Fasting

“In a culture where the landscape is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches and an assortment of Pizza Temples, fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times”  (Foster, p. 47). “…Fasting is the most feared and misunderstood of all the Spiritual Disciplines….We’re afraid that it will make us suffer dreadfully and give us a generally negative experience” (Whitney, p. 159).

Foster reports that in his research he could not find a single book published on the subject of Christian fasting form 1861 to 1954 – a period of nearly 100 years. Why Has Fasting Faded From our Focus?  We would rather indulge than fast. We prefer to gratify every desire rather than exercise discipline in our bodies and souls. We tend to eat too much, and we even waste about twenty-five percent of our food every day.  “…The constant propaganda fed us today convinces us that if we do not have three large meals each day, with several snacks in between, we are o the verge of starvation” (Foster, p. 47). We do not like self-discipline and self-control. It can be uncomfortable. “Fasting is one of the disciplines of abstinence. When you abstain from something, you miss it and feel its absence.” (Johnson)

Is fasting mandatory for Christians? “Although I do not think that fasting is mandatory for believers today, I do believe the discipline is available to strengthen you spiritually and to help you overcome barriers that might keep you from living the victorious Christian life.” (Towns, p. 13) There simply are no biblical laws that command regular fasting (Foster, p. 51). However, in the context of giving and praying, Jesus gave instruction on fasting. And he said “when you fast” not “if you fast”. (Matthew 6:16) Jesus does not, though, say “you must fast”. In another text a question by the disciple of John the Baptist questions Jesus about fasting. Matthew 9:15 indicates that it is only when the bridegroom has been taken away that the disciples would fast. Jesus expected his disciples to fast after he was gone.

1. What Is Fasting?

Fasting is abstinence from food – or anything that is legitimate in and of itself -  for some spiritual purpose. “Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes” (Foster, p. 49). In Scripture it is abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. A partial fast is a restriction of diet but not total abstention. (Daniel 10:3). Absolute fasts: abstaining from food and water (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9). This fast is the exception, and should be engaged for no more than three days.

Fasting is a means of worship to God. “Fasting is not an end to itself; it is a means by which we can worship the Lord and submit ourselves in humility to Him. We don’t make God love us any more than He already does if we fast, or if we fast longer.” (Towns, p. 17) “When ye fasted…did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?” (Zechariah 7:5) Fasting must be centered on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained. (Foster, p.  54). “Fasting can be an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. That’s the case when disciplining yourself to fast means that you love God more than food, that seeking Him is more important to you than eating” (Whitney, p. 176).

2. Why Fast?

Over Indulgence. One of the major problems in our country is that we have such an abundance of everything. We are an indulged society. Jesus warns us about the dangers of living in a society such as ours. In Luke 21:34 he said, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” He was speaking to the church. What was he warning them about? Dissipation. Drunkenness. Eating and drinking more and more. 

Appetites. One of the areas of modern life in America where we have a great battle on our hands is in the area of Jesus’ Lordship over our appetites.  Every time our stomach’s growl or feel the slightest bit empty our natural reaction in our culture of plenty is to feed it.  It is not unusual for us to eat three meals a day and snack in between and after.  Obesity is a plague in our country and Christians …are often the worst offenders.  In so many ways our bellies have become our gods.  When that lord speaks or even gives the slightest whisper we rush to its aid to give immediate comfort and satisfaction.  We simply do not know how to tell our stomach’s “no, you are not lord.” (Littleton)

Gluttony. In Titus 1:12 we read that the Cretans were known as lazy gluttons. It is quite easy to practice gluttony in our society. We live in an age of gluttony. Here we can eat again and again, even in the middle of the night. And we eat even when we are not hungry. Have you ever noticed how, when you are watching a movie or television program in which people are eating, all of a sudden you will go into the kitchen to find something to eat even when you are not hungry? This is our problem, and the spiritual discipline of fasting will help us to learn and exercise the self-control we need. 

