ISAIAH 58:6-14
Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
TO FREE US FROM BONDAGE OR UNHEALTHY HABITS, ATTACHMENTS, ENSLAVEMENTS, AND OPPRESSION
This is the very FIRST condition stated in God’s answer to us for rendering an acceptable day unto the LORD. We must FIRST be set free from ALL bondages. Things which hold us bound and keep us from receiving from God what He desires to give, including the answers we need.
Yokes and “Bondages”
We have to seek FIRST to BE loosed from things which keep us bound: “the bands of wickedness”. Some things we know are wicked that have us bound and we can’t get free from them. We have to want it and then if you ask, you shall receive. If you are bound by habits and you want to be free, SEEK God in fasting and prayer, He will set you free. This IS an acceptable fast unto the Lord and it already has his approval on it. The question doesn’t need to be asked if God wants us to be free from anything or anyone that keeps us tied up, bound and in chains. He already told us He Does! Sometimes, we need to give God a day to be set free. You see, Jesus said, “…this kind cometh out but by fasting and prayer”. (St. Matthew 17:19-21) Some things ain’t gonna come out unless you add fasting to your prayer. They’re stuck hard to your soul. You can’t shake them by prayer alone. God spoke something to me one time while I was in fasting and prayer, he simply said: “Soul Ties”. I didn’t wonder what He meant when He spoke that to me. I knew immediately what He meant. He meant there are things that are “Tied” and “Embedded” to our souls. We can’t shake them! Some of these things have been there for a long time. Jesus also taught in Matthew 3:27, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house”. When we come to Christ, He receives us “just as we are”. He doesn’t say, “Go back and get cleaned up first and come back”. He knows we are not strong enough to deliver ourselves. However, HE IS. He loves us so much that He’ll accept us dirt and all! But he’s strong enough to clean us up! He knows he’s capable of “entering into the ’strong’ man’s house” and binding him and casting him out! In case you didn’t know, He knows you ain’t no angel yet. When He marries us (the Church) He knows just who we are and He loves us anyway. He’s not in it just when we’re good. He’s in it through sickness and health, richer or poorer, through storm and through rain, through all our bad habits, through hurt and through pain. He gave himself in order that he might clean us up and present us to the Father faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy. (Jude 1:24)
We need to solicit the help of the Holy Spirit to come in and Bind the strong man. “Greater is he that is IN you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4) . Are we still talking about “Christians” here? Yes. We are still talking about things “Christians”, which are believers, can be bound by. You ain’t delivered overnight from all things. You are covered by the Blood upon a repented heart but your deliverance from bondages and your walk with God depends on your desire to be free.
In order for us to be set free from these things, we have to first want to be free from them, and secondly, we have to ask to be free from them, specifically! You, see as we continually refer back to the book of James 4:2, “ye have not because ye ask not.” We have to show God we mean business about being set free from the thing(s) we are bound by. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (St. John 8:36)
Remember this. If we don’t get free from all bondages, these things can and are determined to take you down with them. You have to be even MORE determined not to let them and remember, “our help comes from the Lord”. (Psalm 121)
The “Heavy Burdens”
Then, there are these “heavy burdens” which we carry from Day to Day! We just CARRY them around! We act like there is no deliverance from “these Burdens” that “I” carry! We err because we do not know the scriptures nor the Power of God! (St. Matthew 12:24.) According to this passage of scripture, we don’t have to carry around burdens at all! We can cast ALL our cares upon him, because (obviously) He cares for us! (1 Peter 5:7) He cared enough to put it in a book and make it a condition for deliverance for us to be free of all Burdens which we carry. So, we see here He doesn’t want us to carry around anything that isn’t light. “Take MY yoke upon you and learn of ME for MY yoke is EASY and MY burdens are LIGHT”! (Matthew 11:28-30) Burdens are NOT the WILL OF GOD.
The Oppressions We Experience
I’m sure many of you will agree with me that this is really good news because we are “oppressed” each and every day by something or someone. We think, also, that we must bear these types of "things". Well, the scripture referenced in this passage “begs to differ”. It clearly states that we can be free from our oppressors. Whether they be things that oppress us (for example not enough finances, can’t pay our bills, circumstances in our lives, situations in our families, etc.) or people that oppress us. God’s Word promises to set up free from these oppressions if we seek Him diligently in fasting and prayer to BE set free. (Hebrew 11:6). His Word PROMISES to set us Free!
Yes, it is apparent that God wants us free from all bondages first before we can even begin to fast successfully for doing the “Work” of the LORD. We can’t do the Work of the Lord BOUND!
Next, we deal with fasting for doing the “work of the Lord”. In other words, “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”. Now, that we are free, we are ready!
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;
That the foreskin over our hearts will be removed and that we will begin to FEEL empathy and operate in compassion for others situations AND BE MOVED by the Holy Spirit to do something. Now, that our heads are clear, we can begin to feel the move of the Holy Spirit moving us into the work and to care about what others are going through.
Isa 58:7 … and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
That we will no longer be in denial concerning the faults and flaws that are in our flesh or run away from our sins and our wicked ways that are not going over with God ( Romans 7:18 says there is “no good thing” in the flesh), but rather that we would confess our sins and receive forgiveness for our sins that we might be changed or “transformed” into the image of Christ.
Isa 58:8 THEN shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health SHALL SPRING FORTH speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
After we have met the conditions of the fast, the promises will begin to be fulfilled:
Our light, the light that is within us, will break forth. In other words, people will see the Christ in us and it will be a beautiful new and bright light. Something to be desired.
Our health will come forth, the Bible says "speedily". Our bodies, emotions and minds will be healed.
We will begin to be known for the righteousness which we stand for and our reputations shall precede us.
The Glory of the Lord shall back us up. We will begin to operate in power and demonstration.
Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
When we call on the Lord, He will give us an answer, speedily– if we get set free from the yokes that have us bound to people and things—we need to break soul-ties, if we stop blaming someone else for our misfortunes and bad decisions, if we discontinue boasting and bragging about who we think we are, our achievements, and what we have.
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
If we reach out from our innermost to those who are impoverished, hungry, and destitute
If we feed God’s lamb and sheep with the Word of God and provide comfort to their afflicted souls. If we also provide those things which are needful for the body.
Then we will be able to see our own way with sharpness and clarity and the darkness in our lives shall disappear.
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
The Lord will show us our way to go and continually give us direction
When we run out of steam, when our souls seem to be in a desert land, He will satisfy our thirsty soul.
We will be like a well watered and perfumed garden.- We will be like a refreshing spring
- Our waters (which will come from the Wisdom of the Word of God) will not fail us or them. In other words we’ll be so anointed, people will love to be around us. Our words will refresh, give them joy, encourage them and help them see their way.
Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
People will be encouraged and motivated to work on things they had long forsaken
Whereas the foundations of relationships within families for many generations had fallen through, weill even be able to restore those broken relationships.
Then we will be called the REPAIRER of that which has been broken and RESTORER of paths to live in.
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