Every Christian has a spiritual bank account, but not every Christian is qualified to write checks. Dr. Tony Evans explains why you may not have access to your deposits. Only those who humble themselves before God will find their checks cashed at the bank vault in heaven. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. They say everyone has baggage in life. But the load you're carrying might be heavier than it needs to be. Today, Doctor Evans reveals how fasting can help lighten those burdens. Let's join him in Nehemiah chapter 1 as he explains.
We've defined fasting as Giving up a craving of the body because you have a greater need of the spirit. That is, there is something in your life that you need resolved that is so deep, that has locked into you so tightly. that you need a breakthrough on it. But today I want to talk about burdens. A burden is a load.
Something to be carried.
Something crushing you down. When you try to stay and up, it keeps you bent over. It is a situation or a circumstance that weighs you down. A burden can keep you in bed when you know you need to get up. A burden can keep you up when you know you need to go to sleep.
It can be though. Weight of any number of things, burdens. Show up in so many different ways.
Some of us have financial burdens. Every month it's the same old story.
Some are emotionally burdened. You're discouraged, depressed.
Some are physically burdened. You're just tired of not feeling well or Others are spiritually burdened. Uh In Nehemiah 1. We see his burden. His brother Head of the night.
According to verse 2, with some men. Had asked concerning the Jews who had escaped. And survived the captivity. And about Jerusalem, he wanted to know how the folks were faring back home. And they said to me, The remnant there, the captivity, are in great distress.
And reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem that broken down, and the gates are burned with fire. In other words, no progress. In fact, if anything, things are worse. We have freedom. And now we're back in our own self-imposed slavery.
It may not mean much to you to say the walls are broken down. The community is in reproach. But if you understood what those words meant, you understand the burden. The walls meant security. For the walls to be up meant things were secure.
The city was intact. He understood that there was no progress, no stability. And when you read the book of Nehemiah, you see all the problems that were associated with walls that were down, gates that were burned, families were divided, there was inequity of finance, there was a graft in government. There was oppression of the poor. There was family chaos.
All of that is in the book of Nehemiah because the walls were broken down. He can have his way with you. You can come here today. Hear this great music. I'm available to you.
Hear a great sermon. Feel like the walls are up. And walk out that door. And he sets them aflame again. where the gates are burned with fire.
And you don't know how to shut out. The discouragement. how to shut out the depression, how to shut out the pain. All you can say is, oh, pain, go away. Because you're burdened.
Verse 4 says, Now it came about. When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. And I mourned for many days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. If you're like me, prayer often gets pushed aside. It gets pushed aside by emergencies.
It gets pushed aside by scheduling. It gets pushed aside because I don't feel like praying in a given moment. It can get pushed aside by a television program that I'd rather see. It can get pushed aside because I'm tired today. Prayer easily gets pushed aside.
But when you fast. You push aside you for prayer. There's the great reversal. Prayer can easily be pushed aside by me. But when stuff get deep enough.
You push something aside that means a lot to you. Generally, it's food, but it can be any physical gratification that you push aside because you are desperate. You know why some of us don't fast? We just haven't got desperate enough.
So The concept of a burden is a weight. That weighs heavy on the life. that you are unable to shake. That produces sadness and mourning and discouragement. That drives you.
To give up a craving of the body food because you have a greater need of the soul. Prayer. And he prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah lays out. The prayerful burden.
And I said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven. The great and awesome God. who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commandments. Let thine ear be attentive and thy eyes be open to hear the prayer of thy servant, which is praying before thee day and night. His specific request is at the end, most of his time is getting there.
This is not a give me this, give me that. Bless me today, prayer. This is not a quick on the run, don't have time for you prayer. This is a press. That replaces a meal.
This is a prayer where he says, watch the wording. Oh Lord God of heaven. Oh, I like the way he starts that. I'm burdened on earth. My problems are down here.
I'm going to talk to somebody. From heaven. He sits above my mess. But not only is he the Lord God of heaven, he is the great and awesome God. Don't read this too fast.
Let me take my time as I go through this. You got to catch this. He just heard his world was shattered. He just heard calamity had set in in his native land. But he understood that is never the whole story.
Lord God up there. Who I'm talking to from a mess down here. Oh great. An awesome God. He begins his prayer.
By juxtapositioning. The size of his God to the size of his problem. He starts by measuring How big his God is in heaven, great and awesome, to how big the problem is. The walls are down and the gates are burned. I wish I could tell you that to know God meant you would not get sick.
That to know God meant that you would not have bad days, that to know God meant that children would not go left, that to know God meant there would be no marriage difficulties. But if I told you that, church. Then you would know I would be a liar. Because the greatest of saints have bad days. And bad circumstances, in bad situations.
So I can't tell you that to know God means that there is not something you're gonna have to pull. Nor can I tell you that to know God means that there are not hills that you have to climb. There are steep inclines. There are things in your life that's going to be tough to get over. Oh, but I can tell you one thing in that lie.
God's got enough horsepower. He's got enough horsepower. To pull that load over any hill you have to face. He may not get rid of the load. He may not dismiss the hill, but there's enough horses underneath his hood.
To carry you over any mountain. And he fasted and prayed to deal with this issue in his life, this burden. To the great and awesome God. Yeah, I have problem with people in my life, but I remember you took some clay. Put it together, breathed into it, and made a person.
Oh, I got problems with people. Let me talk to the people maker. Yes, I have problems. with this situation but let me talk to the waymaker Because you are the creator God, because you are the delivering God. And that's one of the reasons you read your Bible.
You read your Bible to remind you of what God can do. Because guess what? He has done it before. You're not the first person to show up with this burden. But it's not just God's power we can depend on when we're burdened.
There's something else we can count on. and doctor Evans will tell us what it is when he returns in just a moment. First, though, if Tony's messages on the subject of fasting are hitting home, you need to know they're only a small part of his two volume collection on the subject. The set is simply called fasting. There's a lot packed into this series, and all fourteen messages are our gift to you when you make a contribution to help support our work here at The Alternative.
And for a limited time, along with the audio messages, we'll also send you a special bonus, our Hope for the Herding leader kit. In it, Dr. Evans provides practical, spiritual insights for navigating life's trials, even during times of deep hurt. The kit includes the Hope for the Hurting book, study guide, printed content for six sessions, special access to teaching videos, and more. Whether you use it for a small group study or simply for your own personal growth, this is a valuable resource to help in times of hurt and pain.
This unique double offer will only be available for a short time.
So be sure to contact us right away at tonyevans.org to make your contribution and request. or you can call 1-800-800-3222 where members of our team are ready to help with your resource request. I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson and this. Faith isn't something we set and forget. It's good to be reminded of who we live for.
The Unbound podcast with Dr. Tony Evans digs deep into questions of faith and purpose with guests like Gary Thomas. The reality is, it's foolish to live for any other name than Jesus' because it's not for us to be remembered. Our goal should be to make people remember the name of Jesus. Faith, clarity, conversation.
Listen now to the Unbound Podcast. You'll find the new Unbound podcast with Tony Evans on his YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast platform. Right now, let's get back to today's message. I want you to notice something else that Nehemiah does. He talks to God before he talks to the professionals.
He didn't first go to the government. And say, let's have a... Rebuilding walls. Convention. He didn't first go to the professionals.
He didn't go to the fire department and say, hey, let's. Let's deal with burning gates. Because he understood this was deeper. He understood that for this problem to last this long meant it was deeper. This wasn't just something that you go and write a letter to your congressman about.
This is deeper. And because it was deeper. He consults God first. In fact. He says he mourned for many days.
He not only reminded himself of God's power, he also reminded himself of God's faithfulness. He says in verse 5, your loving kindness to those who love him. Your Hessen, your faithful, loyal love. In other words, Even in my burden, you're committed to me. Don't only remind yourself of God's power if you're burdened here today.
Remind yourself of His power. Faithfulness. Great is. That faithfulness. God is not only omnipotent, he is faithful.
And you pray them for who he is. Because who he is is what you need him to be. in the burden that you're carrying. He also understands to deal with this, he's got to deal with sin. You've got to confess sin, verse 6.
Confessing the sins of the sons of Israel, which we Have sinned against thee. It's not just y'all. It's not just them. is us. Only when we are positioned right under God can we expect to hear from God.
Every Christian has a spiritual bank account, but not every Christian is qualified to write checks. Only those who humble themselves before God will find their checks cashed. at the bank vault in heaven. And so he goes to God. Notice what he says in verse eight.
Watch this now. Remember what you said. When you talk to Moses many years ago, because if you don't remember, I remember. He said, Lord. What we're going through now, you told us.
If we didn't act right, this would be the result. But that's not all you said. You said if we came back to you, humbled ourselves before you, kept your commandment, you would reverse. The situation. One of the best ways to fast and pray is with the Bible open and letting God see what he says.
Not because he doesn't know what he says, but it says, I am holding you responsible to be faithful to your word. If you're trying to get over a sin, you open your Bible to Psalm 51 and you pray God's word back to him where David says that you promised God that if I would come to you, you would forgive me and I confess my sin and I need to be removed from the burden of my sin. If you're in a financial need, you open up to Philippians 4, 19, but my God is able to supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. I have a need, God. Here's what your word says, God.
Let's you and me read it together, God, for you said you would supply all my needs according to your riches in Christ Jesus.
So since you said it, since you can't lie, God, I'm going to trust you to relieve my financial burdens because you're God. I'm going to pray God's word back to him. If I'm worried, I read from Philippians chapter 4, be anxious for nothing. You told me not to worry. You said there's no need in both of us worrying.