Mastery. “Fasting reveals the measure of food’s mastery over us – or television or computers or whatever we submit to again and again to conceal the weakness of our hunger for God.” (Piper, p. 20)

Priorities. Fasting helps us define and establish godly priorities. Jesus, who was the perfect example of someone with godly priorities, started his ministry with fasting. Matthew 4:1ff. We often mention that Jesus was prepared for his confrontation with the devil by his knowledge of scripture but he also prepared for it through fasting. If you knew you would be tempted by the devil for 40 days, wouldn’t you want to be well fed and prepared? When Jesus prepares to go into the wilderness toface the devil, he fasts for 40 days to prepare himself.  (Dabbs)

Spiritual Fullness. But fasting is just as much about filling up as it is about emptying. You don’t want to remain empty. You want to fill yourself up with God’s word and with prayer. You may want some time to meditate and think about God for an hour or so each day while you fast. (Dabbs)

Survival. Fasting reminds us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

3. When Should We Fast ?

On Predetermined Days. During the time of Jesus, Some Pharisees, such as the one who prayed to himself in Luke 18:12, fasted twice a week.  Mondays and Thursdays were market days and these Pharisees would also go to the market in this gloomy and miserable condition. Why do you think they did that? 

Often.  Paul was in “fastings often” (2 Corinthians 11:27).

When facing sickness and death, wars or serious disasters like long-term droughts or plagues. (Judges 20; 1 Samuel 31; Nehemiah 1; 2 Chronicles 20; Joel, 2 Samuel 12)

When needing guidance. In Acts 13 and 14 the apostles fasted and prayed for guidance before they sent out Paul. 

When preparing to serve God. Jesus fasted forty days in preparation for his ministry. 

In longing for the appearance of Jesus. Jesus prophesied that his disciples would fast in his absence. (Matthew 9:14-15)

4. Qualities of Christian Fasting

Fasting is voluntary and private.

We should fast as we are led by the Spirit of the living God, and, thus, our fasting ought not to be mechanical and Pharisaical. 

It is a means to accomplish spiritual purposes.

It trains us in self-denial, which is a key mark of a Christian. (Johnson p. P. 9)

It empties us so we become hungry for things that really matter. (Johnson, p. 9)

The discipline of abstinence teaches us to be in the world but not of the world. (Johnson, p. 9)

Negative qualities:

We should never fast in order to be seen and applauded by men. 

We ought not to appear sad and gloomy. 

Fasting is not meritorious. 

Fasting is not a way to spiritually twist God’s arm so that he will do something for you. As a spiritual discipline it can help you practically develop humility, dependence on God and a prayerful spirit as you learn to feed on Christ. (Feldman)

5. Spiritual Activities During Fasting

Bible reading. 

Confession of sins. In 1 Samuel 7:6 we read how the Israelites fasted and confessed their sins before the Lord. “We have sinned against the Lord,” they said. 

Mourning and grieving. Ezra fasted and wept for the unfaithfulness of Israel, as we read in Ezra 10:6, “Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and rank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.” There is a mourning, a grieving, because we feel that we have offended God. 

Humble ourselves. In Psalm 35:13 we read, “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.” 

Accompanied by serious prayer. We see this in Ezra 8, Psalm 35, and Acts 13. Fasting must be accompanied by worship and prayer. “Fasting is one of the best friends we can introduce to our prayer life” (Whitney, p. 166).

Should be done in the context of loving God and his people. We are to help the poor, cover the naked, practice justice and mercy, and so on, as we read in Isaiah 58. 

6. Prayer During Fasting

Sickness. We pray for those who are ill.

Revival. We read about that in Ezra 10, Nehemiah 1, and Daniel 9. 

Guidance. We should pray with fasting for guidance. The New Testament church engaged in this activity of prayer and fasting before they sent out missionaries, as we read in Acts 13 and 14. 

Deliverance. We are to fast and pray for deliverance from our enemies. Mordecai, Esther, and others fasted for seventy-two hours without eating or drinking, and God brought about great deliverance. 

The salvation of our loved ones.

