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Fasting For a Fix | Javon Ruff

Sunday, January 18



Pastor Javon Ruff shows how fasting builds a "fixed heart"—immovable and anchored in God—so you stand firm through pressure. Drawing from David hiding from Saul, this message reveals refusing to fold under fiery trials or cultural compromise, turning today's prayer, praise, and discipline into tomorrow's thriving testimony.

Key Verses

Psalm 57:1-7, Psalm 108, Psalm 112:7, Matthew 4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 6:19, Psalm 121:1-2, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 6, Philippians 1:6, Psalm 27:13, Daniel 1, John 14:6, 1 Samuel 22:5, Psalm 42:5, Psalm 51:17

Key Points

  1. Keep your heart fixed in the cave. Caves will try to poison your attitude, change your identity, and get you to give up on God. But in the middle of your cave, you can still keep your heart fixed on God. In the middle of the promise-made and the promise-fulfilled, you must keep your heart fixed in the middle of it. Refuse to let yourself become what hurt you. After you fast, don’t go back to the things you used to do; keep your heart fixed on God.
  2. Be established. The heart is the chief organ of human life. In the same way, if your heart is in its proper place in Christ, everything else will be put into its rightful place. A fixed heart will help you fix everything else.
  3. A fixed heart is anchored in God. Fasting doesn’t change God's will; it anchors your heart in it. Instead of anchoring your heart in possessions, platforms, people-pleasing, careers, or anything else temporary, anchor it in God. If you anchor your heart in God, you will never sink. A heart anchored in God never runs away from Him, but toward Him in times of trouble. 
  4. A fixed heart prioritizes prayer. A fixed heart talks to God before it talks to people. What you complain and vent about but don’t pray about will dominate your life. A fixed heart takes pain upward to God, not outward to others. Prayer denounces your own abilities and engages the abilities of God. God hears, heeds, answers, and delivers by prayer. 
  5. A fixed heart focuses on God’s faithfulness. The enemy can’t make you fold if he can’t steal your focus. It’s time to lock in. Even if your problem gets bigger, your God is still greater. 
  6. A fixed heart stays steadfast under pressure. Pressure is the enemy’s way to attack your faith. But pressure is designed by God to push you further into Him. Pressure is proof that quitting would cost you something. Fasting equips you not to fold under pressure. You can live in a culture of compromise without folding when your heart is fixed on God. Your fast today will become a testimony tomorrow. 
  7. A fixed heart worships before it wins. Praise stabilized the soul. Command your soul to praise God. Some of your greatest praise and worship you give God will come from your lowest moments in life. Fix your mouth in praise, not pity. 

 

Introduction

Main Sermon Scriptures: Psalm 57:7 (NIV) 

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Today we’ll explore the message “Fasting For a Fix” by Pastor Javon Ruff. This teaching challenges us to pursue a fixed heart through fasting. Pastor Ruff explained that the Hebrew word translated fixed is “kun,” which does not mean repairing something broken, but rather being firmly established, secure, and steadfast.

Psalm 57 was written by David during one of the most difficult seasons of his life. After defeating Goliath, David’s growing popularity threatened King Saul, who then sought to kill him. Forced to flee, David and his men hid in a cave. It was during this time of oppression and uncertainty that David found deep strength in the Lord, and his godly character clearly shines through.

In the same way, fasting can help us experience breakthrough and receive the strength God has promised. It is not the act of fasting itself that produces change, but the heart posture it develops—one of humility, self-sacrifice, and dependence on God. Through this process, we become, as Scripture says, “more than conquerors through Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:37).

This week we will dig into:

  • A Fixed Heart: Anchored in God
  • A Fixed Hear: Steadfast Under Pressure
  • A Fixed Heart: Prioritizes Prayer & Focuses on God’s Faithfulness
  • A Fixed Heart: Worships Before It Wins

 

Let’s Start the Discussion

  1. What stood out to you in this past Sunday’s message?
  2. What changes of attitude, perspective, or character have you noticed in yourself during this fast so far (apart from actual answers to direct prayers or personal objectives)?

