HTBB: Principle #6 “Increase of the Spirit”

Anastasia en Colombia: “He then said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.’”¹

I can relate to Erin’s friend in my need for control and perfectionism. It is quite remarkable that after so many years—almost nine—of reading these lessons, I am only now beginning to identify with her. I now understand that this is His call for me to resume my weekly fasts.

In my case, it is very easy for me to lose weight, and I find it difficult to gain or maintain it. So when I fast for several consecutive days—as I did during my most recent fasts—I stop fasting for a while in order to “recover.” But as the lesson says, we quickly become “comfortable” and do not fast as often as we would like. Therefore, after reading this lesson again, I believe it would be more beneficial for me to return to fasting one day each week in order to remain consistent in the Increase of the Spirit.

I testify that I have been greatly blessed through fasting. I remember when I returned to my First Love (before I got married). I was bound by sexual immorality, practicing fornication with my boyfriend (who is now my husband), and it was very difficult for me to break free from that sin. I wanted to change. I wanted to take that step of obedience, but fear simply kept me “paralyzed.”

My Beloved arranged a gathering with my boyfriend’s coworkers, and among them was a woman who spoke about the Lord in such a special way. I could see the love and joy on her face because of the love she had found in Him. That day, I felt something deep within my heart move in an indescribable way. It was a moment when my spiritual eyes were opened, and I received the gift of genuine repentance and a firm desire to return to Him. With all my heart, I longed to have the kind of relationship with Him that she had.

That was when I went on the first fast of my life, with a sincere desire to return to Him. I began with a three-day fast. It was a group fast during a spiritual retreat organized by my church, perfectly aligned with what He was doing in my heart—He undoubtedly planned it! Yes, those days were physically uncomfortable. I felt very weak and would even say almost sick. But I wanted so badly to return to Him and be free that the physical discomfort hardly mattered.

Those were the most beautiful three days because He set me free from those chains and gave me both the desire and the power to do His will. Through His power and grace, I was able to stop fornication and all forms of sexual immorality after that fast.

Throughout my restoration journey, I practiced fasting much more regularly. I also remember fasting and asking Him to remove my bad temper and contentious spirit, and it was incredibly liberating. Since then, people no longer describe me as the “hot-tempered” person they once knew. During my fasts, I simply used the time to study the topics or strongholds He showed me needed to be broken.

For example, my first three-day fast focused on sexual purity and restoring my relationship with the Lord. The pastors’ teachings during that retreat were centered on those very topics. Later, when I fasted concerning my contentious spirit, I studied the Bible as my primary resource on that subject and prayed over what I discovered in my own heart and over the changes I desired. Yet it was He who made those changes.

This proved to me that no matter how hard I had tried before in my own strength, I could not succeed. But when I surrendered the matter into His hands through prayer and fasting—humbling myself before Him—He changed me.

So, dear Brides, I want to encourage you to use these powerful spiritual weapons for our growth and transformation from the old Vashti into the new Esther. Let us not give up on the process. Instead, let us surrender our hearts and release our heavy burdens of sin into His hands. Let us allow Him to change us through prayer and fasting, humbling ourselves by acknowledging our weaknesses, speaking honestly about them, and allowing Him to be strong in those very areas.

We are not alone. We are not lost. We simply need to surrender to Him.

Footnotes:

¹ Zechariah 4:6