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Please chose which is best for you at this time in your study on fasting- either a 24 hr or a 36 hr fast. Please look over the guidelines from previous weeks if you have any questions regarding the specifics of these types of fasts and how to prepare for them. For those of you continuing with a 36hr fast again this week you will need to prepare yourself well for a 40 hr fast next week. We will talk further about that in next week’s outline. Forty hours will be the longest fast in our study and will only occur during the last two weeks of this study.

This week we will be focused around the idea of spiritual disciplines in general, why we study and participate in them, and what we are supposed to/can get out of them. Our reading this week will come from the book “Conformed to His Image” by Kenneth Boa. At the end of the chapter are several questions that I would like you to answer in your journal this week. They will help us focus on the importance of the disciplines, how we normally respond to the idea of them, and how we can better study and participate in them.

I hope this reading and this focus for the week helps us remember why we chose to do these spiritual disciplines together and helps encourage us regarding their importance and what we can learn from God. I hope you are enjoying meaningful prayer time during this study about fasting and the things you want to learn from it or the ways you want to learn more about God and Jesus through it.

Also, spend some time in meditation during your fasting time this week (maybe 30 min or longer if you can). Sit quietly and reflect on what you thought of the study before beginning it, what you feel you have learned or gained so far, and what you hope to still learn about it or ways to grow in it- even if you don’t expect to learn all of those things or grow well in all of those ways by the time this particular study is over. Also, just be quiet and listen to God as well. You can journal about this time when you have finished.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the book we will read from this week:

“The disciplines of the faith are never ends in themselves but means to the end of knowing, loving, and trusting God. As we implement them in a consistent way, we cultivate holy habits. As these habits grow, they guide our behavior and character in such a way that it becomes more natural for us to live out our new identities in Christ. Our daily choices shape our habits, and our habits shape our character. Our character in turn guides the decisions we make in times of stress, temptation, and adversity. In this way, the godly actions of maturing believers are outward displays of increasing inner beauty.” Kenneth Boa

God bless your week and your fasting time!

Please begin your fasting time this week by reading all of Matthew chapter 6. Especially take to heart during this time the parts focused on fasting, not doing things to be seen by others, your personal relationship with God, worry and anxiety, and the promises God made to provide us with all we need.

Then, after reading, spend time in prayer thanking God for all that you were given that day. Be specific about the ways you felt very blessed or taken care of that day. Ask for God’s strength as you are beginning your fast and for Him to watch over you as you go through your fast this week. Go ahead and thank Him for the food you know will be waiting for you, probably anything you want it to be and in abundance, when you will break your fast. Talk with him about the time/goal you are setting this week for your fast. Hopefully this reading and prayer time will help you feel spiritually ready to begin your fast.

This week you may choose which is better for you at this time: a 24 hr or a 36 hr fast. It is more important that we continue to grow in our desire to learn something, our desire to pray to God and to listen for Him, and our desire to best experience the fast for ourself and our relationship with God. If this study is not what you had hoped it to be yet and you feel forcing or pushing through a 36 hr fast is not the most beneficial at this time for you, then please go back to a 24 hr fast if you feel that would be better for you this week.

My hope in the beginning had been for us to continually be increasing and getting used to longer and longer fasts. However, it is also good for us to review how we are doing in the study, which we did last week, and to see what we want to continue with. It is more important that each person continue in a way that is best for them in their growing relationship with God, and personal experience with fasting, than to force something that is not as helpful and is only being done for the sake of doing it that way. I don’t want anyone to worry about which type of fast they do this week. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to try a longer fast next week.

There will also be another reading attached to the email from the book “God’s Chosen Fast” by Arthur Wallis (pgs 21-31). We have read from this book before. This week we will be focused on what God has to say about fasting; why we do it and when we do it. The first chapter is also focused some on Matthew chapter 6.

Lastly, for your journal time this week I will ask that you write in your journal one time every day. This could be best to do right before bed. I will ask that you pick one major topic in your life (can be something that is important for someone else in their life but, is also close to your heart to pray about for them) and you journal about that topic, why you picked it, and what you want to pray about regarding it. Think about this topic, pray about it, and journal about it each day of this week. Especially spend some time thinking about it and praying about it during your fasting time. See if God reveals anything to you about it this week or if you feel guided in some way by Him.

