What is the fastest way to victory?
There is no shortage of plans that are supposed to help people achieve success. Many of these plans advertise how people can get rich by creating a successful business - often using other people's money. Often the advice of these books is like a legal case that I read about once.
During the Great Depression, a man took out a classified advertisement in the New York Times that said something like this, "Want to learn how to become a millionaire? Send $1 in a S.A.S.E to this address....". Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers answered the ad. True to the ad, each received a piece of paper back in their envelope with the plan to become a millionaire. The plan was one sentence long and said, "Get 1 million people to send you a dollar.".
The man was eventually dragged into court by unhappy customers. However, the judge ruled that he had not scammed anyone, since anyone who carried out his plan really would become a millionaire. The man retired a millionaire and everyone who bought his self-help plan ended up one dollar poorer.
Of course, not everyone measures success in terms of money. I got off the hamster wheel of pursuing
bigger, better, newer things a long time ago.
One of the things that I measure success by is the times that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) has shown Himself strong on my behalf.
For example, my youngest daughter Savannah, has six conditions that according to medical science are incurable and 100% fatal. Families with just one of theses conditions, Cystic Fibrosis, have a 98% divorce rate and a 98% bankruptcy rate. On top of that, I spent four of the last eight years unemployed.
Yet despite the Obama years being hard on my wallet, we did not go bankrupt and we did not get divorced. We did not lose our house, but we did manage to get a new roof and our foundation repaired. We also still managed to finish sending my older daughter Miranda to a private university, so she could carry out His plan for her life. When I called out to the Father of Truth, He answered!
This sort of thing was nothing new for us. It has been going on for a long time. For example, the Father of Truth has shown Himself strong on behalf of Savannah numerous times over the last twenty-three years.
Savannah had been born deaf, although I am not sure if she was totally deaf, or just mostly deaf. It seemed that Savannah could hear my voice, but no other voice or sound. Perhaps she was only responding to my presence, instead of my voice.
My wife was greatly distressed by this. One day, she told me to do something about it for what seemed like the one hundredth time. I was tired of hearing about this from my wife, so I went over to Savannah, laid my hands on her, and commanded her to hear. She instantly started hearing sounds other than my voice and I finally got some peace from wife about this.
When Savannah was two years old, my wife handed me the phone to talk to a doctor at a research hospital in California. The doctor on the other end explained that one of the conditions that my daughter had diagnosed with a week earlier, usually killed those who had it before they were six months old. The doctor wanted to know why Savannah was still alive.
I told the doctor that Savannah was still alive, because I had followed the leading of the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost). I told the doctor that I had been led to make a concoction of coffee, chocolate ice cream, bananas, peanut butter, raw eggs, milk, and cayenne pepper. This was then liquefied in a blender. She had pretty much lived on this concoction, since she was a few months old.
The doctor proceeded to tell me that I should not be giving a baby things like chocolate and cayenne pepper. I reminded the doctor that she had asked me what I had done. She may have been skeptical of even the existence of the Spirit of Truth, but she could not deny the results. She was the one who told me that my daughter was alive when she should have been dead.
When Savannah was seven, I was given the whole "your daughter is not going to make it, plan the funeral" speech by her main doctor in the hospital. At that same time, I had an opportunity at work to take out a million dollar life insurance policy on every member of my family. This may have seemed like a no-brainer to most people. According to the doctor my daughter was doomed to die within days, and for less than a hundred dollar investment I could collect one million dollars when she died.
The only problem was, that I was not cooperating.
I refused to buy the insurance. Instead, I was betting against all odds that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) would cause my daughter to recover. I told her doctor that she would live and not die, so she could fulfill the purpose that the Father of Truth had made her for. Her doctor was one of the Children of Truth himself, but he still asked me if I understood the seriousness of the situation. I told him that I did, but I also understood what a great savior that the Man of Truth was.
Then what medical science said was impossible to happen, happened. My daughter got better and came home. She has never had another period of time where she was either in the hospital or home on IVs for almost a year, since that time. The Man of Truth had stood between her and death.
Three years later, one Friday night, my wife and I both felt like we were supposed to go to this small Messianic congregation on the other side of the metroplex. We had only been there once before and did not really know anyone. We were quite content with the congregation that we were attending. Nonetheless, we got in car and made the half hour drive, arriving just in time for their Shabbat evening service.
