How To Build Your Fire | Vlad Savchuk

THE SNAKE COMES OUT, BITES PAUL'S HAND, AND INSTEAD OF BLEEDING TO DEATH, HE SHAKES OFF THE SNAKE, AND THEN YOU FIND HIM ACTUALLY LAYING HANDS ON THE SICK AND THE LORD IS HEALING PEOPLE. AND SO THE SPIRITUAL LESSONS FROM THAT IS SOMETIMES WE GO THROUGH STORMS, WHICH THEN WE LOSE SHIPS. WE CAN LOSE CERTAIN THINGS IN THOSE STORMS, BUT GOD IS STILL FAITHFUL, AND WHEN GOD DOESN'T DELIVER US FROM THE STORM, HE WANTS TO DELIVER US THROUGH THE STORM.

SOMETIMES HE STOPS THE STORM AND SOMETIMES HE HELPS US TO SWIM LIKE IT HAPPENED WITH PAUL. AND HAVING GREAT FAITH DOESN'T MEAN YOU'LL ALWAYS EXPERIENCE A SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION. SOMETIMES GOD WILL BE WITH YOU, WALK WITH YOU, AND THEN WE HAVE TO BUILD FIRE, MEANING WE GOTTA CULTIVATE OUR INTIMACY WITH GOD IN THE MIDST OF VERY CONTRADICTORY CIRCUMSTANCES. AND WHEN WE DO BUILD FIRES, SOMETIMES SNAKES WILL COME OUT. THE ENEMY MIGHT NOT BE HAPPY, AND WE HAVE TO PERSEVERE AND SHAKE OFF THE SNAKE.

AND SO PRETTY MUCH TO SUMMARIZE THE BOOK.

IT HELPS US TO LOVE HIM MORE. AND SO I WANT TO LAY THAT AS A FOUNDATION, BECAUSE ANYTIME WE FOCUS ON OUR LOVE FOR HIM AND HOW TO BUILD THAT WITHOUT FIRST REMEMBERING THAT IT'S HIS LOVE FOR US, AND WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON THAT, THEN WE FALL INTO LEGALISM AND WE TURN. WE MAKE A GOD OUT OF DISCIPLINE INSTEAD OF USING DISCIPLINE TOWARD GODLINESS. AND SO I LIKE TO SAY THAT FIRE NEEDS FUEL, AND TO HAVE THIS FUEL, I SAY THREE THINGS: IT'S PRAYER, IT'S FASTING, AND IT'S GIVING. NOW, WHY THESE THREE THINGS?

JESUS SAID TO DO THESE THREE THINGS IN SECRET IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 6, AND IF WE TRACK IN THE BIBLE, WE SEE THAT OUR MAIN THREE ENEMIES ARE GREED, PRIDE, AND LUST. PRAYER HELPS US TO DEFEAT PRIDE, BECAUSE THE REAL REASON PEOPLE DON'T PRAY IS NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE BUSY. IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE PROUD. PRAYERLESSNESS IS PRETTY MUCH A DECLARATION TO GOD, I GOT IT. I DON'T NEED YOU. AND SO WHEN PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S NOT BECAUSE OH, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME; NO, IT'S BECAUSE I'M PROUD.

IT'S BECAUSE I AM MY OWN GOD, IT'S BECAUSE I GOT IT UNDER CONTROL. BUT PRAYER IS A DECLARATION OF HUMILITY. PEOPLE WHO PRAY AREN'T NECESSARILY PEOPLE WHO HAVE TIME, THERE ARE PEOPLE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A GOD. IT'S NOT THEM AND THEY RELY ON GOD. FASTING HELPS US TO CONQUER LUSTS OF THE FLESH AND GIVING HELPS US TO CONQUER GREED.

THEN HE SUSTAINS US. AND SO OTHERWISE WHEN WE FOCUS SO MUCH ON THE DISCIPLINES, WHEN WE FOCUS SO MUCH ON OUR LOVE FOR HIM, WE WILL GO INTO TWO EXTREMES FAST. FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE PRIDE. AND THE SECOND ONE IS GOING TO BE A VERY DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT.

AND I LOVE THAT YOU SAID FOR THE FOUNDATION OF OUR LOVE FOR JESUS IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT HE DID THE HARD WORK THAT WE MAY ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE AND NOT THINKING WE HAVE TO DO A CERTAIN THING OR LIKE GET IN A CERTAIN LIKE KNEEL DOWN OR DO THIS AND BECOME LEGALISTIC. BUT UNDERSTANDING THE BLOOD OF JESUS OPENS UP THE WAY TO COMMUNION WITH HIM, RIGHT?

WHO DO PEOPLE THINK I AM? YOU'RE THE SON OF GOD HE'S ALWAYS LIKE THE FIRST, HE'S VERY LOUD. AND, YOU SEE, JESUS TELLS PETER, YOU'RE GOING TO DENY ME THREE TIMES. SO HE GOES FROM PRIDE TO VERY DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT WITH HIMSELF. JOHN, ON THE OTHER HAND, IT WAS DIFFERENT. IF YOU READ THE GOSPELS OF JOHN, YOU SEE JOHN REFERS TO HIMSELF AS A DISCIPLE. JESUS LOVED. I'M LIKE, JOHN, WHY DON'T YOU PORTRAY YOURSELF AS A DISCIPLE THAT LOVED JESUS?

JOHN COMPARED JESUS' LOVE FOR JOHN WITH JOHN'S LOVE FOR JESUS, AND FOUND JESUS' LOVE FOR JOHN SO GREAT THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE PRIDE IN HIS LOVE FOR JESUS, BECAUSE IT WAS SO SMALL. IT WAS SO FICKLE. IT WAS WEAK COMPARED TO HOW STRONG JESUS' LOVE FOR JOHN WAS. AND HE KEEPS REFERRING TO HIMSELF, IT'S ALMOST LIKE PETER WAS IN THIS COMPETITION. I LOVE JESUS MORE, AND JOHN'S LIKE, I DON'T CARE, HE LOVES ME. IT'S NOT THAT JESUS LOVED JOHN MORE THAN OTHERS. IT'S THAT JOHN WAS AWARE OF THAT LOVE.

I FEEL LIKE MORE THAN OTHERS WHO WROTE MORE ABOUT LOVE THAN ANY OTHER DISCIPLE. IT'S JOHN WHO HAD THIS ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS RESURRECTED CHRIST WHERE HE ALMOST FELL DEAD. I MEAN, LISTEN, JOHN LAID AT HIS BOSOM. HE KNEW ABOUT JESUS. HE STOOD AT THE CROSS AND HE HAD A FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS TOWARD THE END OF HIS LIFE WHERE HE ALMOST DROPPED DEAD IN FRONT OF HIM. TO HAVE THESE FRESH ENCOUNTERS WITH THE LORD, THEY DON'T COME FROM A PLACE OF STRIVING.

THEY COME FROM A PLACE OF SURRENDER TO THE LOVE THAT JESUS HAS FOR US. IF WE FIND OURSELVES IN THE PLACE OF IT'S ABOUT DOING, IT'S ABOUT EVEN PRAYER, AND IT'S ABOUT FASTING. IT'S ABOUT GIVING, ALL OF THAT IS AN OVERFLOW OF I AM SO LOVED BY GOD. I AM SO LOVED BY HIM.

I'VE EXPERIENCED HIS LOVE SO POWERFULLY, I'M WILLING TO LIVE LIKE THAT NOT TO EARN IT, BUT BECAUSE I RECEIVED IT. AND YOU LOOK AT PETER'S LIFE, HE GOES FROM FOCUSING ON HIS LOVE FOR JESUS, THEN HIS PRAYER LIFE GOES TO SLEEP, BECAUSE IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE HE IS SLEEPING WHEN HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE PRAYING. THEN YOU SEE PETER FOLLOWS JESUS AT A DISTANCE WHY? BECAUSE NOW IT'S COSTING HIM SOMETHING.

THEN YOU SEE PETER WARMING HIMSELF AT THE WRONG FIRE PRETENDING TO FIT IN WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CRUCIFYING JESUS, DENYING JESUS, EVEN THOUGH HE DOESN'T BELONG THERE, AND THEN YOU SEE PETER DENYING JESUS. AND I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THERE IS A FIVE-STEP SPIRAL TO DENYING JESUS. IT STARTS FIRST WITH FOCUSING ON YOUR LOVE FOR HIM. NOW, AT FIRST, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NOTHING RUN WITH THAT. EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH IT BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.

