Title

You can connect with Apostle Philip Cephas on his oicial

online platforms, most especially his telegram channel for
more edifying messages and other upliting contents.

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Connect with Philip Cephas ii

 You can also connect with Apostle Philip Cephas on his
ministry online platforms; SHEKINAH, for more edifying
messages and other uplitng contents.

Telegram:
https://t.me/Shekinahlaia

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iii
EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
1st Edition,
© Copyright 2021 by PHILIP CEPHAS

All rights reserved. his book is protected under the copyright

laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
Please note that River of Words’ publishing style capitalizes certain
pronouns and deinite articles in Scripture that refer to he Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit to portrait the personality of he Godhead, and may
difer from some publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and
related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him,
even to the point of violating grammatical rules.

Cover Design © 2021 by Solomon Apagu Fidelis. All rights reserved.

Designed & Formatted by Solomon Apagu Fidelis
Light & Menorah
+2348152638323

Editor
Lucy Okonkwo

ISBN:

Published by

[email protected]
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iv
Copyright
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the Lord Jesus Himself! Jesus, I really do want
to pour out my life on You! You are the lover of My soul— how I long for
your courts and to enter into Your presence. I am a ruined man before
you met me and irst loved me! hank you, Jesus!

v
Dedication
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Over the years, I have had the high privilege of being impacted by
some of the greatest teachers and generals of prayer. heir deposits into
my life have been rich and irreplaceable. I thank he Lord for all those
sacriicial servants who have helped to hold up my arms as we continue
with endurance to run the race that is set before us.
I also want to thank the pioneers who have gone before us in
mastering the “Pathway to the Anointing,” where would we be without
them? Books and sermons have been my mentors—so, thanks to all
those who laid the foundation that we get to build upon.
Lastly, I want to thank my dear family and friends. I am truly grateful
to he Lord for such a family and friends who love he Lord, and desire
to see His kingdom come on the earth.
Blessings to you all!
Philip Cephas

vi
Acknowledgemnet
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title .......................................................................................................... i
Connect with Philip Cephas ................................................................. ii
Copyright ................................................................................................ iv
Dedication ............................................................................................... v
Acknowledgemnet ................................................................................. vi
Table of Contents ................................................................................... vii
Earnest Desire to Fast ............................................................................ 1
he Mystery of Fasting ................................................................. 3
he Mystery of Communion ....................................................... 8
About the Author ................................................................................... 19
Correspondance ..................................................................................... 20
Other Books by the Same Author ........................................................ 21
River of Words Feedback ...................................................................... 22

vii
able of Contents
 EARNEST
DESIRE
TO
FAST
1
Earnest Desire to Fast
 2

EARNEST DESIRE
TO FAST
W
hen the word “fasting” is mentioned, many people get scared
and I wonder, what they are afraid of. Fasting is a normal
spiritual exercise that results in more consecration for proper
alignment in other to hear and perceive God in the right perspective.
his spiritual practice cannot be overlooked in the body of Christ.
Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?
Wherefore have we alicted our soul, and thou takest
no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye ind
pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for
strife and debate, and to smite with the ist of wickedness:
ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be
heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day
for a man to alict his soul? is it to bow down his head
as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under
him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to
the LORD? 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?
Isaiah 58:3-6
Proper fasting has never killed and cannot kill anyone, for fasting
is an old custom of the Jewish people in the Old Testament. It was even
mandatory in some seasons for consecration of oneself to be purged
and puriied by God. Prophet, kings, priest and even the laity in the
society at large were saddled with the responsibility of keeping the fast
of he LORD in those seasons. Fasting must be done with prayers and
 Philip Cephas 3
making of supplication unto God as a petition. We have seen through
the scriptures that when a believer or an individual fast, terrible and
impossible situations become possible because God releases His strength
to cause a change for the people. Fasting is done in diferent manners.
It can be undertaken by an individual, group, family, nation and even
cooperate bodies. Most times, days are given for the waiting period of the
fast according to the revelation and instruction given by God. In the Old
Testament, sack cloths and ashes are put upon to symbolize the degree of
grievousness, pain and the desperation to see God come intervene. he
Jews believe solemnly that when they fast, they attract God’s attention
to come rescue them in times of pain and distress especially in times of
danger and threats from their enemies. It is possible for an individual to
get God’s attention by alicting his soul so that God can look upon him
and pour out Himself to release grace and mercy on his behalf. We saw
Hannah, the mother of Samuel how she alicts herself praying until God
saw her through her challenge of barrenness.
And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the
house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore, she
wept, and did not eat. hen said Elkanah her husband
to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? And why eatest thou
not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee
than ten sons? So Hannah rose up ater they had eaten
in Shiloh, and ater they had drunk. Now Eli the priest
sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And
she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD,
and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD
of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the aliction of thine
handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine
handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man
child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days
of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
1 Samuel 1:7-11

