I’m Hungry For More
I’m Hungry For More
In a world filled with distractions and surface-level living, many Christians find themselves longing for something deeper. They attend conferences and seek prayer from others, wondering why some believers seem to have spiritual power while others struggle. The answer lies in an ancient practice that Jesus himself demonstrated: prayer and fasting.
When the disciples failed to cast out a demon from an epileptic boy in Matthew 17, Jesus explained that some spiritual breakthroughs require a deeper level of authority that only comes through prayer and fasting. Before this miracle, Jesus had been transfigured on the mountain, spending intimate time in His Father's presence, which gave Him spiritual insight and supernatural power that the disciples lacked.
Prayer and fasting produces three transformative results in believers' lives. First, it sharpens spiritual sight, helping you see past worldly distractions and understand what's really happening in the spiritual realm. Second, it positions you to witness God's supernatural power as you demonstrate that you need Him more than comfort or convenience. Third, and most importantly, it deepens your relationship with God, creating intimacy with your Heavenly Father. Fasting involves giving up something valuable to focus on the spiritual world, whether food, activities, or other enjoyments. The key is sacrificing something meaningful to demonstrate your hunger for more of God.
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I'm Hungry for More: The Secret Ingredient of Prayer and Fasting
In a world filled with distractions and surface-level living, many Christians find themselves longing for something deeper. They attend conferences, seek prayer from others, and wonder why some believers seem to have spiritual power while others don't. The answer lies in an ancient practice that Jesus himself demonstrated and taught: prayer and fasting.
Why Couldn't the Disciples Cast Out the Demon?
In Matthew 17:14-21, we encounter a desperate father whose son suffers from severe epilepsy and demonic oppression. The disciples had tried to help but failed completely. When Jesus arrived and instantly healed the boy, the disciples asked privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Jesus' response was direct: "Because of your unbelief... this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
This wasn't just about having more faith - it was about the source of that faith. Some spiritual breakthroughs require a deeper level of spiritual authority that only comes through prayer and fasting.
What Happened Before This Miracle?
To understand Jesus' power in this moment, we need to look at what happened just before. In Matthew 17:1-8, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, His clothes became white as light, and Moses and Elijah appeared to speak with Him.
This wasn't just a spectacular light show - it was Jesus spending intimate time in His Father's presence, just as Moses had done when he received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. When Moses came down from the mountain, his face also shone from being in God's presence.
Jesus came down from this mountain encounter with spiritual insight and supernatural power that the disciples lacked. He could see what was really happening in the spiritual realm.
Three Things That Happen When You Pray and Fast
1. You Gain Sharpened Spiritual Sight
When you fast and pray, you begin to see the world differently. The things that once seemed so important start to fade, and you gain insight into what's really happening spiritually.
We live in a world full of distractions - social media algorithms, news cycles, and cultural pressures that pull our attention away from what truly matters. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age."
Prayer and fasting cuts through the noise of this world and helps you see clearly. You begin to understand what's really affecting your family, your work situation, and your future. You stop being deceived by worldly priorities and start seeing from God's perspective.
2. You Will See God's Supernatural Power
Many Christians spend years going from conference to conference, hoping someone will impart something special to them. But breakthrough doesn't come from external meetings - it comes from the secret place of God's presence.
When you consistently pray and fast, you position yourself to see God move in ways that seem impossible in the natural realm. This isn't about earning points with God - it's about demonstrating that you're serious enough about your need for Him that you're willing to sacrifice to seek His face.
God honors the heart that says, "I need You more than I need this food. I want You more than I want comfort." When you seek His face with this level of desperation and devotion, He responds with supernatural intervention.
3. Your Relationship with God Grows Deeper and Stronger
This is the most important result of prayer and fasting. While spiritual insight and supernatural power are wonderful, the ultimate goal is intimacy with your Heavenly Father.
When God the Father spoke from the cloud during Jesus' transfiguration, He said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" The Father was essentially telling the disciples to stop talking and listen - He was having an intimate moment with His Son.
Prayer and fasting isn't ultimately about getting things from God or even doing mighty things for God. It's about being a son or daughter of the Most High God and experiencing the joy of His presence.
What Does Biblical Fasting Look Like?
Fasting means giving up something valuable to you in the natural world to focus on the spiritual world. Most people give up food - either all food, certain meals, or specific types of food like meat or desserts. Others choose to fast from social media, television, or other activities they enjoy.
The key is that it must be something you value. Giving up Brussels sprouts doesn't count unless you actually love Brussels sprouts! The sacrifice demonstrates to God (and to yourself) that you want Him more than you want that thing.
It's not about earning brownie points with God. As one pastor put it: "It's not the fast that God blesses. Rather, God blesses the motive of the heart and the intentions of the heart. Fasting is an outward tangible expression of what is happening in a person's heart."
The Secret Ingredient Isn't Really Secret
Prayer and fasting is available to every believer, but too many Christians treat it like a secret. They look for shortcuts, hoping someone else will pray for them or that attending the right conference will give them breakthrough.
But Jesus made it clear: "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Some areas of breakthrough, some levels of spiritual authority, and some depths of relationship with God only come through this ancient practice.
You can't afford not to fast and pray. You don't know what God wants to save you from, what He wants to do through you, or how He wants to transform your life. But He knows, and He's waiting for you to climb the mountain and meet with Him.
Life Application
This week, commit to joining a season of prayer and fasting. Choose something valuable to give up - whether it's a meal, a type of food, or another activity you enjoy. Use that time instead to seek God's face through prayer and worship.
Don't fast to get things from God, but to get more of God Himself. Approach it with the heart attitude of "God, I need You more than I need this thing I'm giving up."
Ask yourself these questions:
What areas of my life need breakthrough that only God can provide?
Am I willing to sacrifice comfort to seek God's face more deeply?
What is God calling me to give up so I can focus more on Him?
How hungry am I really for more of God in my life?
Remember, the world is yet to see what God will do with a person who is fully consecrated to Him. Will you be that person? Will you climb the mountain and meet with your Heavenly Father? The secret ingredient of spiritual breakthrough is waiting for you in the secret place of His presence.
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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All right, who's ready for The Word. I am Adrian, one of the pastors here, and I've got a word to share with you that's going to challenge us and hopefully be a blessing to us. But I believe it's what God wants to speak. So Matthew chapter 17 and we're going to go to verse 14. I'm reading from the new King James Version, and it's where Jesus has an encounter with a boy that needs God's healing power.
It's titled in my thing a boy is healed. And it says this. And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him and saying, lord have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely, for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him. And then Jesus answered and said some very kind, heartfelt words.
O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me. Says it like it is sometimes. And Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him.
And the child was cured from that very hour. And then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why could we not cast it out? And so Jesus said to them, very kind words, again from Jesus or seemingly uncommon, but they were truthful. He said, because of your unbelief. For assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. I've titled today's message. I'm hungry for more. I'm hungry for more. And I'm going to speak to you today as mature people, whether you've been in this church a week or 30 years, a Christian your whole life, or just gotten saved.
I'm going to talk to you about the deeper things, about what God wants to do in you. Because who knows God, we know this. We don't want to just be surface level Christians. We don't just want to be comfortable Christians. We want to have our lives transformed and we want to transform the lives of those around us.
Isn't that right? And so we see here an encounter where this, where Jesus does just this. He changed a boy's life forever. He changed the Father's life. He changed everyone around their life.
The disciples couldn't do it, but Jesus could. I want to be like Jesus and I want to talk to you today about this secret ingredient, this secret recipe, this secret thing that, that the disciples didn't seem to have, but Jesus had it. And he says it at the end, he says, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. There are some deeper things, there are some seeming secrets of the Christian faith that if you tap into them, you'll see transformation and change. That other people wonder why.
And this is one of the keys. He always at a cafe. A long time ago, it was a while ago, but I, I decided, I went there and they had these muffins available and I don't like muffins, right, because they're a bit gluggy and you know, I like, I just don't like them. But there was this muffin there and it was called a French toast muffin. The French toast muffin.
I love French toast. I'm like, oh, nice. And with maple syrup. Who's a fan of French toast here? Good French toast, alright.
French toast muffin I thought I should get. And she goes, this is my secret recipe. This is my secret. I said, okay, I'm gonna give it a go. You prove to me.
And so I got this muffin, it got heated up and then cream got put on the side with a nice strawberry and then maple syrup got poured all over it and around it. And I tried this French toast muffin and I will never forget. This is the greatest muffin I've ever tried in my life. The greatest French toast. It was like French toast, but even better.
And it was amazing. And the flavors, I was like, how did you do it? She goes, it's a secret. I will never share how I make my French toast muffin with anyone in the world. I'm the only one that I've ever seen do it and no one is ever going to learn it off me.
And to this day I've never found this muffin anywhere else, anywhere I've ever gone. Only in this one place. It's a secret ingredient. It's a secret recipe and it is amazing. All right.
In the same way, there are some people who have spiritual power and there are some people who don't. There are some people that seem to have a secret. They seem what causes you to have some kind of authority in the spiritual world and others not. This is what the disciples, Jesus, why do you have power and we don't? Why do you have this authority and you're able to do things and cast this demon out of this boy and we couldn't.
And Jesus says, well, because of your Unbelief. And then he goes on and he goes even further. He says, because your unbelief is caused by a lack of prayer and fasting. He says this only comes out through prayer and fasting. And so today I want to talk to you about this secret ingredient, this secret recipe of the Christian faith that if you learn to do it for yourself, you will see things change.
I want to talk about the three things, three things that will happen when you learn to pray and fast for yourself. Is that all right? And so we have these cards on the seat. If I can just get one handed to me. These are not just to be discarded and dead.
These are for you to take with you. There's a scripture on there and on the back. Oh, no, the date is not here, but we're starting. The date we're starting is the 10th of March. So you've got a week and a bit Tuesday, the 10th of March, for 21 days in the lead up to Easter as a church, we're going to be praying and fasting.
And on the back of this card there's a little QR code. You can go to our website. There's a page on there that will give you more information about what kind of things you can fast, what it is. You can listen to a whole sermon about prayer and fasting and just to give you some helpful information about it. And then we've got here, what are you fasting from and what are you believing for?
And that's for you to write down and think about. The idea of a fast is to give up something that's valuable to you in this natural world. All right, Most people give up a food. You can give up all food if you like. You've got to be careful.
You are looking after your health and, you know, don't do it if it's not medically advisable for you to do so healthy. But some people give up a meal, some people give up meat, some people give up dessert. Some people try and get away with giving up Brussels sprouts. And I say it doesn't count. Unless you love Brussels sprouts, then it's got to be something that's valuable to you.
Some people have decided to go a little bit sort of fresher and go, I'm going to give up social media for three weeks. I'm going to give up all tv and I'm going to put that time, something that I love doing, that I love, and I'm going to give that up. And I'm going to say God, I want you more than I want that food or that thing in my life. That's what fasting is. It's not gaining brownie points with God.
It's getting yourself away from the natural world and focusing on the spiritual world. And I want to talk to you today because Jesus did it. Jesus told us to do it. Why is it such a key? Why is it such a seeming secret in our lives?
There's three things I want to take out of this scripture, and then we're going to pray together. The first one is this. When you fast and pray, you gain sharpened spiritual sight. Spiritual sight, spiritual insight that you will not have otherwise. This is what I love about Jesus.
He comes to this moment, and we're about to read. Because what's important that we understand about this moment that Jesus has, it wasn't just in isolation before this moment. Jesus had come from the place of the presence of God. He'd climbed the mountain and had been right in the presence of God. In fact, we're going to go to it right now.
And you're going to see, Jesus didn't just say to fast and pray. He was living it out. Because we cut to this in verse 8. But if we go back to chapter 17 and verse 1, you'll see a famous encounter that happened. It's known as the transfiguration.
And the transfiguration, to transfigure something means for it to be transformed into something even more beautiful, more shining and bright and lovely. And this happened to Jesus. It says here in verse one. Now, after six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. It's important they went up a mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. And then Peter, he goes on and said, jesus, Lord. It is said to Jesus, lord, it is good for us to be here.
And if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles or tents. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. And while he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him.
And the disciples. When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid because Jesus was in the presence of his heavenly Father. It's interesting, this passage here, because it talks about them going up the mountain and it's harkening back here to the same time or the same place where Moses went up the mountain and that's where he received the Ten Commandments. He went up to Mount Sinai and that's where he met with the Lord. And it says up there, that's where he fasted and he prayed and he met face to face with God.
And God spoke to Moses. And Moses face was also shining when he'd been in the presence of God. This is this idea to the Jewish people as they read this, because Matthew was writing to Jewish people and he was saying, just in the same way that Moses, the great leader, the great man of God, who knew God face to face and talk to God as God talked to a friend. The same thing happened to Jesus Christ. He went up the mountain and as he sought his father, he was filled with the presence of God and he talked to his father face to face because he was someone who went and sought God.
And so we get to this and we see this transfiguration, this beautiful moment on the mountain and then Jesus comes down the mountain. And do you know what happens when you've been in the presence of God and you've been face to face talking to God and you've been deep in his presence? You don't see the world in the same way, do you just try and be in the presence of God and think about the world the way things don't seem as important as they once did. You have insight into things that other people don't. And that is why, brothers and sisters, Jesus was not being harsh when they came to him.
He had such spiritual fire and spiritual insight. He was calling out the things of the world compared to the things of the spirit. Oh, can you? Why can't we cure him? Oh, faithless and perverse generation.
How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me. Because Jesus could see he goes, this world is on the wrong trajectory. And this is what God wants to do with you.
He wants to do it in me. We live in a world full of weeds and full of stuff that try and take our emotions, make us anxious, make us go after things that aren't important. And when you pray and fast, God is able to say, here is what is true, here's the difference. Here's truth and here's deception. Here's real and here's wrong.
Here's what's truly happening in your family's life. Here's what's really happening in your work situation. Here's what I'm really trying to do in your life while you're getting frustrated. I'm doing a work in here, if you let me. And sometimes we're so deceived by the world, we're caught up with everything going on and I need to go and get away with God on the mountain and I need to pray and seek God and fast and say, God, get the world out of me and let the spirit fill me.
