Listen to people who need to talk, vent, or bounce ideas off of you. Praise the efforts of people who are trying hard, even if the results of their efforts fall short. Send uplifting notes, emails, cards, or letters to people. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.Assume the people you interact with are struggling and approach them accordingly.Ĭhallenge people of all ages to do more and do it better and reassure them they can. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything do not let them eat or drink. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Joel 2:12-13 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.ĥ. We have been wicked and have rebelled we have turned away from your commands and laws.”Ĥ. Daniel 9:3-5 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.ģ. 1 Samuel 7:6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. It’s a physical explanation point at the end of the sentence, “We hunger for you to come in power.” It’s a cry with your body, “I really mean it, Lord! This much, I hunger for you.” John PiperĢ. “That’s what I think fasting is at heart. “Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer.” Andrew Bonarįasting in the biblical sense is choosing not to partake of food because your spiritual hunger is so deep, you determination in intercession so intense, or your spiritual warfare so demanding that you have temporarily set aside even fleshly needs to give yourself to prayer and meditation.” Wesley Duewel Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.” Andrew Murray “Prayer is reaching out after the unseen fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. “Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God.” “Fasting reduces the influence of our self-will and invites the Holy Spirit to do more intense work in us.” Our greatest pleasure comes by feasting on the person of Jesus. “Fasting restrains our physical pleasure, but it enhances our spiritual pleasure. “By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul by praying the soul learns to command the body.” William Secker “Fasting helps express, deepens, confirms the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.” Andrew Murray Humble yourself before the Lord and commit to Him. Make sure your motives are right and do it for the glory of God. Don’t do it to try to brag and appear spiritual. Find out the reason for your fasting and how long you plan on doing it for. There are so many benefits and reasons for fasting and so many ways to do it. Fasting and prayer is a time to separate yourself from your regular patterns and from things of the world and come closer to the Lord. It will help you to overcome sin, bad habits, and help open your eyes to things that are displeasing to God in your life. In fact, Jesus expects us to fast.įasting will help you have a more intimate relationship with Christ. While fasting is not necessary for salvation it is essential on your Christian walk of faith and highly recommended. A fast without prayer is just going hungry and you’re accomplishing nothing at all. There is no such thing as a fast without prayer. What does the Bible say about fasting and prayer?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |