Stop Fasting-8 Biblical Reasons

People fast for many different reasons. Some fast before a medical appointment, some fast because it is part of their diet plan, and others fast to refocus their body, mind and spirit on God. I am not addressing dietary or medical fast at all, they are effective and I have done them before. People need to stop fasting if you are doing it for the wrong motive. I wrote earlier about 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast, but now I also want to address what a Biblical fast is not.

8 things a Biblical fast is NOT:

1) A time to look sad, mean, and destitute. Matt. 6:16
2) A time to look for attention and rewards from people. Matt. 6:16
3) A time for you to showcase & boast in your deep spirituality. Luke 18:12
4) A time to seek your own pleasure. Isaiah 58:3
5) A time to argue, quarrel, and fight. Isaiah 58:3
6) A time to hide your self from the poor and needy. Isaiah 58:7
7) A time to twist God's arm to do what you want outside of his will. Acts 23:12,14
8) A time to manipulate God to overlook sin. Jeremiah 14:10,12

Fasting is an external act that is driven by the motives in your heart. Those motives must be laced with spirtual ends in mind. With fasting you may lose a few pounds and lose the taste for twinkies; however, if those are the initial motives you will miss out on the heart transformation that can come from fasting. To make a further disctinction, a biblical fast is often accompanied with prayer, confession, & Bible meditation (Neh 9:1-3; Acts 13:2-3). Fasting along with these things creates a recipe for spiritual transformation.

I met a person that got so busy at work that he missed lunch. Feeling the hunger pains, he then decided to take his act of missing lunch, wrap it up in spiritual fasting clothes, and offer it to God as a sacrifice. Wow! God can not be played for a fool? Keep in mind that the act of fasting and the physical byproducts it may produce are only means; the end should be to have your eyes fixed on God and to glorify your father which is in heaven. Most people fast because they want to move God but he is not the one that is stuck. Fasting is not to move God closer to you, but rather to move your heart closer to God. Happy fasting!

Read: 21 Day Prayer and Fast for basic instructions for a fast.

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21 Day Prayer and Fast

Blow the trumpet! For the month of January (Jan 7th- Jan 27th) we are consecrating a church wide prayer and fast. 21 Days! The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". It means to set apart for a special purpose. We are taking ourselves, our time, our appetites and dedicating them for HIS special purpose. Read below:
Joel 2-15,16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber."
Notice in Joel that everyone participated young and old. So to some varied degree please have everyone in your family participate. This is a great tool to emphasize a Christ centered home.

Instructions:

1) Determine why you are fasting
-Read: 27 Biblical Reasons to Fast.
-Let your "Why" determine your "What".

2) Choose how you will fast.
-The Daniel Fast is a great way to start fasting. It is based out of Daniel 10, basically a vegetarian diet (no fried foods, just grilled and steamed) + brown rice + water. Click here for more details: Daniel fast. If you choose to skip a meal or some other fast, just be sure it is depriving your body of your normal eating and be consistent during the 21 days. If you have a medical condition please consult your doctor first.
-Along with food are there any other things you need to abstain from during this fast? It is a good time to do an inventory of your life and let go of any habits that have a tendency to distract you from focusing on God.


3) Choose your time for personal prayer, solitude (alone time), and journaling.
-More information on spending time with God through Bible Reading can be found here: Spending Time with God-Bible Experience. We will be reading a chapter a day in the Psalms and Matthew during the Bible Experience.
-More information on journaling can be found here: Journaling-Five Things.
-More informaion on the importance of solitude and secrecy can be found here: The Secret Place

4) Choose to get on a women's and men's prayer call in the mornings.
-Gather together with people you know and get a conference number from Freeconferencecall.com
For Church Ablaze:
-Women-Monday and Friday morning at 6am-7am..Led by Lisa Hill and others
-Men-Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6am-7am..Led by Jonathan Hill and others.
NUMBER: 218-339-4600 CODE: 881607#

Let's start our year off together. Pounding heaven with our prayers. Remember we are not trying to get God's attention we are molding our hearts closer to His.

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Spending Time with God-Bible Experience (BibleX)

Spending time with God is so important. Some people just say God understands I just don't have time to spend with him exclusively. I would argue that you don't have time not to. Spending time with God is the source of life as a Christian. John 15 is clear that unless we abide in the vine we will not live fruitful lives.

The Bible Experience is a tool to facilitate prayer, Bible reading, and journaling as you fellowship with God. The Bible Experience is a unique opportunity for you to draw close to the author of the Bible. The Bible is a collection of books that have been inspired by God and left for us as a tool to get to know Him and be transformed in the process. On this journey we will read through select books of the Old and New Testaments two chapters a day, five days week, taking Saturday and Sunday off as days to rest and worship with the church.