A young man was speaking there instead of the Rabbi. He said some very interesting things that I mentally filed away to investigate later. Still, we did not know why we were there.
After he was done speaking, a woman, whom I never met before in my life starting telling me a bunch of things that had happened to me in the past, and then some things that would happen to me in the future. She was absolutely right about every single past event. So far, many of the future events have come to pass as well.
When she was done telling me these things, she paused and then looked right at me to be sure she had my full attention. Then she said the strangest thing to me. She said, "And you will soon know that God loves you.".
I had no idea what she meant by that. I already knew that the Father of Truth loved me. He had given His son to die for my sins. He had shown Himself strong on my behalf so many times. Still, I could not dismiss her words. They stuck with me for days.
Later, I asked the young man who had been speaking about the woman. He told me that she just shows up once in a while in the congregation. He then explained that when she does, she always does something like that. He finished by telling me that something always happens to confirm that her message was from the Spirit of Truth.
My wife and I knew that this woman was the reason that the Spirit of Truth had led us to go to a strange congregation at a irregular time.
About a month later, I learned why all of this had happened.
My daughter was in the hospital again and was supposed to get out on Christmas Eve. I had seen her the night before, just like I have done every day that she has been in the hospital. She had been doing much better and was ready to come home the next day. We were all looking forward to our time together when all of our kids would be out of school for Christmas break.
I had taken the week off between Christmas and New Year's Day. I was busy wrapping up my work, so there nothing left incomplete while I was on vacation. Early in the morning, I got a frantic call from a friend of our family telling me something about Savannah and Julie. I really could not understand what she was saying, except that Savannah was in ICU and I needed come quickly.
The night before when I was praying, I heard the Spirit of Truth tell me that everything was going to be alright. The more she talked, the stronger the Spirit of Truth witnessed to me that everything was going to be alright. So I told her that I had finish up a couple of things, and then I would be there as soon as I could. Then I finished wrapping up my work.
When I got to the hospital I went to the floor where Savannah had been staying, and then went to the pediatrics ICU. When I asked to see her, they told me that Savannah not was in the ICU. I went to her room and no one was there, including my daughter Miranda who had spent the night with her sister. So I finally went to the nurse's station to find out what was going on.
The nurse told me that Savannah had been transported to a specialty ICU of another hospital, because Savannah had went into a coma. Julie and Miranda had went with Savannah. So I went to the room and got the rest of their things from the room. After I loaded up the car, I drove to the other hospital to see exactly what was going on.
When I got there, I learned that Savannah was in a coma and had been put on dialysis. I met up with my wife and told her not to worry, because the Spirit of Truth had said that everything was going to be alright. I then asked her, if she needed anything. She told me what she needed from the car and what she needed from home. So I brought up a few items to her, then headed home to get the other things that she needed.
When I got home my son was still not home from work. So I unloaded the things that they did not need from car, and then loaded it again with the things that my wife had requested. There was still a couple of hours until my son came home.
So I prayed in the Spirit of Truth producing
the sound of power, while I waited for him to get home. While I was praying, I got very specific instructions about what to do when I got back to the hospital.
When Danny Ray came home from work, I told him what was going on. I also told him that the Spirit of Truth had been telling me, since before Savannah had ever slipped into the coma, that everything was going to be alright.
After we arrived at the hospital, I waited for my turn to be in the room with Savannah. My wife greeted visitors outside of the room to give me a few minutes alone with Savannah. It was now time to carry out the instructions that the Spirit of Truth gave me.
I took my right hand, opened it like the Vulcan peace sign, placed it in the center of the chest of Savannah, and said one word, "Chaim". Then I left the room.
By this time our pastor, Brett, was up there. Brett has a big heart and feels things deeply. He had been informed that Savannah was in this coma and not expected to live. He was trying his best to keep it together, but was not really succeeding. So I went over and told him that the Spirit of Truth had told me that everything was going to be alright.
The weeping pastor was being comforted by the father of the child in the coma. It was a strange scene.
Then I saw her main doctor. After he told me the situation, I told him that the Spirit of Truth had said that everything was going to be alright. He did not even try to give me the whole "your daughter is not going to make it, plan the funeral" speech this time.
Later, I saw the neurologist who was assigned to Savannah.