he Mystery of Fasting
Have you ever wondered how people fast for days without eating
and drinking and still remain alive? Some also wonder how long one
can fast in his own capacity. here is no limit to fasting, you can fast
 4 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
as long as the grace and strength is released upon you by God. Long
Fasting requires the supply of the grace of God to be sustained. Fasting
that is embarked upon for long days and months whether dry or wet are
strictly undertaken by revelation from he Holy Spirit. he Holy Spirit
releases strength and grace upon the individual to tarry and wait on
Him for that long. Fasting is a spiritual thing and it is very important not
to be done in the lesh resulting to starvation and a hunger strike. If we
must gain the beneit and result that is expected of fasting then, it must
be done as a spiritual exercise with a revelation. Also, fasting brings
the anointing upon the life of an individual and can draw him closer
to God. his is because anytime you consecrate yourself unto God, you
are comforted and refreshed by the glory of God. he coming of God to
you as a visitation will result in the release of the anointing as a deposit
on you even when the fasting period is over. During fasting, God comes
to release His grace and strength upon mortals, so that we can be able
to endure the process and period of waiting. he resources of heaven
that is released upon us during fasting is supposed to see us through
the season and remain with us as an enablement from God to carry the
anointing released. Whenever you abstain from food, your focus is single
and your unending desires are minimized, you become more interested
in an encounter with God. Fasting also has a way of minimizing and
silencing our unbelief, making us to believe God the more. Fasting also
silences the lesh that speaks to us through our emotions, vile afection
and other means. When you fast, the lesh is tamed so that it can have
no control over you. he truth about fasting is that you are supposed
to avoid earthly food and lust but partake of divine meal and heaven’s
bread and drinking of the living waters that spring from heaven’s throne.
When people fast, they encounter Jesus Christ he Living One who
administers to them the living water which makes them loose taste
of earthly pleasures. Lust of the lesh can be conquered by the greater
love of God! When you are lusting for a wrong thing, simply replace
it by a love for the right thing, having and unending love for God and
His kingdom. Let people call you a freak and a weirdo, but all you care
about is that the kingdom of God. As the scripture says, the wisdom of
man is considered foolishness before God. Don’t just fast blindly, but
fast in searching and seeking for the living one so that He can show you
the sure and the living way to eternity. here is no nobility in starving
 Philip Cephas 5
to dead. If you must venture into a soul fast, then do it accordingly,
with a pure heart and a desire toward God knowing fully well that He
takes pleasure in you excelling and prospering in whatever you do. In
the season of fasting, God gives out spiritual bread that sustains and
keeps people in shape spiritually. his is why when you fast religiously,
you will do yourself no good, but rather more harm to your body by
starving it from daily required nutrients. Always know that fasting is
supposed to bring you closer to God, and it is also supposed to give
you the ability to eat of heavenly bread and drink of the living water of
he Spirit. God is present even in your desert times. Fasting seasons are
referred to as a desert, draught and a wilderness journey. Even in the
desert, God can make a supply for you if you truly seek Him in spirit and
in truth. He has provided for the children of Israelites in the wilderness
in impossible times. Also, He provided for Hagar and her son Ishmael
in the wilderness when they had no water to drink. Elijah was fed by
a raven in the wilderness, the Israelites were given manna to eat and
water to drink from the rock which is Christ Jesus that followed them all
through the way out of the wilderness. Always seek to eat spiritual food
when you are fasting. Always have an open heart and spirit so that God
will satisfy you in the spirit and you will feel no hunger because spiritual
nourishment and refreshment is administered to you by he Spirit of
God. here is such a thing as the living water which you need during
fasting. When taken, it makes you not to taste again, such is a spiritual
water that quenches spiritual hunger and thirst. he scriptures say,
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by
day. For our light aliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen: for the things which
are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen
are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
his passage gives us much insight into what God expects and intends
spiritual fasting to be. Fasting is not to starve the body onto perishing,
but to get the inner spiritual man to be renewed day by day. Man is
 6 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
a tripartite being consisting of a spirit, a soul and a body. All of these
components must undergo diferent processes of change to be able to
sustain and contain the anointing of God. he spirit must be regenerated,
the soul must be recreated and the body must be transformed into a new
creation in Christ Jesus. he spirit needs the revelational speaking of
God to be sustained; the Rhema of God put in the right perspective.
While, the soul needs to be renewed by the word of God and the body
needs the normal balanced diet to survive and thrive. Many ministers
make the grave mistake of neglecting their body and most paid dearly
with their lives, God is not interested in starving you to death. he same