I hope and pray your week and your time of fasting is blessed!

I hope you are all getting better at and enjoying your time of fasting each week! This week our length of time will increase. I will ask that you prepare yourself mentally, spiritually, and physically on Monday for a 38 hour fast. This means your fast will begin at the same time, after Monday’s dinner, and last until breakfast on Wednesday. Please know that you do not have to increase your amount of dinner on Monday night to sustain you even longer. With a 36-38 hr fast you should still be able to eat a normal dinner and break it with a normal breakfast on Wednesday. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to prepare for, begin, and end fasts. Large amounts of meats, cheeses, grease, etc. can cause problems as mentioned before. It will be important that you pay attention to how you are feeling and if at any time you feel too weak or dizzy you should have a small glass of juice and then see how you feel.

This week our focus will be more outward than before. Last week we prepared ourselves by looking inward and seeing how we can empty ourselves more and humble ourselves before God so that we may better hear him and better be in-tune with our Holy Spirit. I pray that focus has continued for you even outside of fasting. This week we will focus more on those around us who have needs we can help meet. Whether this actually occurs during your time of fasting or another day of the week does not matter. The point this week is to be listening for God to guide you to help another person in need. This requires being aware of those around you in need and being in tune with your Spirit. Your help can be in the way of food, clothing, time, service project, etc. I look forward to seeing how this goes for all of us. The gesture doesn’t have to be grand. An important point is that we are spending time disciplining ourselves to listen to God and to see those around us and see their needs and how we might can help them.

Our readings this week will be from the following: (have your Bible with you and also read the scriptures suggested with the below readings)
- An excerpt from Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline.”
- A blog I recently discovered: http://www.watersedge.tv/disciplines_fastingfrugality.htm. (The excerpts from this website are already pasted below).

Fasting: Finding Food That Is Out of This World
What is fasting for?
The primary purpose of this practice is for focusing on God. Early on in this practice, the pangs of hunger may serve as reminders to focus our hearts on God. As we develop in this practice, fasting will result in an increasing spiritual sensitivity. We will be more “tuned in” to the Spirit’s leading. We will be more aware of our own inner condition. We will be more aware of the needs of others.
When Jesus was fasting in the desert he was tempted to turn stones into loaves of bread, but he said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Another time, Jesus’ disciples urged Jesus to eat some food (here, Jesus was not said to be fasting), he responded, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work” (John 4:32,34). In abstaining from food and/or drink, we discover an alternative source of strength.
If you recall, one reason for practicing spiritual disciplines is to eliminate the things that keep us from experiencing the fullness of life in God. Through this practice of abstaining from food and/or drink, God can break our bondage to satisfying ourselves. Fasting reveals the things that control us.
From time to time, I unintentionally fast from eating chocolate (it is unintentional because there is just none around!). When I finish a meal, I enjoy a small bit of chocolate. But when there is no chocolate, I realize how much I am imprisoned by it. This is not an example of a discipline, but it is, nonetheless, very revealing.
Fasting will, however, reveal much more than our dependence on food. As we focus on the character and presence of God instead of food, our character will be revealed to us. We will have a heightened spiritual awareness not only of God, but of our own hearts. As Richard Foster writes, “Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear-if they are within us, they will surface during fasting.” This is a benefit to us because with these things revealed, they can also be addressed.
What isn’t fasting for?
Fasting is not commanded. Jesus said, “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16). As with any discipline, there is the danger to turn it into law (as the story in the beginning of this section illustrates). But we must not make it so. As Paul said, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). That said, it is, nevertheless, assumed to be a normal part of the life of the disciple.
Fasting is not for impressing others. Jesus essentially said, “When you fast, don’t make a big show of it.” If you fast, it does not make you superior to others. In fact, if you think yourself better than others because of it, that will only display your spiritual poverty.
Fasting is not magic. The teaching of some may imply that fasting can be used to influence God to act. We do not go on hunger strikes to force God’s hand-that is an attempt to manipulate God. Neither do we need to make extravagant pleas to move Him to action (Consider the parable of widow and judge in Luke 18:2-8; also Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:7-8 and 7:7-12). Fasting is not to try to get God to change his mind, but to help us “see more clearly” what God is doing.