He patiently explained that one of her medications had shut down her kidneys, and this was allowing the other medication to go unfiltered into her brain. This was causing her brain to swell uncontrollably. He explained how long it would take the all of the blood in her body to go through the dialysis machine, and how many times it would take to filter out the medicine, that was causing her brain to swell, down to a safe level. He told me that this would take days, during which time her brain would keep swelling more and more. He finally explained, that not even shunting her brain would save her. Then he gave me the whole "your daughter is not going to make it, plan the funeral" speech.
I told him, that the Spirit of Truth had told me that everything was going to be alright.
The neurologist became red in the face with anger.
He told me about his years of experience, and that he knew what he was talking about. He said these exact words to me, "It is impossible for your daughter not to die.".
I really did not expect one of her doctors to act like this. I would have thought that the doctor would be happy to learn that he was not going to lose his patient. Apparently, that was not his highest priority.
So I told him again, that the Spirit of Truth had told me that everything was going to be alright. Then we parted company.
Over the next nine days, there was a constant stream of people who came to comfort Julie in the hospital. Many of them thought that I was cold and unfeeling, because I was totally unconcerned about the condition of my daughter. The truth is, it would have been a lie for me to act like I was worried about anything. The Spirit of Truth was witnessing to my spirit that everything was going to be alright. I literally had inside information that they were lacking.
During that time, our pastor gave me a check for about $3,500 that people in our church had given him to help us out. Then some Jewish people from New York City, who were total strangers, heard about what was going on somehow, and also sent us checks, that totaled to about the same amount of money.
I really did not know why people kept giving us money. I did not need it at the time. It turned out, that the Father of Truth was taking care of needs that we would soon have, before the needs ever occurred. Once again, the Spirit of Truth was letting me know that everything was going to be alright.
(I realize now, that people were giving me money, so Savannah could have a proper burial. They knew that I had lived on the brink of bankruptcy, so I could take care of her and her siblings. However, the thought that I would need money to bury her had never crossed my mind. The Spirit of Truth never stopped witnessing to me that everything was going to be alright.)
Then after ten days of Savannah being as good as dead, she did the impossible and came out of her coma. Many of those involved were in total shock, including my pastor.
However, my family and her main doctor were not in shock. This was not their first rodeo.
Savannah had been beyond the ability of medical science to save before, but her father had heard from the Spirit of Truth. They had seen this movie before and knew how it ended.
However, the news just kept getting better and better.
She had been given this combination of medications, because she had contacted a serious bacteria that was killing her. This strain of bacteria had shown itself to be immune to almost all medications. This combination of medications was the last resort effort to keep the bacteria from killing her. These medications that were going around unfiltered through her body for those ten days killed off that bacteria completely. In fact, they burned out every single bacteria and disease that was in her body.
Now the word, "Chaim" that the Spirit of Truth had told me to speak over her when I laid hands on her began to come to pass. The Hebrew word "Chaim" does not mean "life", as it is often mistranslated. It literally means "lives".
Soon after that, Savannah took up golf, and was finally able to have a sports life like she had always wanted. She was able to go to school on a consistent basis for the first time in her life, so she got a school life. She became part of a group of girls at our church and got a social life for the first time in her life. She took up drawing and things like that, which make up an art life. In every area, Savannah became alive where she had been dead. She had been given lives.
The Father of Truth had not just given her health so she could have lives, but I had been given the money in advance to make it possible for her to do many of these things.
Suddenly, it all made sense. I had been told to lay hands on her, because that is what the Book of Truth (the Bible) says to do. The Vulcan peace sign is really how a Rabbi spreads his hands, when he blesses the congregation, when a synagogue service ends with the blessing that Aaron was told by the Father of Truth to bless the congregation with. The right hand is the hand of blessing in the Book of Truth. So I was putting the symbol of blessing on Savannah when I obeyed the instructions and put my right hand in the shape of the Vulcan peace sign on her chest. Then I spoke lives into her when I finished carry out the instructions by saying that one word, "Chaim".
I finally understood what that woman had meant when she said that I would soon know that the Father of Truth loves me.
In that particular ICU, where they send the most desperate cases in Oklahoma about one out of three of them died. During those ten days, several children who were not in near as bad a condition as Savannah died. Shortly after that the FDA banned this combination of medications, because they did not play nice together. Her doctor researched the matter and found that Savannah was the only person who ever lived once the kidneys shut down.
When I learned this I finally broke down and cried. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge of how much the Father of Truth loved me.