7. How to Fast

Imperfectly. You don’t’ have to be Olympic-skilled. You might begin by fasting from people (solitude), conversation (silence), spending (frugality), media or using the telephone. Perhaps you’d like to experiment with abstaining from overpackaged highly processed foods, from lack of exercise (or fitness mania), or from living with an overpacked schedule. Or you may attempt a partial fast of eating no rich food, meat, or wine (Daniel 10:3). (Johnson, p. 28)

Start Small. You could start by skipping one meal or fasting for one day. You could start fasting for a night or for three days. For a one-day fast Wallis actually recommends a noon-to-noon fast, or to begin after the noon meal one day and break the fast at the noon meal the next. In that case you are actually only skipping the evening and morning meal. (Littleton) Foster suggests a progression should be observed. Begin with a partial fast of 24 hours … lunch to lunch. Drink fresh fruit juices during the fast. Do this once a week for several weeks.  Monitor the inner attitude of the heart. Break your fast with a light meal of fresh fruits and vegetables and a good deal of inner rejoicing. (p. 57) After that level, Foster suggests a 24 hour fast drinking only water. The next level is a 36 hour fast. “Three to seven days is a good time period and will probably have  a substantial impact on the course of your life.” (Foster, p. 58)

Media. It is good also to fast sometimes from the television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. 

Personal. Fasting is a personal matter between the individual and God. When you fast, you should tell only those who need to know. “For instance, I generally only let my wife know when I am going to fast so that she can pray for me. She is usually careful not to eat in front of me or to cook anything really savory while I am fasting. I suggest that you ask at least one other believer to be praying for you when you plan to fast because my own experience has taught me that it can be a powerful spiritual battleground.” (Feldman)

8. Beginning Your Fast

Physical condition. If you have any kind of physical problems, you should consult with your doctor before you begin to fast.  If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or any other physical condition that would affected by fasting, you should not begin to fast without medical advice. 

Objectives. We must pray for something, and it is good to begin with our own needs. Tell God how oblivious you are to your own sins and needs and ask him to reveal them to you. You should pray for the needs of your family and the needs of the church. You should pray for the needs of our nation and the world. 

Perseverance. Be sure to persevere in it. We are not used to fasting, and we may experience headaches or other discomforts that make us want to quit. But we should persevere as we seek God. Eat lightly before and after fasting. Eat fruits and light foods rather than heavy foods like steak. You want to ease your body into the fast and break it gradually. 

Drink. Drink lots of fluids–water and juice–during your fast. 

Repent. Repent, confess, pray, and intercede for others during the fast. 

Private. Avoid showmanship when you fast. Look normal and don’t call attention to your fasting. 

9. Benefits of Fasting. What, then, are the benefits to be gained from the practice of fasting?

Self Discipline. Fasting for spiritual purposes teaches us self-discipline. Jesus said to deny ourselves, meaning we must say “No” to the demands of our flesh. We are to say “No” to illegitimate demands as well as to certain legitimate ones. Fasting enables us to have self-discipline so that we can say “No” and make it stick. And it trains us to say “Yes” to God in terms of prayer, confession, and doing what is right. 

Dependence. Fasting helps us to understand how much we depend on God. When we stop eating, what happens? We experience pain and trouble. We may even think we are about to die. When we fast, we begin to understand that we need God to give us daily bread, and that realization should give us a little humility. We realize that we live, move, and have our being in God. 

Time. When we fast, there is more time to seek the kingdom of God . There is no cooking, no eating, and no washing of dishes. A lot of time is released so that we can really engage in spiritual activity. 

Sympathy. Fasting enables us to endure suffering and sympathize with others. As we feel pain from fasting, we can better sympathize with others who are suffering. 

Money. Fasting generates money. When we fast, we save money that would otherwise be used for food. In the second century the church used such money for the relief of the poor. 

Alertness. Fasting contributes to spiritual and mental alertness. When we fast, our minds and perception get sharper because we are focusing less on temporal things and more on eternal realities. We are not rushing through our prayer. We are really thinking things through. Our souls become more alert. 

Earnestness. Through fasting we are telling God that we are earnest in our prayer. Fasting signals earnestness and urgency. Prove yourself by serious fasting and prayer, and see whether or not God will help you. Fasting demonstrates our earnestness, urgency, and diligence. 

Self-Examination. Fasting enables us to perform true self-examination. We are a generation that is steeped in the philosophy of self-esteem. We dislike the concept of sin and are always whitewashing ourselves. But when we fast and pray, God shows us in increasing degrees our own corruption. And when that happens, we are enabled to confess and forsake our sins.