This experience is a steady pace of reading that will allow you to soak in the Word of God and apply what you have read to your life. We are not trying to read through the entire Bible in a certain amount of time, rather we are developing a repeatable and reproducible pattern that will help you read the Bible for life. As in any relationships knowing God takes time together. If you are just beginning, 20 minutes a day is a good way to start. Find a quiet place and a workable time when you can regularly be alone. Then…

Pray (5 minutes) Talk from the heart about the things that matter most to you. You might follow the well-known pattern of
“ACTS”
-Adoration: “Lord, I’m amazed by Your
-Confession: “Lord, I was wrong when I…”
-Thanksgiving:”Lord, I’m grateful for…”
-Supplication: “Lord, I need…”

Read (10 minutes) Follow the Bible Experience reading Guide, read one or two chapters a day.(5 days a week)

Journal (5 minutes) After you’ve read your chapter go back and ask, “what is God saying to me?” In just two or three sentences write what you are hearing.

Join in and experience a more intimate fellowship with God. If you would like a bookmark mailed to you every two months please email: info@churchablaze.tv Leave us your name and mailing address.

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Health Scare-Having Joy in Trials-End of 30 Day Negativity Fast

Congratulations! Yesterday you finished 30 days of Feasting on Gratitude and Fasting from Negativity. What a journey!
During this 30 days my family had one of the biggest health scares ever. My wife had the worst asthma flare up she has ever had in her life. Along with that, a speculative diagnosis of bronchitis and pneumonia. If that wasn't enough, they found a spot on her lung and we had to go through a series of test to determine what it was. So how are you suppose to stay negative free in the middle of a bombardment of negative doctor reports? That is where the challenge came in. Immediately fear and worry began to hover over my wife. All of the thoughts of "what might happen" and "what could be" began to flood her mind. The physical symptoms associated with fear, worry, and anxiety are amazingly real. Each time we took a test there was this agonizing waiting game that drove us to our knees. Each time we got a report back that was inconclusive, disappointment would wrestle for our affections. Here are ten things I learned on this 30 day journey.

1. It is a minute by minute battle to combat negative words and thoughts.
2. You can not tame your tongue you must tend to the condition of your heart
3. The only way to get your heart right is to allow the forgiving and cleansing power of Jesus' sacrifice to cleanse it properly.
4. Filling your heart with the Word of God smothers the negative thoughts and leaves them powerless.
5. You really can address negative circumstances in a hopeful way. I learned to say "let me rephrase that" alot over the last 30 days.
6. The greatest challenge to stay positive is often with the people you are closest to. (i.e. marriage, family, friends, and coworkers)
7. Discouragement is real and leads to other things like: Fear, dismay, feelings of abandonment, sadness, forgetting what God has said, terror, weakness, disobedience out of fear, resignation, doubt, intimidatation, dread, and you begin to believe lies about you.
8. Encouragement is real too. We have the power to put courage in our hearts and other's hearts through our words and through the Word of God.
9. God has given us a wonderful tool in our words and we can create an atmosphere of peace and life or turmoil and death.
10. That joy is a choice that takes courage to choose.

Hourly my wife and I had to confess the word of God out of our mouths to overcome the fear. She wrote out things from the word of God that she believes were promises from God in regards to her circumstance and would confess them throughout the day. She started journaling her prayers daily, stating truly how she felt but also stating truly who she was trusting in. We would pray together often and when we got done she would feel strong and fit for the task of believing in the face of this trial. However, an hour later the same negative feelings would begin to hover again. We realized that prayer is not a one stop shop and that we needed to pray and confess the word continually through this trial (See below for some scriptures). We learned that no matter what the circumstance is it all falls under the heading "Trial of your Faith", James 1:2-4. We took time to remember times in our past when God was faithful and brought us through. We enlisted several friends and family to pray for us and to be an encouragement for us.

After plenty of time, money, three different scans, shots and antibiotics we got a report back that the spot on her lungs was benign and there was nothing to be concerned about. They didn't even bother to call us or set up an appointment to tell us; they just sent a letter. In essence the spot had nothing to do with all of the other bronchial symptoms she was experiencing. This was great news! The greatest thing for us was that the Sunday before we got the results back we made our confession before the entire church that no matter what the doctors report said we would be standing with our faith in God and not in the outcome. So this entire exercise was a strengthening of our faith muscles and also an opportunity for my wife and I to increase our spiritual intimacy. My wife and I have a new appreciation for those that struggle with anxiety, but we also got a renewal in the importance of feasting on faith-filled words. God showed us how to "count it all joy" even when the circumstances look bleak. We were turning over rocks searching for joy during this 30 day challenge. We found a joy that is not rooted in our circumstance but is anchored in God and his promises that can shine bright even in the face of the toughest trials. Truly the joy of the Lord became our strength. We have lessons to carry with us and to pass on to others that we will never forget. Part of this trial was expressed in this message: "Feasting on Faith-filled Words"
Download here: "Feasting on Faith-filled Words"
Play at Sermon Network here: "Feasting on Faith-filled words"

I'm sure you have had a testimony similar to ours. Let's take all of our lessons into this new year and live a lifestyle of feasting on gratitude and starving negatitivy.

