Loving God With All Our Strength
I. LOVING GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART REQUIRES LOVING HIM WITH OUR STRENGTH
A. God created us to love Him in four spheres of our life which includes our heart (affections), soul (personality), mind
(thoughts) and strength (resources) because He loves us this way.
30 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
(Mk. 12:30)
B. This session will define some of what it means to love God with our strength or resources (food, time,
money, words, energy and influence). We love Him with all our strength as we pursue Him in fasting. Fasting
involves investing our natural strength in our pursuit of loving Jesus more.
C. In Mt. 6:1-23, Jesus described five aspects of the fasted lifestyle related to our natural strengths. We secretly
serve and give (charitable deeds: giving service and/or money (6:1-4, 19-21), pray (6:5-13), bless adversaries (forgiving,
6:14-15; 5:44) and fast (6:16-18).
D. Fasting both expresses our love and positions us to receive the Spirit’s power to love Him more. Our capacity to
love Jesus is enhanced by engaging with the Spirit through the fasted lifestyle. An aspect of fasting is not to gain
influence with men but to receive power to fully love God.
E. The anointing to love God is our greatest possession. The greatest reward of love is found in possessing the power
to love. It is the supernatural ability to feel love for Jesus. The “joy of lovesickness” with loyal obedience frees us from the
burn out of spiritual boredom.
5 The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit… (Rom 5:5)
F. The grace of fasting is God’s gift to us and is one practical way to posture our heart to experience God’s power
to love Jesus. Fasting is not an optional part of NT Christianity.
G. God gives more to us according to our hunger for Him. Fasting helps our hunger grow faster.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Mt. 5:6)
H. If we don’t have something to die for, we don’t have anything to live for. To have something to die for means there
is a cause worth investing all our strength or resource in.
I. Jesus loves His Father with all His strength as expressed in 1 Cor. 15:28.
24 Then comes the end (of the Millennium), when He (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father…28 When all things
are made subject to Him (Jesus), then the Son will also be subject to Him (Father) who put all things under Him, that God
may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15:24-28)
J. The 24 elders imitate Jesus’ love for God by casting their rewards before the Father.
10 The 24 elders fall down…and cast their crowns before the Throne… (Rev. 4:10)
II. POSITIONING OUR HEART TO RECEIVE GRACE: VOLUNTARY WEAKNESS
A. Fasting is a call to embrace voluntarily weakness in order to experience more of God’s presence. Mt. 6:1-23 points
to five expressions of “voluntary weakness” in which we invest our natural strengths (food, time, money, words, energy
and influence) in our relationship with Jesus.
7 A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure…8 I pleaded
with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect
in weakness (voluntary weakness). Therefore…I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
(2 Cor. 12:7-9)
B. We embrace weakness in our natural resources to position ourselves to receive strength from the Spirit. God
made something so simple—such praying and not eating—so powerful. Paul was not referring to moral weakness due
to failure but voluntarily weakness due to godly choices.
C. The normal use of our strength is to increase our own comfort, wealth and honor. By the fasted lifestyle we bring
our natural strengths to God as we express our love to Him and trust Him to “return” our strength back to us in a way that
transforms our heart and blesses our circumstances.
D. Paul received a divine revelation that embracing voluntarily weakness was the doorway into God’s power. Many
desire to walk in “perfected power” yet refuse the pathway of weakness.
27 God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the
world to put to shame the things which are mighty…29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Cor. 1:27-29)
E. A lifestyle of voluntarily weakness includes prayer, fasting, living simply (because of giving our money to the
Kingdom) as well as joyfully embracing persecution and reproach for Jesus’ sake. The Kingdom paradox is that He
releases spiritual power in the context of natural weakness.
III. FIVE EXPRESSIONS OF THE FASTED LIFESTYLE (MT. 6:1-23)
A. Jesus taught on five specific ways to embrace voluntary weakness. He embraced these in His life as did the
greatest men of God in history such as Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and Paul.
B. The five expressions of the fasted lifestyle include giving, serving, praying (with the Word), blessing our enemies
and fasting food. Each is a form of fasting in that we are to embrace weakness, declaring to God that we derive our
strength from Him and freely give it back to Him.
C. In giving, we fast our money or financial strength. In serving and prayer, we fast our time and energy by investing
it in seeking God and helping others. In giving up food we fast our physical and emotional strength. And in blessing our
enemies, we fast our words and reputation. We do all this as an expression of love for Jesus and in our quest to position
ourselves to receive more power to love Him. The fasted lifestyle is a long-term commitment to these five expressions.
