What Prayer & Fasting Does for Us . . . and Beyond
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NIV) Who doesn’t want to be […]
Rewards in Heaven: Is It Okay to Give to Get from God?
Some things seem absolutely crazy—at first. Harvey is a play written by Mary Chase (also a movie starring Jimmy Stewart) about Elwood P. Dowd, a friendly man who has a strange problem: He really thinks he can see a six foot, three-and-a-half inch-tall rabbit named Harvey. To his family’s embarrassment, the friendly Elwood will introduce […]
Praying with a Megaphone: Adding Fasting to Prayer
Toward the end of my father’s life, he suffered a stroke and became aphasic, meaning he could no longer speak. Since he could not communicate, it was very difficult to know what he was thinking or what he needed. He would look at us often with a frustrated look on his face as if he […]
Fasting and Prayer: 2 Stories
Fasting and prayer are often combined in Scripture. Both Old Testament followers of God (Ezra 8:23; Nehemiah 1:4; Psalm 35:13; Daniel 9:3) and the New Testament church (Luke 2:37; Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23) combined prayer and fasting when fervently bringing a request to God. This article brings together two stories, one ancient and one contemporary, […]
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Prayer and Fasting
I really enjoy a good, robust cup of coffee in the morning. It’s a great way to get my day started. I love the smell, the aroma, and the warmth of the mug as well as the taste. It awakens my brain and gets the synapses firing. I begin to think and contemplate, and the […]
What God Showed Me in My First Extended Fast
Our church did a 21-day fast in January. As I prepared for the fast (my first extended one) and prayed about what my focus should be, I asked God to show me areas that I haven’t yet surrendered to him. Several times over the 21 days, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me noticeably […]
Why Fasting in the Bible? 11 Reasons
Why fasting in the Bible? The Bible gives numerous reasons for fasting, from repentance and mourning to preparation and power for God’s mission. When planning a fast, a believer should have a specific purpose for that fast. Scripture gives us examples for determining purposes for fasting. Let’s examine these purposes and bring light to why […]
5 Reasons to Fast
Are there compelling reasons to fast as part of our relationship with God? Here are 5 reasons you should try this spiritual practice. Fasting is a forgotten spiritual discipline in many Christian circles today. The main reason people don’t fast is that fasting is not fun. Why would anyone willingly give up food for God? […]