And then you start to see and you start to look at the world and not just judge it and call it out, but you start to see what's really happening. And you don't go and start judging it and calling out everyone, oh, you're bad and you're bad, you're bad. No, Jesus called something out and then he fixed it. He changed it. You know what he did?
He cast a demon. He cast the world out of someone and set them free. How can you set people free when you can't even see that they need it? And some of us, we've filled our lives. This world fills our lives with so much stuff we need to realize, God, I need to get the world out of me and you into me.
Ephesians 6:12. We're not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. I'm not a super spiritual person. I like to tackle problems practically. But I've got to realize, brothers and sisters, there is a spiritual world out there and it's trying to deceive you.
It says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for those he may devour. You know how he wants to devour you? He wants to deceive you. He wants to make you caught up in something that isn't important. He wants you to be following stuff that ain't real.
And I gotta go fast and pray so I can see what is true and what is real. And then I grab a hold of it. Some of us are young people. You're doing that. You're saying, I'm gonna be in the house of God.
My friends are out partying, they're out doing all this, pursuing all this other garbage. I'm gonna be in the house of God. We got more young people coming to our growth nights to study the word of God than we've ever had. Because I'm looking at them and going, they realize I need more. I need more God.
I want to seek your face because I don't want the things of the World, I need the things of God. That's what fasting and prayer will do. Have you been up the mountain with the Lord? Because if you do, you'll get spiritual insight. You will get spiritual insight and it will change the weeds of your life.
Remember this. God plants a seed of faith, but the weeds come up and the weeds are the worries of the world, right? The comforts of the world, right? The pride of life and all this stuff, and it will destroy your life. And some of us in the church, we come to church, but we're living for the world.
And God says, I want to take you back. I want to give you spiritual insight so you can say, this is what's real, this is what's important. This is what I need to speak into. My son, my daughter, my marriage, my partner. Something greater God has for you.
You got to have spiritual insight, and prayer and fasting will do that. The second thing that will happen is that you will see God's supernatural power.
You won't have to do a sort of a weird kind of go to this conference or that conference and oh, keep believing. Get prayed for 50,000 times, hoping that someone's got something for you. You'll just see it happen. You know what I've discovered in life when I pray and fast? I've been doing this seriously and properly now for probably the last 14 years of my life because God led me, he challenged me.
I said, God, I want more of you. God, I want to see breakthrough. God, I want to see you move. I want to see you do supernatural things. God said, well, Adrian, you've got to go pray and fast because there ain't an easy path.
All right? I want to tell you this. A conference is nice. A conference is not the pathway to breakthrough. All right?
I go, I love you know, they're good, but I go, if you want to get into the Christian world, mate, you can go to a conference every week. I know some people, they literally go on every conference, every meeting, everything that's all nice and dandy, but I go, you go along to those, but you pray and fast and seek God for yourself because the breakthrough is going to happen in the secret place of his presence, not in a big open air meeting with a pastor praying over you. Not trying to denigrate that there's a place for that. But I want to say, too many Christians are waiting for someone to come and impart something to them. When the impartation comes from the Holy Spirit of God in the secret place, you want to see the supernatural power of God, go and seek his face, fast and pray.
I've learned this. I go, God, I love being in these meetings. I love it. I've been in all my life. Then the Lord challenged me, go fast and pray for yourself.
And it wasn't easy, it wasn't cool. And no one knew what was doing. In fact, I had a whole bunch of pastors. I went on my first 21 day fast. They were like, what are you doing?
And some of them said, oh, yeah, I did that once. Oh, it's too hard, Adrian, because they see you in a grumpy mood, right? You're like, why are you doing this? Because it feels weird, right? You feel like a little bit of a weirdo.
Like, what are you doing? I'm fasting to seek God. Why don't you just have a meal? Why don't you just eat, like, be normal, Adrian. I'm like, well, I've never been normal, so I'm going to do this.
I did a 21 day fast. Then I went even crazy and I did a 40 day fast. And I was dumb in the eyes of a whole bunch of people because I did the 40 day fast in the lead up to Christmas and we were going on all the Christmas dinners and I went to the staff, the church dinner for all the volunteers not here, it was another church. And we had a buffet. And God goes, adrian, I'm going to show you some things about.
I've got a sense of humor and you like a dry sense. You like a bit of a sarcasm and, and a bit of dry sense of humor. He placed me, I think it was, I blame God for this one. He placed me right next to the buffet table, right? And we were the last table to go and I had to watch everyone filling their plates.
The food smelling, it was bad. And I couldn't touch one bit of it, all right? And people came to me and they said, adrian, you are dumb. Adrian, you are crazy. I had pastor saying, adrian, this is too extreme.
This is too much. Do you know what, though? God had spoken in my heart said, adrian, if you want to find me, you must seek me. And I want to tell you this, brothers and sisters, you want to see the supernatural power of God in your family. You want to see breakthrough.