way He expects you to take care of your spirit and soul by putting them
in the right perspective of doctrine and truths, He also expects you to
take care of your body by supplying it with the necessary balanced diet
that will keep it in shape so He can relate with you efectively. Any sick
and bedfast minister of the gospel has some limitations in the body since
the body is a vital component of a man as well as the spirit and the soul.
It must be given the proper care. A wise man says: “most people spend
their health in search for money, and when they ind the money, they spend
their money in search for their health.” What an irony of life! You may
not be in a quest searching for money like the others, but I believed the
picture is clear to you. We must not let our passion and desire lead us
to destruction. In fact, I doubt if you can be relevant if you don’t have
all the component of a human being (spirit, soul and body) in shape.
You cannot be a man with only a spirit or a soul or only a body, they all
need each other. In the physical and natural realm, it is our body that do
business while our spirit and soul inluence it to act aright according to
the pattern of God. Nevertheless, you have a spirit man: that is the true
identity of who you are. here is another reality of who you are inside
of Christ Jesus even before you were born to earth. hat means, there
is another ‘you’ inside of yourself that sees no limitation because that
‘you’ is in the likeness of God in the spiritual realm. Most times, when
God wants to talk to you, He communicates and fellowships with you
through the spiritual man or the spirit man. Before we were born, we
once existed inside of God, just as the word become lesh that existed
in heaven before it manifested on earth as Jesus Christ. We are created
ater the likeness of Christ Jesus in the spirit as spirit beings, then we
materialized into this physical realm as human beings bearing human
 Philip Cephas 7
names. No wonder in the book of revelation, Jesus Christ spoke about
giving us a name that no one knows except you and Him alone. he
spirit man is encapsulated in the body which is our outer shell, it can
always relate with God from this realm. When God wants to speak to
us, He always communicates directly into the nature of Himself that
lies inside of our inner compartment. hat spirit man is referred to as
the inner man that must be renewed day by day. he spirit man is also
fashioned and born into the corruption of this age, but for it to function
in its designed divine manner, it must be renewed and transformed to
be like the original one that existed before creation. he spiritual man
is eternal because he lives even ater the body is gone and decays on
earth. Our spiritual man also has the ability to grow and it does that by
simply feeding on the living word of God as well as undergoing certain
spiritual exercise like praying, fasting and communing with he Holy
Spirit. Prayer has the potency of enlarging the spirit man to be able to
contain and accommodate the anointing of God released upon him.
Jesus Christ is resident inside our spirit ater our new birth experience as
the Anointed One. God releases His anointing upon the Anointed One
that resides within our spirit who administers everything according to
His counsel. Jesus Christ, he Anointed One is the base and foundation
of the anointing in anyone’s life. Since Christ, he Anointed one reside
within our spirit, we must do our best not to corrupt our spirit man,
keeping it in the right perspective must be a priority for us. If our spirit
man is corrupted, then the anointing that we carry will be corrupted
because its base, spirit man is out of spiritual balance. But, if we renew
our spirit man and grow in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, then the
anointing will be genuine and sharpened. Since the spirit man is the
resting place for the anointing, if it is purged and puriied, it will contain
more of the anointing to function on earth. Whenever we fast, the outer
man dies and the inner man which is the spirit man is opened to receive
more of God’s anointing. he outer man is a shell that covers the inner
man of the spirit. For the spirit man to be open, the irst layer of the
outer man must be taken away by fasting. During fasting, Angels are
sent to strengthen our spirit man and give it spiritual nourishment to
survive. God also bring us to the well of living water to drink and get
more matured spiritually. hat is the only reason why many people fast
and still get sustained for that long. hey spiritually get fed by God for
 8 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
the renewing of their strength.
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be
ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the
same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual
drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
he bible says that, Jesus Christ is that Rock they drank from in the
wilderness when they thirst. Also, when we fast, we are in a wilderness
needing to be fed by Jesus Christ the Rock that sprang out water in
the desert for sustenance. Jesus Christ is the living spring source. If we
drink from Him, we will receive strength and life. No man partakes of
heaven’s resources and remains normal, certain changes deinitely must
happen in him. hat is why when you drink of the living water and eat
of heavenly bread, your life takes a new shape and pattern in encounter
as the anointing is release upon you. he anointing is God dwelling
in a man in the likeness of Jesus Christ he Anointed One. When you
encounter Him in the wilderness during the process of fasting, He will
cause you to eat of His body and drink of His blood. his will make you
take His nature to become like Him on earth, full of power and might.

