God is not moved by political correctness; He’s moved when His people humble themselves with fasting and prayer to seek His face. Here’s how to do more than just talk about fasting. The book of Joel begins with a description of a land so desolate even the palm tree has withered. He describes a severe …
I heard a story about a couple in Southern California who lived in the foothills of the mountains. One day as they were hiking through a canyon, they noticed wild mushrooms growing everywhere. They decided to pick the mushrooms and take them home. They invited some friends over for a “mushroom party.” No, they didn’t …
How a short season of self-denial will restore lasting passion for God in your life One Sunday morning before our church service, I received a text from a passionate man of God who used to be our youth pastor at Free Chapel in Georgia. He had since relocated to Kentucky to pastor a church that was …
What is fasting? Since there are so many misconceptions about it, I first want to clarify what fasting—biblical fasting—is not. Fasting is not merely going without food for a period of time. That is dieting—maybe even starving—but fasting it is not. Nor is fasting something done only by fanatics. I really want to drive that …
During the years that Jesus walked this
earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the principles of the kingdom
of God, principles that conflict with those of this world. In the Beatitudes,
specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to
live as a child of God. That pattern addressed three specific duties of a
Christian: giving, praying and fasting.
Jesus said, “When you give” and “When you pray” and “When you fast.” He
made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of
Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as is devoted to
giving and to praying.
1. Preach to YourselfWhen God has asked me to do something that seems impossible for me, I have to preach to myself to defeat the fear and uncertainty that try to control me. 2. Don’t Quit In a relationship? In business? In reaching your personal goals? Will you give in to fear of failure and …
Every year our entire congregation at Free Chapel participates in a 21-day fast. The reason we fast corporately at the beginning of the year is based on principles that have been adapted from Bob Rogers’ book, 101 Reasons to Fast. There are three reasons starting the year with a fast is a good practice. First, …