Conclusion: Do you have a mild case of fasting-phobia? We think about missing a meal or two for the sake of becoming more like Jesus and we get anxious. And yet we willingly miss meals sometimes while shopping, working, recreating, or otherwise occupied. (Whitney, p. 179)

Resources:

Dabbs, Matt. Class outline at http://www.nwcoc.org/LifeGroups/L031807.pdf

Feldman, Adam. http://adamfeldman.typepad.com/adamfeldman/2007/08/spiritual-disci.html

Johnson, Jan. Simplicity and fasting: Spiritual Disciplines Bible Studies, InterVarsity Press.

Littleton, Paul. http://middlekid.typepad.com/paul/2007/08/spiritual-disci.html

Mathew, P. G. notes located at  http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/1997/Fasting.html

Piper, John. A Hunger For God.

Towns, Elmer L. Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough, Regal Books, 1996.

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life.

Prayer 2

In our last lesson on Prayer we talked about some obstacles to prayer, where we learn to pray, some postures for prayer and the Bible’s instruction to be devoted to prayer.  “As with any relationship, our relationship with God must be cultivated … the reason that we are spiritually dry is, among other things, because we do not spend quality time in prayer. Yet, we sometimes feel too spiritually dry to pray, and so it goes” (Walston). In this lesson we want to learn about various kinds of prayer – which will give us powerful tools to keep our prayer life from becoming dull or boring. In his paper, Ric Walston mentions four kinds of prayer: petitionary, intercessory, thanksgiving, and warfare. These prayer types focus on content. We will also look at some prayer types that relate to format.

1. Petitionary Prayer. This is a formal request.  “It is a solemn supplication or request to a superior authority; in
  the case of prayer, that superior authority is God” (Walston). James 4:2.

2. Intercessory Prayer.  An “earnest request in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of
  another” (Walston). John 17:15-21. 

3. Thanksgiving Prayer. This is “giving thanks to God for (1) who He is and (2) for what he has done on our behalf”  (Walston). Two examples. First, Exodus 15:1-13, 18 – the song of Moses and the Israelites who rejoiced after crossing the Red Sea on dry land. Second,  Luke 1:46-55 – the prayer of Mary who expresses thanks for God’s favor in choosing her to bear the Messiah.

4. Warfare Prayer. “Warfare prayer is the kind of ‘prayer’ in which we wage war against an enemy. It is prayer that is undertaken to destroy our undermine the strength of the devil…We engage in warfare prayer every time we pray for the souls of others” (Walston).  2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:11-18

5. Breath Prayer (Calhoun, p. 205-206). “God is the oxygen of our soul, and we need to breathe him in all day long” Breath prayer has been practiced in the church for millennia. The eastern Orthodox Church in particular has seen breath prayer as a way of living out Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing.” The “Jesus Prayer” is a breath prayer described in The Way of the Pilgrim:

Take a seat in solitude and silence. Bend your head, close your eyes and breathing softly, in your imagination, look into your own heart. Let your mind, or rather, your thoughts flow from your head down to your heart and say, while breathing: “Lord Jesus Christ, have   mercy on me.” Whisper these words gently or say them in your mind. Discard all other thoughts. Be serene, persevering and repeat them over and over again.

Breath prayer is to be a living breathing rhythm of surrender. It is a constant reminder of the one in whose presence you stand. Often the rhythm involves breathing in with a name of God, and out with the desire of your heart. The breath prayer can be any phrase that expresses a deep desire of your heart … brief enough to be repeated over and over throughout the day. Examples:

• Abba… I belong to you.
• Healer… speak the word and I shall be healed.
• Shepherd … bring home my lost son. 
• Holy One …. Keep me true.
• Lord … here I am.    Jesus … have mercy on me.

6. Centering Prayer (Calhoun, p. 207). Centering prayer is a form of contemplative prayer where the pray-er seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires in the still center of Christ’s presence. Centering prayer is an ancient form of prayer that joined meditation on a word of Scripture with prayer. Centering prayer leads us to sit in the presence of God and give him our undivided love and attention. Generally the only words that are spoken in centering prayer are the prayer words that continually bring our drifting attention back to God. The prayer word is simple, such as Jesus, love, peace, father, or a phrase from Scripture. In Centering prayer the goal is to so dwell in Christ that the fruit of this dwelling begins to show up in your life. Centering prayer may ‘do” nothing at the moment. You sense no   rapture, no mystical bliss. But later as you move out into the busyness of life, you begin to   notice that something has shifted. Your quiet center in Christ holds. 

