by Apostle Guillermo Maldonado | To minister effectively, I need to stay on the spiritual cutting edge. And fasting is an important way I maintain my position there. (images, Cloud – Pixabay)
There are three kinds of spiritual vision we can experience as we consecrate ourselves to God in fasting. The first is “inner” vision, which is something you see in your mind’s eye. The second is “open” vision, where you might see something in the physical atmosphere as if on a television screen. The third is “ecstasies.” This is where you begin to see into the spiritual world, as in spiritual visions or “trances” (such as the apostle Peter experienced in Acts 10:9–16, or the apostle John experienced in the book of Revelation); in this type of vision, it is often as if you are in a state between being awake and being asleep.
Remember that, when He operated as a human being on earth, Jesus needed spiritual clarity in His mind and heart before confronting Satan in the wilderness (or anywhere else). However, Jesus prayed and fasted not only for spiritual strength to defeat the enemy but also to commune with the Father, receive revelation and act on what was revealed to Him. For example, Jesus stated, “Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, likewise the Son does” (John 5:19). God desires us to function in the same way—seeing what He is doing in the heavenly realm, and then doing the same thing on earth. He wants to work through us to bring what is in the eternal realm into the physical world as manifestations of His kingdom.
We see an excellent example of this process in the life of the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote,
“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’
And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well. For I will hasten My word to perform it” (Jer. 1:11-12).
In answer to the Lord’s question, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” the prophet replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Jeremiah’s spiritual vision was sharp, and this enabled him to see into the spiritual realm to what God was doing. He saw what God saw. And the Lord told him, “You have seen well. For I will hasten My word to perform it.” In the original Hebrew, the Lord’s reply is essentially this: “Because you have seen well, I will accelerate and perform My word.”
Today, God wants to make sure we, too, are seeing what He is seeing, so we can receive all that He has for us and be able to fulfill His purposes. I try my best to remain sharp in the Spirit, so I can receive God’s revelations to me. For instance, sometimes, I am enabled to see when spiritual danger is coming and what I should do about it; other times, I am enabled to see what is truly going on in someone’s life, beneath the surface, that is causing a particular problem. To minister effectively, I need to stay on the spiritual cutting edge. And fasting is an important way I maintain my position there.
Whenever we can see what God shows us, we are able to obey His will, receive His blessings and walk in victory. When I was ready to buy the property where King Jesus Ministry now stands, I stepped onto the land, and I saw, in the Spirit, the building that would become the sanctuary, educational classrooms, counseling rooms and more. What did I do? I started leaping! I started running and repeating, “I see it!” And God said, “Because you saw it, it’s yours. I will accelerate it.” He accelerated the process so that it was complete in under two and a half years. God will do the same for you—if you see something in the Spirit and accept it in faith, you will receive it, and God will accelerate the process.
To give you another example, I prayed for five years for God to do creative miracles, such as generating new organs and other body parts in people, because I felt that was included in my calling to minister the supernatural power of God. During that time, I saw a lot of healings—but not a lot of creative miracles. Then the Lord said to me, “Until you see them, I am not going to accelerate them.” So I went into a fast, and, remarkably, I saw in the Spirit a woman’s breast regrowing after having been surgically removed. God said, “You saw it; now I will accelerate it.” Since then, I have seen many types of creative miracles in my ministry.
If you see something in the Spirit and accept it in faith, you will receive it, and God will accelerate the process.
Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is the founder of King Jesus International Ministry—one of the fastest-growing multicultural churches in the United States—which has been recognized for its visible manifestations of God´s supernatural power. He is a spiritual father to 338 churches in 50 countries, which form the Network of the Supernatural Movement (formerly called the New Wine Apostolic Network). He is also the founder of the University of the Supernatural Ministry (USM). Apostle Maldonado has a doctorate in Christian counseling and a master’s degree in practical theology. He resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald. Visitwhpub.whitakerhouse.com/breakthroughfast.
