This was one of my favorite shows and was cancelled before it should have been. But that is not why I titled this blog that way.  In small group last night we talked about the lost practice of fasting in preparation for One Prayer. Here are some points from the outline:

General Scripture References: Ezra 8:21-23 and Philippians 3:12-21  

Definition:  Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food (or other significant thing) for spiritual purposes.

Eight Types of Biblical Fasting:

1. Normal Fast (Luke 4:2) No food but allowed to drink
2. Partial Fast (Daniel 1:12)
3. Complete or Absolute Fast (Ezra 10:6, Acts 9:9) No food or drink
4. Supernatural Fast (Deuteronomy 9:9, I Kings 19:8)
5. Private Fast (Matthew 6:16-18)
6. Congregational Fast (Joel 2:15-16)
7. National Fast (II Chronicles. 20:3, Nehemiah 9:1)
8. Regular Fast (Leviticus 16:29-31)

Eight Purposes of Fasting:

1. To strengthen our prayer life.
2. To seek God’s guidance.
3. To express grief.
4. To humble yourself.
5. To seek deliverance.
6. To express our love and worship to God.
7. To express concern for the work of God.         
8. To overcome temptation.

I have gone on two very significant fast in my life but clearly the hardest was fasting television for 30 days. The remote control withdrawal was unbearable.  You might think I am joking but seriously TV can have a pretty strong hold on our lives and breaking that hold was not easy. The other was a 30 day fast where I only drank water. I did add lemon juice to my water after day 15 or so because I could no longer stand the taste of water. As Matthew 6:16-18 says that I am not to share this for worldly praise and I am not. It was great to be able to share these first hand experiences with the group tonight and know, without a doubt, that God responds to fasting.

As we set aside Tuesdays as our day to fast with the over 1200 churches I am trusting God will do some ridiculous stuff here in Weston and around the world.