A short method for Centering Prayer:

• Set aside a minimum of 15 minutes. Set a timer if that helps you be less concerned about when to stop.
• Settle into a comfortable position.
• Intentionally place yourself in the presence of God, in the center of his love.
• Choose a simple word, phrase or verse from Scripture that expresses your desire for God (e.g. love, peace, grace, Jesus, great Shepherd). Let this word guard your attention.
• Take time to become quiet. It is not unusual for the first minutes to be filled with many noisy thoughts. Don’t worry about them or pay attention to them. Let them go. Gently return your attention to the Center of God’s presence and love by repeating your word.
• Use your imagination – God gave you the ability!

Imagine God’s river of life running through you. Deep down, the river is calm and slow. But on the surface there is rushing and debris. Imagine your distracting thoughts are a part of the debris floating in the current. Don’t try to capture these thoughts; release them and let the river of God’s life carry them away.

• As you are resting in God’s love, trust  the Holy Spirit to connect you with God.
• Take several minutes to come out of prayer. Don’t hurry. Offer yourself to God for the tasks awaiting you (e.g., “I am yours,” or “Remain with me”)

7. Take A Prayer Walk (Whitney, p. 84-85). One of the most common struggles in the practice of spirituality is maintaining mental focus in prayer. Walking as we pray  – either in a large place indoors or outdoors – keeps the mind from wandering as easily. Bring a small Bible to prompt prayer periodically during the walk. Abraham’s son Isaac is an example from Scripture of walking while thinking on the things of God. Genesis 24:63 reports, “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field.”

George Muller wrote, “I find it very beneficial to my health to walk thus for meditation before breakfast, and … generally take out a New Testament … and I find that I can profitably spend my time in the open air. I used to consider the time spent in walking a   loss, but now I find it very profitable, not only to my body, but also to my soul … for … I   speak to my father … about the things that He has brought before me in His precious   Word.”

8. Use Prayer Prompts (Whitney, p. 91-92). Whitney says: Beside a highway that I travel several times each week sits a big sign that’s hard to ignore. Whenever I notice it, I use it as a reminder to pray for a particular person. At another point along that road is a panoramic view of my city. I use the sight to remind me to ask the Lord for reformation and revival upon his work in our area. Whenever I see a certain time on a digital clock, it’s a memory-jogger to pray for my wife and daughter.  These are things use to remind one to pray.

Christians have always used commonplace things as ways to turn their thoughts heavenward. When dressing in the morning, many Puritans made a habit of praying briefly for a different matter with each article of clothing they pulled on. I know several believers who pray whenever they hear a siren. Philippians 1:3-4.

Why not transform something from your routine into a prayer prompt? A sight, a smell, sound, thought, event, or experience. You might also use common objects … or even religious objects –  crosses, prayer beads, etc. as aids … but they should never be considered as having power other than as a reminder. Praying with beads is an ancient practice that can be individualized.

Example of using beads to pray. In the set described there is a metal cross, a large bead, 4 medium beads with seven small beads between each. Here is the suggested rhythm of prayer usign this particular set:

• Cross: Lord’s Prayer
• Large Bead: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight
• 4 medium beads – The Jesus Prayer – Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Have Mercy on Me
• 7 Small beads – Prayers of Praise
• 7 Small beads – Intercessory prayers
• 7 Small Beads – Confessions and Requests
• 7 Small Beads – Prayers of Thanksgiving

I also read of a bead set that had twelve larger beads and the others were smaller. For each of the twelve beads one could pray through the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Conclusion: Conforming Prayer  (Foster). “I determined to learn to pray so that my experience conformed to the words of Jesus rather than try to make his words conform to my impoverished experience.” Prayer is not about receiving everything we want. Prayer is about living within His will and kingdom. We should speak freely and ask with abandon for those blessings we desire. At the same time we should not expect a blank check in order to receive everything.

