SYLLM-PLG5FM 5-26-24

The transcription is a prayer and then a discussion about different types of fasting. It talks about the basics of fasting, such as going without food or water, and mentions specific types of fasts like the Daniel fast and indulgence fast. It emphasizes the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit and following His guidance during fasting. It also mentions the idea of a corporate fast and refers to biblical examples in the book of Joel. Heavenly Father, we give you glory, honor, and praise today. We thank you for another opportunity to be in your presence, for another opportunity, Father, to just be here together in different places, but on the same airwaves for the purpose of learning more of you, discussing more about your word. And we just say thank you for being God all by yourself. Thank you for being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and having your distinct purposes yet one God. You've given us this opportunity to come together to grow in our knowledge and understanding of your word. And Father, we thank you for that. Holy Spirit, we ask, we surrender everything to you, God, everything to you. Thank you, Jesus Christ, for the blood, giving us the opportunity to come into the presence of God. And thank you, Holy Spirit, for being here right now, leading us and guiding us and opening our understanding that we may grow even more. We bless you now and praise you and give you glory and honor in Jesus' name. Amen, amen, and amen. So this morning, welcome again to the Sunday Discipleship Moment Opportunity. This is Pastor Tyrell Brown. Today, last week, I came to you from Alabama. This week, I'm back home in Missouri City, and I'm excited to be here. Thank you to Promise Land Global Five-Fold Ministry. Thank you, Dr. Apostle Terrell and Pastor Donald Zeno. We love you. Sister Wilson, thank you for being here. Others who have joined, thank you. Psalmist My Beyond, thank you for being here. We love you and just wanna say, God loves you for wanting to know more about his word and to study his word. Amen, so last week, we had an opportunity. Last week, I'm gonna tell you, let me start off by doing this. As I listened to the recording from last week, I felt like when I was teaching, that I was stumbling over my tongue. And when I started to listen, it's like every S word that I spoke, my tongue was like fat or something. But I don't know if it came across to you, but it came across to me like my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth or something whenever I said save or sanctified or whatever S word it was. But to God be the glory. So this morning, I wanna start off, I have my water, I have my coffee, and I just wanna start off this morning with a review. Last week, we left off talking about the types of fasting. There was a lot of good conversation as we left out. And I wanna start this week with conversation because one of the points that we made last week was that the only person, the person that knows the question that you have best is you. And the person that knows whether or not you receive what you need during this opportunity, this discipleship opportunity is you. So we want everybody to feel free to participate. It doesn't make a difference whether you are super duper spiritually mature or you are super duper spiritually immature. The spirit of God is able to bring out the information that you need, the understanding that you need at your level of understanding with the same words. I'm speaking the same word for every level. The Holy Spirit has that power. And he's granted, we have that power because of the superpowers, right, that he's given us, the power and authority that we have in Christ and that we have because of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. So last week, we talked about one of the questions that Sister Evans asked was, what are the different types of fasts? And we pointed to the Bible for that, that fasting simply means going without food or water, right? And that there's a partial fast and there's a total fast, a complete fast. And we talked a little bit about fasting from things. So this week, since we got the basics down, I wanna go into some of the other words or things that you've heard considering fasting because it's not necessarily not good because it's not a Daniel fast or it's not a 40-day complete fast like Jesus did. And we talked specifically about things, fasting from things. And there's a way, so I wanna bring that out in our discussion today. So just to go over, as a review, fasting is to go on without food or water. And we talked about and defined that it's either doing without food or water, but there are other things that were brought up, TV and all of that. So let me expand our conversation in this. There's fasting, some people, you may have heard of a liquid fast, right? Drinking only purified liquids for a period of 40 days or for a long period of time. And then sometimes you've heard the phrase, the Daniel fast, right? Well, what is the Daniel fast? Well, the Daniel fast meant Daniel, he didn't eat any meat, no dairy products, no sweets, no bread, no processed food. And he, no processed food. And he drank pure, he ate vegetables, right? And nuts and purified liquids, like water is always good, but juices, vegetables, whether the vegetables and fruit were raw or cooked, that's what he did. So he did away with all that other stuff, the meats, the main of the stuff that you have to do a lot. Then there is what we talked about, fasting from TV and all that good stuff. Well, they titled that as indulgences, right? Fasting from indulgences, right? So a fast from indulgences means that you use self-discipline to stop doing something that you formed a habit doing, right? So