WE DON'T START WITH OUR LOVE FOR HIM. IT STARTS WITH THE CROSS. IT STARTS WITH THE BLOOD. THE SECOND STEP OF US WALKING AWAY FROM THE LORD IS WHEN OUR PRAYER LIFE GOES TO SLEEP. THE THIRD STEP IS WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS AT A DISTANCE TO PROTECT OUR COMFORT. THE FOURTH STEP, WHICH WE WILL END UP AT, WHERE WE WARM OURSELVES WITH THE WORLD'S FIRE THAT BECOMES ENTERTAINMENT, BECOMES PORNOGRAPHY, FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S DRUGS, FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S EATING. PRETTY MUCH WHEN WE HAVE NO MORE FIRE.

SO WE NEED TO HAVE FIRE. AND THE DEVIL WILL ALWAYS OFFER A COUNTERFEIT FIRE FOR PEOPLE WHO FOCUSED ON THEMSELVES, THEIR PRAYER LIFE WENT TO SLEEP. THEY FOLLOWED JESUS AT A DISTANCE SO THEY CAN PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS. IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT THE CROSS, IT'S ABOUT THE COMFORT. AND NOW THEY HAVE TO FIND THEMSELVES AT THE WRONG FIRE, AND THEN THEY END UP WHERE PETER DID, GOING BACK TO THEIR OLD LIFE, AND PETER DID. HE WENT BACK TO FISHING, ONLY TO FIND THAT LIFE EMPTY.

IT IS NOT BIBLICAL BECAUSE JESUS WENT THROUGH IT, PAUL WENT THROUGH IT, AND WE HAVE TO REFRAME OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE CLOSE TO GOD AND JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE CLOSE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT EVERY STORM WILL HAVE A MIRACLE ENDING WHERE GOD WILL SUPERNATURALLY END IT, SPLIT THE RED SEA, PROVIDE THE WHALE, AND YOU WILL BE RESCUED. GIVE YOU A SHIP. IN PAUL'S CASE, THERE WAS NO INTERVENTION. THE STORM RAN ITS COURSE.

WHAT GOD DID WITH PAUL, THOUGH, IS HE PROTECTED HIM IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM. THAT'S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS. I WALKED THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, AND I FEAR NO EVIL. YOU KNOW, WE WALK THROUGH THE FIRE AND WE'RE NOT CONSUMED. WE WALK THROUGH THE FLOOD AND WE ARE NOT DROWNED. AND SO MANY BELIEVERS HAVE THIS UNDERSTANDING.

AND HONESTLY, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I HAD THAT, THAT IF I FAST ENOUGH, PRAY ENOUGH, GIVE ENOUGH, SERVE ENOUGH, THAT IF I EVER END UP IN THE STORM, IT'S BECAUSE GOD WILL PLANT SOME KIND OF A SUPERNATURAL POWERFUL INTERVENTION. AND SOMETIMES THE LORD, TO A MAN OF FAITH WHO WROTE TWO-THIRDS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT GAVE STRENGTH TO SWIM. HE DIDN'T STOP THE STORM, DIDN'T SAVE HIM FROM THE STORM, AND DIDN'T SPLIT THE SEA FOR HIM TO WALK ON THE DRY GROUND.

AND BASICALLY WE'RE STILL GOING TO WORSHIP HIM AND RESPECT HIM, BUT THERE IS THIS ATTITUDE OF, WHATEVER HE DECIDES, WE'RE GOING TO HONOR HIM AND TRUST HIM. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO'S STRUGGLING WITH GOD DIDN'T DO SOMETHING THE WAY I WANTED IT TO BE DONE? HE DIDN'T DELIVER ME THE WAY I WANTED TO BE DELIVERED.

AND THIRDLY, GOD USES SUFFERING TO REFINE US IF WE DON'T LET IT DEFINE US. SO IF THE SUFFERING DOESN'T DEFINE US, MEANING WE DON'T TRY TO USE SUFFERING TO COME TO CONCLUSIONS WHETHER GOD IS WITH US OR NOT, WE DON'T USE SUFFERING AS THE BASIS TO SAY, WELL, I MUST NOT HAVE ENOUGH FAITH, BECAUSE, LOOK,

I'M GOING THROUGH THESE THINGS. BUT WE GO THROUGH THE SUFFERINGS AND WE ALLOW THE LORD TO REFINE US, ALLOW THE LORD TO CLEANSE US, ALLOW THE LORD TO PURIFY US, WHAT SUFFERING DOES TO OUR FAITH, IS SUFFERING IS LIKE FIRE TOWARD, LIKE IF YOU THINK ABOUT OUR FAITH, OUR FAITH IS LIKE GOLD. PETER TALKS ABOUT YOUR FAITH BEING PURIFIED LIKE GOLD. SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME UP TO ME AND THEY'RE LIKE, VLAD, I'VE LOST MY FAITH BECAUSE OF WHAT I'VE WENT THROUGH. I SAID, EXCUSE ME?

THE BIBLE SAYS YOUR FAITH IS LIKE GOLD. GOLD DOES NOT STOP BEING GOLD BECAUSE OF WHAT IT GOES THROUGH. GOLD ACTUALLY BECOMES MORE PRECIOUS, BECOMES MORE PURE, AND BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE WHEN IT GOES THROUGH THE FIRE. THE GOLD COULD NEVER HAVE A TESTIMONY THAT SAYS BECAUSE I WENT THROUGH THE FIRE AND IT WAS SO HOT, I STOPPED BEING GOLD AND I BECAME ASHES. I SAID, PAPER BECOMES ASHES WHEN IT GOES THROUGH THE FIRE. IF THE STORM DESTROYED YOUR FAITH, YOU DIDN'T HAVE FAITH.

WHAT YOU HAD IS, YOU HAD FAITH IN FAITH. YOU HAD FAITH IN YOUR EMOTIONS OR YOU HAD FAITH IN MIRACLES. FAITH IN GOD IS NOT DESTROYED IN THE STORM. IT'S ONLY PURIFIED BY THE STORM. AND WHAT I THINK HAPPENS, AND THE LORD ALLOWS THAT, HE SEES THAT OUR FAITH IS VERY FICKLE. OUR FAITH IS VERY SHAKY. OUR FAITH IS BASED ON OUR FEELINGS. OUR FAITH IS BASED ON OUR OWN IDEAS, IN OUR OWN SELVES.

AND WHAT THE LORD DOES IS HE ALLOWS THESE THINGS TO EXPOSE THE FACT WE DON'T HAVE ANY FAITH, NOT TO REMIND US, OH, LOOK, YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY FAITH TO SHOW US, HEY, NOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU NEED FAITH, COME TO ME, AND I WILL GRANT YOU THAT FAITH. AND SO ANYTIME LIKE PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WENT THROUGH THIS TEMPTATION, I LOST MY PURITY. THAT TEMPTATION DIDN'T TAKE YOUR PURITY. TEMPTATION REVEALED YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY. ALL YOU HAD IS CONVENIENCE OF THE FACT THAT YOU WERE NOT TEMPTED.

BUT NOW BECAUSE REAL PURITY IS VISIBLE IN TEMPTATION, IT'S NOT VISIBLE WHEN YOU'RE NOT BEING TEMPTED. REAL FAITH SHINES IN A TRIAL. SO WHEN I DON'T HAVE ANY FAITH IN THE TRIAL, THAT MEANS I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FAITH. ALL I HAD WAS JUST EMOTIONS, ALL I HAD WAS JUST HYPE, WHICH IS, GOD SEES THAT HE'S LIKE, MAN, YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH THAT SO I CAN REALLY REVEAL WHAT'S HAPPENING INSIDE OF YOU, AND THEN I CAN REFINE YOU IF YOU COME TO ME.

AND SO I THINK STORMS ARE CRUCIAL, AND SUFFERING IS VERY CRUCIAL BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD PRODUCES THE FRUIT OF LONGSUFFERING, AND I'M THINKING, HOW CAN HE PRODUCE THE LONGSUFFERING WITHIN ME IF I AVOID SUFFERING?

IT'S ABIDING IN THE LORD IS BASICALLY. AND THE WORST THAT PRECEDES THAT, IT SAYS, CURSED IS THE MAN WHO TRUSTS. EXACTLY. AND THAT CAN ALSO MEAN YOU.

