Foundations Jan 20, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Nahum 1-3 and Revelation 13

SCRIPTURE READING

Matt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled
 

One of the ways we can grow in our walk with God is through fasting. Fasting helps our
hunger for God grow faster. Fasting is a call to embrace voluntary weakness in order to
experience more of God’s presence. We embrace weakness in our natural resources to
position ourselves to receive strength from the Spirit. The normal use of our strength is to
increase our own comfort, wealth and honour. By fasting we bring our natural strengths to
God as we express our love to Him and trust Him to “return” our strength back to us in a
way that transforms our heart and blesses our circumstances.
There are five main areas where we can fast:
1. Giving – Our money is a significant part of our financial and social strength. When
    we give money away to build God’s Kingdom, our resource base becomes weaker
2. Serving – In serving, we invest our time and energy in God’s purpose in others that
    could have been used to further our own interests.
3. Praying – When we invest time in prayer, we pass up opportunities to network,
    socialize, or be entertained and instead focus on spending time talking with God.
4. Forgiving (blessing enemies) – We fast our words and reputation by refusing to
    come to our own defense, we fast our social strength by not defending ourselves
    but rather blessing our enemies.
5. Food – We fast physical and mental strength by abstaining from food. There are
    many types of food fasts. You may fast one meal a day, one day or several days
    per week. Consult a doctor if you have underlying health conditions, before you
    begin to fast food.

PRAYER and MEDITATION

1. Ask God to reveal to you which one or two of the above areas He would like you to fast
    in.
2. Ask Him specifically what type of fast and for how long
3. Pray a prayer of commitment to completing this fast, ask God to give you strength to see
    it through