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A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Perhaps you've heard the following statement spoken by a Christian leader at some point in your Christian journey. I certainly have heard it many times through the years, yet sadly it belies a misunderstanding of God and our relationship with Him. Having a fuller understanding of the dynamics of our relationship with God yields enormous spiritual benefits. The statement you have probably heard many times:

"There is nothing you can do to make God more pleased with you than He already is with you right now."

On the surface, there is an attractive quality to this statement because it affirms so strongly the love of God, as well as the pleasure He has over Christians because of Jesus' sacrificial death. Yet, a more careful examination of the statement reveals its incompleteness. Take a look at

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

If you are anything like me, you often pray for strength. You know that you need God's power in your life. Whether facing an ordinary task or a particularly heavy burden, you probably ask God quite often for the strength to accomplish the things He has called you to do. And we can ask God for strength because He is the source of all strength and power, and He promises to give strength to His people. Psalm 10:17 reads, "O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart..." and Psalm 29:1 and 11: "Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength ... May the Lord give strength to His people!"

Now as a Christian, the source of your strength is God - and all that God promises to be for you through Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We continually

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Cambridge theologian William Inge (1860–1954) famously quipped, "all of nature is a conjugation of the verb to eat, in the active and passive." Inge's characterization of eating as an overarching touchstone suffuses narratives of family, tradition, and place with remembrances of love, loss, and celebration. Potlucks and campfire s'mores, wedding and birthday cakes, funeral and Eucharist suppers frame the ever-changing seasons of life.

Similarly, Norman Wirzba's Food & Faith: A Theology of Eating highlights the proper balance of feasting and fasting: "People should feast so they do not forget the grace and blessing of the world. People should fast so they do not degrade or hoard the good gifts of God. In short, we feast to glorify God and we fast so we do not glorify ourselves" (p. 137).

This intentional juxtaposition of feasting and fasting surfaces

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"I humbled my soul with fasting."
-King David (Psalm 69:10)

As King David implied, fasting is a time for us to humble ourselves before the Lord, whereby we can set aside all confidence that we have in our flesh and rightly confess to Him – and to ourselves – the severity of our spiritual depravity.

Upon entering this fast, we prepared for the sins hidden within us – jealousy, bitterness, anxiety, fear, and the like – to enter the forefront of our minds and hearts. As we discussed, God uses fasting to show us

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

There are a number of times in the gospels that Jesus talks about food, but often it is in ways that you might not expect. Consider three examples:

In John 6, we find a conversation Jesus had with a crowd that was following him after he multiplied fish and bread. He said to them:

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."
- John 6:33-35

According to Jesus, the Son of God

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Something about fasting causes humility to mark our walks with God and our experience before Him. We rediscover that we are created ones, subject to a Creator, and we are sinful beings prone to complain. Though we may posture and protest, our need for sustenance and grace is inescapable when we fast. Our physical needs make manifest our utter dependence in every way on the only One who satisfies our every need. This precious truth should compel us to turn to our faithful God and submit ourselves to His call to walk in holiness.

One of the most beautiful examples of humility and God’s steadfast love is the story of the prophet Hosea.

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." – Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

"Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest; the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities—they are limited only by the omnipotence of God." – E. M. Bounds

Frequent and fervent prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God. It is the natural product of genuine faith in God and His promise that He will hear and answer us. Though the practice of prayer is simple enough for a child to perform, prayer is also a complex discipline in which every Christian continues to grow and develop throughout life. Just as Jesus' disciples, we all continue to cry out "Lord, teach us to pray." It is a prayer that God loves to answer

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"Conditional grace is nearly unintelligible to many contemporary Christians who assume that unconditionality is the essence of all grace." - John Piper, Future Grace

Probably nothing hinders the Western church more than a theological misunderstanding of grace. God has poured out on humanity extraordinary unconditional grace such as the gift of life, and the offer of salvation. However, as Piper discusses at length in his book, Future Grace, more grace from God is available

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

There are moments in our lives when ultimate matters become remarkably clear. Like far-sighted eyes that suddenly receive corrective lenses, our ability to make sense of the priorities of life crystalizes, and we recognize the nuances of existence. We see the purposes for which we live and the relationship for which we were created. The Psalmist enjoyed this type of detailed clarity on the occasion of the writing of Psalm 84:

For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the
House of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

In that inspired moment, the Psalmist determined that his life's priority, regardless of the allurements surrounding him, was existence lived in the atmosphere of God's presence. He would be willing to forgo fleeting pleasures surrounding him in order to experience the glorious, fulfilling reality

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Often times when I'm seeking to encourage a fellow sinner-sufferer I ask, "What am I doing or saying that is distracting them from Jesus?" The only worthy encouragement I can ever offer comes from Jesus and the Good News. I also know that if people see me instead of Jesus, hope given will be short-lived. This has led me to wonder how I distract even myself and stray from my relationship with Him. I began thinking about the balance between enjoying God's gifts to us on earth versus indulging in them to the point of gluttony and distraction from Jesus ... like TV, coffee, spending, community, food, sleep, being healthy, working, alcohol, children, or even learning.

Where am I choosing apostasy in certain areas because it's more comfortable than being changed by the Spirit of God?

Where does my flesh dictate