How do we fast?
1) Keep your focus. As you begin the practice of fasting it will be important to keep reminding yourself of the purpose of fasting. Your body will argue (grumbling, weakness, headaches), but don’t let those things distract you from your goal. Allow them to serve as reminders to pray or to be still before God.

2) Start out small. Take baby steps into it by fasting one or two meals, one day a week. Then you may increase that as is appropriate (allow me to direct you to Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline. His chapter on fasting has some very practical guidance).

3) Meditate on Jesus’ teaching and practice of fasting along with related Scriptures. Read Matthew 4:1-11, 6:16-18, 9:15; John 4:42-34; Luke 12:22-34; Phil 3:19; Rom 16:17-18; 1 Cor 6:12-13). (Please read these during the week as well)

Resources on Fasting:
Richard Foster, “Celebration of Discipline”
David R. Smith, “Fasting: A Neglected Discipline”

Service: Downward Mobility in an Upwardly Mobile World

Jesus taught that the way up is to go down. He taught his first disciples that the secret to becoming great is to become the servant of all. He illustrated his teaching by putting on the dress of a lowly house servant, and washed the grimy feet of his students.
Service is not merely a spiritual discipline-it is a way of orienting one’s entire life. However, practicing service as a discipline will help in directing that orientation.
The discipline of service frees us from resentment. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). In service we learn the secret that our significance is found in God.
There is no hierarchy of values in service. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Whose service is more valuable: a preacher or the woman changing diapers in the nursery? When the woman changing diapers discovers her service is equally pleasing to God, her resentment vanishes.
The discipline of service frees us from the need to be in control. Richard Foster wrote, “When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge.” How foreign this idea is to us! We live in a culture that celebrates self-determination.

Here are some guidelines for the practice of Service as a discipline:
1) Begin with a right orientation before God. Examine your heart and ask yourself if you are doing it to please God or to please people? Whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.
2) Whenever possible do your service in relative secrecy. Do not use deception to conceal your service, and don’t be bothered if someone finds out.
3) Pay attention to your desires for recognition, appreciation, and admiration. Humility is about taking your mind off yourself and focusing on God. Meditate on Jesus words in Matthew 6:1-4.
4) Keep yourself open to serve anyone who you meet. Don’t force yourself on someone, but don’t refuse anyone any good deed.
5) Identify with people of low position. Look at people through God’s eyes as someone who is in need just like you. Dallas Willard encourages us to see ourselves as “a particularly lively piece of clay who, as (a) servant of God, happens to be here and now with the ability to do this good and needful thing for that other bit of clay there.”

Suggestions for your first (36 hour) Fast (internet source for this particular length of fast)

* On a weeknight of your choice, consume a vegetarian meal as your final meal. Popcorn is a good final snack to have before the fast. Consuming meat or dairy as the final meal will complicate the fasting process due to the high content of protein and possibly dangerous substances like sodium nitrate. (can cause headaches later on in a fast this long)

* On the morning after your first full day without food, enjoy a healthy vegetarian “break” fast. Again, you may be surprised to find that by the 36 hour point you are no longer hungry and you will have increased energy. For this reason you may decide to go longer periods as you gain experience with fasting.

References: The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants by Doris Kindersley, A practical reference guide to over 550 Key Herbs & their Medicinal Uses.

“Similarly, fasting is peculiarly suited to glorify God in this way. It is fundamentally an offering of emptiness to God in hope. It is a sacrifice of need and hunger. It says, by its very nature, ‘Father, I am empty, but you are full. I am hungry, but you are the Bread of Heaven. I am thirsty, but you are the Fountain of Life. I am weak, but you are strong. I am poor, but you are rich. I am foolish, but you are wise. I am broken, but you are whole. I am dying, but your steadfast love is better than life (Psalm 63:3).’” A Hunger for God by John Piper

Our fast this week will be the same length of time as the previous two weeks. Next week our fast will be longer so, this week you should prepare to remember the ways and times in which you struggled most so you can guard yourself better and better to fight the temptations.