SEE, YOU BELIEVED IN THE HEALING. THAT WILL FAIL YOU BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU GET HEALED, YOU'RE STILL GOING TO DIE. SO IF YOUR FAITH IS IN HEALING, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. IF YOUR FAITH IS IN AN ANSWERED PRAYER, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED SOONER OR LATER. IT'S A MATTER OF TIME. IF YOUR TRUST IS IN THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU, GAVE HIS SON FOR YOUR SALVATION, LET HIS SPIRIT DWELL INSIDE OF YOU, WROTE YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK OF LIFE AND HAS ANGELS READY TO PICK YOU UP

THE MOMENT YOU DIE. THE MOMENT YOU DIE, THEY WILL TAKE YOU AND CARRY YOU TO HEAVEN. THEY WILL ENCIRCLE YOU IF YOU FEAR THE LORD. IF YOUR TRUST IS IN HIM, IN A PERSON, NOT FOR WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO WHAT HE PROMISED OR WHAT YOU'RE EXPECTING HIM TO DO, YOU WILL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED. I'M NOT SAYING YOU WILL NOT FEEL DIFFICULT MOMENTS. THAT'S WHY WHEN JOB WENT THROUGH THE STUFF THAT HE WENT THROUGH, HE DIDN'T SAY, I KNOW MY REDEMPTION IS COMING. HE SAID, I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES.

WE START WITH, HE'S GOING TO GIVE ME A BREAKTHROUGH. HE WILL ANSWER MY PRAYER. HE WILL GIVE ME A CHILD. HE WILL GIVE ME A HUSBAND. HE WILL GIVE ME A WIFE. HE WILL GIVE ME A BLESSING. WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE STORM, ALL OF THAT GETS BURNED. I'M NOT SAYING GOD'S PROMISES ARE NOT TRUE. THEY ARE. I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES. I BELIEVE IN BREAKTHROUGH. BUT TO SURVIVE THROUGH THE CHALLENGES AND VICISSITUDES OF LIFE, YOUR FAITH CANNOT BE IN A MIRACLE. IT HAS TO BE IN HIM.

JESUS NEVER INVITED PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN THE MIRACLE. HE SAID, BELIEVE IN ME. ME. ME. FOLLOW ME. I AM THE OBJECT OF YOUR FAITH. NOT WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET FROM ME AND NOT FOR WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DO FOR YOU.

IT JUST IT'S NOT GOING TO, I HONESTLY, IT'S NOT PROBABLY GOING TO LOOK HOW YOU THINK, BUT HE HAS THE BEST PLAN IF WE SUBMIT TO IT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO SAY TOO IS THE REASON WHY, BECAUSE I WANT TO GET INTO FASTING AND GIVING AND ALL THIS STUFF IS BECAUSE I WANT TO GO AT IT FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THAT YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN SOURCE, THAT HE IS YOUR SOURCE, BECAUSE PEOPLE, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT FASTING AND STUFF AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WITH PRAYER, BECAUSE FOR ME,

I GREW UP IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT TALKED ABOUT ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF, BUT IT HAS TO COME FROM THE RIGHT PLACE OR IT'S NOT GOING TO BE FRUITFUL.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, WE'RE GOING TO COME AT THIS PLACE UNDERSTANDING THAT GOD IS OUR SOURCE AND THAT WE'RE BEING LED BY HIS SPIRIT, AND THAT WILL PRODUCE HUMILITY WITHIN US. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT FASTING, BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE A LOT OF THE TIME IS, AND YOU CAN JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, PEOPLE WILL ANNOUNCE THEIR FASTS LIKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT? BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS DON'T LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU'RE FASTING, RIGHT?

WHEN A PASTOR LEADS THE CHURCH INTO A CORPORATE FAST AND ENCOURAGES THEM TO FAST, I THINK THAT IS DIFFERENT. I THINK THE ANNOUNCEMENT PART DEALS WITH OUR MOTIVES. AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE MEAN WELL WHEN THEY JUST DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO BOTHER THEM. AND SOMETIMES I'M LOOKING AT, I'M LIKE YOU HAVE RESPECTFULLY 500 FOLLOWERS. THEY WILL NOT MISS YOU IF YOU STOP POSTING. OKAY? SO YOU CAN DISAPPEAR FOR THREE DAYS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL US. IN FACT, MOST OF US WILL BENEFIT FROM NOT SEEING YOUR STORIES.

SO WE WILL BE GRATEFUL AND WE'LL BE LIKE, THE LORD IS WORKING ON THIS PERSON. SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO POST IT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW BECAUSE ULTIMATELY YOU'RE TRYING TO GET A REWARD FROM GOD, NOT AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM MEN.

THE FIRST TEMPTATION HUMANITY FACED WAS WITH FOOD. THE FIRST TEMPTATION ISRAEL FACED WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF EGYPT, FOOD. THE FIRST TEMPTATION JESUS FACED IN THE WILDERNESS WAS WITH FOOD. SO FOOD IS A BIG DEAL TO US. IT'S A GIFT FROM GOD. BUT EVERY GIFT FROM GOD WHEN IT IS GIVEN AND RECEIVED BY GOD AS A GIFT USED FOR GOD'S PURPOSES IS GOOD. THE ENEMY PERVERTS IT. THAT'S WHY IN PHILLIPPIANS, PAUL TALKS ABOUT SOME PEOPLE MADE A GOD

OUT OF THEIR STOMACH. AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T WORSHIP GOD, THEY WORSHIP KING EXALTED, KING BELLY, WHY? BECAUSE WHILE WE LOOK AT THE WORLD AND WE JUDGE THEM WHEN THEY GO TO THE CLUB WHEN THEY'RE DISCOURAGED, WE RUN TO THE FRIDGE. WE TURN FOOD INTO A PLACE OF COMFORT. WE USE FOOD AS A PLACE OF WHEN WE'RE BORED, WE EAT. WHEN WE'RE STRESSED, WE EAT. SO THAT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT OF A NUMBING MECHANISM.

IT BECOMES A COMFORTING THING. SO FOR MANY CHRISTIANS, IT'S EVEN HARD TO FAST BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BREAK AN AFFAIR THEY HAVE WITH FOOD BECAUSE THEY STARTED TO DRAW COMFORT FROM A PLACE THAT'S NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT'S A FRIDGE THAT WE NEED TO BREAK THAT AND SAY, NO, I NEED TO GO AND SEEK COMFORT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT INSTEAD OF THAT. BUT THE REASON WE'RE BLASTING IT ONLINE AND SHARING IT ANYWHERE IS COMPLETELY POINTLESS IS BECAUSE THAT DOES NOT

IMPROVE YOUR VALUE TO GOD. YOU'RE NOT MORE LOVED BY GOD WHEN YOU FAST OR WHEN YOU DON'T FAST, BUT YOUR WEIGHT IN THE SPIRIT REALM DOES CHANGE. YOU LOSE YOUR PHYSICAL WEIGHT, BUT YOU GAIN IT IN THE SPIRIT.

WHEN THE BIBLE USES THE PHRASE, MY PEOPLE HUMBLE THEMSELVES, IN THE CONTEXT, IT ALWAYS REFERS TO PEOPLE. ONE OF THE WAYS THEY WOULD HUMBLE THEMSELVES IS THEY WOULD FAST OR REND THEIR GARMENTS, PUT SACKCLOTH ON THEM, ON THEMSELVES SO WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS, HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD, ONE OF THE BEST WAYS WHERE THAT IS DONE IS THROUGH FASTING. SO WHAT DOES HUMILITY BRING? FAVOR. GOD'S EXALTATION AND GOD'S HONOR. GOD BEGINS TO HONOR HUMILITY. WHEN WE FAST, IT ATTRACTS THE FAVOR OF GOD

WHY? BECAUSE IT IS A BIBLICAL WAY OF HUMBLING OURSELVES. SO IT STRENGTHENS PRAYER. IT IS A BIBLICAL WAY OF HUMBLING OURSELVES. THIRDLY, WHAT IT DOES IS IT SUBDUES OUR APPETITES. WE ALL HAVE APPETITES, AND THOSE APPETITES ARE VERY DANGEROUS IF THEY'RE NOT BRIDLED, IF THEY'RE NOT CONTROLLED. AND WHAT FASTING DOES IS FASTING IS A PREPARATION FOR TEMPTATION. SO WHEN THE BOXER GOES TO A BOXING RING, THAT'S NOT WHERE HE PRACTICES.

HE PRACTICES FOR MONTHS BEFORE, AND THEN IT'S HIS SECOND NATURE TO FIGHT IN THE RING. WHEN PEOPLE GO INTO A TEMPTATION, THE FLESH TAKES OVER. WHY DOES THE FLESH TAKE OVER IN TEMPTATION? BECAUSE BEFORE TEMPTATION, THE FLESH WAS NEVER TRAINED IN LIKE A SIMULATED TEMPTATION WHERE EATING THE CRACKER, YOU KNOW, IS NOT SIN.