I am sure that most of those people who had lost their child had prayed that the Father of Truth would save their child, but their child died anyways. I have no other explanation of why the Father of Truth did this for me other than to cause me to know how much He loves me.
As the Spirit of Truth had said to me everything was alright. The
Man of Truth had once again stood between Savannah and death. The
Father of Truth had again showed Himself strong on my behalf.
After Savannah came home, the Spirit of Truth instructed me to take seven rocks out my yard, use them to build a pillar in my front yard, and anoint the pillar with olive oil as a memorial of what the Father of Truth had done for me. Even though I was hindered terribly, I overcame those hindrances and did as I was instructed. That pillar became a symbol of the love that the Father of Truth has shown me. That is why it is part of the logo for this blog, and why it is my photo on Facebook.
The Father of Truth did not stop there, but has shown Himself strong
on my behalf many times since then. We do not just believe in miracles
in our house - we count on them.
Her health took another turn for the worst a few years ago and Savannah felt like giving up. Then the Father of Truth gave her a dream one night that revealed the purpose that she was made to fulfill. She has been working to fulfill that purpose against all odds.
Savannah is now in college. She is about to complete her degree in Japanese, which is the first step towards getting a master's degree in international business.
The Father of Truth has always had a great purpose for
Savannah. The
Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) has always tried to
keep her from fulfilling that purpose. This war between them over her
has been going on for twenty-three years now.
This war is but one battle in a bigger war that has been going on since the time of Adam. The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) have a part to play in this bigger war. The Father of Truth works through them in this Earth. Their victory is certain if they learn how to fight in the way that the Father of Truth desires, so He can show Himself strong on their behalf.
One of the main reasons that the Father of Truth keeps showing Himself strong on my behalf, is because I have learned the fastest way to victory.
There has never been a time in my life when I did not have extraordinary trouble compared to my peers. I learned at a very young age that there are only three phases to my life. One is where I am in a fight. The second is where I am recovering from a fight. The third is where I need to be preparing for a fight.
So after I came into the House of Truth I began learning the fastest way to victory. I learned that the fastest way to victory is to frequently eat
the breakfast of champions.
So for about a five year period I kept being led by the Spirit of Truth to fast. This was a period when I was rarely engaged in a fight. Yet, I ended up fasting basically every other day.
Julie would get so aggravated at me.
She wanted to know why I was fasting all of the time, when there was nothing going on where I needed the Father of Truth to show Himself strong on my behalf. All I could tell her was that I was being led to do this because I was preparing for a big fight.
Of course when Savannah was born, it became apparent what that big fight was.
When it comes to fasting, most of the Children of Truth tend to only think of it as something that you do in a crisis when you are desperate and you have no other option. This is how my wife used to think of fasting, so she could not understand why the Spirit of Truth would lead me to fast when there was no crisis.
Most of the Children of Truth think that fasting is only for when they are in a crisis.
They only fast when they face an overwhelming threat, and their only chance of victory is the Father of Truth showing Himself strong on their behalf (
2 Chronicles 20:1-18). They only fast when they need the Father of Truth to give them wisdom to deal with a crisis (
Ezra 8:21-23). They only fast when they learn of an impending crisis (
Esther 4:1-3). They only fast when they need the Father of Truth to show Himself strong on their behalf by giving them favor with those in authority, so they can divert a crisis (
Esther 4:7-17). They only fast when they are crying out to the Father of Truth to deliver them from a crisis (
Esther 9:31). They only fast when they can see that they are in a crisis (
Joel 1:13-15).
However, fasting will not bring deliverance from a crisis without repentance.
The Father of Truth will only show Himself strong on behalf of people when they fast, if they also repent of their sins (
Isaiah 58). The Father of Truth will certainly not hold back judgment, if they fast without any true repentance (
Jeremiah 14:10-12). Fasting will not divert disaster, if the Word of Truth is rejected (
Jeremiah 36). Fasting must be an outward sign of a genuine change of heart to bring about deliverance by the Father of Truth (
Joel 2:12-14). The Father of Truth will show Himself strong, when people give fasting the highest priority to show that they have returned to making Him their highest priority (
Joel 2:15-18). The Father of Truth is looking for people to fast to show genuine repentance, so He can divert judgment for their sins (
Jonah 3:4-10).
So people are particularly inclined to fast when trouble comes upon them
for their own sins.
