The Power of Fasting

The first time the Lord really laid on my heart to do a pretty long fast was in 1995. Our church was growing, and I was burning out.We had little kids, and we were seeing a lot of great things happen. I was not tired of the ministry, but I was tired in the ministry.I remember going to the Southern Baptist Convention and feeling like, “Lord, there’s got to be more than I’m experiencing. I know there are more baptisms, more money in the budget, and more people joining, but I am missing something. I am missing my intimacy with You.”The Lord began to lay on my heart to fast. I had a friend, Ronnie Floyd, who went on a long fast. When I went to the SBC, someone handed me a book about fasting and praying.I decided I would do it. So when I got back from the SBC, I started a fast.You might ask, “How does that work?” Back then I was not on any medication, and I was able to fast from food. I prayed a lot, and I drank liquids.It was not about losing weight or anything like that. It was just about taking my focus off of worldly things and putting them on the Lord.Did you know you can fast from television? You can fast from social media. You can fast from a lot of different things; there are a lot of ways to fast.I would encourage you just to get with the Lord. When I did that, God began to restore in me His power and His presence. I just started sensing Him.“Lord, I am just going to set myself aside over here. I will still preach, I will still minister, but I am going to focus on You. And these times when I would normally be eating, Lord, instead I will focus on You. I will read Your Word. I will pray. I will spend more time listening to Your Holy Spirt.”I can’t even begin to tell you what God did in my life. It was right after that, revival hit our church. Other people began to join me. Thirty or forty people did an extended fast, and over a year’s time, we had several hundred people fasting and ministering to the Lord.To view Pastor Steve Gaines entire sermon CLICK HERE.