Transcript Fasting for Spiritual Growth

Fasting for
Spiritual
Growth
Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit…
Philippians 2:3 (NIV)
“Jesus did not say that your fast is
invalid if others find out. He’s
talking about your motive for
fasting… Don’t fast so that others
will know. Do what you can to keep
it between the two of you. But if
others find out, your heart motive is
not any less pure.”
~ Jim Luthy
What Is Fasting?
Fasting is going without
something, typically food, for a
specified time in order to
devote oneself more fully to
God.
“The dieter says: ‘Sweets are
bad; I cannot have them ever.’
The faster says: ‘Sweets are
good; (but) I will not take
them now.’”
~ Father Robert Farrar Capon
“Right fasting is meant to
give up something – food,
media, relationships, others –
for the sake of something
better.”
~ Daniel Villa
“I believe the power of fasting
as it relates to prayer is the
spiritual atomic bomb that our
Lord has given us to destroy the
strongholds of evil and usher in
a great revival and spiritual
harvest around the world.”
~ Bill Bright
“Fasting is the most powerful
spiritual discipline of all the
Christian disciplines.
Through fasting and prayer,
the Holy Spirit can transform
your life.”
~ Bill Bright
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting is a
Biblical and
Time-Tested
Spiritual Practice
One day the disciples of
John the Baptist came to
Jesus and asked him, “Why
do we and the Pharisees
fast, but your disciples don’t
fast?”
Matthew 9:14 (NLT)
“Should the wedding guests
mourn while celebrating
with the groom? Someday
he will be taken from them,
and then they will fast.”
Matthew 9:15 (NLT)
“And when you fast, don’t
make it obvious, as the
hypocrites do, who try to
look pale and disheveled so
people will admire them for
their fasting.”
Matthew 6:16 (NLT)
“Fasting has a long spiritual
pedigree, not as a lifeless
tradition, but as a lifebreathing spiritual
discipline.”
~ Robert G. Johnson, Jr.
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting Helps Us
Keep Balance in
our Lives
You may say, “I am allowed to
do anything.” But I reply, “Not
everything is good for you.”
And even though “I am
allowed to do anything,” I must
not become a slave to anything.
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NLT)
“We give up food to feast on
God. We fast from our
physical desires in order to
satisfy our cravings for God.”
~ Daniel Villa
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting Prepares
Us to Hear from
God
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting adds
Passion to your
Prayer
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting
expresses
repentance and
brings renewal
“I put on sackcloth and
humbled myself with fasting.”
Psalm 35.13 (NIV)
I gave orders for all of us to
fast and humble ourselves
before our God.
Ezra 8.21 (NLT)
Then if my people who are called
by my name will humble
themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked
ways, I will hear from heaven and
will forgive their sins and heal
their land.
2 Chronicles 7.14 (NLT)
“Fasting combined with
prayer opens the flood gates
to spiritual renewal, vitality,
and the ability to live the
Christian lifestyle.”
~ Dr. Bryan Fink
“Is not the neglect of this
plain duty one general
occasion of deadness among
Christians? Can any one
willingly neglect it, and be
guiltless?”
~ John Wesley
Why Should I Fast?
Fasting Leads to
Maturity and
Effectiveness
What Kinds of Fasting
Are There?
WATER-ONLY FAST
ABSOLUTE FAST
PARTIAL FAST
JUICE FAST
SUNDOWN FAST
IDOLS FAST
When Should I Fast?
When You Need a
Spiritual
Breakthrough
When Should I Fast?
When You are
Facing a Challenge
When Should I Fast?
When a Social
Need Arises
When Should I Fast?
When You Need to
Express Deep
Repentance
How Do I Fast?
First, determine
your purpose for
fasting
How Do I Fast?
Secondly,
determine the
type and length of
the fast
How Do I Fast?
Third, use your
times of fasting to
be with God
Fasting for
Spiritual
Growth