The Father of Truth sometimes shows Himself strong
on behalf of people to deliver them from the results of their sins,
when they fast to show that they have repented of those sins (
1 Samuel 7:3-10).
However there is no guarantee that fasting will cause the Father of
Truth to show Himself strong on their behalf, when they repent of their
sins (
2 Samuel 12:13-23). Sometimes the best that fasting in repentance will do, is delay the judgment that comes from their sins (
1 Kings 21:20-29).
Most of the Children of Truth also think that fasting is a sign of
mourning over the results of a crisis.
They fast when someone has died
in a crisis (
2 Samuel 1:12). They fast when they learn of the disaster that came from the crisis, which their owns sins brought about (
Nehemiah 1:1-7). They fast in repentance to bring restoration, after the judgment of sin has happened (
Daniel 9:2-20).
So in short, most of the Children of Truth only think of fasting as a crisis management tool or a disaster recovery plan.
Fasting was never meant to be a substitute for obedience to the Father of Truth.
The Father of Truth is only certain to show Himself strong
when fasting is done to deliver those who have done no wrong (
Daniel 6:18-22). The Father of Truth is more inclined to hear people and grant their requests when they hear Him and obey His commandments, than when they fast (
Zechariah 7:4-14). Living a life of obedience to the Father of Truth will do more to bring people into the House of Truth than fasting (
Zechariah 8:16-23).
Fasting is meant to be part of a lifestyle of obedience that draws the Children of Truth closer to the Father of Truth.
The Man of Truth did not fast to make up for any kind of disobedience,
but rather to be obedient to the Spirit of Truth, so he could overcome
every temptation of the Father of Lies to disobey the Father of Truth (
Matthew 4:1-11). When the Children of Truth humble themselves in obedience to Him, then He gives them grace to overcome their circumstances (
James 4:6). When they are obedient to the Father of Truth, then the Father of Lies flees from them when they rise up to resist him (
James 4:7). When they fast to become closer to the Father of Truth, then He moves to become closer to them when they are obedient to Him (
James 4:8). When they humble themselves by afflicting their souls with fasting, then the Father of Truth shows Himself strong on their behalf (
James 4:9-10).
That is why fasting as part of a lifestyle of obedience, is the fastest way to victory!
Fasting is something that the Children of Truth are to supposed to
do, so they can draw closer to the Father of Truth.
Moses received the instructions of the Father of Truth when he fasted (
Deuteronomy 9:9-11). Moses fasted to intercede for the Father of Truth to show mercy to others (
Deuteronomy 9:18-20).
Anna, the Prophetess of Truth, served the Father of Truth constantly
with fasting, so she could give witness that the Man of Truth was the
Messiah of Israel (
Luke 2:36-38). Cornelius fasted, so that he could clearly hear the instructions of the Father of Truth (
Acts 10:30-33).
The Apostles of Truth fasted, so they could know who put in charge of every
congregation that they started, so the congregations would keep walking
in obedience to the Father of Truth (
Acts 14:21-23).
Fasting was was part of the lifestyle of the Apostles of Truth, so that
people could see that they were ministers of the Father of Truth (
2 Corinthians 6:3-5).
The Children of Truth are supposed to fast so they can hear the Spirit of Truth more clearly.
The Spirit of Truth
was so strong upon Moses that his face shined, after he had spent time
fasting before the Father of Truth (
Exodus 34:28-30). Elijah fasted to escape to be hidden in the secret place of the Father of Truth, where he could clearly hear the Spirit of Truth (
1 Kings 19:7-9). Peter the Jew (Sh'mon aka Simon aka Simeon aka Cephas aka The Apostle Peter) was instructed by the Spirit of Truth to tell Cornelius the Good News, when he fasted (
Acts 10:9-20). The Prophets of Truth and the Teachers of Truth ministered to the
Father of Truth with fasting, so they could clearly hear the
instructions of the Spirit of Truth about who to send out as Apostles
of Truth to tell others about the Man of Truth (
Acts 13:1-4).
The Children of Truth also gain a stronger bond with the Man of Truth when they fast.
When they fast they identify with the fast that the
Man of Truth experienced, while suffering on the cross (
Psalm 69:7-10). When they fast they are looking to the Father of Truth for deliverance, just as the Man of Truth did on the cross (
Psalm 109:24-27).
They suffer the hunger comes from a loss of food in order to gain a closer relationship with the Man of Truth by suffering with him,
because nothing binds men together like suffering together for a common
cause (
Philippians 3:7-10).
