We hear that phrase often enough. But do we heed the imperative?
We should praise God at all times. Praise Him in the morning, the evening, and just around suppertime, right?
Do we praise God when we feel low? When we've been wronged, or when we've done wrong? Or do we only praise God when good comes our way or we feel on top of our game? God should be praised no matter what else is going on in your life.
40DFL provides numerous opportunities for me to sit back and marvel anew at the glories God has gained for us.
The efforts put forth by such a multitude of people cause me to marvel.
The peace I feel in prayer causes me to marvel.
The kindness of strangers causes me to marvel.
God is so dear, so precious, like a child. That's how God came into the world: as a little miracle of cellular activity, forming the tiniest peep of a heart.
Did you know that God's heart was once the size of a single grain of sand, pulsing with a love greater than all the encompassed universe?
Isn't that marvelous?
I look forward to fasting with all of you. I look forward to praising God with all of you. I look forward to all the marvels that God has in store for us.
September 17, 2010
September 15, 2010
40 Days is fast upon us
So the question no longer is, “Do I need to fast?’ but rather “How long should I fast?’ and ‘How should I fast?’ There are three types of fasts found in Scripture. There is an absolute fast. With this type of fast, you don’t have any food or water. Esther called the Jews to this type of fast before she approached the King about Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews. (Esther 4-7) This type of fast should only be done with the approval of your doctor and with supervision.
A normal fast is when you go without any food for a length of time. Depending on the length of the fast, you can choose to add juice or broth to your water intake for more energy. We know that Paul fasted for three days and fourteen days. Peter fasted three days. These may have been normal fasts.
We know that Daniel did a partial fast twice. The first was ten days (Daniel 1). Daniel and his three friends did not eat the choice meats and sweets from the king’s table. They had only vegetables and water. Daniel did a second fast (Daniel 10), where once again he ate no sweets, no meat and no wine for three weeks. During this time he prayed. After the three weeks, his prayer was answered by an angel. There will be more information on the Daniel fast next time.
As you can see, the length of the fasts varied. There is no right or wrong length of time. Start with a fast from the time you get up until sunset or bedtime. Remember, the intent of the fast is what is important. Without prayer and reading the Bible, a fast is really just a low-cal diet.
The purpose of fasting with the 40 Days for Life vigil is to combine fasting with prayer to better focus on God. Think about how much time you can focus on God if you spend your lunch and dinner times praying instead of eating. Embrace this opportunity to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life.
Franklin, Jentezen. “Fasting.” Charisma House, 2008. Chapter 3.
A normal fast is when you go without any food for a length of time. Depending on the length of the fast, you can choose to add juice or broth to your water intake for more energy. We know that Paul fasted for three days and fourteen days. Peter fasted three days. These may have been normal fasts.
We know that Daniel did a partial fast twice. The first was ten days (Daniel 1). Daniel and his three friends did not eat the choice meats and sweets from the king’s table. They had only vegetables and water. Daniel did a second fast (Daniel 10), where once again he ate no sweets, no meat and no wine for three weeks. During this time he prayed. After the three weeks, his prayer was answered by an angel. There will be more information on the Daniel fast next time.
As you can see, the length of the fasts varied. There is no right or wrong length of time. Start with a fast from the time you get up until sunset or bedtime. Remember, the intent of the fast is what is important. Without prayer and reading the Bible, a fast is really just a low-cal diet.
The purpose of fasting with the 40 Days for Life vigil is to combine fasting with prayer to better focus on God. Think about how much time you can focus on God if you spend your lunch and dinner times praying instead of eating. Embrace this opportunity to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life.
Franklin, Jentezen. “Fasting.” Charisma House, 2008. Chapter 3.
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