The 12 Laws Of Fasting by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

12 laws of fasting

Whenever a man wants to separate himself unto the Lord, especially for a long period of time, there are laws and principles you must imbibe for the fast to be effective

Write them down, because every subsequent fast you engage in, you will apply these laws

1. Law of separation

   When a man wants to fast, it is a time of separation Joel 2:12

   Our focus is not to while away time or to beat time.

   Many create all kinds of distractions just to achieve the fasting time, and they get no result because they don't understand the laws of fasting

   Fasting is a period of separation unto God in prayer. You don't fast if you are not praying. That's why we say fasting and prayer

   As much as you can, create periods of time to pray. Don't wait until we are praying together before you pray. Pray three, four, five times a day, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes.

   Just create that discipline

   The reason is you are trying to conduct your heart towards God. A point will come in the course of the fast that your heart will be completely tuned to God's frequency

2. Law of study or saturation with the word of God

   You are not fasting if you are not searching the mind of God. You are not fasting if you are not looking into the perfect law of liberty James 1:25

   Matthew 4:4

   When we are not eating food, we have to be eating the word of God

   Jeremiah 15:16

   When we fast, we spend time with the word of God. There has to be an attitude of study in the days of fasting to isolate the mind of God

3. Law of kindness and justice

   You cannot claim to be fasting when you are not demonstrating kindness towards those in need or those who are less privileged Isaiah 58:6

   Kindness is supposed to be your lifestyle, but in the days of fasting you become more deliberate about showing kindness and exercising justice and fairness in all that you do

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   Many fast, but it doesn't reflect in how they deal with others. One of the things God looks out for when people fast is when they demonstrate kindness towards others

4. Law of humility (brokenness)

   Humility should be a lifestyle, but when we are fasting in particular, we deliberately humble ourselves before the Lord, in mercy and in brokenness, so that He can show mercy unto us

   In the Old Testament, when they fasted, they wore sackcloth and poured ashes on their heads. The idea is to demonstrate a humble countenance Psalm 35:13

   Matthew 6:16 to Matthew 6:18

   Jesus was speaking to hypocrites. They want to show everybody their spirituality and their exploits in the spirit so that they receive the praise of men. Jesus said don't do that

   When you fast, you humble yourself and come under the authority of the power of brokenness. You show it in everything you do

   The idea of the fast is for you to be transformed, and you are not transformed if these things do not predominate your thinking and your way of life

5. Law of repentance and purity

   When a man begins to fast, it is a time to do away with every form of sin and idolatry, and to uphold purity

   As we draw close to God, we are purged, washed of every iniquity

   Joel 2:13

   It is beyond outward countenance. We come to the Lord to purge ourselves

   Psalm 66:18

   2 Timothy 2:21

   Anything you are doing that is not of God, this is the time to cleanse, purge and purify. Put away idols. Put away sins. Put away weights that beset you Hebrews 12:1

   It is a time of self-examination

6. Law of the leading of the Spirit (law of wisdom, law of grace)

   Don't overdo things. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you

   I know people who kill themselves in the course of fasting

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   Apostle Michael Orokpo

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   We have given the instruction that if you dehydrate too much, you can take water. Pregnant women don't fast. Nursing mothers can take something light.

   If you are sick and still trusting God for healing, you can take something light

   If you are working and dehydrated, take water, juice or tea. This is not you trying to eat food, just to stay hydrated

   Some say, "The first 14 days I won't take water. The first 21 days..." Don't kill yourself. That's not the idea

   Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, apply wisdom, and do based on the level of grace you carry

   Matthew 4:1 to Matthew 4:4

   Jesus operated on the wisdom and discretion of the Spirit. It wasn't just zeal

   I've seen people fast like this, go down with ulcer and never be able to fast again

   When you are fasting, you must sustain the law of the leading of the Spirit, the law of grace and wisdom

7. Law of faith and expectation

   You are waiting on the Lord, and as you wait, you should be expectant. This is not setting a time target

   It is a transition season, and that is why we have an expectation. Your faith level should be high because something has to be achieved. It's not an exercise in futility