You want to see things happen that are impossible in the natural. You can't take any shortcuts. You got to be a person that says, I will go and seek your face. And when you do, God will move in your life. I promise you.
Because I did those things and I Can't tell you. Here's the thing about praying and fasting. I can't always tell you what I all the results, because I don't know what God has saved me from. I don't know the breakthroughs that have occurred because I did that. But I do know this.
Every church I've been in for the last since that day to this has kept growing through thick and through thin. People have kept getting saved, people have kept getting delivered, provisions happened, the visions kept growing. And sometimes I'll look at it and I'll go, God, what are you doing? How's this happening? And I go, it's the supernatural power of God.
It's not me. But I've tapped into his presence and he starts flowing. People come into this place and say, I sense the presence of God. I feel the love of God. I see people crying every week.
Why is that? Because we have a group of people, myself included and many others, who seek God and say, let this be a place of the supernatural presence of God. You want to see it in your family? You want to see your children following him, you can give them. I mean, my daughter's at an age now where she doesn't want to hear dad give her, you know, the five ways to success and the four things she needs to do.
She's 17, all right? She doesn't want to hear it. I've got to pray and fast and believe God and say, God, you grab a hold of her, you move in her life, you speak to her about a future. God's going to speak to you. He will move, you will see miracles.
Got a pastor friend, he challenged me on this because he went on prayer and fasting when he was younger, before he was even a pastor. He went on 40 days and he was praying about whether to marry his future wife, his girlfriend at the time. And it's amazing what happened. And they share this publicly. They're now running one of the biggest churches in Australia.
And they shared that his future wife, she'd been abused as a young person by a family member many, many years previously, but she'd never fully been healed of that. And it just sat there and the person had never admitted it. She didn't know what to do. And her boyfriend went on this 40 day fast and he said, I'm believing God that you're going to break through in our lives. While he was on that 40 day fast, the perpetrator against this woman said, actually contacted her and said, I need to talk to you.
Said, I haven't been able to sleep. I haven't been able to think about anything else other than what I did to you all those years ago. And he said, I want to say I did it and I'm so sorry for what I did to you and I want to ask for your forgiveness. Out of the blue. And I go, my friends, that's the supernatural power of God.
I don't know if that would have ever happened if he hadn't been in prayer and fasting and something moved in the spirit. Spiritual sight and then supernatural power. I want to tell you what God wants to do isn't just a miracle, isn't just provision. He wants to do a healing in your life. That may be some blockages that have never been moved and you don't know how to move them.
Prayer and fasting will move them. This kind doesn't come out except through prayer and fasting. This area doesn't get healed except through prayer and fasting. This area needs the supernatural power of God. And you can't beg for it.
You can't think. You just need to go and seek God and then pray and believe. And I believe it with all my heart that he will do it in the secret place of his presence. God can do things. It doesn't mean there's many areas of my life that haven't seen that breakthrough.
I don't go, oh, it didn't work. I go, God, I'm going to keep praying and fasting. Keep believing, keep believing for breakthrough. Keep believing. Supernatural power.
Here's a quote I've got about prayer and fasting that I think God sees. It's not about earning brownie points with God. It's about the heart. It's about the motive of our hearts. Al Henson, Baptist Church pastor, says this.
It's not the fast that God blesses. Rather, God blesses the motive of the heart and the intentions of the heart. I think fasting is an outward tangible expression of what is happening in a person's heart. I think when a person fasts, they're saying, I am serious enough about my need and desire to know God and seek God that I'm willing to sacrifice to get an answer from God. When you seek the face of God, you have faith that he's the only one that can intervene and cause a breakthrough in your situation.
And brothers and sisters, we will see. You will see breakthrough. You will see transformation. Jesus prayed over this boy and the devil was rebuked, the demon was rebuked and this boy was set free. What does God want to set free in your life?
What does God want to set free in your family? What does God want to set free in your future that only prayer and fasting and seeking his face will cause to break? The third thing that will happen when you pray and fast. The first thing is you'll get spiritual sight. The second thing is you'll see God's supernatural power.
The third thing is this, and it's the most important one. You will see your relationship with God grow deeper and stronger and more intimate. You will have a supercharged relationship with God the Father, because that's what it's all about. If you're fasting and praying just for breakthrough, that's this level you want to go to. What it's really all about, what fasting and prayer is really all about.
It's about seeing what's really true in the spiritual world. It's about seeing God's breakthrough, but ultimately it's about your relationship with him. It's to say, God, I need you. I want you. You're the air that I breathe.
Some of these songs that some of us have sung, they come from a place of realizing our true purpose in life. And this is why we go back to. In chapter 17, we go back to this place of the transfiguration. We go back to this place where Jesus climbed the mountain and what happened here. He saw Moses and Elijah.
