The Isaiah 58 fast is based on the love of God being portrayed through you. It is the very thing Jesus taught us to live by. Feeding the hungry and giving to the poor are things God Himself taught us, in order to fulfill His commandment to "Love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as yourself."
There have been many things both written and taught about the Love of God, but most have been slanted by religion. The only way to know the Love of God, is to know God Himself, because God is love. 1John 4:8 (Amplified) says, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him), for God is Love." God doesn't have love, He Is Love.
All of God's power lies in His great heart of love. When God created the very heavens and earth, it was an act of His love. In His heart, love needed someone for God to express Himself (Love) through and to. Without someone to love, love is no good to you. Genesis 2:18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complimentary) for him."
After making man in His Own Image and Likeness, the Father realized man was in the same place He Himself had been in before making man. God now had a man to lavish with His love, but man had no one to lavish with the same great love God put in his heart. So, God made Adam a woman, a "helper and meet" who was suitable for him (man) to share his great love with. The woman would be suitable, adaptable, complimentary and be a companion to and a recipient of man's love.
This love was so great, that when Adam ate from the tree that God commanded not to eat of, Adam knowingly traded everything the Father had given him, for his wife. 1Timothy 2:14 (Amplified) says, "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but (the) woman who was deceived and deluded and fell into transgression."
We sometimes forget that we were made in God's Own Image and Likeness. Adam was so much like His Father, that the great love he had for his wife, put him in a place of trying to be her redeemer, by his own strength. Adam so love her that he gave himself on her behalf. God's love was so strong in him, that he gave everything for her. The first and greatest thing in the life of man, was to "Love the Lord above all things." Adam allowed his love for Eve, to be greater than his love for God. In so doing, Adam delivered all o f mankind into a different god and realm, by the very "dominion" God had given him. If Adam hadn't done what he did and had gone to God with it, then everything would have been different.
We've failed to see how much we're really in God's Image and Likeness. Satan has long since perverted this love into a selfish and corrupt thing in fallen man. We've been trained throughout the years, that self is first and other come second (maybe). There was no other way for God (Who is Love) to have a recipient for His love, but to actually become His Own Sacrifice on man's behalf. This is what Adam tried to do, but it wasn't only wrong to try being God, but it's wrong to not seek God after transgressing. If Adam had tried going to God, then God would have brought things back in life with Himself.
When we walk the Isaiah 58 Fast, which God calls His "chosen" fast,we can again do what Adam should have done. This is how God directs us doing on His behalf. Many times, we do like Adam did and try becoming the redeemer instead of God. We cannot trade what we have for mankind, but we can use what God has already "traded" for us. What God has given is His Chosen fast and that is how He is dealing with things, and not us on our own behalf.
When we do things God's way and walk in His Love, our own carnal (human) love won't get in the way. When we do things God's way, it is actually God Himself Who is getting the job done and there is no failure involved, because God is Love. When we go from "knowing" God and come into being one with our Father, we no longer simply know about God, but actually walk in Love because God is Love.
We spend too much time working out formulas that we think will get God to work on our behalf and forget Love already has. Knowing love, is actually going from simply knowing God, to living in the Father. We much about "God fearing people" and forget that "perfect Love casts out fear," according to 1John 4:18. One kind of fear is having a respect and awe of God's Presence and Being. The other kind of fear, is being afraid of God's Presence. God fearing people respect His great Love and can rest in it. Fearful people stay outside of God's Presence, because they haven't come to know Love or God or Father. We must be "led by the Spirit," according to Romans 8:14 in order to walk in and do God's Chosen fast.
We are to be led in our giving, as well as being led in our living. Too often, we only move in our carnal or soulish love and affection and aren't being led by God at all. We've moved by many things that aren't always "chosen." Social justice isn't true justice at all, but man's acceptance based on carnality. When you know Love, you know God. And, when you know God, Who is Love, you know our Heavenly Father.
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