A Fixed Heart: Anchored in God

A fixed heart is not anchored in things, people, platforms, or circumstances—it is anchored in God alone. In Psalm 57, David writes from a cave, not a palace. Surrounded by danger, betrayal, and uncertainty, he declares:

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” (KJV)

His confidence did not come from understanding his situation, but from trusting the One who held his future.

David understood the danger of wrong anchors. Anchors are not bad—but misplaced anchors are dangerous. When we anchor our hearts in approval, success, relationships, money, or platforms, we become vulnerable to collapse when those things shake. But when our hearts are anchored in God, storms may rock us, yet they cannot sink us.

“Be merciful to me, O God… in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until these calamities have passed by.I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.”(Psalm 57:1–2 NKJV)

A fixed heart learns to trust even when it does not understand. Trust is not required when life makes sense; trust is required when it doesn’t. David models a heart that runs to God, not away from Him, under pressure. He hides in God rather than numbing, escaping, or self-medicating.

Scripture reminds us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV)

And again:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19 NIV)

When God is your anchor, the storm may rage—but your soul remains secure.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are some things people commonly anchor their hearts in today that can easily fail or shift?
  2. Can you recall a season where you had to trust God without fully understanding what He was doing?
  3. When pressure hits, do you find yourself running to God—or away from Him? What helps you stay anchored?

A Fixed Heart: Remains Steadfast Under Pressure

Psalm 57:4-6 (KJV) My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

When David wrote Psalm 57, he was surrounded by real danger—his soul felt like it was “among lions” and “them that are set on fire,” with enemies whose words cut like spears and arrows. The pressure was intense, the threats were constant, and yet his heart stayed fixed. 

That same kind of resolve shows up in Daniel and the three Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel. They faced a Babylonian culture that tried to force compromise—eat the king’s food, bow to idols, blend in—but they purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves. Their early discipline prepared them so they didn’t fold when the furnace came or the lions roared.

Fasting works the same way for us. What we do in these three weeks isn’t just about getting through January—it’s about building strength so we don’t fold when pressure hits later. When pressure tries to make us fold—our fasting now anchors us so we stay true later. A fixed heart doesn’t just survive pressure; it stands firm and even thrives in it.

Discussion Questions

  1. Think of a recent time when you felt real pressure to compromise your faith or values (maybe at work, school, or online). How did you respond, and looking back, how might regular fasting have helped strengthen you in that moment?
  2. Why do you think fasting builds the kind of resilience that keeps us from folding under pressure? Share one way these three weeks are already helping (or could help) you stay steadfast.
  3. For the young people in our group (or those you influence): What does “holy hunger” look like in everyday life right now? How can we encourage the next generation to live disciplined and devoted in a world that celebrates compromise?

Let’s pray this week that God would fix our hearts so firmly that no lion, no furnace, no cultural wave can move us. We’re building testimony through fasting, not just surviving the pressure but standing tall in it.

A Fixed Heart: Prioritizes Prayer & Focuses on God’s Faithfulness

We don’t live backwards; we progress by moving forward. This means taking that which we have learned and applying it to our current situation as well as basing our expectations for our future. We'd be smart to anchor our hearts on God's promises instead of getting hung up on our circumstances or what our messed-up reasoning tells us from past experiences. 

Having a fixed heart comes from prioritizing prayer and focuses on God’s faithfulness. Feed faith and it will grow, feed fear and it will grow.

David set a valuable example of how a Fixed Heart Prioritizes Prayer in Psalm 57, as he made a choice to turn to God first as his resource: 

“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.” Psalm 57:2 (NIV)

Under hot pursuit from Saul, he is hiding in a cave. Yet, before panic sets in, David cried out to God. He brings his fear of uncertainty to God rather than trust his own reactions or advice from anyone else. 

  • What is your first response when something stressful happens in your life?