And Peter gets all excited and goes, oh, look, it's the glory of God. This is awesome. Let's all have. Let's all have a campfire together. Let's get the marshmallows out.
Yeah. Peter's like, this is good. Peter's missed the point.
He missed a few points. He got it in the end. Peter's like, well, it's good fun. He's like, this is good that we're here, Jesus. Let's do something.
And I love this because I've heard this preached, and I think it's true, actually. I think God the Father's there communing with his son. He's there speaking with his son. Jesus went to the mountain, and he's encountering his Heavenly Father in this very intimate way. And there's Peter.
You ever been in a place, Peter, going, hey, let's have some marshmallows? Awesome. Have you ever been. I mean, I was on the beach the other day, and I got a phone call, and I was in the middle of my time with the Lord, and then the phone goes off, and I'm like. I answered it, and they said, oh, is this a good time?
And I Said, no, it's not. You've interrupted my time with God. Wasn't very pastoral. Wasn't Narelle. It was someone else.
And they were like, okay. And then we just talked anyway. But that was my fault for answering. You ever been in the place of the presence of God and then it gets interrupted and you're sort of, like, annoyed? I reckon Heavenly Father was annoyed with Peter because have a listen to what Heavenly Father says, right?
So Peter's going, hey, let's have a campfire. Let's sit and talk with each other. While he was still speaking. Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hear him. In other words, shut up, Peter. We've got some more important things happening than a campfire.
And I want to tell you this. Fasting and prayer, yes, get spiritual insight. I want to see what's really happening in the world. I don't want to listen to the influences and all the YouTube algorithms telling me all the, you know, all the different things. You look at.
He's saying this. You look up one thing on YouTube and suddenly your whole thing is flooded with all that topic, and it's like, leave me alone. Our government trying to be experts and fix all our problems and tell us how to live life. Leave me alone. I want spiritual insight, but I need more.
I don't just want to see God do miracles because they're nice. Seeing people saved, seeing God's provision, seeing healings, that's all nice, but I actually need more because a miracle fades, provision passes, and you forget about it over time.
I need what Jesus had with his father, Peter. Shut up. This is my son. Listen to him. Because I'm here with my son, because I'm here with my daughter.
And I know this is what saddens me, actually. I know that people hear stuff and we get caught up in the world and we say, we want this from God. We want that. And we miss the point, because you weren't born to do mighty things for God. And you weren't born to just see, breakthrough, and have insight and go change the world.
You were born. You were made to be a son of the most high God, to be a daughter, a precious daughter of the most high God. Do you know the greatest thing you can ever do with your life is be in the presence and live in the truth of being a son and daughter of God. What does that mean? I've climbed the mountain and I'm in your presence, Lord.
And I'm speaking to you, and I'm not waiting for you to tell me all the things I need to do or I'm telling you all the things you need to do for me. I'm just here with you. You want to transcend this world? Do you want joy and peace and life and power and faith? Do you want to make a difference in this world?
Do you want to be able to walk down the mountain and see someone that's demon possessed and say, pray for him and see him transformed and changed? Do you want to see your family saved? Do you want to see all these amazing things? You got to let go of all of that and say, lord, I just want you and I need you. And it's the purpose of my life.
See, Jesus climbed a mountain. He had a busy life ministering, but he climbed a mountain and he stood with his Father in his presence. And that, my friends, is what fasting and prayer is all about. A supercharged, intimate, transformative relationship with God. And do you know what I've discovered in my own journey on fasting and prayer?
There's nothing else in this life that will satisfy me ever like Him. And that's the right thing to say, isn't it? I should say that because I'm a pastor, you know, you've got to say these things. We should say these things. But I say it only because it's true.
I've discovered this. There's nothing else. I discovered this when I was a child. I got to be in the presence of God, and my mountain was in my bedroom. Then my mountain was in a meeting.
Then my mountain was in the basement of a youth ministry. Then my mountain was walking up a hill, going for a long walk. And then my mountain has become getting ready in the morning. My mountain has become at night, listening to worship in the presence of God. My mountain has become walking along the beach and being I'm in the presence of my Father.
My mountain is wherever I am and can be wherever you are in his presence. Supercharged. I'll tell you, you know when you've really met the Lord, when you go, all I want is Him, All I want is Him. Until you've. That's your heart.
You haven't. You haven't truly encountered. You haven't truly understood God. There's many Christians that haven't gone to church. They find it boring and they question and all that.
I go, that's all right. You just haven't truly been enraptured by who he really is yet. Have you been enraptured by him. Some of us have, haven't we? We've been caught up with him.
And then guess what happens in life? The weeds come and we let it go. And you know what fasting and prayer does? Fasting and prayer says, right, Put it down. Put it all aside.
I'm going back. I'm climbing back up the mountain. I'm saying, God, I need you more than I need this food. I need you more than I need all the other things in life. God, I put it aside.