BUT IF YOU SUBDUE YOUR APPETITE FOR A CRACKER, LET'S SAY, AND INSTEAD OF EATING THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE FASTING, YOU'RE TRAINING YOUR FLESH, YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT IT. NOW, IT'S EASIER TO DO IT WITH THE CRACKER, BUT THEN YOU HAVE A TEMPTATION WITH SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS AND SINFUL. THE FLESH IS NOW TRAINED, AND IT'S TRAINED THROUGH DENYING ITS ACCESS TO WHAT IT WANTS TO GET. AND FASTING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO TRAIN YOUR APPETITIES NOT TO GET WHAT THEY WANT TO GET.

AND THE FOURTH THING THAT FASTING DOES WHICH INCREASES OUR SPIRITUAL WEIGHT IS IT SHARPENS OUR SENSITIVITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. OUR SENSES BECOME MORE SHARPER. AND WHY? BECAUSE THE SPIRIT, WE HAVE A SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY. THOUGH WE ARE SPIRITUAL, BUT MANY OF US LIVE SOULLESS LIVES. OUR SPIRIT IS SO CLOGGED UP AND OUR SOUL IS REALLY THE ONE THAT MAKES ALL THE DECISIONS AND TAKES THE QUEUES FROM THE BODY. WHEN FASTING HAPPENS, THE SOUL IS REMOVED FROM THE PLACE OF THE THRONE.

THE SPIRIT IS PUT BACK AND THE BODY IS SUBJECT TO THE SOUL AND THE SOUL IS SUBJECT TO THE SPIRIT. WE'RE NO LONGER CARNAL CHRISTIANS. IT'S EASIER TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD BECAUSE YOUR SPIRIT IS REALLY HAVING A FEAST. OF COURSE, YOUR BODY IS CRANKY FOR A LITTLE BIT. YOUR SOUL IS KIND OF CONFUSED, LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY IS NOBODY PAYING ATTENTION TO ME? YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. THIS IS NOT FAIR. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. AND THE SOUL EVENTUALLY COMES DOWN.

AND THEN THE SPIRIT BEGINS TO DICTATE AND PEOPLE SAY AFTER FOUR DAYS OF FASTING, THEIR THOUGHTS ARE CLEARER. THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, YOU JUST LIKE SAY JESUS, AND THE SENSITIVITY. IT'S NOT THAT GOD BECAME CLOSE. YOUR AWARENESS OF HIM BECAME CLOSE.

SO HE'S IN THE CULTURE WHERE FASTING IS DONE EVERY WEEK TWICE. NOW, THEY DIDN'T DO IT. 24 HOURS, THEY ENDED IT AROUND AFTERNOON. SO ABOUT 3 TO 4:00 TWICE A WEEK, HIS DISCIPLES, EARLY CHURCH FOLLOWERS. SO DISCIPLES OF JESUS TOOK THE TEACHING OF JESUS. NOW, THIS IS HOW THEY APPLIED IT. SO IF YOU READ IN THE CHURCH DOCUMENTS, YOU WILL SEE THEY FASTED TWO DAYS A WEEK. THAT WAS THE CULTURE OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. SO IT WAS HABITUAL. IT WAS REGULAR. TODAY, WE WOULD THINK IT'S NORMAL TO PRAY EVERY DAY.

RIGHT. WE WOULD THINK ALSO IT'S NORMAL TO GIVE EVERY TIME WE GET PAID TO HONOR GOD. NOW, WE CAN DISAGREE ON TITHING AND EVERYTHING, BUT EVERYBODY WILL AGREE EVERY CHRISTIAN IS TO PUT GOD FIRST IN THEIR FINANCES. WHEN IT COMES TO FASTING, MOST OF US TREAT FASTING NOT ON THE SAME HABITUAL PART OF SPIRITUAL WALK WITH CHRIST AS PRAYER AND GIVING. AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO RETURN TO THAT, BECAUSE IN THE EARLY CHURCH CULTURE, IT WAS LIKE THAT. JESUS TALKED ABOUT IT ON THE SAME LEVEL WITH THAT.

AND I'M NOT SAYING TO DO 40-DAY FASTS EVERY SINGLE MONTH, BUT TO GO REGULARLY TO FAST I THINK IS VERY BENEFICIAL TO OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE SO WE CAN BE LED TO FAST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS WAS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS. WE CAN BE LED TO A FAST BY OUR PASTOR WHERE THE PASTOR LEADS A CORPORATE COMMUNITY INTO A FAST.

AND THIRDLY, WE CAN CHOOSE TO FAST BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO OR BECAUSE WE ARE SENSING OUR SPIRITUAL SENSES ARE NOT WHERE THEY USED TO BE OR BECAUSE WE ARE REALLY HUNGERING FOR THE LORD, DEVELOPING A HUNGER FOR GOD. WE'RE NOT FEELING LED. WE LEAD OURSELVES BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND THIS IS ONE OF MY WAYS TO HUMBLE MYSELF, RECONNECT WITH THE LORD, AND THAT IS COMPLETELY OKAY. AND GOD WILL HONOR THAT. AND IN FACT, IT WILL BE EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL IN OUR LIFE.

SO THOSE ARE THE THREE WAYS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD FAST. TYPICALLY, PEOPLE WAIT FOR A GREAT LEADING FROM GOD TO FAST, AND I TELL THEM, WELL, DID YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU TRIED LAST SUNDAY? NO, YOU MADE A DECISION. AND PAUL TELLS US IN CORINTHIANS, GIVE AS YOU PURPOSE IN YOUR HEART. SAME THING AS WITH PRAYER. I DON'T HAVE TO HEAR THE LORD TELL ME TO PRAY. I OPEN MY BIBLE REGULARLY.

AND SO IN FASTING, I THINK EVERY PERSON SHOULD DEVELOP SOME KIND OF A HABITUAL WAY OF FASTING, WHETHER IT'S ONCE A MONTH, WHETHER IT'S ONCE A WEEK, A WAY THAT IS SACRIFICIAL. SO LIKE MISSING BREAKFAST AND SAYING, WELL, I, YOU KNOW, I FASTED TODAY, BUT IF YOU DON'T EAT BREAKFAST AT ALL, THAT'S NOT SACRIFICIAL. DON'T CALL THAT A FAST. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS JUST PART OF YOUR DIET.

THERE'S THE PRIVATE ONE. NOW, IN THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE FASTING TODAY, FOR SOCIAL MEDIA IS FASTING. DANIEL FASTING, AND OTHER. BIBLICALLY SPEAKING, THERE IS REALLY ONE FAST, AND THAT IS, YOU DON'T EAT FOOD. OR THERE IS A DRY FAST. IT'S WHEN YOU DON'T DRINK AND YOU DON'T EAT FOOD. THE DRY FAST IS MORE RADICAL, AND IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED, BUT IT HAS BEEN DONE MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. WE SEE THAT IN THE BIBLE, AND THE BIBLE HIGHLIGHTS IT. NO FOOD AND NO DRINK. AND WHEN IT SAYS THEY FASTED,

THEY DIDN'T EAT. THAT INDICATES THEY DRANK WATER. SO LIKE THE LORD, IT SAYS ABOUT THE LORD JESUS THAT HE DIDN'T EAT ANY FOOD. AND RIGHT AWAY, PRETTY MUCH INDICATES THAT HE PROBABLY DRANK WATER. BUT WHEN THE BIBLE HIGHLIGHTS THEY DIDN'T DRINK WATER, THAT MEANS THAT IT WAS A DRY FAST. SO THE FASTING WHERE YOU ABSTAIN FROM CERTAIN FOODS IS NOT A BIBLICAL FAST. NOW, THE LORD ACCEPTS IT AS A SACRIFICE. IT IS ABSTAINING FROM SOMETHING.

IT COSTS US SOMETHING. GOD HONORS THAT, BUT TO CALL THAT A FAST IS REALLY CONTARY TO THE WORD FASTING BECAUSE THE WORD FASTING MEANS TO CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, MEANS YOU'RE NOT EATING FOOD. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHEN CATHOLICS SAY THAT THEY BAPTIZED A CHILD BY SPRINKLING WATER, AND THEY SAID THAT WAS BAPTISM, WHEN THE WORD BAPTISM MEANS IMMERSION. BUT I KNOW WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM IN OUR NATION.