he Mystery of Communion
When you enter from the wilderness of your thirst and hunger for
more of God, taking a tour into the spiritual realm and trekking a path
that is less trekked by many to encounter he Living Christ, He takes you
through several dealings. Finally, He will permit you in your weariness
and anguish of heart and soul to see Him and touch Him; eating of His
body and drinking of His blood. He will spiritually nourish your spirit
man, making you one with Him in spirit, soul and body.
I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, and are dead. his is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not
die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and
 Philip Cephas 9
the bread that I will give is my lesh, which I will give
for the life of the world. he Jews therefore strove among
themselves, saying, how can this man give us his lesh
to eat? hen Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, except ye eat the lesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my
lesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day. For my lesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my lesh,
and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As
the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father:
so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. his is
that bread which came down from heaven: not as your
fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of
this bread shall live forever.
John 6:48-58
Jesus said, except you eat of my body and drink of my blood you
have no part in me. He called Himself the bread of life, this means that,
He is he Living Bread or the bread that can bring life. I believe there
has not been an earthly bread produced that can give life or bring life to
someone that has no life neither is there any water that is living invented
that when you drink of it, you will not be able to thirst again. All these
are spiritual speaking by God trying to communicate spiritual realities
to us in the natural so that we can come into a covenant with Him both
in the spirit and in the natural so that we can have earthly and heavenly
relevance. his is cosmic authority and government.
For the life of the lesh is in the blood: and I have given
it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your
souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for
the soul.
Leviticus 17:11
he life of a being is in its blood. It has always been the desire of God
to unite Himself with His creation, man and for man to have similar
authority and power as He has so that man can become like God. his
can only be done if God unites Himself with a man spiritually. hrough
the covenant of blood, man was able to come into God and God into
10 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
man to function like God on earth as it is written:
Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law, I
said, ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the
word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken
(John10:34-35). I have said, ye are gods; and all of you
are children of the Most High.
Psalms 82:6
God chose to procreate gods and lords ater His kind and kings ater
His kind. So, we become smaller God, kings and lords under he GOD
OF GODS, KING OF KINGS AND THE LORD OF LORD. As it is
written, that the life of a being is in its blood, and anyone that drinks of
the blood of a being becomes one with that being and naturally take on
the life of that being, that is the mystery of communion. We become and
partake of this eternal Bread of Life and drink of he Living Blood that
has the eternal life of God, so we can share in His glory and sufering.
From the above picture painted from the mystery of the communion,
you will see why it is important that both communion and fasting should
never be a physical religious exercise, but a high level spiritual activity
with the revelation of the purpose and the reason. What shall it proit
you if you starve yourself and receive no spiritual nourishment from
God? It is better you feast and rest knowing you did nothing worthy of
heavenly reward.
When next you decide to fast, seek to encounter Jesus Christ he
Anointed One in the wilderness so that you can fellowship with Him
and take upon yourself His nature and likeness. Until you partake of
Him in the wilderness and be strengthen by His angels, you will never
be able to grow in your spiritual man.
I recall when I began my journey with God, it was not long before I
realized the need for me to begin to fast and pray waiting on God on a
daily basis. Seriously speaking, if you so desire the anointing and want to
walk in uncommon supernatural dimension of the power and authority
of God, then you must have a season in your life when you fasted more
than you ate and prayed more than you talked –like your life depend
wholly on those two parameters. When that is done and the season passes
in your life, you will experience a breakthrough from certain resistance
 Philip Cephas 11
that limits people naturally in their quest for the anointing. You must
realize that you are not the irst to desire the anointing, many have been
in your shoes. Some passed through while others failed to pass through
because of certain demonic and satanic resistance and inluences. For
you to breakthrough those tentacles of the devil, you must have a season
in your life when you prayed and fasted like your life depends on it. hat
will clear your path of any satanic resistance and inluence for long.
When your desire for more of God and your obedient to His will and
commandment increases, then naturally, the anointing begin to low
through you. Demonic resistance are built by demonic princes from the
second heavens seeking to hinder and limit your penetrating ability into
the heavens as well as your inluence on the earth. With much more
prayer and fasting, God will release His strength and power upon you to
break through the veil and wall that limits you.
When I continued to pray and fast for months seeking the face of
God, it was in those season I began to have intense spiritual experiences
and prophetic encounters that drew me closer to His presence to see
His face and His glory. hat glory that covered me let a residue of His
anointing upon me to function even when the encounter was over. I
still have lots of friends that fasted for years, some are still fasting now
