WEEKEND DEVOTION - DEVOTION AFTER THE FAST

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR AFTER FASTING

29. August 2026

Devotion by Reverend Joseph Antwi

Theme: When the Fast Is Over, the Test May Begin

Main Scripture: MATTHEW 4:1–11

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INTRODUCTION

Beloved Church,

We have just completed our three days of fasting and prayer under the theme RELEASED. We have prayed to be released from, released into, and released for.

But today I want us to understand something very important:

After a season of fasting, we must watch carefully.

Jesus Himself gives us the perfect example.

After His fasting, the Bible says:

“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

— Matthew 4:2

And immediately after this, temptation came.

Notice something very important: Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.

The fast was not the end of the process.

The fast prepared Him for what came next.

And I believe this is something we must understand after our own fast. We have prayed. We have emptied ourselves. We have sought God. Now we must be watchful because the enemy will try to challenge the very things we have prayed about.

The question after the fast is not simply:

“What did I receive?”

The question is:

“What am I going to watch out for?”

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1. WATCH OUT FOR THE TEMPTATION TO RETURN TO THE OLD

The first temptation came through something very natural:

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

— Matthew 4:3

Jesus had been fasting for forty days.

He was hungry.

The enemy attacked Him at the point of His physical need.

There was nothing wrong with bread.

There was nothing wrong with being hungry.

The temptation was about putting the physical appetite above the Father’s will.

The enemy was essentially saying:

“You have fasted long enough. Now satisfy yourself.”

And this is something we must watch out for after fasting.

You have prayed against lust—then temptation comes.

You have prayed for discipline—then suddenly you want to return to your old appetites.

You have prayed for freedom from social-media pressure—then you find yourself scrolling endlessly.

You have prayed to break a relationship—then loneliness makes you want to go back.

You have prayed for freedom from bitterness—then someone reminds you of what they did.

The temptation after the fast may be to return to the very thing you asked God to release you from.

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2. JESUS ANSWERED TEMPTATION WITH THE WORD

Jesus responded:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

— Matthew 4:4

Jesus did not deny His hunger.

He simply refused to allow hunger to dictate His obedience.

There is something powerful here.

The Word of God became stronger than the appetite of His body.

Church, this is why fasting must be accompanied by the Word.

You can fast for three days, seven days, twenty-one days, or forty days, but if you don’t know what God has said, what will you use when temptation comes?

The enemy will come with a suggestion.

Your flesh will speak.

Your emotions will speak.

Culture will speak.

Social media will speak.

Friends will speak.

But:

What does the Word say?

Jesus knew what was written.

And because He knew what was written, He knew how to respond.

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3. THE DEVIL CAN EVEN USE SCRIPTURE

The second temptation is very revealing.

Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said:

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.”

And then Satan quoted Scripture.

He essentially said, “The Bible says…”

This is important because not every use of Scripture is necessarily God’s will.

The devil can quote Scripture while twisting its purpose.

The question is not merely:

“Do you know a Bible verse?”

The question is:

“Do you understand the Word of God?”

Jesus answered:

“It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”

— Matthew 4:7

Jesus used Scripture to interpret Scripture.

He refused to manipulate God.

And this is a warning for us:

Don’t use faith to test God.

Don’t deliberately walk into temptation and then say, “God will protect me.”

Don’t make reckless decisions and call them faith.

Don’t ignore wisdom and call it spirituality.

Faith obeys God; faith does not manipulate God.

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4. WATCH OUT FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE OLD LIFE

Then came the third temptation.

Satan showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

“All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

— Matthew 4:9

This is perhaps one of the most subtle temptations after a fast.

Because sometimes, after we have consecrated ourselves to God, the old life suddenly looks attractive again.

The enemy begins to show you the beauty of what you left.

You prayed against lust, and suddenly the old relationship looks attractive.

You prayed for holiness, and suddenly compromise looks harmless.

You prayed for separation from certain influences, and suddenly you miss them.

You prayed for discipline, and suddenly entertainment becomes more attractive than prayer.

You prayed to live for Christ, and suddenly the world says:

“Come back. Look what you are missing.”

The enemy doesn’t always show you the consequences.

He shows you the beauty.

But Jesus understood the price behind the offer.

