting caught up in the works of their religion.

[Matthew 6:25-27,30  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?]

[by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?] I love this verse, if we are honest with ourselves, we all have something that we do not like about our bodies, we think of ourselves as too thin, too big, too short, too tall, too much hair, not enough hair. People go through such extremes to have that perfect body that they believe they ought to have, but I learned a while ago that there are some things that we will never be able to change. Oh, you can alter your face, remove fat, even mutilate your body in an attempt to hide the fact that you are born a man or woman, but that does not change who God made you to be. Stop worrying about the things that cannot be changed and start focusing on what you can change, that being your perspective. When we focus on the things that are important, everything else will fall into place.

[Matthew 7:1-2,6-8,11  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.  7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?]

[neither cast ye your pearls…lest they trample them…and turn again and rend you.] Dogs and pigs were despised back then as they were wild and uncontrollable. Dogs, were a picture of savages, haters of truth and righteousness, while pigs, a picture of uncleanness and defilement. In other words, they are reprobates, they will never accept God’s ways let alone that Christ is the only way to salvation. Reprobates, are beyond the hope of salvation, and are incapable of appreciating the precious jewels that accompany Christianity, and therefore, we are not to give them the time of day, let alone trust them with these precious gifts. Otherwise, we risk getting trampled on, [2 John 1:9-11  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:  11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.]

Trust me, as much as we hope that there is good in everyone, and believe that we can turn anyone to Christ, it does absolutely no good to give our precious time and efforts on those who have no intention of walking on that strait and narrow path. And this is why Jesus tells us that anyone who hears Him and walks on the strait and narrow path is wise, even if they get knocked around a little bit in the storms that come when we attempt to reach those who are unreachable.

[Matthew 7:12-15  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.  13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.  15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.]

[for this is the law and the prophets.] Religion tells us, “Do this, and you will get to heaven.” and this is why many will stand before Jesus the second they die and He will tell them He never knew them. And let me tell you, they will know, the second they see Him they will know who He is and be on their knees begging, but by then it will be too late. We must know the Saviour to get to heaven, none of our works save us, only our trusting Jesus Christ as our Saviour can we get to heaven. Jesus, goes on to warn all who are attempting to get to heaven by their works.

[Matthew 7:21-23,28-29  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:  29  For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.]

[And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:] God, wants to give us things, especially eternal life, and if we are faithful He will surely take care of us way beyond what we expect. However, we must know Christ as our Saviour on nothing we do will ever get His attention, [Matthew 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.]

Today’s Prayer: God, You have called us to follow Your Son, and in order to do that we do need to enter in at the gate that is strait. When we do, You promise that we will receive all that we ask within reason. The first step of entering that gate is putting our faith and trust in Your Son alone for our salvation. Everything else comes as we begin to shadow Christ in the works that we do. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your Holy Spirit power to learn, discern, and walk the path that is narrow and straight, let us live our lives to please and glorify You alone, and not man. Give us also Your mercies and grace to walk the path that leads to Your blessing our lives with even more than we could ever ask for. And keep us grounded on the Rock upon which we stand so that when the winds and rains do beat us up, we are left standing strong in Christ. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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