Lent

40 Days of Fasting

February 14 - March 30

“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:16-18

What is fasting?

“Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God. Christian fasting is not only the spontaneous effect of superior satisfaction in God, it is also a chosen weapon against every force in the world that would take that satisfaction away.” - John Piper, A Hunger for God

Fasting establishes a God-centered living.

Fasting reveals what controls us.

Fasting will confirm our dependence of God.

The Spiritual Purpose of Fasting According to God's Word:

Strengthening prayer
- Ezra 8:23; Joel 2:13; Acts 13:3
Seeking God's guidance
- Judges 20:26; Acts 14:23
Expressing grief
- 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:11-12
Seeking deliverance or protection
- 2 Chronicles 20:3-4; Ezra 8:21-23

Expressing repentance & returning to God
- 1 Samuel 7:6; Jonah 3:5-8
Humbling oneself before God
- 1 Kings 21:27-29; Psalm 35:13
Expressing love & worship to God
- Luke 2:37

From Donald Whitney

From Philip Nation's Habits for Holiness

Jesus calls us to fast. Consider fasting during Lent to grow closer to God. If you have never done a fast before, start small. Fast from something other than food, like social media, TV, or reading certain types of books. Consider how your fast will affect other people in your family, or even fast with your family and encourage one another in your faith!

Resources

Use these resources to help guide you through this fast. It's our prayer that God would reveal himself to you like never before & that you will come out of this fast with a sense of His anointing on your life.