Here are a few passages of scripture to carry you through trials with joy:
Phil. 4:13; Isaiah 40:29; Psalms 119:28; Eph 6:10; Isaiah 40:31; II Cor. 12:9-10; Psalms 46:1; Neh. 8:10; Psalms 28:7-8; James 1:2-4; Psalms 118:17; Prov. 3:5-6; II Sam. 22:33; II Tim 1:7; I John 4:18

Past Post:
-Read about A Broken Record-Murmuring
-Get your free Fast and Feast Poster
-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty-5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about The Anatomy of the Mouth a hidden component.
-Read about Fast to Feast-30 Day Challenge
-Read about 15 Viable Reasons to join this campaign.

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A Broken Record-Murmuring: 30 Day Negativity Fast

When I was younger my parents bought my brother and I a record player to play our children's stories and songs. We had one record which was a dramatization of the Popeye cartoon. The only thing I can remember from the story are these words, "Oil and Blubber..Oil and Blubber..Oil and Blubber.." There was a scratch on the record and whenever the needle would get to that point it would always get stuck until we bumped the record player or picked up the needle. This nagging repetition that happens with a scratched record reminds me of the term called murmuring.
As you continue our 30 day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast I hope you are becoming aware of times you find your self murmuring and learn how to give yourself a bump.

According to Strong's Concordance the word murmur is translated in the bible to mean:  to stop (usually over night); by implication to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain): - abide (all night), continue, dwell, endure, grudge, be left, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), (make to) murmur, remain, tarry (all night, that night).

Murmuring is a spot that you get stuck on and dwell for a long period of time with no resolution. Here are five ways to give your self a "bump" when you are stuck in a rut of murmuring.

1. Begin to count your blessing naming them one by one. I Thes. 5:18
2. Remember God's faithfulness to you in the past. Psalms 78:35, Jonah 2:7
3. Release yourself from unhealthy comparison with others. II Cor. 10:12
4. Instead of rehearsing the problem come up with three potential solutions. Prov. 25:2
5. If you are a believer realize you have a responsibility to shine as a lights in a fallen world and you can't do that well stuck in a rut of murmuring. Please read the following passage in it's entirety:

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings, so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you shine as lights in the world," Phil. 2:14-15

I have had to catch my self several times on this Negativity fast and intentionally choose gratitude. I don't want to be known for what I complained about but for what I did to fix the situation. Choosing to fast from murmuring will change your life! Keep going on this journey and invite your friends.

Listen to a message I shared on the subject called "The right way to Complain"
Download to your favorite player here
Listen to all of the Church Ablaze podcast here


-Get your free Fast & Feast Poster
-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below: Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email

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Free Poster-30 Day Negativity Fast & Gratitude Feast

We are half way there on Day 15 of our 30 day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast. What better way to stay motivated, than with a visual reminder. I have attached a link below so you can download a high resolution pdf to print and put up as a reminder.

Click here: 11x17 High resolution poster.

Try and go as many days as you can negative free. If you blow it just get up and try again.

-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below: Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email

Don't forget to check your email to verify subscription.

Overcoming the Flesh by Lisa Hill

Matthew 26: 41 "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Okay, I am not sure about all of you that have taken up the 30 Day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast, but I have never found the above mentioned scripture to be so true. I am so much more aware of what is coming out of my mouth. I have mentioned in my blog before, that by nature, I tend to be pessimistic. The first thing I notice in a situation is the wrong and not the right. But even knowing that about myself, I have been a bit surprised at how quickly negative or death filled words slip out of my mouth.
With that being said, I thank God that there is always an answer in His word. He says to, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." Every morning I know that if I am going to succeed at speaking words of life (Prov 18:21), planting trees of life in my children's hearts (Prov 15:4), speaking pleasant words that bring healing (Prov 16:24), speaking soft answers that turn away wrath (Prov 15:1), and if I will open my mouth with wisdom and have the law of kindness on my tongue (Prov 31: 26), I need the Lord's strength and encouragement. I need to watch for those same ol' situations that bring out the worst in me and stop and pray and ask the Lord to help me to respond differently. I need to stop frustration in it's tracks by asking the Lord for the wisdom I need to be a life-giver in the midst of my testing. Is it really that simple......yes! Over and over again accessing the Lord - that's what being an overcomer is.
The second part of the verse says, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." I am so glad that the Lord knows me. He did say in His word, that in the flesh dwells no good thing. So really, I should not be surprised when those negative and death filled words come to my mind and desire to roll right off my tongue. But the good news is that I do not live after the flesh any longer. As I was reminded this weekend by Kay Arthur: we live and walk by faith in the power of God working in us. We don't owe the flesh anything (Romans 8:12)!
So if any of y'all out there are like me and finding that you needed this fast a little more than you had thought, take heart. Know that your Father in heaven, knows what you have need of. He knows your frame. He made you. Be mindful of the times, situations, and people that tend to steal all your kind words away (smile) and pray. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for His strength to overcome the flesh and access the power of His spirit to become a life-giver! It is He that works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure!!!

Written by: Lisa Hill (my lovely wife and mother of our 6 children)

-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below: Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email

Don't forget to check your email to verify subscription.