| Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. Ezra 8:21
The focus is on what you DO DO, (pray), and not what you DON’T DO, (eat). Fasting without prayer is starvation (Or at best dieting)! Fast with the right motives: to give your spirit man opportunity to draw near to God. Do it out of DESIRE, not DUTY or DESPERATION. Feed RICHLY on the Word during your fast. Job 23:12 - “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Jesus had clear revelation of “what was written” during His fast in Luke 4. Be specific about what you are fasting for. Have a clear purpose. Without “vision” your fast will soon “perish”. Pray to commit your fast and your reasons for fasting to the Lord when you start. Believe God for strength and endurance. Trust the Holy Spirit to help you. Substitute your usual mealtimes with Bible reading, prayer and worship. Consider focussing on a specific chapter or book of the Bible for the day, and have a notebook on hand to record your impressions. Fasting is most powerful when you do it out of DESIRE – a desire that says “shut up” to all the other appetites of your flesh, quieting down their scream for attention while you slowly tune in to the presence and voice of the One who alone can fully satisfy you. At this point, you are fasting out of desire, not by denial… So, don’t be so obsessed about what you are denying yourself, but rather become more and more obsessed with what you truly desire… An empty stomach is one thing, but an empty heart is quite another. We need to learn the art of filling the heart, and satisfying the spirit. Jesus was first tempted to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. Satan appealed to His physical need, but Jesus said something profound: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Food and other stuff of this world regularly spoils our hunger for what we really really want: The Bread of life. Think about “eating” from this menu to help your hunger: “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” – John 6:35 “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” – Job 23:12 To help your hunger, help yourself to a good dose of the Bread of Life! Do you have any “words of His mouth” to chew on today? How to fast (downloadable documents):
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Fasting
Written by Pieter Els
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