1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will … Read More

18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to … Read More

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.”  –John 10:27 Chief among the reasons to fast is hear from God more clearly.  By setting aside normal patterns and by consistently saying “No” to our appetites, we find a clearer channel to the voice of God when we fast. Hearing God’s voice means that I must … Read More

“Your kingdom come, your will be done.”  –Matthew 6:10 The kingdom of God is the central element of Jesus’ teaching and finds its way here into the prayer he taught his disciples to say.  For us, during this time extended prayer and fasting, we are leaning ourselves toward the coming of God’s kingdom and all that means.  The arrival of … Read More

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  –John 1:17 As you have entered into this fast, you may have wondered if we are headed down the path of legalism.  Perhaps you have been tempted to look at other believers who are not fasting as you are as less spiritual.  Maybe you’ve been in … Read More

21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious … Read More

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  –Luke 9:23At the age of 14, a mentor of mine gave me a book called The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who left a comfortable job as a professor in … Read More

“It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  –Matthew 4:4 These words spoken by Jesus to the devil during his time of testing in the wilderness get to the heart of where we are going collectively in the fast.  In essence, by giving up food and other … Read More

“Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.”  –Matthew 6:33 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  –Romans 14:17 Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter and provides the vital spiritual quest for everyone following him … Read More

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  –Matthew 5:6 We fill our lives with so much that we think will fill us up, but in the end, it’s not nourishing.  Like a steady diet of donuts and Coke, we realize that none of the the things we look to “fill” us on the … Read More