that indulgence may be TV, it may be cell phone, it might be social media, it may be shopping, it may be eating sweets and delicacies, right? So something that you formed a habit to doing that may not be good for you or good, or can become an idol for you because you do it so much, you love it so hard. You want to indulge, you want to use self-discipline to kind of do away with those things for a while. Well, they call that indulgence, we're going to title that indulgence fast. But an indulgence fast is not necessarily identified in scripture. However, let me share this, that whatever the Holy Spirit has you as you're praying and as you're fasting, as you're communicating with God, our whole duty is to commune with God, to pray always. And our responsibility is to listen to what God says and he speaks to us, to our heart, to our spirit, right, by the Holy Spirit. So if God shares with you that you need to do away with one of the things that you've been indulging yourself with during your fast, you're doing away with food, you turn your plate over for a while, but he asked to that, he says, okay, I got that, but you still focus on this, you're still focusing in on that. And he asks you to do away with that for a period or for a while, then always follow the influence of the Holy Spirit. He'll never lead you wrong. To do away with something that you formed a habit in is not wrong. Some people really have a habit, they wanna hit the gym every day, right? Well, physical exercise profits little, right? But it does profit. But if it becomes such a habit that you're putting aside other responsibilities, putting aside prayer, putting aside your service in other areas, that may be something, an indulgence that you may have to put aside during your fast, right? Your fast. And then there's the partial fast. Some people say, we're only gonna fast from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or we're gonna fast from 6 to 12, or we're gonna fast. So these are some of the titles, liquid fast, Daniel fast, indulgence fast, partial fast. Then there's a fast of sacrifice, right? And the indulgence can be something that you sacrifice because the Holy Spirit shares it with you. Our responsibility, our whole reason for doing discipleship training is so that we can become in tune with the Holy Spirit. So as He speaks, our communion is, prayer, simply put, is communing or conversating with God. He's always speaking, and we wanna develop an ability to hear Him more and more, to discern the will of the Spirit more and more. And we do that through prayer, through fasting, and through sacrifice. Amen? And then the absolute fast. An absolute fast is going without food, going without water, going without nuts, fruit, anything. Going without, totally going without. And this needs to happen, a total fast should happen when the Holy Spirit leads you to do it, right? There have been times when people have gone to jail or whatever, and they say, well, I'm gonna fast until they let me out of here, right? Well, the Holy Spirit, and they've died, right? Or been physically injured, right? Health-wise injured, because they're trying to do something in their own strength. Whatever we do, whenever we do it, we want to do it in the strength of God. We have the power of God, and we wanna use that power to do whatever it is that we do. God's desire is above all things that we prosper and be in health, amen. But His sacrifice or His fast is that we do good, right? Always do good towards men and love others, and we'll talk about that. So I wanna pause right there and open it up, because as I said earlier, the only person that knows what questions or comments that the Holy Spirit has placed inside of you concerning this conversation is you. So the best person to ask the question is you, and this is a non-judgmental zone, so anybody can ask any question, and as God gives us wisdom, we'll answer it for you as a family, amen? So I'll open the line. Hello, good morning, Pastor Brexton. Good morning, this is Pastor Zeno. Good morning, ma'am. I've heard in times past where, I like how you brought out everything that we do with instructions of your fast to obey the voice of God. Can you shed some light on a corporate fast? Because just in my experiences, leaders will call a fast and then expect for the subordinates or the members to abide by the instructions. Can you give us some Bible insight where a corporate fast is biblical? Well, yes, ma'am. First of all, let me just say that the corporate fast is biblical. Leaders may call public fasts and request the whole body, the whole church to fellowship in fasts, and a scripture there will be Joel. And there are many, but in Joel 2, verse 15, the scripture says, blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. So to call the assembly together for a specific purpose is okay, it's all right. In 2 Corinthians, Jehoshaphat called a fast. The conversation that we had some time ago where we said, what do you do when you don't know what to do? Well, Jehoshaphat and his nation had two other nations coming up against them to defeat them, to destroy them, right? And so when Jehoshaphat, the king Jehoshaphat heard that these nations were coming against him, what he did was instruct all of the people to enter into fast, to fast and to pray and wait for an answer. And then he got his answer. This is when God told him to go against those armies and that you won't even have to fight, just stand and see the salvation of God. And then another example of a corporate fast, you can find that in Esther, in the time when Naaman had a decree from the king to go and kill all of the Jews, just to destroy the nation, all of the nation. Well, when Esther heard that and her uncle decided, asked her to go before the king and ask him to reverse his command, right? Esther said, I will go. But she called the whole nation of Israel to fast for three days, a total fast for three days, eat nothing, drink nothing for three days. So in scripture, we find that there are times when leaders will call a corporate fast. Remember I said that last week that we have a unique purpose, right? When we fast, can't nobody do it for me, I'm fasting for me, we have a purpose for me. And then we have a universal fast where two or more are gathered together and we're fasting and praying for others. And then the, that was the united fast. And the universal fast is when the whole body is praying and fasting for a purpose. God desires that none should be lost. Well, the universal purpose will be praying and fasting that every soul should be saved. So scripture actually does identify times when leaders called a solemn fast. That said, I need you to understand that every individual still has an individual responsibility to God, right? So when I call a total fast and you are on medication and you know you can't fast, right? Then you have to go to God and ask, and because with all the fasting that we're doing today, if you are under medication or under medical care, it's always wise, you know, it's wise to consult God and God put physicians in our circles of influence for the purpose of helping to take care of us, our physical body. So during corporate fast, if they want you to be for 21 days or for 365 days, we won't eat anything from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., now you have to go before God because if it's not something that you can physically do or that you can physically go without food for three days, food and water for three days, and maybe not die, but if you go longer than that, you might die. So you have to use wisdom, right? Godly wisdom to understand how to follow the fast. If the fast is called by God, you'll be able to do it. If the fast is called by the leader, God may not necessarily agree with the leader. If the leader's not in alignment with him, right? Don't just fast the fast. Some ministries fast every January the 1st, right? God didn't tell them to fast, Holy Spirit didn't lead that, but it's their religious practice that we'll fast every January from sunup to sundown every day for 30 days, for 21 days, for 10 days, or whatever. So as we follow, as your leaders follow Christ, we're responsible to follow them. But we all have discernment where fasting, where obedience to God is concerned versus obedience to man. So that's what I have now. Excellent response, and you hit the nail on the head, because that's exactly where I was going concerning those that take medication and then those that it appeared just to be a traditional thing, because this is what we are accustomed to doing. Pastor Brown, you are a dynamic teacher, and I bless God. And I'm asking these questions for clarity, because you always use the Word of God as reference, not what Mama Neal and Grandpa Neal taught us. And I'm using that terminology incorrectly on purpose, because these are things that are needing people assuring, making people feel like, oh, you're not saved because you can't do an absolute. You're not, but I love when you say an individual responsibility. So what that will do, that will encourage us to talk to God concerning the instructions. Not that you would be being disobedient, but you're using wisdom for where you are. Oh my God, I'm excited about the Word. Someone else ask a question at this point. I think I heard Pastor Zeno chime in. I did chime in, but I'm awesome, as well as the possibility of the clarity of the question. The clarity of the question, they were supposed to, you know, I'm just shaking my head, yes, that's it, that's it. Yeah, so, does anyone else have a question concerning the fasting? No, I'm certain that leaders will always call it back, and it may not be conducive for your body at that time to do it. And if you're praying, asking God to lead you in the practice, you want to be obedient to the leader's God, not that you're opposing what they're saying, oh, I don't think that I should be on the fast, and then now you're out of order, basically, saying, well, this ain't for me, so I ain't fasting. But if you believe that God has called you to be obedient, and you hear from God, and there's a way to watch it for yourself, then we'll be obedient to God ourself for the fast, amen. Amen, and remember that we'll, Okay, I have a question, you know. Do you know me? Go ahead, go ahead. Okay, yes, I have a question. I really don't understand you, but it might be a little gray in the system going to that you don't want to be disobedient to God, not, I don't know if you're a believer, but it kind of goes back to the fast every January 1st thing for our believers, but for me, I don't know that every January is the fast. Like, what if we go into January 1st, 2025, and everything we've done is God said that it's the fast. I just feel like, I don't know, it was kind of like contradictory, like, should we just trust our leader if we feel like your leader heard from God or whatever, that you're supposed to fast, or are you supposed to try to discern that yourself? Amen, that is a very good question. Are you supposed to, first of all, our obedience is as unto God. Everything we do is as unto God. So your leaders, right? If you're in a, we all ought to be connected to a ministry where we've been, at the first of the year, I've been following this ministry and these leaders to be able to observe their lifestyle evangelism, right? Are they actually, if they are hearing from God, then they're also showing Christ-like qualities in their everyday life, everyday living. And as they preach