He answered:

“You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

— Matthew 4:10

When it came to worship, Jesus would not negotiate.

Nobody and nothing takes the place of God.

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5. AFTER SOMETHING LEAVES, SOMETHING MUST FILL THE SPACE

This brings us to the Scripture you were remembering.

Matthew 12:43–45

Jesus describes an unclean spirit leaving a person and wandering through dry places seeking rest.

Then it says:

“I will return to my house from which I came.”

— Matthew 12:44

The spirit returns and finds the house empty, swept and put in order.

That is the danger.

The house was clean, but it was empty.

The issue was not only what had left.

The issue was what had not entered.

This is a profound lesson for us after fasting.

You can remove something without replacing it.

You can stop watching something without filling your mind with the Word.

You can leave a relationship without developing your relationship with Christ.

You can stop a habit without establishing a new discipline.

You can cast something out but leave the house spiritually empty.

And that is why after our fast we must not simply celebrate:

“This has left me.”

We must ask:

“Lord, what are You filling me with?”

Fill me with Your Word.

Fill me with Your Spirit.

Fill me with worship.

Fill me with prayer.

Fill me with holiness.

Fill me with purpose.

Fill me with love.

Fill me with the things of God.

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6. SUBMIT FIRST, THEN RESIST

James gives us the order:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

— James 4:7

Notice the order.

SUBMIT → RESIST → FLEE

We sometimes focus only on:

“Resist the devil!”

But James begins with:

“Submit to God.”

The power to resist comes from our submission to God.

When we submit our minds to God, we can resist ungodly thoughts.

When we submit our bodies to God, we can resist sinful appetites.

When we submit our relationships to God, we can resist unhealthy attachments.

When we submit our future to God, we can resist shortcuts.

Submission is the foundation of resistance.

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7. DON’T LET THE FAST END WITH THE FAST

Church, the greatest evidence that the fast worked is not that we completed three days without food.

The evidence is that something has changed.

Your prayer life should be stronger.

Your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit should be greater.

Your appetite for the Word should increase.

Your hatred for sin should deepen.

Your faith should become stronger.

Your discipline should improve.

Your love for Christ should increase.

Your desire for the Kingdom should become greater.

The fast should produce a lifestyle.

Jesus said:

“When you fast…”

Fasting is not merely an event.

It should become part of our spiritual discipline.

We don’t need to wait for another church-wide fast before seeking God deeply.

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WHAT SHOULD WE WATCH OUT FOR?

After this fast, watch out for:

1. Returning

Don’t go back to what God brought you out of.

2. Appetite

Don’t allow your flesh to regain control.

3. Distraction

Don’t allow busyness and entertainment to replace your devotion.

4. Deception

Know the Word well enough to recognize when Scripture is being misused.

5. Pride

Don’t turn spiritual discipline into spiritual superiority.

6. Emptiness

Don’t leave the space empty—fill it with God’s Word and Spirit.

7. Compromise

Don’t exchange your consecration for temporary pleasure.

8. Forgetting

Don’t forget what God showed you during the fast.

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THE WORD FOR THIS SEASON

Church, we have prayed:

RELEASED FROM.

Don’t return.

RELEASED INTO.

Don’t remain at the door.

RELEASED FOR.

Don’t sit down after God has empowered you.

The fast is finished, but the assignment has just begun.

Jesus came out of the wilderness and entered His public ministry “in the power of the Spirit.”

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…”

— Luke 4:14

That is my prayer for us.

May we come out of this fast stronger, wiser, purer, more disciplined, more Spirit-filled and more committed to God’s agenda than when we entered it.

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CLOSING PRAYER

Pray!!!! .

FINAL DECLARATION

The fast is over, but the fire continues. I will not go back—I will walk forward in the Spirit, in the Word and in the purpose of God. Amen!

Shalom

Rev Joseph Antwi

Author: Rev. Joseph Antwi

Rev. Joseph Antwi is the District Pastor of the Basel City Churches District. He is passionate about teaching God’s Word, raising young disciples, and empowering believers to live purposefully and impact their generation through Christ.

Out now!

Rev. Joseph Antwi has released his first book called; "How to know if he or she is the right one" in which he dives into seven biblical keys to a succesfull relationship.

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