And you watch what he does. You watch what he does. So that's not a popular message, necessarily, but it is the message that I believe the Lord wants us to hear. Because I know you guys and I know there are people here. You're not looking for these nice, happy, quick little answers in life.
What I love about you guys, you're not. Some of you guys have come from decently successful lives, and you've come into this place because you're saying, there's more. There's more. And I want to press in for more. I want the more of God.
So I'm here with kindred people who say, God, I want more of you. And so this is what I'm suggesting we do over 10th to 30th of March, why don't we together say, yeah, we're going to put this time aside and we're going to go seek God as a church family together. But I'm going to seek. I'm going to do my bit. I'm going to go seek God myself, Adrian.
And I'm going to believe for his transformation. Because he wants to do something in you, Simone, that no one else can do. I don't know it. You don't even know it. God knows it, Justin.
You know what he wants to do. You don't yet know what he wants to do do. So you go up the mountain and let him speak. So that's my challenge to us. I'm hungry for more.
Are you hungry for more? It's a secret ingredient. It's not really secret. It's out there, but to too many Christians, it's secret. And I want to tell you, you will transform your life.
You will transform your life, your future. Who knows what God wants to do through you and in you? You don't. No, you can't. Can I say this?
You can't afford not to fast and pray.
I don't know what God has saved me from.
And maybe if I'd sought God even more, I believe this, then I would see Other breakthroughs and things that maybe I haven't seen yet. And so, God, I press on. I don't go, oh, well, I feel condemned or rejected. I go, ha, ha. New day, new time to seek the Lord.
Put aside past mistakes. Put aside what you've been. Some of us haven't been serving God. We haven't been seeking God. So right now you can say, well, forget that I'm pressing in now.
And then you watch what he does. Because God's mercies are new every morning, and he's always got something new to do. And you don't know it. He does because he's heavenly. Father, do you want to let your father speak to you?
Do you want your father show you who you are? Do you want to let your father give you faith? Do you want your father to give you hope? Do you want your father to speak into your depression or your anxiety or your relational situation or your work? Whatever's going on in your workplace or your family, whatever worries or fears you have about your future, do you want Father to speak into it?
Go see him on the mountain. So, Lord, I'm giving up this meal not because I want brownie points, because I need to hear your voice. I need to hear your voice, God. I need you to speak. Oh, I need you to change me, Lord.
I remember one fast I did, and he almost broke me. Because you know what? I said a stupid prayer, but it was a good prayer. I was there, and I was in the middle of 40 days prayer and fasting again. And I said on the beach, I still remember it because I went, oh, God, why did I say that?
And I said, God, whatever you need to do in my life to humble me, you do it. Said no matter how much it hurts, I said, I want you that much, God. I said, you can break me. You do whatever you need. Because I want you.
I want to know you. I want to know who you are. Oh, Lord, I want you to move in my heart and my life. And I prayed that prayer and my fast. And then I came out of the fast and he did that.
And it was hard. And I went through a season where I felt drained and I felt dry and I questioned a lot of things. But I look back and I go, thank you, God, for what you did. Because that made me and it's making me, and it changed me. And you prepared me for who you've called me to be.
And I learned so much in that season. But I had to trust him. Some seasons are tough, and some are full of breakthrough. Some of you are going to do a prayer and you're going to see breakthrough like my friend did right in the fast. Others of you are not going to see breakthrough in the fast.
But I promise you, you're going to see breakthrough in the future. Trust him, Trust him.
So can we bow our heads and close our eyes?
So I'm not going to get you out the front, I'm not going to get you responding and, and this is a holy moment between you and God and I want us to take that moment wherever we are in this place. I know some of us are brand new to Christianity and I'm giving you a pretty full on word right at the start of your journey, But it'll change you, it'll transform you. I've watched some of you guys, you've gotten straight into it, gone deep and God's doing a deeper work that other people might take years and years. He's doing it with you in six months because you've gone. I'm going to press in and I'm going to go deep.
And so Holy Spirit, all over this place, Lord, I'm inviting you Lord, to speak to your people. Lord, they're your people, they're your sons and daughters. They're the ones that you have called and Lord God, I've given the message, God, that is on my heart that you've spoken, Lord God, that you've made true to me and now it's up to you, Holy Spirit, that you would speak to your people, that we wouldn't stay on the surface, that we wouldn't live in the weeds, but that we would be people, God, who say I'm going to climb the mountain, I'm going to fast and I'm going to pray, I'm going to seek God. Some of you say I don't even know exactly how to do it. Say it's the motive and then the intention of the heart that God will bless.
I'll do the best I know how and he'll teach you the rest. And you've got other people to support you and teach. But it's about your heart to say, God, I want you more than I want this thing. You watch what he does. So Lord, grab a hold of your people, do a work in them.
I pray.