BUT BIBLICALLY, FASTING IS ABSTAINING FROM FOOD FOR SPIRITUAL REASONS AND IT'S VOLUNTARILY ABSTAINING FROM FOOD SO IF YOU ARE STARVING, THAT'S NOT A FAST BECAUSE THAT'S NOT VOLUNTARY. IF YOU ARE FORCED BY SOMEBODY, THAT'S NOT A FAST BECAUSE IT'S FORCED. SO IT'S VOLUNTARILY ABSTAINING FROM FOOD FOR SPIRITUAL REASONS. AND SO THAT IS A BIBLICAL FAST. AND SOMETIMES GOD WILL LEAD A PERSON TO ABSTAIN FROM FOOD AND FROM WATER.

DOCTORS WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FOR THAT TO BE DONE FOR MORE THAN THREE DAYS, BECAUSE YOU WILL DIE, BUT WITHOUT FOOD, A PERSON CAN GO FOR 40 DAYS IF THEY'RE HEALTHY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS BEFORE THEIR BODY EVEN ENTERS STARVATION STAGE.

THERE IS A DESIGN TO IT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS COMING TO ME IS OUR FOOD IN THIS DAY AND AGE, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNITED STATES, IS SO FAR FROM FOOD, OUR PROCESSED FOOD, AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE SAID IS OUR CULTURE IS ONE OF THE FEW IN HISTORY THAT DOES NOT FAST.

FASTING WAS A REGULAR THING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND IT'S JUST KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST KIND OF HITTING ME HOW OUR FOOD REALLY HAS TURNED INTO A DRUG FOR SO MANY OF US, AND HOW IT'S EVEN SO FAR FROM BEING WHAT THE FOOD THAT GOD INTENDED. AND I THINK SO MANY PEOPLE ARE DOING IT UNINTENTIONALLY, BUT IT BECOMES A HABIT, IT BECOMES A NEED, RIGHT.

IT BECOMES A DRUG. AND I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT IN THE CHURCH, BECAUSE IT IS SO COMMONPLACE AND WE'RE THINKING, WELL, YOU'RE NOT DRINKING AND YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS. SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY FOR SOMEONE WHO'S STRUGGLING WITH FOOD AS A SOURCE OF COMFORT? WHAT IS, HOW CAN THEY HANDLE THAT?

NOW, IT'S A WRONG SOLUTION, BUT IT'S A SOLUTION. YOU'RE LONELY, YOU'RE REJECTED, YOU'RE HURTING, AND SO TO TRADE SOLUTIONS WITHOUT DEALING WITH THE ROOT AND DEALING, OKAY, WHY AM I OVEREATING? WHY AM I REACHING FOR THIS? WHY AM I DOING THAT? AND ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO GO FOR THAT. ONLY THEN WE CAN REALLY BREAK THE STRONGHOLD OF FOOD. FOOD IS GOOD IF IT IS TO BE ENJOYED AND IT'S HEALTHY FOOD. BUT I THINK ALSO FASTING COULD HELP.

I'M NOT SAYING FASTING WILL BREAK THE FOOD ADDICTION BECAUSE IT COULD EXPOSE THAT WE HAVE A ROOT, BUT IF WE DON'T DEAL WITH THE ROOT, AND DR. MICHAEL BROWN HAS A BOOK CALLED BREAKING THE FOOD ADDICTION . ACTUALLY DID AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM, AND IT WENT, A LOT OF PEOPLE STARTED TO REACH OUT AND ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE FREEDOM WHEN HE DEALT WITH HOW HE WAS OVERWEIGHT. NOT ONLY OVERWEIGHT, HE HAD SO MANY SICKNESSES. HE TRAVELED WITH A SLEEP APNEA MACHINE.

HE COULDN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT, AND HE WOULD TAKE SO MUCH MEDICATION, AND THE LORD STARTED TO DEAL WITH HIM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND HE EXPERIENCED FREEDOM. HE GOT CURED OF EVERY DISEASE THAT HE HAD. DOES NOT TAKE PILLS ANYMORE. SLEEPS. I MEAN, YOU SEE HIM. I MEAN, HE'S DOING PUSHUPS IN HIS OLD AGE. AND SO HE HAS. I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN ADDICTION TO FOOD OR WHO HAVE FOOD AS A STRONGHOLD TO READ THAT BOOK. I DON'T GET ANYTHING BY SAYING THAT EXCEPT I LOVE DR. MICHAEL BROWN.

AND SO, BUT THAT REALLY, REALLY HELPED PEOPLE TO BREAK THROUGH IN THAT AREA, BUT SOMETHING ABOUT THAT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT FASTING, THE CULTURE, INTERESTINGLY, IF YOU TYPE "FASTING" ON YOUTUBE, YOU WILL SEE HOW IT'S PROPAGATED NOW BY FITNESS INSTRUCTORS, NEW AGE GURUS. AND WHAT SADDENS ME IS, I'M LIKE, WHY DIDN'T THE CHURCH RECLAIM THAT? THIS IS LITERALLY IN THE BIBLE. OUR SAVIOR DID IT. HE LAUNCHED HIS MINISTRY. MOSES DID IT. ELIJAH DID IT. ALL THE GREAT NOTABLE MEN OF GOD PRACTICED THAT.

AND WHY IS THE CHURCH NOT TALKING ABOUT IT? BUT THEN YOU COME INTO THE CHURCH, AND I'M JUST GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WE ARE OBESE. A LOT OF DISEASES WE FACE, WE BROUGHT THEM BECAUSE OF OUR OVEREATING AND UNHEALTHY EATING. AND THEN IF SOMEBODY TALKS ABOUT FASTING OR ADDRESSES BIBLICAL FASTING, YOU KNOW, DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO. AND SO BECAUSE WE PROTECT THOSE IDOLS AND WE REALLY MADE THE STOMACH INTO A KING, AND IT'S SUPER EXALTED, WE BARELY CAN SEE OUR FEET.

AND SO WE NEED TO BRING THIS KING FROM BACK FROM THE THRONE AND WE NEED TO PUT JESUS BACK ON THE THRONE. AND OUR STOMACHS SHOULD NOT BE OUR GODS. WE CANNOT LIVE A CARNAL LIFE. WE HAVE TO PICK UP OUR CROSS. JESUS SAYS, IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ME, YOU HAVE TO DENY YOURSELF, MEANING CHRISTIANITY IS NOT SELF-DISCOVERY, IT'S SELF-DENIAL. AND WE WILL EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD. I BELIEVE WE'LL EXPERIENCE GREATER HEALTH.

I BELIEVE HEALING WILL SPRING FORTH JUST BY PHYSICALLY FASTING, BUT I BELIEVE EVEN GOD'S POWER IS GOING TO START FLOWING, AND WE WILL EXPERIENCE I WOULD RATHER BE LIGHTER IN THE FLESH AND HEAVIER IN THE SPIRIT THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

SECONDLY, FASTING IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. FASTING IS NOT FOR NURSING MOMS. FASTING IS NOT FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. FASTING IS NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ON HEAVY MEDICATIONS. AND FASTING IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT I HIGHLIGHT THAT SO IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS RIGHT NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, I NEED TO GO FAST: IF YOU'RE PREGNANT, NURSING, OR YOU'RE ON MEDICATION, YOU KNOW, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR. OR IF YOU ARE RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE A CHILD, YOU ARE NOT TO FAST, YOU KNOW. YEAH.

YOU CAN FAST. SOCIAL MEDIA, THOSE THINGS ARE GOOD FOR YOU. YOU CAN ABSTAIN FROM THOSE THINGS, BUT FASTING IS NOT FOR YOU, BUT WHAT YOU JUST HIGHLIGHTED IS VERY POWERFUL BECAUSE JESUS REBUKES HIS DISCIPLES. AND HE SAID, YOU PERVERSE AND UNBELIEVING GENERATION. NOW, PERVERSE DEALS WITH OUR CONNECTION TO THE WORLD. UNBELIEVING DEALS WITH OUR CONNECTION TO GOD.

JESUS IS SAYING THE REASON WHY YOU COULDN'T DO THIS MIRACLE IS BECAUSE THERE'S A CONNECTION TO THE WORLD AND THERE IS NOT A CONNECTION TO GOD. PERVERSE AND UNBELIEVING. AND THEN HE GIVES US THE CURE. HE SAYS, THIS KIND WILL COME OUT BY PRAYER. NOW, WHAT IS PRAYER? IT'S YOUR CONNECTION TO GOD. WHAT IS FASTING? YOUR DISCONNECTION FROM THE WORLD.