seeking God with the whole of their heart. his has kept them in close
communion with God, and has sustained the anointing upon their lives.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Corinthians 3:18
We can never become like what we have not seen. he anointing
of he Holy Spirit is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. When we fast
and pray, it should bring us closer to see and encounter Him. When
we see Him, the veil in our eyes are taken away so that we can see Him
for who He Is in His glory. No man sees Jesus Christ and remains the
same. Also, you cannot be anointed without encountering Christ Jesus
he Anointed One. It is crystal clear in the scriptures and consistent
in the account of God’s Generals, and others who have walked with
God throughout history that the moment they encountered the person
of Jesus Christ, He leaves with them something that change their lives
12 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
which is the anointing.
We have seen many people that have claimed to have seen Jesus
Christ and had nothing to show for it, some of them still even propagate
iniquity. I doubt if they saw the same Jesus Christ some of us saw because
no man will encounter the one true risen Christ and still remain the
same. Christ is a transforming Spirit; He seeks to transform everyone
that comes to Him willing to be transformed.
Fasting makes me more conscious of the heavenly realm, and of the
love of Christ Jesus towards me. his gives me the strength and comfort
to continue in my quest for more of God in life. Also, because of the
love I have towards Him, He releases His anointing upon me to ease my
burdens and keeps me going. he anointing makes things easier and
opens doors of opportunity.
Fasting separates and consecrates us unto God. Most times, when I
am on a fast, I separate myself to God and get my bible, play teaching
tapes, read the scriptures and soak in the atmosphere of the anointing
that is created. It doesn’t take long in such atmosphere before you
become infused with the anointing of he Holy Spirit. his opens you
to certain spiritual realities. Nobody can remain in the presence of God
without being transformed and anointed. As you fast, pray and study in
the presence of God, the anointing becomes part of your life and you
ind yourself naturally walking in it.
I realize that many, if not all men and women of faith that did terrible
things on earth never took fasting lightly. hey separated days in the week
for fasting and praying. Some took the irst week of the month indoor
just seeking the face of God in fasting and prayer making supplications
unto God. Others took irst month of the year; others took three months
in each year while others fast on a regular basis as a lifestyle. On my own
accord, I found fasting regularly more proiting. Nevertheless, people
that fast regularly are not all led by God to do that, most people do it
as a life style and a way to discipline the lesh and the body to subdue it
with its lust. Many people fast to stir up the anointing upon their lives
when they have a ministration. It is very good as a regular Sunday pastor
to at least fast and wait on God on Saturday to hear what God will have
you say to His people on Sunday. You will need fresh revelation, current
wisdom and insight from God to deliver to the people. Ministers of
 Philip Cephas 13
nowadays hardly fast, the act of fasting is almost lost with many just
depending on only the basic giting of he Holy Spirit.
If we must genuinely bless our congregation, then we must undertake
fasting, studying and praying to wait on God for an encounter that
through you, He can encounter His people. I found it common that
most of the generals that walked with God on earth followed the pattern
of Jesus Christ and the prophets of old. hey fasted for long days before
venturing into any heavenly mandate or a full time ministry given
to them. hat act seems to concentrate the anointing and release the
response of heaven. Many people embark on long fasting and come back
in the power of he Spirit full of grace and glory.
his is true for we saw it even in the life of Jesus Christ who ater
been baptized by John the Baptist was led to the wilderness to be tested
of the devil. He returned full of the anointing of he Spirit and power.
Also, we saw how John the Baptist lived an isolated life from among his
people and remained in the wilderness seeking God. It was said of him
that he remained in the wilderness until the time of his showing forth
unto Israel, and he was a shining and a burning light. What a man of the
anointing and full of power! No wonder it was spoken of his disciples
that they fasted a lot. He trained them in the way of fasting and waiting
on God because therein lies the anointing and power.
Even in the Old Testament, we saw how the prophets and our fathers
of old undertook fasting. It was never a hard thing for them to do, it was
normal because they knew fully well that it produced tangible results.
hey didn’t relent in committing to it when the need arose. Moses was
on the mount for 40 days with God without food or water like it was
a few hours and never complained of hunger, for he Lord God was
his sustainer on the mount top. He returned back not just with the ten
commandment from God, but with more anointing and power from
God because the presence of God rubbed of on him that was literally
visible for all to see. he visible anointing upon him was the glory of
God which was never on him when he let for the mountain top to meet
God. As a result of fellowship, fasting and talking with he Living God,
he was permitted to share in the glory of God.
Most times, God gives command for the people to be consecrated by
fasting and praying before He will come speak to them. Fasting surely
14 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
has an efect on the spiritual nature of a man in his quest towards God.
And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the
strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto
Horeb the mount of God.
1 kings 19:8
A similar situation was seen of Elijah the prophet. He was running
from Jezebel and the angel of he LORD came to him and gave him
food to eat in the wilderness. Truly the angel never cooked in the
wilderness, but brought the food from the heavenly realm which is the
heavenly bread and meat, and anything that is heavenly has the texture
