January 11–Fasting?

Happy Friday and the weekend is almost here. Do you have big plans? Mine are ro make cookies for my grandkids today. In my study on prayer, I began reading on fasting. Often, when our Bible heros prayed, they prayed and fasted—they were together.When Jesus was preparing for His ministry, He went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days (a month and half!) Have you ever fasted? From anything? 


Most often we associate fasting with food, but fasting really means to go without anything and everything to make time to pray. It could be food, but it could also be abstaining from business, phone calls, emails, texts, entertainment, meetings, shopping, cooking, housework, or just talking. While in prayer, we turn to God; in fasting, we turn away from everything else. 


It’s not something we do to show God how good we are, or to make Him love us more, but to reveal how serious we are as we approach the throne of God. It’s important to notice that we are given instructions on fasting as though it’s part of our routine. Jesus expects us to fast. He told the disciples “when you fast” not IF you fast. (Matthew 6:16). It sharpens our focus on heavenly things and clears our perspective on earthly things. 


“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬


Dear Father in heaven, teach us to pray with fasting. Help us to brake our preoccupation with anything and everything except you. Open our eyes to what you’d have us to specifically abstain from in purser to commune with you more intimately. We know unless our focus is on you, we become ineffective and intimidated. You are our Shield and Defender, what a mighty God you are. We love you and praise your Name for there is no other like you. Amen and amen.


Love you dear one, 

Pam



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