IV. GIVING MONEY: OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH
3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…4 and your Father
who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. (Mt. 6:3-4)
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...21 For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also…24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Mt. 6:19-24)
A. Charitable deeds refer to acts of servanthood and giving money as two expressions of fasting.
B. Our money is a significant part of our financial and social strength. When we give money away to build God’s
Kingdom, our resource base becomes weaker by fasting in our financial strength. This expresses love for Jesus and
others as we trust God to multiply the money we give away. Jesus urges us all to use money now to lay up for ourselves
treasures in heaven (6:19–20). In the process, our hearts grow in love for Jesus. It is impossible to love God and money
(6:21–22).
C. The widow who gave her last two mites showed much more love for God than those who gave much more money
but at less sacrifice (Lk. 21:1-4). Giving money requires emotional dynamics that force us to wrestle with covetousness
and fear of lack in demonstrating our love for Jesus.
2 He saw a poor widow putting in two mites. 3 He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;
4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood
that she had." (Lk. 21:2-4)
D. David set his heart to live radically by loving God with his money.
24 I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord…with that which costs me nothing.
So David bought the threshing floor… (2 Sam. 24:24)
E. David gave over $100 billion (according to today’s prices) to God’s house from his personal finances. One talent
equals about 75 lbs (1200 ounces). At $800 an ounce, a talent of gold would be worth about $1,000,000. Thus, 100,000
talents of gold would be worth about $100 billion.
3 I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given… over and above all that I have prepared for the holy
house, my own special treasure of gold… (1 Chr. 29:3)
14 I have taken much trouble to prepare for the House of the LORD 100,000 talents of gold (approx. $100 billion) and
1,000,000 talents of silver ($15 billion)… (1 Chr. 22:14)
F. We give money or our financial strength to express love to Jesus. Love is not minimized because we believe that
God promises to give us more money.
7 Return to Me, and I will return to you…You said, “In what way shall we return?” 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you robbed
Me! You say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings…10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…
and try Me now in this…if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing… (Mal. 3:7-10)
G. When Israel held back their money they expressed their lack of love for the Father.
6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master,
where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, 'In what way have
we despised Your name?' 7 "You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?' By saying,
'The table of the LORD is contemptible.' 8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer
the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you
favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts. 9 "But now entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us…10 "Who is there
even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in
you…nor will I accept an offering from your hands.” (Mal. 1:6-10)
H. The Lord told Moses to ask people to give money for a worship sanctuary (Ex. 24:17-25:8).
V. SERVING PEOPLE: OUR STRENGTH IN TIME AND ENERGY
A. Serving others is another aspect involved in charitable deeds. In serving, we invest our time and energy in God’s
purpose in others that could have been used to further our own interests.
B. We show love to Jesus by serving the saints and in serving others we come face to face with the Servant of all.
He wants us to encounter Him and this is where that encounter takes place.
10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have
ministered to the saints… (Heb. 6:10)
VI. PRAYING: OUR STRENGTH IN TIME AND EMOTIONS
6 Pray to your Father…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Mt. 6:6)
A. Prayer and reading the Word is a form of weakness that fasts time and emotions (Mt. 6:5-13). When we invest
time in prayer, we pass up opportunities to network, socialize or be entertained. In prayer, we fast our emotional energy,
as we pour ourselves out interceding for God’s blessing on others. In fasting time, we must entrust ourselves to the Lord
for our promotion.
B. Instead of using all of our time to seek our comfort and/or success, we pray to an invisible God who delays His
response to us as we seek the our love Him and release blessing on others. We position our cold heart before the bonfire
of God’s grace to receive the Spirit’s empowering.
C. The exhortation Jesus gave most to help the Church prepare for the End-Times is to “watch” or develop a heart
connection with the Spirit in prayer (Mt. 24:36, 42-44, 50; 25:13; Mk. 13:33-38; Lk 21:36; Rev. 3:3; 16:15). If we have
grace for prayer, we will have courage and direction.
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (Mt. 24:42)
13 Watch…for you know neither the day nor hour…the Son of Man is coming. (Mt. 25:13)
VII. FORGIVENESS AND BLESSING OUR ENEMIES: OUR WORDS AND REPUTATION
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Mt. 6:14)
44 Love your enemies, bless those who curse you… (Mt. 5:44)
A. Forgiving and then blessing our enemies expresses fasting related to words and relationships. In this, we fast
our words and reputation by refusing to come to our own defense. A good reputation is a significant part of our life
strength and resource used to influence others.