the word, teach the word, and live out the word, you're able to see their, not necessarily, their sincerity, their honesty, and their anointing lived out, right? And they're not perfect, but they are your leaders. And when they teach you, are you growing in your knowledge and understanding of God's word? Are they using the word to make you wiser and smarter and more Christ-like? Are they leading you? Is their audio and visual video lining up? Is what they're saying to you and what they're teaching you, when you apply what they're teaching you, is that thing causing change in your life? Godly change, Christ-like change in your life? Well, when you come to trust the God in them, and that you know that they are hearing from God because you have a relationship with them, it's easy to follow after them at the beginning of the year. If they say God called a fast, or God said not to fast, then you can trust that they are following God and not just the religious rules of man or something that we do every year. So it's not a negative thing to say, at the beginning of the year, we want to hear from God, because fasting is always your preparation to get in alignment, to be able to hear from God and get instructions. At the beginning of the year, it's great to get in the presence of God, to change you so that God can speak to you and you can hear him, us, individually, or united, or corporately, so that we can actually go forward doing his will. Sometimes you'll go in, you'll see ministries that every year they're doing the same thing all year long, and at the end of the year, there's no change. At the end of the year, the whoremongers are still whoremongers. The two people that got saved 10 years ago, they're still talking about that, right? There's no tangible evidence that God is in it. So when there's tangible evidence, you'll feel it. You'll not only feel it, but you'll experience it. So the last time that you fasted at the beginning of the year, were you just following to what somebody said, or did you pray about it, and was it confirmed in your soul, in your spirit, that this, that I am to follow, this is part, this is the part of the united purpose that I'm under. I'm connected with the ministry. I'm connected with the man or woman of God, and I am in lockstep with them as we go forward. So all of it, Psalmist, is, all of it is connected to the relationship that the individual has with God, and the individual, because we're relational creatures that we have with each other, with our leaders. And that relationship, those relationships, is what allow us to hear them, or hear God through them, and then to follow their instructions. Where fasting is concerned, yet, if you are all of that, you're connected in all of those ways, still you are unique in your own self. So if you are a new, if you're new to fasting, you may wanna start small, even though they're starting big in this big place, you wanna fast for 21 days with them, but you can't do 21 days of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but you can do, you can push this back, or you can push that back. You wanna be true to the fast that the Holy Spirit leads you to do in concert with the corporate fast, and you're okay. As long as you're true to God, and true to the ministry, who is true to God, you'll be all right. Amen. Hey, did that help? Oh, yes, sir. Like, I think we ask these questions just to create answers, you know? That's really it. I trust y'all are covered, or one of y'all are not, you know, but yeah. But that's exactly it, because there's not a question that you can ask that hasn't bubbled up in your spirit because you're connected with the Holy One, right? So there's somebody that needed to hear that. So always be obedient, just like now, and ask the questions that you need to ask anybody. I thank you for that question. Amen. Good morning. Good morning. I'm glad to come to things in a different way. And so, first of all, and then this thing, and I think what I'm saying is also, I appreciate that the President, and that you guys also appreciate all of the sponsors that we've got coming in. Most of them, you know, it's a solid one, but I'm just gonna ask a question. So is that, so is that, you're, Sister Evans, your phone, it sounds as if you're very muffled. If you're on speakerphone, can you go to, if you're on an earplug, it might be that, but you're kind of muffled. Are you there? Amen, amen. So, did that Sister Evans come back in? Yes, I heard that. Oh, that's much better, much better. Go ahead and make your comment. Okay. Again, good morning to everyone. I'm sorry about my phone service. I thank each and every one of you for your clarity. My learning is on a different level. Her phone hung up again. Yes, yes, ma'am, I get it, I get it. Okay, so we'll continue until she comes back in. I just wanna, and we won't take long, this is the time to spend, but Isaiah 58, right? We'll talk, we can talk about all types of fast. Isaiah 58, five and 12, and somebody's already thinking this. The question the prophet asked, or God asked through the prophet is, Isaiah 58, five through 12, is this not the kind of fast I've chosen? To loose the chains of injustice and to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to break every yoke. So, how do you do that, right? So, the kind of fast that God desires, the reason for the fasting is that we might not be able to do it. So, we might not be able to do it. So, we might not be able to do it. The reason for the fasting is that we might do these things, that we might share the gospel, right? How can you break the yoke? We can't break the yoke, but the word of God, the instruction of God can. Being saved breaks the yoke, right? Being saved sets the oppressed free. There's some