We will spend time during this fast giving thanks for the many ways in which we are blessed by God, both spiritually and physically. We will be trying to capture a better posture of humility and thankfulness. We are abundantly blessed by God and it is good for us to take time to reflect and to thank him (not saying that you don’t already regularly do this). Doing this while fasting will help us have clearer minds, be less distracted and be more focused on God, our spirit and the things that come to mind as we spend time reflecting.

1. On Monday after dinner (any time in the evening before bed) take some quiet time for yourself and make a list in your journal of all the ways you were blessed by God in that day. Be specific when you can be. Then, spend time in prayer thanking him for all of those things and people. Also pray for your focus and strength during your fast.
2. On Tuesday, for breakfast, spend time writing in your journal about the ways God has blessed you over the past three months. Spend some time in prayer about these things and give thanks to God. Read Psalm 33
3. For lunch on Tuesday do the same journal exercise as above but for the past year. Spend more time in prayer about these things and praising him. Read Psalm 34
4. After dinner on Tuesday, anytime before or at bedtime, spend time thinking about and thanking God for the gift of Jesus and the blessing he is to us. Spend some time reflecting over his life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection. Then spend time in prayer thanking God for him. Read the passage(s) of your choosing from the life, death, and/or resurrection of Jesus. You can journal about anything that comes to mind and about your readings and why you chose them.

Hopefully by dinner on Tuesday we will feel even more humbled by, thankful for, and aware of the many ways God has blessed us over the last day, last three months, and last year. Get excited about your dinner on Tuesday; be thankful for it and tell God; praise him for all that he provides us with. Something I enjoyed from our reading last week was to take your hunger and let it first be a reminder to hunger for God. Seek him first, pray to him first, recognize that He is our source of life, then give thanks for your food and enjoy it. It comes from Him and it is good!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph 1:3

“3 [God] humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:3-18

“St. Augustine once said that God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them. If our hands are full, they are full of the things to which we are addicted. And not only our hands, but also our hearts, minds and attention are clogged with addiction. Our addictions fill up the spaces within us, spaces where grace might flow…The spiritual significance of addiction is not just that we lose freedom through attachment to things, but that we try to fulfill our longing for God through objects of attachment.” Gerald May “Soul Feast” by Marjorie J. Thompson

Fasting Week #2 – “Self-Emptying”

This week our focus will be around the theme of “self-emptying.” Our fast from food will be the same length of time as last week- a 24 hour fast from Monday’s dinner until dinner on Tuesday. Please drink water only during this time. Please remember the cautions and instructions from last week.

Reading: Our reading this week will come from a book Mitch shared with me called “Soul Feast, An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life” by Marjorie J. Thompson. It has a lot of important things to say about fasting and self-emptying and how the two help us move into a better relationship with God. An important point for this week is that when we give up something for a while we see better how God provides for us and we are that much more thankful for all that we have. Also, as we empty ourselves we get rid of some of the distractions and worries in our lives. We then can be better in-tune with the presence of God in our lives.

Journal Entry #2:
1. What are your general ideas and reactions to the ideas of fasting and self-emptying? What do they mean to you? Did something stand out to you in this week’s reading?
2. What are your motives behind wanting to study and participate in the discipline of fasting? What do you think good motives are?
3. What was your experience with the abstinence from some of our regular activities? (ex: music) What did you experience during your time of silence before God?