In some paradoxical way the Christian is to express his heart’s desire to the Father and at the same time temper his requests into alignment with the known will of God. Remember as we deal with expectations in prayer that it is perhaps on our end of the stick that mistakes or misjudgments are being made….not on God’s.

One of our key prayer goals is to so align ourselves with God that we are praying in the Spirit and our desires flow within Kingdom streams. James 4: 3“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Our prayers are to be aligned with His will, which we understand by reading His word. Meditation on the Scriptures is an essential part of our prayer life. In such a way we might even ask God what we should pray for.  “When I bring specific people in my church by name to God during times of intercession and petition, instead of simply rattling off the various things that I know that he or she needs, I take the time to wait on God, asking Him to tell me what to pray for concerning them.” (Walston)

A prayer from Anselm

O Lord Our God, Grant Us Grace
To Desire You With Our Whole Heart,
That so Desiring We May Seek And Find You,
And So Finding You, May Love You,
And Loving You, May Hate Those Sins
From Which You Have Redeemed Us
– Anselm (1033 – 1109)

Homework

Idea from www.opensourcespirituality.org.za :

During the week set aside specific time to spend in prayer. You may only feel ready to spend 10 mins, 4 times during the week., or you may want to spend 30 mins, 3 times a day, every day, it’s up to you. Remember don’t try to run a marathon unless you are fit enough, and have been training for a long time. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you.

Think about using these Bible readings and pray in response to what they evoke in you. Again, you may use them in any order you want, and spend as long as you need on each one:

READING                         FOCUS
Matthew 6: 5-15             The pattern of prayer.
Psalm 103                        The prayer of worship.
Psalm 51                          The prayer of repentance.
Psalm 150                       The prayer of thanksgiving.
Matthew 26: 36-46       The prayer of guidance.
James 5: 13-18              The prayer of faith.
Mark 9: 14-29 The prayer of command.

References

- Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

- www.opensourcespirituality.org.za below

- Walston, Ric. A Study of the Balance Between the Spiritual Disciplines as Works and Righteousness  with a Special Look At The Discipline of Prayer. From a 1997 D. Min. term paper. E-mail Ric to  see the entire paper: CES@ColumbiaSeminary.edu.

- Whitney, Donald S.  Simplify Your Spiritual Life.

Prayer 1

“Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father.” (Foster, p. 33)  We all struggle with prayer. Well, I mean we struggle with a certain kind of prayer. Richard Foster writes, “All who have walked with God have viewed prayer as the main business of their lives…pray was no little habit tacked onto the periphery of their lives; it was their lives.” Foster also writes, “God always meets us where we  are and slowly moves us along into deeper things.”. Prayer is fascinating … intriguing … mysterious … simple … elusive … effective.  In what way has prayer been your friend … and in what way has it been a stranger?

1. OBSTACLES TO PRAYER (www.jwipn.com)

A. Conscious unconfessed sins. Ps. 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” Isa. 59:1-2 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear” 

B. Idolatry – occult involvement (Ezek.14:3 “Son of man these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them enquire of Me at all?”)

C. A Stingy and covetous Spirit. Prov. 21:13 “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered” 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”

D. Unbelief and doubt (James 1:6-8 “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does”) 

E. Unforgiveness and bitterness (Matt.6:14-15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”)

F. A wrong attitude towards your spouse (1 Pet.3:7 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”)

G. Haughtiness/Pride (James 4:6 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”)

H. Selfish motives in prayer (James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”)

I. A critical spirit. Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” Romans 14:10  “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat”.

J. Ingratitude (1 Thess.5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”)

K. Love for the world and worldliness (1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”)

L. When you do not pray in Jesus’ Name (John 14:14 “You may ask me for anything in my Name, and I will do it.”)

M. When you do not pray according to the will of God (1 John 5:14 “This is the assurance we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”)

2. LEARNING TO PRAY (“Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1) (Whitney, pp. 70-77)

A.  Prayer is a learning process.  “No matter how weak or strong your prayer life is right now, you can learn to grow even stronger.” 

