Rewards of Fasting

Fasting. It sounds difficult. Fasting every week. That sounds impossible! Our society considers hunger among the worst of fates, but God calls fasting part of basic Christianity. Hunger for God is not foreign to anyone who loves Jesus-it is an ache within that makes us desperate. What may be new to some people is that fasting is an avenue God has chosen to answer our hunger and to fuel our experience of Him. Fasting is essential because it answers our cry for more of God. In order to respond to God's invitation to fast, we must first discover the truth about this grace and discipline, including the joys of embracing voluntary weakness, the amazing benefits of a fasted lifestyle, and the dangers to avoid along the way. This journey of fasting intensifies our experience of God's heart, increases our encounter of Jesus as the Bridegroom, and equips us to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit in the severe times in which we live. Fasting is not something we can neglect or avoid-but something we must embrace wholeheartedly.