Focus on Self-Emptying:
Throughout the entire day of Tuesday we will practice “self-emptying” along with our fast from food. This part will not be broken until Wednesday morning (although we will eat dinner Tuesday evening) when we begin a new day. Take a look at your life and at the things you do each day that fill you up and even distract you from being filled with God. These things may not be intentionally meant to distract from God and His grace, peace, answers, and guidance but, they can do so nonetheless. We will give some of these up for a day while we are fasting so that we can better commune with God and listen to His Spirit working in us and guiding us.
1. Please give up TV, movies, music, computer time for play, and reading for pleasure (can read a book about spiritual disciplines and/or fasting) for the day. As is stated in our reading: “The discipline of abstinence is to learn rightly to enjoy God’s gifts. We need disciplines of abstinence because we have come to relate to food, drink, money, recognition, and many other things in life not as lovely gifts to be enjoyed in moderation and gratitude, but as objects of consumption to fill emotional voids.” (You can work from your computer as you need to but, try to not spend the whole day doing so).
2. Try not to have something scheduled every hour of the day but have some time for quiet, reflection, reading, meditation, and/or prayer. The point is to not try to fill up your day with things simply to distract from your hunger and time of fast. You can carry on with your work and time with people as you like and need to.
3. Spend at least 15 (I suggest 30 if you can) minutes in silence before God. Empty yourself of worry, of thoughts and distractions, of noise around you and simply sit and listen for God or focus on His peace within you. Try not to spend time thinking too much or talking to God. Let Him do the talking. You can do this more than once during this week to continue with our focus. That is up to you and your schedule. Please do not try to do it right before or at bedtime on Tuesday evening, especially if you are very tired. Do it during a time of the day when you are alert but also have some time to relax. Sitting up in a comfortable position may be better than laying down. We pray you enjoy this week’s focus and time of fasting!

This week we began our study on the spiritual discipline of fasting. We have chosen Tuesdays as the day we will practice this discipline together each week. We began this past Tuesday with a 24 hour fast and we will over the next eight weeks slowly extend the amount of time we spend fasting. We will at times accompany our fasts with another focus or discipline (such as prayer, service, etc). This week we spent focused time in prayer. Below you can read about the different things we brought before God in prayer. We also spent time reading on this subject from two different books- “Celebration Of Discipline” by Richard Foster and “God’s Chosen Fast” by Arthur Wallis. We invite any of you who have interest to share in this study and time with us. We will try to update our blog each Sunday with what we will be doing the next Tuesday so that you can participate with us if you would like to. Also, please feel free to share with us your thoughts and experiences on this subject.

The following is an outline of what we did to prepare for this past Tuesday.

Monday: Prepare to eat dinner around 6pm and having no desserts or snacks afterward. Drink only water after dinner, which will begin your 24 hour fast. We will break our fast with dinner on Tuesday around the same time. Your dinner, or any last meal, before beginning a fast should not contain a lot of fat or grease. One book cautions against over-eating and eating meals containing a lot of fat or grease before beginning a fast. It states that it can make you feel worse during the fast. Also, because your digestion will slow during your fast (from not eating anything to stimulate it) the heavy meal may not end up being digested properly.

Tuesday: Continue to drink only water throughout the fast but, if at any time you do not feel well (dizzy, too weak, headache), you can have a glass of juice. It is best to drink freshly squeezed or bottled 100% juice (with as little added sugar and preservatives as possible) and the best types during a normal 24 hour type fast are: Pear, multivitamin, pineapple, and banana (also some berry types but not cherry). Grapefruit, orange, and apple should be avoided as they can cause increased stomach acid and indigestion. Also, when drinking juice or water during a fast it is said that room temperature drinks cause less cramping and indigestion than cold drinks. If you feel ill and/or chilled during the fast it is recommended to warm your juice or make a small cup of warm (but not hot) herbal tea, with no sugar or anything added, to help with nausea and chills. It is important you be informed about some of these things just in case you become ill during this time or in the future when we will fast for a little longer than 24 hours. The dinner you break your fast with on Tuesday should also not be too heavy with grease or fat.

Journal: During this eight week study together we will each keep a journal on Tuesdays. For those of us here in Olomouc we will share together each week a little from our journals.

Questions/Considerations for this weeks journal:
1. What do you think about the readings? Learn anything new from them? Have any questions after reading them?
2. Record any prayer requests/thoughts/themes that came to mind during time of fasting.
3. Journal about anything else you want to- struggles or temptations physically during this time, how you handled them, what helped…

Prayer time:
1. For breakfast on Tuesday spend some time praying about this study and what we can all learn from it and how we can grow spiritually through it. Pray for yourself and any of the ways you want to improve personally and to grow with God.
2. For lunch pray for God’s work here in Olomouc (or whatever city you live in), that His Kingdom grows and that we can be a part of that. Pray for our relationships and growth as a team, and for our growing relationships with all the people we know here in Olomouc (or with your family and friends in the city where you live). Also, pray for the other churches we know in our community, in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia.
3. At dinner give thanks for all God provides us with. Spend some time praising Him!