SOME OF OUR VALLEY ISSUES, IF WE'RE BEING VERY HONEST, WE HAVE A DEEP CONNECTION TO THE WORLD AND CASUAL CONNECTION TO THE LORD, WHAT PRAYER AND FASTING DOES IS PRAYER STRENGTHENS MY CONNECTION TO THE LORD AND FASTING WEAKENS MY CONNECTION TO THE WORLD, WHICH THEN POSITIONS ME TO A PLACE WHERE I HAVE SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH IN MY LIFE.

IF YOU HAVE CRISIS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, FAST. SECOND ONE IS YOUR CALLING. JESUS FASTED AS PREPARATION FOR THE MISSION THAT THE FATHER HAD FOR HIM. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE CRISIS, YOU CAN STILL FAST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CALLING. OUR LIFE ISN'T JUST ABOUT FIXING CRISIS. WE NEED TO FULFILL OUR CALLING. THE THIRD PURPOSE OF FASTING IS OUR DEEPER CONNECTION, BECAUSE FASTING STRENGTHENS OUR PRAYER.

JESUS SAID TO HIS, IN FACT, HE SAID TO THE PHARISEES WHEN THEY TOLD HIM YOUR DISCIPLES ARE NOT FASTING, AND HE SAID, WHEN THE BRIDEGROOM IS TAKEN AWAY, HE SAID, THEN THEY WILL FAST. ANYTIME YOU SENSE THE BRIDEGROOM TAKEN AWAY, NOT THAT THE LORD LEAVES US, BUT HIS MANIFEST PRESENCE IS NO LONGER AS TANGIBLE AND SENSITIVE, BEGIN TO FAST FOR THAT CONNECTION. FASTING IS RESTORING THAT HUNGER. YOU GO PHYSICALLY HUNGRY. AND IT'S CRAZY HOW IT HAPPENS.

IT ACTUALLY RESTORES YOUR SPIRITUAL HUNGER FOR GOD, NOT WHILE YOU'RE FASTING, SOMETIMES WHILE YOU'RE FASTING, YOU'RE JUST CRANKY. IT'S AFTER THE FAST. YOU JUST SENSE THAT DEARNESS, THAT PRECIOUSNESS TO JESUS, THAT HUNGER FOR GOD'S WORD. SO CHRIST IS CALLING CONNECTION. AND THE LAST ONE IS CONQUEST. AS YOU CONQUER ENEMIES THAT YOU COULDN'T CONQUER BEFORE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, MANY TIMES, MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD, WHEN THEY COULDN'T CONQUER CERTAIN ENEMIES, THEY FASTED.

AND THE FACT THAT JESUS TELLS US THIS KIND DOESN'T COME OUT EXCEPT BY PRAYER AND FASTING, MEANING THERE ARE THINGS IN OUR LIFE, SPIRITUAL BATTLES WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND UNTIL WE HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE GOD AND WE BEGIN TO FAST.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, PEOPLE THINK PRAYING IS ABOUT TALKING, BUT I'M READING THIS BOOK BY DR. DENNIS CLARK, AND IT'S ABOUT THE SECRET PLACE, AND HE TALKS ABOUT HOW IT'S ABOUT COMMUNING WITH GOD AND HOW PRAYER IS COMMUNING WITH GOD AND HOW YOU CAN BE JUST CONNECTING TO HIM AND HIS PRESENCE AND LISTENING TO HIS VOICE. HOW WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE FILLING UP PRAYER WITH US SPEAKING, AND I THINK THAT WOULD HELP PEOPLE, BECAUSE HOW LONG CAN YOU SPEAK FOR, YOU KNOW?

10 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES.

WITH EACH OTHER. IN FACT, WHEN THEY'RE NOT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER, THEIR HEARTS GROW FOND AND THEY MISS EACH OTHER AND THEY RECONNECT WITH EACH OTHER. THEY DON'T SAY I'M SORRY. THEY SAY I MISS YOU. WHY? BECAUSE IT'S A RELATIONSHIP. WHEN THE PERSON VIEWS PRAYER LIFE AS THIS IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, THEY MISS THE WHOLE POINT. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS YOUR HEART BEING COMMITTED TO HIM, LIVING WITH HIM, WALKING IN HIM, HAVING YOUR BEING WITH HIM.

AND ONE OF THE VERY GOOD CLASSIC BOOKS ON THAT IS THE PRACTICING OF THE PRESENCE BY BROTHER LAWRENCE, WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT, YOU'RE LIVING WITH THE LORD. YOU'RE WALKING. THAT'S WHAT JESUS SAYS. ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU. AND THEN I THINK IN VERSE 8 OF JOHN CHAPTER 15, HE SAYS, AND THEN YOU ASK ANYTHING YOU'RE LIKE, WAIT.

I THOUGHT THAT I'M ASKING YOU YOU KNOW WHEN I'M ABIDING, BUT ABIDING IS LIVING WITH IN THE AWARENESS OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, LIVING IN THE AWARENESS HE LOVES ME, AND EVERYTHING I DO, I DO FOR HIM, AND THINGS THAT I DO FOR HIM, EVEN IF I'M NOT PRAYING AND READING THE WORD, ARE AS SPIRITUAL AS IF I'M SPENDING TIME WITH HIM. AND SO THAT BECOMES THE FOUNDATION OF A DEEP POWERFUL PRAYER LIFE. THEN FROM THAT PLACE, WE GO INTO PRAYER.

NOW, WHAT CHANGED MY LIFE WHEN IT COMES TO PRAYER, TWO THINGS, ONE, IS TO GO TO PRAYER TO BE WITH GOD INSTEAD OF TO FIND GOD. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WOULD ALWAYS GO INTO PRAYER TO FIND HIM. NOW, THE BIBLE DOES TALK ABOUT SEEKING HIM. THE BIBLE DOES TALK ABOUT DRAWING NEAR TO HIM. BUT WHEN IT SAYS TO SEEK THE LORD, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT GOD IS PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK. IT WOULD BE EQUIVALENT TO ME PURSUING MY WIFE. IT'S NOT BECAUSE SHE'S RUNNING AWAY FROM ME. WE COULD BE IN THE SAME ROOM.

ME PURSUING MY WIFE, MEANING I AM BEING INTENTIONAL TO THE PRESENCE THAT IS WITHIN MY PRESENCE. I'M NOT TRYING TO CHASE HER AROUND TOWN BECAUSE SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM ME. IT'S THAT WE'RE IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE SAME ROOM. I'M JUST BEING INTENTIONAL. I'M TRYING TO BE IN TUNE TO HER, SO ME SEEKING THE LORD DOES NOT MEAN HE'S NOT IN THE ROOM. IT MEANS THAT I AM CONSCIOUS OF HIM. I'M PURSUING HIS PRESENCE. THAT'S WHY WHEN JESUS TALKED ABOUT, HE SAID,

GO TO YOUR SECRET PLACE. PRAY TO YOUR FATHER, WHO IS IN SECRET. WAIT. SO HE'S ALREADY THERE? THAT MEANS WHEN I COME TO MY SECRET PLACE, HE IS ALREADY THERE. HE WAS WAITING FOR ME, ALREADY THERE. SO THE THINKING THAT I HAD HAD TO RENEW MY MIND, I'M NOT COMING THERE AND TRYING TO WORK UP SOME STEPS TO GET HIM HERE. IN FACT, HE'S BEEN HERE. EVEN IF I COMMIT SIN, HE'S ALREADY THERE BECAUSE WHEN ADAM COMMITTED SIN IN GENESIS 3:9, GOD SHOWED UP, AND WHAT WAS GOD'S QUESTION? ADAM, WHERE ARE YOU?

WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW UP? GOD KNEW WHAT ADAM DID AND HE STILL WAITED FOR HIM TO TALK TO HIM. SO THAT MEANS THAT MY SIN SHOULDN'T BE AN EXCUSE WHY I DON'T GO TO GOD FIRST AND TALK TO GOD BECAUSE GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN HELP ME GET RID OF MY SIN THROUGH THE POWER OF THE BLOOD. SO THAT WAS MY FIRST THING. IT CHANGED MY PRAYER LIFE WHEN I GO TO PRAYER TO BE WITH HIM VERSUS TO GO TO PRAYER TO TRY TO FIND HIM. AND SECOND THING IS, GOD LOVES MY PRESENCE MORE THAN I LOVE HIS.