and nature of heaven. As it was recorded that ater the meal, Elijah went
in the strength of that food for 40 days. Well, that must be supernatural
because no natural food is eaten once and gives strength that can sustain
for 40 days, only by the anointing can such a thing happen. When a man
eats of angels’ bread, he is given a place among them to share in their
strength and power.
hen was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty
days and forty nights, he was aterward hungered.
Matthew 4:2-3
We saw the same in the life of our ultimate model Christ Jesus. Ater
being baptize, He was led to the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. In
like manner, I have seen people that embarked on a 40 days fasting and
another 70 days fasting of which when they returned from it they came
back refreshed in power and anointing of he Spirit of God. Of course,
such should never be done without a revelation of why it should be done
because your heart posture matters a lot to God. he reason should not
be the power or the anointing but to encounter and see Christ Jesus
he Anointed One because when you see Him, then the anointing and
power will be a by-product of your encounter. When you seek power
and the anointing without a genuine love for God with a pure heart,
your desperation may lead you to error. By and large, if our fore fathers:
prophets, kings, priests, Jesus Christ and His Apostles fasted, then we
have no other option than to follow suit.
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in
 Philip Cephas 15
Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink
three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast
likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not
according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Esther 4:16
Esther became the queen in Shushan ater Queen Vashti was deposed
as queen by the king. She represented the Jewish people because she was
a Jew. One day, a threat befell the Jewish nation in that country that only
she could solve. Her uncle, Modeccai who was also her guardian was
depressed putting on sack cloths and ashes asking the lord to intervene.
He did not know that God has long foreseen this problem and has put
a potential deliverer in the palace as the queen. Mordecai spoke to her
about her responsibility and what God will have her do for His people.
She understood the mystery of fasting and how it brings God into a
situation. She declared a 3 days compulsory fasting and prayer even
the animals were not excluded. To the human mind, 3 days will not be
considered long enough for the situation at hand, but because she got
it by revelation, it was. A one day fast in the spirit will do for you what
many days of fasting in the lesh cannot do.
Daniel fasted and pray for 21 days but when the angel came to him,
he told him that from the very irst day he began to pray he was answered
by God. With that, we can see that it is not really how many days you fast
and pray, but the posture of the heart and the quality of your prayer by
the revelation of he Spirit of God.
Finally, the wisdom of God played out for the Jewish people and
God intervened on their behalf and rescued them. he Jewish people
became like lords over the kingdom that they were once strangers. I
believe it was the anointing and the favour of God that was released
upon Esther which caused her to ind herself in the palace overnight.
Also, their prayer and fasting which inluenced the heart of the king to
be in their favour.
It is written that, when a man’s way pleases he lord, He makes even
his enemy to be at peace with him. God loves us all the same, but He
honours them that honour Him and favours them that favours Him. he
day you choose to honour and favour God even in your fasting, studying
and praying, then God will begin to honour and favour you with His
 16 EARNEST DESIRE TO FAST
anointing to succeed in life.
hen came to him the disciples of John, saying, why do
we and the Pharisees fast ot, but thy disciples fast not?
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride
chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be
taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Matthew 9:14-15
Jesus was asked why His disciples don’t fast as John’s disciples do.
Well, it is obvious that John’s disciples were fasting to communicate
with God as well as draw closer to God, but when Jesus Christ came to
the earth He came as God, so they don’t have to fast to draw closer to
Him, but just to follow Him and hear His teachings as the Apostles did.
hat is why even John said, Jesus must increase and he must decrease.
In that, Jesus Christ came to end the ministry and ministration of John
the Baptist. If you were John’s disciples before, then your new master
must be Christ Jesus at the time He was revealed to all. John’s disciples
were still fasting religiously because they didn’t know that he God they
sought is in Jesus and there is no need to fast to talk to Him because He
is among them physically. hey just have to follow Him and ask anything
as He will do it for them. He was he Bride Groom present with them,
they had no need to fast as He is with them. But, when He is gone as He
is now, they will have to fast to access Him in the heaven.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 17:21
Jesus told them that their unbelief will be cured if they began to
give attendant to fasting and more prayers. It had not been long that He
sent them out, two by two and they took authority over demons and the
demons obeyed and let then, what went wrong now? Jesus made it clear
to them that it is not like they don’t have more anointing and needed
more by fasting and praying, No! But His comment was to emphasis the
use of fasting to eliminate unbelief. It is clear that they had faith, but they
needed to be more stable by having a deep conviction in their belief. For
them to be stable and function more efectively in the anointing, they
needed to fast.
 Philip Cephas 17
No matter how anointed you are, if you waver in faith in unbelief,
you will limit the functioning of the anointing in your life. Be stable and
conident in God’s anointing on your life believing that it is God’s ability
to perform supernatural things and to change impossible situations
to become possible not by your doing but by God’s working with you.
Amen.
Shalom!!!
 Notes