What's God speaking to you to do? Maybe now's your opportunity to say, lord, I'm going to commit this time, this next, the 21 days coming up, Lord, I'm going to commit this. Maybe you need to ask him, Lord, what do you want me to commit. What do you want me to do? You're not striving to God, you're surrendering to God.
Hear that again. It's not about striving towards God. It's about surrendering to Heavenly Father, speak to us, Lord.
Thank you, Jesus.
All I pray. Holy Spirit, have your way Let your glory fall down Let your glory fall down oh my grace Holy Spirit, fall like r Holy Spirit, have your way Let your glory fall down Let your glory fall down.
Holy spirit.
With our heads bowed and eyes closed in this place, I want to challenge you and encourage you. There was a man, a pastor and a businessman met in the 1800s. This pastor said to this business person, he owned a shoe business. He said, the world is yet to see what God will do with a person who is fully consecrated to him. The world is yet to see what God will do with a person who is fully consecrated to him.
To be consecrated, to say, lord, I surrender God. I'm going to say, seek you, God. I'm going to put you first. God, I'm going to put aside the world and I'm going to seek your face. And this shoe business person responded and they said, well, by God's grace, I would like to be that person.
And they went away and they sold their shoe business, they sold their livelihood. And they said, I'm going to go and do what I feel God's called me to do, and I'm going to seek his face and I'm going to go preach and I'm going to go speak and bring revival wherever I go. That shoe business person in the 1800s went and preached without electricity, without TVs and all the stuff to over 100, 100 million people in his lifetime, saw millions of people surrender their life to Christ. He took over Bible colleges and saw thousands and thousands of people trained in the Word. Some of you would know his name.
His name was Dwight. Good old Dwight. We don't know him usually as Dwight because he's known as DL Moody. DL Moody, a shoe salesperson, a shoe businessman, said, God, I'm climbing the mountain. What can you do through me?
And I say that to some of us because as you climb the mountain, the Lord's gonna put dreams in your heart. He's gonna show you who he is, and then he's gonna give you a dream and a vision and a passion. He's gonna go, will you be obedient? Will you have faith? Will you speak?
Will you? My word and my life, some of us called to do mighty things in the world's eyes. Some of us are called to be just great mums and dads and great parents and great servers. And God says, I don't care about how many people it's to. I just want you to obey me and do what I've called you to do.
So this is what we're doing. We're seeking God for what he has called us to do. And then we want to say yes.
So if you're in this place and you say, lord, I'm going to choose to commit to this time of fasting and prayer. Lord, I want to seek your face. Can I just invite you to just lift out your hands before the Lord and say, yes, Lord, here I am, an open vessel. Maybe you know what you're going to give up, maybe you don't yet. But you say, lord, Lord, here I am.
Here I am, Holy Spirit. You see the hearts of your people, God, that they're hungry and thirsty. And only God knows what he's going to do through your life, what he's going to do in your life, what he's going to reveal to you. Oh, but it will be good. It'll be beautiful.
It'll be better than this world can ever give you. And so I pray for the fortitude and the strength of the Holy Spirit of God in people's hearts and lives to be mighty and strong as we sacrifice. We are seeking your face, God, because you are more to us than this world. You are more to us, God, than what this world can offer. All its riches and all its opportunities and all its pleasures.
Lord God, fade into the abyss when we compare it to the glory of the risen Lord.
And so I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would show your people your glory. Let them see your face. Let them be enraptured by it and let it change their lives, their families, their futures. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray and we thank you.
If you're in this place and you don't know the Lord, maybe you've been away from him. I'm going to say a prayer. Let's say this prayer together. Let's give your life to Jesus right now, right here. Let's get it done.
And let's say a new day is dawning in my life today. Let's say it all together. Dear Jesus, I need you. You are the Son of God and you died on the cross for my sin. You rose again from the dead.
So forgive me, Lord. You are my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen.
Come on. Why don't we give the Lord a hand if you said that prayer or you rededicated your life. We've got a Bible we want to give you out in the bookshop area. You'll see it there with the Bibles there. Go and grab one of those.
We want to help you in your journey.
I hope that was okay for you guys. I know it's pretty strong, but I know you guys can handle it because you're men and women of God and he's got greater things for you and he wants to lift you up wherever you are. So can I encourage you Grab this. Be prayerful over the next week about how you're going to pray and fast what you're going to do and let's commit to it and watch what God does in your life. Amen.
Love you guys. God bless you. Go have some morning tea
Related Bible Verses
Matthew 17:14–21 (NKJV)
And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
→ Click here to read Matthew 17:14–21 on Bible.comMatthew 17:1–5 (NKJV)
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
→ Click here to read Matthew 17:1–5 on Bible.comEphesians 6:12 (NLT)
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
→ Click here to read Ephesians 6:12 on Bible.com1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
→ Click here to read 1 Peter 5:8 on Bible.com