So you said, be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication, let the request be made known unto God, and the God will guard my mind and heart in Christ Jesus. Do you remember what you said? He prays back to God, God's own word. He holds God accountable to what God said. That leads to his petition.
Remember, he only gives one verse to his petition. He says This is what I'm requesting, God. I am requesting that when I go into the king today. That you will make me successful and that he will allow me to go back home and fix the problem of broken walls and burned down gates. I'm praying today, Lord, that you will grant me success.
In what I am planning to do to see this burden removed. Grant me success. And isn't that your prayer if you're burdened today? Make a way, Lord. Show me how to do it, Lord.
Give me a supernatural intervention by you, Lord. Come through, Lord. That leads to a third thing. The solution to your burden. How God comes through.
He prayed specifically, I want to hear today. But God is always going to be God. He said in verse 11, God, open up the way today. But the wave was not open that day. But when it was open, it was clear it was open.
Cause the king brought it up. And the king said, what's the problem, Nehemiah? Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place, my father's tomb, lies desolate and its gates are consumed with fire? Then the king said, Watch this. What?
Would you request? Ask me. See? When God comes and lifts it. There's no question God came and lifted him.
Because God lets the king offer to provide the solution. He said Give me success when I go to this man today. That wasn't the right day.
Now, why wasn't it the right day? Why the four and a half month wait? The reason why God didn't answer his prayer in Chislev, but waited till Nisin, is he waited till a time when even the king could appreciate the answer to prayer. It had to solve more than one problem. God may not have come through you on your job yet.
Because in order for him to fix your burden, he got two or three other saints he got to do something for at the same time.
So he's holding off on you till he gets straight over there so that when he brings the whole package together, everybody's happy. The reason why he may not have shown you your mate yet is that your mate may not be saved yet.
So he's got to get the evangelist to him to win him to Christ so that by the time you meet him, we got two Christians and not a non-Christian and a Christian coming together. God is always looking at the big picture. A lady came to the G. Campbell Morgan and said, Reverend Morgan. I only take little things to God.
He looked at her and said, woman, anything you take to God is little. And I don't know what your burden is today. And I don't know how much has got your heart. But no matter what it is, when you take it to God, it's little. Because he's the great and awesome God.
Look at what God did for him in conclusion. And this is how you know it's God. because he does exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think. He says, let me go home. Verse 6, the king says, how long will you be gone?
Give me a definite time. And I gave him a definite time.
Now you say well what's the key to that?
Well in chapter 5 verse 14 It doesn't tell us the time here, but in Nehemiah 5.14, it tells us the time. 12 years. Suppose your boss gave you a 12-year paid leave of absence. That's God. I'm going for 12 years.
Will you let me go for 12 years? Your boss got to be ready for that. God has to construct that. Not only that. But I said to the king, if it please the king, let letters be given from the governor of the province beyond the river that they may allow me to pass through.
I need safety. And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the forest, to give me timber. The boy went for it.
So I want 12 years? I want government protection. And I want government funding. Ha! And guess what?
The king gave him 12 years, government protection, and government funding. It was all orchestrated by God. Give up a meal or two, give up gratification, throw yourself before God and say, God, I am burdened. Oh, great and awesome God, I'm burdened. And remember what you said.
When astronauts go into outer space, They get real light. Because they remove themselves. from the pull of gravity right a 250 pound man in outer space weighs 10 pounds Suppose you had a heavy weight on you, and you went to outer space. The weight would no longer be weighty. Not because it still wasn't attached to you, but because you are now in a new environment.
When you fast and pray. You change environments. You enter into heavenly places and the air is light up there. When you go to heavenly places, it gets light. You may still have the problem.
You may still have the burden. It just doesn't weigh the same. Because you're in a different location. Jesus says, come unto me. All ye that labor and are heavy laden, And I will give you rest.
Dr. Tony Evans, asking you to trust the power and faithfulness of the Lord.
Now, if you'd like to get the complete full-length version of today's message, check with us for details on the title Fasting for Burdens. Better yet, get it as a part of Tony's powerful sermon series simply titled Fasting. As I mentioned earlier, it's available right now as our gift in appreciation for your donation to this ministry. And we're including a special bonus, the Hope for the Herding leader kit. This entire bundle is yours with our thanks when you make a donation to help us keep sharing the good news on this station and others like it.
Contact us today at tonyevans.org to get the details and make the arrangements. or call one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two any time of the day or night. and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222-1. or online at tonyevans.org.
Praying for God's protection is one thing. but living with the confidence that you already have it is quite another. Tomorrow, we'll hear the inspiring story of a woman who had the courage to risk her life for her people. and discover how she found the strength to do it. I hope you'll make plans to join us.