B. Instead of making full use of our words to defend and promote ourselves, the Lord calls us to restrain our speech.
To actively bless our enemies means refraining from words to always expose our enemy as we defend our position and
gain the sympathy and support of others.
C. An “enemy” in the most general sense is one who blocks our goals. Enemies are those who hinder our plans and
cause us to lose honor, time, money and relationships. This loss is painful.
D. In this we show love to Jesus by obeying Him and gaining our identity and comfort from God. When we bless our
enemies, we “fast” some of the social strength we gain from fighting back. We fast from defending our reputation, and
trust the Lord to fight for us when we are silent. In silence, we commit ourselves to God to answer for us. This is the most
difficult form of fasting.
23 When He (Jesus) was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself
to Him (the Father) who judges righteously… (1 Pet. 2:23)
VIII. FASTING FOOD: OUR STRENGTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY
17 When you fast…18 do not appear to men to be fasting…your Father…will reward you. (Mt. 6:17-18)
27 In weariness and toil…in hunger and thirst, in fastings often… (2 Cor. 11:27)
A. Abstaining from food is more about physical and mental weakness than hunger. When we give our physical strength
to God we miss opportunities to build our personal success. Our thinking is blurry, our body is weak, our communication
is feeble and our memory is foggy (Ps. 109:24).
B. Overindulging in legitimate physical appetites quenches the Spirit’s life in us. Lawful, God-given pleasures will
dull our spirits if they are allowed to reach a point of excess. It is wrong to let any pleasure become more important to
us than God.
C. Some are hindered by the fear of fasting. The fear of fasting is worse than the fasting itself.
D. This requires that we deny ourselves of various legitimate pleasures that are not sinful in themselves, but neither
do they enhance our life in the Spirit. Most over-indulge in natural, permissible pleasures of recreation, abundant food,
comfort and money.
IX. THE INTERNAL REWARDS OF FASTING: THE ANOINTING TO LOVE JESUS MORE
A. The Father rewards fasting in different ways that include internal as our hearts encounter Him, external as our
circumstances are blessed, and eternal as fasting impacts our eternal rewards.
B. Fasting tenderizes and sensitizes our hearts over time to receive grace to love Jesus more. We love Him with
new focus, consistency and intensity with a new zealous for righteousness. John the Baptist was the greatest man ever
born (Mt. 11:11). His greatness was not because of miracles in his ministry (Jn. 10:41) but his obedience and intimacy
cultivated in a fasted lifestyle.
C. As we engage in a fasted lifestyle, our problems do not all just disappear. Rather, they come into divine perspective
as we begin to be preoccupied with loving Jesus more than our problems. As the Spirit shows us the big picture of God
and eternity, we become increasingly freed from being preoccupied with our circumstances.
D. Fasting with prayer positions us to receive deliverance from various sinful addictions. God has given this grace
to us for the pulling down of demonic strongholds in our mind (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
E. Common sins that beset people include bondage to pornography, immorality, anger, alcohol, drugs, and different
eating disorders (either eating too much or too little). Isaiah exhorts us to fast to “loose the bands of wickedness”
(Isa. 58:6), that we might be freed from the sinful behavior we are addicted to. Strongholds are demonically energized;
they are established on territory Satan has been given rights to hold, either through our sin or that of the generations
before us.
X. PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
A. Fasting is basic to the Christian life—it is Christianity 101. Some see fasting as radical and therefore as optional.
There is no such thing as NT Christianity without regular fasting.
B. I urge all to fast at least one day a week. Two days a week is better. In our finances, we should give beyond our
tithe and out of our surplus but give until we feel the cost of giving. We must serve others and bless our enemies.
C. Establish a personal Bible study plan. I suggest reading ten chapters of the NT six days a week (you will read through
the entire NT each month). Develop a personal prayer list to help you to focus in prayer. Pray for breakthrough for your
heart in receiving more grace to love Jesus (Eph. 3:16-19) and ask for direction for your life and for revelation of the
Word (Eph. 1:17-18).
D. Many believers diminish their life in God in the evenings and weekends then seek to recover spiritual ground
during the day. The evenings are the time when most spiritual losses take place and spiritual ground is given up. We
must not continually take one step forward and one step back. The territory that we gain in spiritual war can be lost
again through our own neglect or sin.