Lesson 11 The Continual Fast

     God tells us explicitly in Isaiah 58, what His "Chosen" fast is.  It would do us well to understand what He considers "Chosen" and what we consider "chosen."  Jesus made an important statement in Matthew 6:33 that we need take heed of and begin operating in, especially in these Last Days.  We should have been doing these things all along, but we've allowed the world's way of "doing and being right" to direct our walk with God instead.
     Thus, Matthew 6:33 (Amplified) says, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."  Jesus didn't say it was wrong to have or want a place to live, food to eat, or clothes to wear.  He did say, though, that we must not get caught up in fasting out of necessity and forget how God said to do it.
     We all can quote Philippians 4:19 about how "God will supply all our needs, according to His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus."  Paul was so confident when directing the Philippians to trust God for supplying all their needs, because they were giving and following the Jesus Fast or God's Chosen fast.  God would supply everything that was needed in their lives for not only sustaining them, but sustaining Paul and his work too.  They weren't fasting and going without in order to please God, but were doing what Paul had taught them to do.
     They were "seeking first" God's way of doing and being right and God was "supplying their needs" in return.  We find the story about a starving widow and her son feeding Elijah from her "empty jar of flour and oil," in 1Kings 17:13-16 (Amplified).  This widow had only enough to feed her and her son for one more meal and she planned on their dying after eating one last time.  She followed God's direction to feed His prophet and Elijah said to her in Verse 13, "Fear not; go and do as you have said, But first make me a little cake of (it) first and bring it to me; and afterwords prepare some for yourself and your son."  Verses 14-16 continue, "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel; the jar of meal shall not waste away or the bottle of oil fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth. And she did as Elijah said, and she and he and her household ate for many days the jar of meal was not spent, not did the bottle of oil fail, according to the Word which the Lord spoke through Elijah."
     Jesus said this to those around Him, nearly verbatim, in Matthew 6:31-34 (Amplified).  The people were worried about having enough, but Jesus said to them, "Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink" or, What are we going to have to wear? For the (Gentiles, heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your Father knows well that you need them all.  But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own, Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."
     God promised in Isaiah 58, that if we would walk in His "chosen" fast, He would take care of what we needed to give and what we needed to live, as well.  God Himself promised to not only take care of us, but would in turn, see to it that we would have enough to take care of others.
     The world has made it impossible for everyone to have enough to get by in these Last Days.  Greed is one factor contributing to this, brought on by the "god of this world," which 2Corinthians 4:4 (Amplified) which says, "For the god of this world has blinded the unbeliever's minds (that they should not discern the truth), preventing them from seeing the illuminating Light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah) Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
     The Church has "been blinded" in many areas of the truth of the Gospel, as well.  We've been slowly taught not to expect God to do these things anymore.  We've been taught such things as "these things have passed away" or are "only for the early Church," along with other foolish things.  The Word teaches in Hebrews 13:8 (Amplified) that, "Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is (always) the same, yesterday, today, (yes) and forever (to the ages)."  If God said something and meant it yesterday, then He still means it today.
     We've been taught that if you begin believing God in certain areas of your life, then you have become "a fanatic" and should believe that we will go to heaven someday, but beyond that, "We should just live right."  This is one of the most stupid things I think I have ever heard among the Church.  If God cannot take care of you how, then what makes you think He can take care of you after you're dead?  If God is powerless to help you, while you're alive, then why is His power only available after you are no longer alive?
     We are called to be Ambassadors from Heaven and to show the world a far better way to live here and in eternity, according to 2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) which says, "So we are Christ's Ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were, through us, we (as Christ's personal representatives) are for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."  We weren't just born again and going to heaven, but we're to represent heaven (God in His grace) here on earth.  And as His representatives, we must live by God's way of doing and being right,demonstrating a new way of living to others. 
     The Lord made us a promise in Isaiah 58:14 (Amplified), saying, "Then (after doing it His way) will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride upon the high places of the earth [Notice, He said "upon the earth"] and I will feed you with the heritage (promised for you) of Jacob your father, (for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."  This is a way of life that God has called His people to live.