people who are afraid of dying. There's some people who are afraid of the dark. There's some people who are afraid of just not knowing what comes after this life. So, we share the gospel for several reasons, right? And to get people saved, to get them to also participate in Christ, which gives them the authority to use his name and to plead the blood and to bind and to loose. And then the saved person, as we know, the saved person cannot be possessed, but we can be oppressed by the enemy. So, when the truth comes forward, we're able to free the cords of yoke that bind them. We're able to break yokes. They're able to break the yoke by the power of the Holy Spirit when they receive him. They're able to stand. And after having done all to withstand because of their relationship with God through salvation, through the salvation experience and through the rebirth and through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It's all connected. And then we talk to God. We have communion with God through this simple thing called prayer, right? Prayer allows us to talk to God and to hear from God because we're one with him. Amen. So, I'm gonna, if Sister Evans is back on, I'm gonna let you finish making your comment. But other than that, apostle, this is what I have for today. And we'll pause it right here. Now, turn it over to your hands. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. So by prayer and fasting together, we'll see our results. And Sister Evans, this time back in, we're gonna allow you to ask your question because it's only 10.07. Go ahead and ask your question. Thank you. I just wanted to talk about the clarity I have received this morning. I pick up differently. Sometimes I have to ask questions and I have to grasp the concept in a different type of way. And I just wanted to speak on the clarity that I have received this morning from everyone that joined in, especially Pastor Brown and Pastor Zeno. You know, the clarity was very clear. I have a clear understanding of fasting now and I understand, because there's a lot of cliches with fasting. And I can clearly understand it. The understanding I had on fasting was very negative and not true. So I wanted to thank you guys for the understanding. Amen. Well, that's exactly what we're here for. Especially because traditionally, there was just some things that took place. And when the psalmist asked the question, should we distrust our leaders? Absolutely, if you've watched their lifestyle and you've been trusting them all along. But again, using wisdom, because a lot of times there's a fast I know that the Lord will call me to just because too much is given, much is required. And what I do is I will ask my colleagues and those, you know, that fasting is not new. Because it is a gradual process. But that's in the wisdom of the leader to not put their congregation or people that they mentor on a fast with instructions that the Lord has given me. Oh my God, today. But I bless God again for, you know, because I've had people come and they'll say, well, Pastor, what do you think? And of course, I'll never speak against that leader. But I know immediately when God gives some instructions to the leader, and then they put those same instructions on the new converts or on people that are new to fasting. And that's just not wisdom. But I bless God. That's not how it's taught. Let me just make one comment. Because if I go, God, some of the fasts that I go on, and then you would know it's me, well, God's not telling me to do that. But never the less, we bless God. Somebody's trying to call me, go ahead. Yes, ma'am, this is Pastor Brown. And with that, well said. So when the fast is called, there are other things that you have to consider as well. Are you married? All right. It says that the only time that a husband or wife should be apart from one another is for the purpose of prayer and fasting. But then they have to agree, right? They have to agree to that. So if the corporate fast is called, and in your household, there's a disagreement on this, you have to align yourself with your household, right? Versus the corporate fast. Amen. That's my comment. For some people, Pastor Brown, I think that may have gone a little over their head, and I'm gonna bring it to layman terms and make it make just a little more sense. Excuse me? What Pastor Brown is expounding on is coming together, you're supposed to refrain from prayer and fasting. But if it's your honeymoon, and your church is on a corporate fast, I'm not seeing that that newlywed couple is going to adhere to that particular fast at that particular time. So again, we just wanna use wisdom, seek the Lord, and we'll carry on a little bit further. I know Pastor Brown, as he lays before the Lord, he'll have some more nuggets to help us, because I do know those that are connected to us in 20, and I know God is having us learn about this, because in 2025, and even the latter part of this year, the Lord is gonna lead us to some different type of fast. Amen? So we bless God. So I think it's time, Pastor Brown, go ahead and close us out, sir. Thank you. Amen. So once again, thank you for being here, and we will be back next week at 9.30. Same number. Invite somebody to come on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. We'll be in intercessory prayer. Please join us on this same number. Let's pray. God, we love you so much, and we thank your Holy Spirit for opening our understanding and opening our mouths to speak words that bring clarity to your people. We bless you and praise you, give you glory and honor, and we surrender ourselves to you in everything that we do, all that we are. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen, and thank you, God. God, have a wonderful day.