Prayer should be our first response and not a last resort. This comes from the decision to have a Fixed Heart on God. It’s a decision to be steadfast, firm, established, and prepared. David had already fixed his eyes on God. 

Psalm 57:7 says, “My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” (NIV)

As a shepherd boy, David learned that God would fulfill His purpose as he cried out to Him on several occasions. He based his current response on God’s past faithfulness. He also built in a permanent trust in God for all future circumstances. 

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches that your Father, who sees what is done in secret, and will reward you openly. This means cultivating a relationship with God in your prayer time before you face opposition in life. 

  • How has God shown up in your past and how do those memories help you now?

 

Journaling Your Prayers

Perhaps keeping a journal of God’s answers to prayer and divine God moments will encourage you in your walk. God’s faithful record will lay a foundation of hope and trust and help overcome your fears.

Whatever God started, He will finish. 

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

  • Is there an area of your life where you are tempted to lose hope over a situation? How does Philippians 1:6 encourage you? 

Talk about God’s answers to your prayers, write them down, rehearse your testimony and faith will grow.

A Fixed Heart: Worships Before It Wins

Pastor Ruff taught that one of the clearest signs of a fixed heart is this truth: worship comes before victory. He pointed to the account in 1 Samuel when David was still being pursued by King Saul. David fled to Moab and stayed in a stronghold he believed was safe. While there, the prophet Gad instructed him to leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah. 

1 Samuel 22:5 (NIV) 

But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

This meant leaving a place of comfort and safety and stepping back into danger as an act of obedience. David immediately followed God’s direction.

Pastor Ruff explained that this was more than a historical event—it carried deep symbolism. Judah represents worship.God was calling David back to a place of worship in preparation for the victory He was about to bring. 

The same principle applies to us today. God calls us to worship first, fixing our hearts on Him in faithful obedience. When we do, we position ourselves to receive the victory He desires to give us.

  • What “strongholds” do you run to when you feel overwhelmed or oppressed? How can praise and worship shift your perspective in those moments?

Pastor Ruff returned to the key verse, Psalm 57:7: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.” He emphasized that worship is a choice. Even in the midst of struggle, David chose to praise God because he trusted in God’s power and faithfulness. In the same way, we must choose whether to focus on our problems or on the One who has authority over them all.

A fixed heart keeps its focus on God as Jehovah Nissi—the Lord our Banner. Under His banner, we move from victory to victory. As Scripture reminds us:

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

  • What area of your life are you struggling with trusting the Lord for victory? Write a one verse, psalm that reflects your choice to surrender this to God and praise Him for the victory.

Conclusion

As we enter the last week of this fast, we focus our attention on more than breakthroughs in our circumstances or prayers. We are given the chance to focus on breakthrough in our personal walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

  1. It is a chance to anchor our faith in Jesus and His promises.
  2. It is the opportunity to see the power of God’s Spirit to make us steadfast under pressure.
  3. It empowers us to grow in our prayer life and develop our focus on Jesus.
  4. And it allows us to experience the effectiveness of worship to pave the way for God’s blessings.

 

Call To Action:  

  • Pray and identify how each of the four marks of a “fixed heart” have shown themselves in your fast.
  • Identify which area you have grown the most and which area you need the most growth.
  • Meditate on supporting Scriptures that would help you in your weakest area.
  • Declare God’s victory over this aspect of your life.
  • Journal anything you hear or learn during this process.

 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for giving us something to fix our hearts and hopes on. Thank You for giving us something immovable to anchor our faith on and to build our hopes on. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ and for the fulfillment of all of Your promises to us. Empower us, we pray, to fix our lives and our spirits on You in all circumstances so that we may experience the fullness of Your blessing.  Grow our relationship with You so that our will aligns with Yours and the desires of our hearts will be anchored to Your perfect will for us. Fill us with Your Spirit as we seek You. In Your Holy Name Jesus, we pray. Amen.

 

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