B. We learn to pray by Praying. “Reading a book about prayer, listening to lectures and talking about it is very good, but it won’t teach you to pray. You get nothing without exercise, without practice. I might listen for a year to a professor of music playing the most beautiful music, but that won’t teach me to play an instrument.” (Andrew Murray)

C. We learn to pray by Meditating on Scripture. There should be a smooth, almost unnoticeable transition between Scripture input and Prayer output so that we move even closer to God in those moments. This happens when there is the link of meditation in between. Psalm 19:14. Meditation allows us to take what God has said to us and think deeply on it, digest it, and then speak to God about it in meaningful prayer. Matthew Henry said about Psalm 19:14, “David’s prayers were not his words only, but his meditations; as meditation is the best preparation for prayer, so prayer is the best
   issue of meditation. Meditation and prayer go together.” 

D. We learn to pray by Praying with Others. Most of the great movements of God can be traced to a small group of people He called together to begin praying. 

E. We learn to pray by reading about prayer. We would not want this to take the place of prayer, but it is a valuable way to learn.

3. POSTURES FOR PRAYER (Calhoun, p. 276-277)

A. Stand – standing is a way of honoring the presence of another and giving him or her your full attention. Stand before the majesty of God. (1 Kings 19:11; Mark 11:25; Gen. 18:22)

B. Outstretched Arms – Lifting up our arms or hands pulls our awareness toward heaven. It is a posture that opens the core of our body toward God. (Psalm 141:2; Psalm 63:4; Psalm 77:2; 1 Timothy 2:8)

C. Uplifted Eyes – looking up to heaven with open eyes draws our attention above earthly realities to eternal things. We are not along. God is watching us. (Psalm 123:1-2; Mark 7:34; Mark 6:41; John 17:1)

D.  Kneeling – Kneeling is a way we express humility and reverence. (1 kings 8:54; Acts 9:40; Daniel 6:10; Mark 1:40)

E. Prostrate – lying face down or bowing low to the earth reminds us that we were created from dust and to dust we will return. It is a posture of submission and obedient worship. (Genesis 17:3; Exodus 4:31; Neh 8;6; 2 Chron 20:18; Luke 5:12; Luke 8;47; Psalm 72:11; Psalm 66:4)

4. BE DEVOTED TO PRAYER

(Colossians 4:2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let  your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to  answer everyone.)

A. A person devoted to prayer becomes more of what God calls him to be.  Likewise, a church full of people devoted to prayer will bring about massive regime change from self to Lord. Right after Paul tells us to devote ourselves to prayer…to be watchful and thankful, he begins to turn us inside out.

B. Prayer leads us outward. Why? It leads us Godward. Whenever we grow toward God we grow toward the lost. “…Pray…that God may open a door for our message…”  We cannot ascend in godliness without also ascending in awareness of those around us who need Jesus – and our ardent desire to see them saved. “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly…” The Spirit-filled Apostle Paul asking for prayer like this? His heart is evident. Whatever opportunity is before him, he would like to clearly tell them about Jesus. It is never far from his mind.

C. Prayer changes the way we view people, and also the way we talk to them. Watch for opportunities to speak grace into the lives of sinners.  Get some grace on your lips! How? By devoting yourself to prayer. You cannot pray without realizing that you are talking to someone who should have squashed you like a bothersome gnat – and could have – but chose instead to love you. Grace.  Prayer will turn us inside out because…

*It shifts focus from ourselves to our God.

*It bends our hearts toward His Will, above our own.

*It begins to adopt the ways and thoughts of God.

*It drives us to look for ways to share the Good News with those who need it.

*It washes our mouth out with gospel soap and gives us words of grace to bless and encourage.

PRAYER: Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humouring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.
 O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you. Sweetest lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.  And O God, while you are Jesus my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each one of your sick. Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and forevermore, Amen.  Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Homework Assignment

In your journal, write prayers this week. Some Suggestions…. 

      * Lord, a sin I have not openly confessed to you is…. 

      *Father, please forgive me of idolatry. Here are some things I put before you on a regular basis… 

      *God, there’s something I have been selfish about … I want you to hear how I feel about it.

Also, read the prayer by Theresa of Calcutta. What are your reflections on this prayer.

Finally, as you pray these prayers to God, try some of the prayer postures and see if they touch your heart.