   Hebrews 11:6

   There must be hopefulness of God's power manifesting

   If you don't have an expectation, write it down so you don't waste your time. What's the point of saying "I fasted for 40 days" and there is nothing to show for it

   The law of faith and expectation is critical

8. Law of focus

   When you are fasting, don't lose your focus. This is not showmanship

   Isaiah 58:3 to Isaiah 58:4

   There are people who fast to brag

   Don't corrupt your fast through bitterness, corrupt speech, rough talk or malice. The goal of the fast is not to prove a point to anybody, and it is not to brag

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   We must know why we are fasting. God is bringing us encounters and we need our hearts prepared. We are in a transition season and we need these encounters to move to the next level

   Don't fast for strife. Don't fast for vain glory. Don't fast for debate. You don't need to punish yourself for 40 days to win the trophy of a debate. That's a waste of life

   People who fast and make the most of it apply these laws, consciously or unconsciously

9. Law of persistence

   Many times there will be weakness. "I'm going to stop. I'm tired." You must press to hit the mark. There is a discipline requirement in fasting

   Don't follow us and after seven days say, "I've tried my bit." When it started as a 40 day fast, you have joined the train, come what may. Ensure you finish

   There are things that will only be activated when you finish. Consistency has its power in the realm of the spirit

   Daniel 9:3

   The guy was ready. There was a discipline and a persistent disposition. Nothing happened until after 21 days

   What if Daniel stopped on day 11? What if he stopped on day 19? Gabriel came after 21 days, and that encounter would have been truncated

   Daniel 9:20 to Daniel 9:21, Daniel 10:2 to Daniel 10:3, Daniel 10:12 to Daniel 10:13

   There was war going on in the heavenlies

   For some, what God will do is on the 40th day

   There are days you wake up and it looks like if you don't eat, you will die. It's a lie. You will not die.

   You will be shocked that you continue for the 40 days, and for some, grace will even be available to continue

   There is the need and necessity for consistency. Persistence is a critical law in fasting

10. Law of warfare

    Every time you begin to fast, get ready for battles. The moment you start fasting, you release energies in the spirit and Satan can discern it

    Matthew 4:3

    The tempter didn't show up until Jesus fasted. He came to Jesus three times

    Jesus had persistence, or He would have stopped the fast. He had focus, or He would have switched to what the devil was offering. Jesus knew His objective because He was led of the Spirit.

    That is why all the bargains Satan gave never yielded. He was focused. He was persistent. Satan couldn't stop Him

    When you fast, expect battles. Some who have started fasting will find demons intensifying attacks in their dreams. For some, businesses they had their hands on will suddenly start failing. For some, accusation will come

    The whole idea is to discourage you, because Satan knows you are ascending to a higher ground

    The battles are ones the devil would have used against you for 10 years. He just converged them to discourage you with the fast.

    If you don't stop, you will overcome, and that battle will not only be dealt with, it will be removed from your life forever

11. Law of love

    1 Corinthians 13:1 to 1 Corinthians 13:3

    Fasting will be useless if there is no love

    If you cannot maintain a good relationship with anybody, you can't afford that during this fast. You must master the art of love

    Love is not a feeling. Love is patience, kindness, meekness, endurance, faithfulness. Embody every attribute of love in this season

    Love substantiates every spiritual engagement we find ourselves in. Be thoroughly furnished with love

12. Law of discernment

    When you are fasting, your spiritual senses are activated. Sometimes you pick frequencies from God and sometimes from the demonic realm. Pray for discernment

    Don't take actions carelessly. Not every vision you see is God. You are opening up and charging your spirit, and you will pick a lot of frequencies, especially if you are not a word-based person

    If you pick anything in your spirit and you lose your peace, or it is not consistent with the revelation of the word of God, don't act upon it. Take time to pray about it

    Ask those who are more mature than you. Let them guide you on what to do so you don't get into trouble fasting

    Illustration: the man on the mountain

    I've known people who fasted and had demonic encounters. Somebody went to a mountain to fast and an old person appeared to him and gave him instructions. He obeyed the instructions and became demonized

    So there is the law of discernment. It is critical when you are fasting

If you imbibe these 12 laws, your fasting will not only be effective, it will leave you something that will outlive the fasting period