DESPERATE IN PRAYER

INCREASING HUNGER FOR GOD THROUGH FASTING

Session Five

Session Five OBJECTIVES

! See the benefits of fasting

! Clear away typical misconceptions about fasting

! Consider including fasting in your spiritual disciplines

Why don’t we FAST?

“The weakness of our hunger for God is not because He is unsavory, but because

we keep ourselves stuffed with other things.”

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison, but apple pie....The greatest

enemy of love for God is not His enemies but His gifts.”

~ John Piper

What is FASTING?

DEFINITION: Fasting is a God-appointed means to humble ourselves and turn physical hunger for food toward spiritual hunger for God.

A GOD-APPOINTED Means

Old Testament saints fasted.

Jesus fasted.

2 Chronicles 20:1-4; 2 Samuel 12:15-23; Psa 35:11-14; Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:16

Matthew 4:1

“Here is Jesus, standing on the threshold of the most important ministry in the history of the world. On

His obedience and righteousness hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without the

ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset,

this ministry be threatened with destruction--namely, the temptations of Satan to abandon the path of

lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, He is led, in the

Spirit, to fast.” ~ John Piper

A GOD-APPOINTED Means

Old Testament saints fasted.

Jesus fasted.

Jesus taught fasting.

The Early Church fasted.

2 Chronicles 20:1-4; 2 Samuel 12:15-23; Psa 35:11-14; Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:16

Matthew 4:1

Matthew 9:14-17; 6:16-18

Acts 13:2-3

To HUMBLE Ourselves

Fasting surfaces other-than-God dependencies.

“Just when my heart begins to retreat to the delicious hope of eating supper with friends at

Pizza Hut, (fasting) quietly reminds me: not tonight. It can be a devastating experience at first. Will I find communion with God sweet

enough and hope in His promises deep enough, not just to cope, but to flourish and rejoice in

Him? Or will I rationalize away my need to fast and retreat to the medication of food?”

~ John Piper

To HUMBLE Ourselves

Fasting surfaces other-than-God dependencies.

Fasting reveals a lack of discipline.

Fasting exposes weak spiritual hunger.

Toward SPIRITUAL Hunger

Fasting drives our thoughts towards God.

Fasting heightens our sensitivity to His many gifts.

Fasting prepare us for times of want.

Fasting helps us feast better.

WRONG Reasons to Fast

1. To lose weight.2. To parade self-righteousness.3. To earn God’s favor/salvation.4. To seek God’s leading if we’re ignoring clear

direction already revealed.

“O! how ugly it would be in our eyes, if we should see a beggar ask an alms, with an

intention to throw it to the dogs.” ~ John Bunyan

Practical SUGGESTIONS

1. Start small.2. Write out the plan.3. List the reasons.4. Describe the nature and duration.5. Schedule specific times for prayer.

“God is committed to rewarding those acts of the human heart that signify

human helplessness and hope in God” ~ John Piper

TAKE-AWAYS

• Consider skipping breakfast and lunch one day a week for a month.

Grunts Warriors• Consider other things (than

food) that might be distracting, and give them up along with skipping meals.