AND THE BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. THE BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE DELIGHTS IN HIS PEOPLE. HE WILL BEAUTIFY HIS PEOPLE. AND THE LORD LOVES US. YOU KNOW, AND NOW I GOT A SON. YOU KNOW. HE IS SEVEN MONTHS OLD. HIS NAME IS SAMUEL, AND I ENJOY THAT LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY. HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND YET HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM. I LOVED HIM BEFORE HE WAS BORN. I WANTED HIM THAT WHY HE'S HERE ON THIS EARTH, I AM PROVIDING FOR HIM.

HE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING YET EXCEPT TOOK AWAY MY SLEEP. IT'S COSTING ME A LOT OF MONEY AND HE'S A COST, AND I'M NOT ONLY WILLING, MORE THAN WILLING, TO PAY FOR THAT AND PAY TEN TIMES MORE, AND WHEN I HOLD HIM, IT'S LIKE SO THERAPEUTIC FOR ME, LIKE AND I KISS HIM AND I JUST LIKE I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH. NOW, I THINK HE LIKES ME BECAUSE WHEN I COME AND HE SMILES, AND LIKE I COULD SEE HE'S ALREADY DISCERNING ME. BUT EVEN BEFORE HE DISCERNED MY PRESENCE,

I LOVED HIM SO MUCH. AND I'M THINKING IF GOD, IF THIS IS JUST A SLIGHT REFLECTION OF WHAT GOD FEELS ABOUT HIS CHILDREN, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US WHEN WE SPEND TIME WITH HIM? REBECCA, I HAD THIS ONE TIME WHEN MY PRAYER LIFE KIND OF TOOK A LITTLE HIT AND I STRUGGLED TO CONNECT WITH THE LORD. IT WAS PRETTY DRY FOR A WHILE. AND I KIND OF GOT HONEST. I WAS ALREADY MARRIED.

I SAID, LORD, AND I WAS COMING VERY EARLY LIKE AT 5 A.M. AND I WAS LIKE, LORD, I DON'T GET ENOUGH SLEEP TO COME HERE. YOU'RE NOT SHOWING UP. I LEAVE MY PRAYER TIME A BIT CRANKY. I COME WITH AN ATTITUDE BACK HOME. MY WIFE IS NOT HAPPY WITH ME.

I SAID I THINK IT'LL BE BETTER FOR ME, YOU, AND ALL OF US IF I JUST DON'T SHOW UP TO PRAYER BECAUSE I THINK AT LEAST I'LL WAKE UP, I'LL WAKE UP WITH GUILT INSTEAD OF WAKING UP BEING CONSTANTLY CRANKY, AND I'M NOT GETTING ANYTHING OUT OF THIS, AND IT'S BEEN A MONTH LIKE THAT ALREADY. SO I WAS VERY BRUTAL WITH THE LORD AND I FELT THE LORD TO MY HEART, HE SAYS, WHEN YOU COME TO PRAYER, YOU'RE COMING TO FIND MY PRESENCE.

HE SAID, HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT THE REASON WHY I WANT YOU HERE IS BECAUSE I ENJOY YOURS? AND I SAID, WHAT IS THERE TO ENJOY ABOUT ME? I'M A SINNER. I DON'T EVEN LIKE MYSELF HALF OF THE TIMES. I KNOW ALL MY FAULTS. BUT HE SAYS, YOU'RE MY SON AND I LOVED YOU. IF I LOVED THE WORLD WHEN THEY WERE STILL IN SIN, CAN YOU IMAGINE YOU'RE MY CHILD HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU? HE SAYS, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU FINDING MY PRESENCE AS A FATHER.

I LOVE YOU AS MY SON, AND WHY NOT IN A NEW AGE IS SELFISH SPARKLE OF THE UNIVERSE WAY, BUT IN A GENUINE BIBLICAL WAY, GOD LOVES ME. SOMETHING JUST FILLED MY HEART. I GOT FLOODED WITH TEARS AND THE FACT THAT HE LOVES ME. SO NEXT DAY, WHAT I DID IS I CAME, I SAT THERE, AND I SAID, LORD, HERE I AM. ENJOY ME.

WHEN HE INVITES US INTO HIS PRESENCE, HE WANTS TO POUR THAT LOVE AND LOVE IS HURT IF THE OTHER PERSON IS NOT GIVING THEMSELVES TO YOU TO LOVE YOU.

AND IT TAKES, HE'S DONE THE HEAVY LIFTING. HE'S DONE THE HARD PART SO THAT WE CAN BE WITH HIM. AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT BREAKTHROUGH IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT I'M A CHILD AND HE'S MY FATHER, OH, THAT SHIFTS EVERYTHING. IT SHIFTED FAITH FOR ME, AS WELL. I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BELIEVE GOD, BECAUSE HE WAS MY FATHER, AND I KNEW HOW A FATHER LOVES A CHILD, BECAUSE I'M A MOM THAT LOVES MY KID. I HAVE A, YOU KNOW, I HAD MY FATHER, MY HUSBAND. I SEE HIM AS A FATHER TO OUR CHILDREN.

AND SO IT JUST COMPLETELY CHANGES YOUR THINKING.

AND I JUST THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH IT HAD TO KILL GOD AND HOW SO MANY OF US BELIEVERS THAT ARE IN THIS SITUATION LIKE YOU WERE IN THAT IT'S LIKE ABOUT DOING AND THIS AND THAT I'M GOING TO GO PRAY, AND THEY'RE MISSING OUT ALL THE JOY OF RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNION AND BEING WITH HIM, AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO ROB THEMSELVES AND TURN A QUIET TIME WHICH I HAD STRUGGLED WITH THIS SOMETIMES MYSELF, OF SOMETHING THAT YOU CHECK OFF A LIST, AND YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON THE JOY OF COMMUNING WITH HIM,

AND YOU WILL COMMUNE WITH HIM SO MUCH MORE WHEN YOU FALL INTO THE EASE AND THE REST THAT HE'S GIVEN US THROUGH HIS SON JESUS, AND NOW THAT HIS SPIRIT DWELLS WITHIN US AND THAT WE CAN SPEND TIME WITH A LOVING FATHER WHO LOVES US. IT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE A COMMUNION WITH THE LORD, AND WE DO KNOW THIS. SOMETIMES WE NEED TO APPLY A LITTLE BIT OF DISCIPLINE BECAUSE OUR FLESH IS THROWING A FIT.

IT'S THE SAME THING WITH OUR FAITH. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, I READ A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES BY DALLAS WILLARD, AND IT WAS GREAT. AND HE SAID THAT THE GREATEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD, THEY PRACTICE EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THAT MOMENT WHERE THEY GET UP TO THE PLATE AND THEY HIT THAT HOME RUN. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE READY FOR THIS GREAT SPIRITUAL MOMENT. YOU'RE NOT. YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GOING TO COME. YOU WALK EVERY DAY WITH HIM, AND THEN YOU'LL BE READY WHEN THAT MOMENT COMES.

AND SO DISCIPLINE IS REALLY A FORM OF WORSHIP. IT'S SAYING THAT YOU CARE, BUT IT'S LIKE WE GOTTA BE INTENTIONAL WITH EVERYTHING IN OUR LIFE, AND SO DISCIPLINE IS APART OF IT. IT'S JUST IT'S NOT COMING FROM OUR STRENGTH. IT'S COMING FROM HIS STRENGTH, AND IT'S COMING FROM THE UNDERSTANDING HE LOVES US, SO I'M GOING TO BE INTENTIONAL WITH HIM. AND I THINK WE'RE LIVING IN A WORLD THAT'S FIGHTING FOR OUR AFFECTION, THAT'S FIGHTING FOR OUR ATTENTION.

AND SO WE NEED TO BE INTENTIONAL OF LIVING IN HIS PRESENCE, WALKING IN OBEDIENCE, BUT THEN ALSO CARVING OUT THAT TIME TO BE WITH HIM, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A MILLION THINGS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A FATHER, A PASTOR A HUSBAND, YOU'RE DOING ALL THESE THINGS. SO YOU NOW KNOW MORE THAN EVER HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE PULLING ON YOU FOR TIME, BUT HOW YOU NEED TO MAKE TIME FOR HIM.

THEY WERE NEVER SHAMED. IN FACT, THEY WERE CHANGED BECAUSE OF HIS PRESENCE. JESUS' PRESENCE IS SO POWERFUL, IT CAN CHANGE YOU. THE BLOOD OF JESUS CAN CLEANSE US. THE SECOND EXCUSE IS BUSYNESS, SO IT'S A SHAME, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S BUSYNESS.

SHE PROBABLY BECAME A CONCUBINE. SHE NEVER LOST THE PALACE. SHE JUST STOPPED BEING SOMEONE THAT WAS A QUEEN. ESTHER, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS NEVER INVITED, BUT SHE CAME TO THE PRESENCE OF THE KING. ESTHER LED WOMEN TO FAST. VASHTI LED WOMEN TO FEAST. VASHTI LOST HER CROWN, ESTHER SAVED HER GENERATION. AND SO ANYTIME WE USE BUSYNESS AS AN EXCUSE, NOT ONLY WE LOSE INTIMACY, WE LOSE INFLUENCE IN THE SPIRIT REALM AND WE START OPERATING ON, REALLY, A CONCUBINE LEVEL. WE'RE CALLED TO BE THE BRIDE.

WE'RE CALLED TO HAVE INTIMACY, AND WE CAN CHOOSE TO DISTANCE OURSELVES FROM THOSE INTIMATE MOMENTS BECAUSE OF OUR BUSYNESS, AND THEN WE'LL BE WORKING FOR THE LORD. WE DON'T KNOW THAT LORD THAT WE'RE WORKING FOR. WE WILL BE OVERWHELMED.

WE WILL BE STRESSED OUT LIKE MARTHA; OVERWHELMED, WORRIED ABOUT MANY THINGS, RUNNING, YOU KNOW, MAKING SANDWICHES JESUS JUST NEVER ORDERED AND JUST CONSTANTLY BEING FRUSTRATED, ANXIETY, TAKING PILLS, AND ALL OF THIS STUFF, AND BECAUSE WE'RE JUST WE'RE JUST DOING ALL OF THIS STUFF FOR GOD, BUT WE'RE NOT DOING IT WITH HIM BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM. AND I THINK THAT THE LORD WANTS US TO OVERCOME THAT BUSINESS. IT IS A STRUGGLE.

IT'S TO SOME DEGREE A SPIRITUAL WARFARE WHERE WE MAKE A CONSCIOUS PRIORITY. AND THIS IS WHERE I THINK DISCIPLINE COMES IN WHERE, NO, THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT. PRAYER DOESN'T TAKE TIME. PRAYER SAVES TIME. AND I ALWAYS TELL MYSELF PRAYER SAVES TIME.

I'D RATHER SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH THE LORD, THAN 30 MINUTES ON A COMPUTER, BECAUSE THEN HE CAN FIGURE OUT AND BLESS THE REST OF IT, AND THEN WHAT PRAYER DOES FOR ME WHEN I SPEND TIME IN THE MIDST OF BUSYNESS IS IT HELPS ME TO SLOW DOWN THE PACE OF MY LIFE THAT I DON'T RUN FASTER THAN THE GRACE OF GOD CAN SUSTAIN ME BECAUSE THEN YOU GET ON THIS TREADMILL WHERE YOU'RE RUNNING FAST, YOU'RE SAYING YES TO EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND YOU'RE TRYING TO OPTIMIZE YOUR GIFT AND REALLY JUST REACH YOUR POTENTIAL,

REACH THE WORLD. BUT YOU'RE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT. WHAT DID HE CALL YOU TO DO? JESUS DIDN'T REACH THE WORLD. HE DIDN'T EVEN TRAVEL A LOT, AND HE MINISTERED FOR THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS. BUT AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, HE COULD HAVE SAID, IT IS FINISHED. I DID EVERYTHING THE FATHER ASKED ME TO DO. TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT, YOU HAVE TO BE CLOSE TO THE FATHER TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE TASKS HE HAS FOR ME. JUST BECAUSE MY NEIGHBOR, MY FRIEND, MY COLLEAGUE IS DOING THIS, THIS DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO DO THAT.

BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SECRET PLACE, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MOVED BY WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING. YOU'LL RUN AT EVERYBODY ELSE'S PACE, IGNORING YOUR FAMILY, RUNNING YOUR FAMILY OVER, RUNNING YOUR HEALTH OVER, BEING INVOLVED IN EVERY SINGLE THING INSTEAD OF RUNNING AT THE PACE THAT THE GRACE OF GOD CAN SUSTAIN YOU AND LIVING WITH THIS INNER WITNESS, MY LIFE IS PLEASING TO HIM. IF I DIE TODAY, I KNOW HE WILL LOOK AT ME AND HE WILL SAY, FAITHFUL AND GOOD SERVANT.

I DIDN'T WRITE EVERY BOOK I NEEDED TO WRITE. I DIDN'T SPEAK EVERYWHERE I NEEDED TO SPEAK. I DIDN'T SAVE EVERY SOUL. HE IS THE SAVIOR. HE IS THE GOD IN CONTROL. I JUST PLAY A SMALL PART IN THE BIG POND OF HIS KINGDOM. AND AS LONG AS MY PART IS FULFILLED, AND THE WAY I KNOW THAT PART IS FULFILLED IS THAT I LOOK IN HIS EYES EVERY DAY AND I SEE, IS HE PLEASED WITH ME TODAY? IF HE'S NOT PLEASED WITH ME,

THEN I NEED TO CHANGE SOME THINGS. BUT IF I DON'T LOOK IN HIS EYES REGULARLY, IF I DON'T SENSE HIS PRESENCE, ALL I'M DOING IS I'M LOOKING OVER WHO'S DOING WHAT. AND I'M TRYING TO COMPETE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE'S PACE OF LIFE AND MINISTRY, AS A RESULT, I USUALLY END UP RUNNING OVER MY FAMILY, MY MENTAL HEALTH, MY PHYSICAL HEALTH, AND MY SANITY.

AND THERE'S THAT ASPECT OF IDENTITY, AND SO WE'RE NOT LIVING FROM A PLACE THAT I NEED TO DO TO BE. I AM, SO THEREFORE I DO. BUT ALL OF THIS, THE KEY OF ALL OF THIS, IS UNDERSTANDING THAT HE IS OUR SOURCE, AND THAT WE SPEND TIME WITH HIM AND SO IT'S JUST THAT'S SO GOOD,

I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME VIRAL. I WANT TO MAKE A VIRAL VIDEO, BECAUSE I WANT TO BE VISIBLE, BECAUSE IF I'M VISIBLE, I'M VALUABLE. PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A SECRET PLACE THINK LIKE THAT. WHEN YOU HAVE A SECRET PLACE, YOUR VALUE COMES FROM YOU'RE LOVED BY GOD, YOUR INDWELLING BY THE SPIRIT.

YOUR VALUE SYSTEM IS DIFFERENT, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT VISIBLE, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT VIRAL, EVEN IF YOU BECOME IRRELEVANT TO THIS CULTURE, NOBODY IS INTERESTED IN YOU, NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU, NOBODY INVITES YOU, NOBODY SUBSCRIBES, NOBODY LIKES, IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHY, BECAUSE MY VALUE IS NOT DETERMINED BY THAT. MY HEART IS NOT VISIBLE. IT IS VERY VALUABLE. MY HEART DOESN'T HARBOR AN OFFENSE TOWARD MY EYES AND SAID, THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR.

EVERYBODY SEES YOU EVERY DAY, AND YOU'RE GETTING ALL THE CREDIT AND YOU'RE GETTING ALL THE RECOGNITION. AND THEN I DON'T GET ANY RECOGNITION. THERE ARE PARTS IN MY BODY THAT WILL NEVER BE VISIBLE,

BUT THEY'RE SO VALUABLE, AND THEY ARE. THEY ARE EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. THERE'RE MANY MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD THAT GOD WILL NEVER PUT IN THE PLACE OF VISIBILITY, BUT THEY'RE AS VALUABLE AS ANYBODY ELSE WHO IS IN THE PLACE OF VISIBILITY, AND IF WE DON'T DRAW OUR IDENTITY FROM OUR INTIMACY WITH GOD, WE WILL DRAW OUR IDENTITY FROM THE TITLES, FROM WHAT MEN CALL US, FROM OUR VISIBILITY, AND THAT IS SO FAKE AND THAT IS SO TEMPORARY, AND IT'S LIKE CHASING THE WIND.

IT WILL NEVER TRULY SATISFY.

YOU CAN GO THERE AND JUST DOWNLOAD, AND THERE'S RUSSIAN VERSION, THERE'S ROMANIAN VERSION, THERE'S A SPANISH VERSION, THERE IS, OF COURSE, ENGLISH VERSIONS, AND I THINK THERE'S ABOUT A FEW MORE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, GERMAN AND ANOTHER ONE, AND THEY CAN DOWNLOAD, NO STRINGS ATTACHED AND FOR FREE, THAT BOOK. REBECCA: THAT'S AMAZING. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU, REBECCA.