18 Notes
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PHILIP CEPHAS

P
hilip Cephas is a seasoned apostolic and prophetic teacher of
the gospel. He is a man of love, wisdom, revelation and prayer.
He is cantered on efective balancing of Kingdom principles,
doctrine and revelations to equip the Body of Christ apostolically and
prophetically into its full manifestation of Christ. His love for the Body
of Christ is endless. his drive has led him to evangelize and conduct
outreach programs in diferent cities and villages so as to reach the lost
souls and administer the gospel of Christ within those environments.
He is interested in raising and mentoring youths and adults in the
area of prayer, leadership, inluence, relationship, investment and the
anointing. He is also a proliic writer. He has authored many books
such as he Prophetic and Vision, he Vision of a Great People,
Roadmap for a Weary Sojourner and many others. He has been a
instrument in the revival movement within Nigeria. He is resident in
Laia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

About the Author 19

 For Correspondence and
Question Contact:

Philip Cephas

@
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Phone No.: +234 9075600036, 0812 705 1216, 0706 073 5310

For Mentorship

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20 Correspondance
 BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

ROADMAP FOR A WEARY SOJOURNER

his manuscript is likened to a compass employed by a
spiritual sojourner to journey to the desire destination
without being weary and tired, lacking the strength,
passion, zeal, courage, and the understanding to press
further into the realm of light and life.

THE PROPHETIC AND VISION

he prophetic and vision is a revelation from he Holy
Spirit, and a clarion called into the experiences of the
prophetic. You don’t have to be a prophet called into the
oice of the prophetic to function in the prophetic. he
speaking and dealings of God is prophetic in nature.

VISION OF A GREAT PEOPLE

he vision of a great people is a lile story and a iction
of a family who has been helped by God and still being
helped by Him. Among many systems of God expansion
upon the face of the earth, a man is pivotal.

Other Books by the Same Author 21

For More Information &
Feedback

Contact;

My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the
king, shaping the river into words:
Ps 45:1 MSG
he Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
Ps 68:11 KJV

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