So fasting causes the Children of Truth to draw closer to the Father of Truth, more clearly hear the Spirit of Truth, and to become more like the Man of Truth. This is why the Children of Truth should be fasting.
Fasting as part of a lifestyle of obedience is the fastest way to victory!
This is why the Man of Truth said, that the Children of Truth were to fast, after he left this Earth.
The Children of Truth are to fast, because they are mourning that he is not with them on this Earth (
Matthew 9:14-15). They are to fast until they are with him again (
Mark 2:18-20). They are to fast often until he returns to this Earth (
Luke 5:33-35).
The Man of Truth told us why fasting as part of a lifestyle of obedience, is the fastest way to victory.
He said that the Children of Truth are to fast to drive unbelief out of their lives - and that gives them the victory (
Matthew 17:20-21)! When the Children of Truth struggle with unbelief, then fasting helps to bring an end to the unbelief, so they can have victory over every enemy (
Mark 9:24-29).
So fasting was not the fastest way to victory, because it moved the Father of Truth to be more on my side, but because it moved me to be more on His side!
The Father of Truth shows Himself strong on behalf of those who live a lifestyle of obedience, when they cry out to Him with fasting (
Psalm 145:17-19).
The fact is, that not only do most of the Children of Truth not know that the primary purpose of fasting is to draw them closer to the Father of Truth, but they do not even know how to fast.
Fasting is not just abstaining from eating food. That is just a bad diet plan.
Fasting is afflicting your soul by abstaining from things that bring pleasure to your soul, in order to spend more time with the Father of Truth (
Isaiah 58:3).
Fasting does mean abstaining from food, even though that is not all there is to fasting.
Fasting does not normally include abstaining from water for people will die without water in about four days, but some of the Children of Truth fasted for seven days in mourning (
1 Chronicles 10:11-13). Whenever people have gone a while without food, then they are fasting (
Matthew 15:32). Fasting continues until the fast is broken by eating food (
Acts 27:33).
Fasting also means abstaining from sex.
Men are not to approach their wives for sex when they are going to draw near to the Father of Truth (
Exodus 19:15-17). For this reason, a man can make void a vow that his wife has made to fast unto the Father of Truth on the day that he learns of it (
Numbers 30:12-14). For this reason, married couples are to only fast for a limited amount of time by mutual consent, and must resume having sex as soon as practical after the fast is over (
1 Corinthians 7:3-5).
This was undoubtedly part of the frustration that my wife felt. I knew that I was being led to fast often to prepare for a big fight, but that was not the only reason that I fasted often. I had found that spending time with the Spirit of Truth was
better than sex. I was totally addicted to fasting and I hurt my wife without realizing it, by fasting all of the time.
So it is important that couples are honest with each other and tell their spouse to end their fast, because they need sex. The fast has to end when this occurs unless they had agreed for it to go longer ahead of time.
Fasting is not to bring pleasure to the Children of Truth by doing things to draw attention to their fasting, so others will admire how devoted that they are.
The Children of Truth are to take baths and wear clean clothes, when they are going to draw near to the Father of Truth (
Exodus 19:14-17). They are not to go around with a dirty face and looking sad, so that everyone knows, that they are fasting (
Matthew 6:16). They are to hide that they are fasting by keeping their hair and face clean, because the Father of Truth will reward them in ways that everyone can see for doing so (
Matthew 6:17-18).
Fasting is about doing something else, instead of things that bring pleasure to their souls.
Fasting is about making time, to spend confessing your sins to the Father of Truth, reading the Word of Truth, and worshiping the Father of Truth (
Nehemiah 9:1-3). Fasting is making time to seek after the Father of Truth to heal the sick (
Psalm 35:13). Fasting means taking time to hear from the Spirit of Truth (
Acts 13:2). Fasting is spending time in prayer, instead of the things that bring pleasure to your soul, so you can hand your problems over to the Father of Truth (
Acts 14:23).
Since most of the Children of Truth have not been taught why they need to fast, and how to fast, they also do not know when to fast.
Is it really necessary for all of the Children of Truth to fast every other day?
The fact is, that some people do fast frequently in their efforts to draw closer to the Father of Truth, because fasting as part of a lifestyle of obedience is the fastest way to victory!
The Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist (Yochanon the Mikveh Man), many of whom came into the House of Truth, fasted often (
Matthew 9:14). Many of them like Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul), continued to fast often after they came into the House of Truth (
2 Corinthians 11:27).
How often did Paul the Jew, and other Jews, who came into the House of Truth fast as they continued in the discipline that they had grown up with?
They had seven yearly fasts.
All of the firstborn males fasted on the day before Passover (Pesach), the fourteenth day of the first month, because the firstborn males were the ones who were passed over when the Father of Truth destroyed all of the firstborn males of Egypt (
Exodus 12:21-29). They fasted on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the tenth day of the seventh month, because it was commanded in the Law of Truth (
Leviticus 16:29-31). They fasted on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month to commemorate the fast of Esther, that saved the Jewish people from extermination (
Esther 4:16). They fasted on the ninth day of the fifth month to mourn over the destruction of the Temple, and they fasted on the third day of the seventh month to mourn over the murder of Gedaliah, which led to them being completely exiled from the Promised Land (
Zechariah 7:5). They fasted on the seventh day of the fourth month to mourn for the breaching of the walls Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and they fasted on the tenth day of the tenth month to mourn for the destruction of Jerusalem (
Zechariah 8:19).
On top of that, they fasted twice every week, on Mondays and Thursdays, because those days were two days after the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) and two days before the weekly Sabbath (
Luke 18:12).
This means that they fasted over one hundred days per year! This would average out to be about every third day. So not even observant Jews, like Paul the Jew, fasted every other day after they came into the House of Truth!
So how often should people fast?
As often as they are led by the Spirit of Truth to fast, which will never contradict the commandment, to do so by mutual agreement with their spouse.
If they cannot agree on this, then the husband could fast during times when they are to abstain from sex anyways, like between when the wife starts her monthly purification until a week after it is over (
Leviticus 15:24-28).
Perhaps the only Children of Truth, who are going to be led by the Spirit of Truth to fast extraordinarily often, are those who like Paul the Jew who faced extraordinary trouble (
2 Corinthians 11:23-27). They are the ones who need the Father of Truth to show Himself strong on their behalf more often.
So what about everyone else?
When it comes to fasting like everything else,
you have to start somewhere. For many people starting anything new, particularly if it is difficult for them, is easier to do if they do it at the same time as everyone else.
Fortunately, there is a day when all of the Children of Truth should be fasting. While there were over one hundred days per year when some of the Children of Truth, like Paul the Jew fasted, there is only day a year when all of the Children of Truth should be fasting.
The fast on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), on the tenth day of the seventh month on the calendar of the Father of Truth, is the only fast, that all of the Children of Truth are commanded to perform (
Leviticus 23:26-28). Every single one of the Children of Truth are commanded to fast on this day (
Leviticus 23:29-31). This fast is to start near sunset of the ninth day of the month and continues until near sunset the next day (
Leviticus 23:32). The Children of Truth are congregate together during this Fast, so that no one has to try to fast alone (
Numbers 29:7). That is why Paul the Jew called it, "The Fast" (
Acts 27:9).
So the best place to start learning the fastest way to victory is with a congregation of the Children of Truth, who are walking in obedience to the commandment of the Father of Truth to fast together on the Day of Atonement. This fast has everything to do with the Man of Truth, for it is the sixth act of
the Greatest Play Ever that tells about when the Man of Truth will bring this world into
total surrender to the Father of Truth. When the Children of Truth fast during this fast, they are not only sharing in the sufferings of the Man of Truth, but they are expressing faith that they will also share in his reign over the Earth (
2 Timothy 2:12)!
Fasting on the Day of Atonement, or any other day, is of very limited value unless it is accompanied by a lifestyle of obedience.
No one can be baptized in the Spirit of Truth, unless they first come into the House of Truth, so they can live a lifestyle of obedience (
Acts 2:37-39). No one can have a lifestyle of obedience, until they come into the House of Truth by surrendering to the Man of Truth, because he is the one who the Father of Truth told Moses that everyone must obey (
Acts 3:19-23). No one can come into the House of Truth to learn how to live a lifestyle of obedience, unless they accept the Word of Truth concerning the Man of Truth (
Acts 4:10-12). The Man of Truth is the only mean, that the Father of Truth has provided for people to come into the House of Truth, so they can learn a lifestyle of obedience with the help of the Spirit of Truth (
Acts 5:30-32).
A lifestyle of obedience begins with coming into the House of Truth, by making a commitment to obey the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (
Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
