Fasting Brings Favor
Nehemiah 1:3 – 1:11, Nehemiah 2:8

One of the most encouraging aspects of fasting is inviting God’s favor into our lives. We desperately need God’s favor – in our relationships, our future, our finances, just to name a few. We also need God’s favor because there are times when life’s circumstances are out of our control. The results can be tragic when we are hit with an unforeseen difficulty. Although we may not be able to control our situation, we can dictate our response to them.

A great example in the Bible of why we need favor is Nehemiah. Nehemiah was confronted with catastrophic news and was desperate for God to intervene.

“Things are not going well for those who returned. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

This news was shocking, but Nehemiah’s righteous response would garner favor from God, which would bend the will of an enemy king and change the course of Israel’s history. What did he do? Nehemiah fasted and prayed, believing that God’s favor can turn around even the most hopeless situations!

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of Heaven.” (v.4)

His prayer was simple:

“Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (v.11)

His faith was profound, and God went above and beyond all Nehemiah asked.

God gave Nehemiah supernatural favor with the king. God took a king opposed to Israel and turned his heart to be gracious to them. A seemingly impossible situation was turned around by God’s favor through prayer and fasting.

Be encouraged today that no matter what situation you may be facing, God can turn it around by imparting His favor on your life. As we are fasting and praying, we can be confident that God is on the move in our lives and is more than able to do the impossible in our situation!

God Will Answer!
Isaiah 58:9-12

Isn’t it a great feeling when you call or shoot a text to a friend, a parent, or a spouse and they text you back or answer your call in the very moment you most need it? That feeling is even greater when you know you can rely on that friend, parent, or spouse to answer your call or text every single time.

In our walk with the Lord, we have the opportunity to faithfully call upon God and see Him answer our prayers. And when we pray, we can always approach Him with the confidence that He will answer.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to show us that we can boldly and confidently approach God with our prayers every day, stating, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ (Isaiah 58:9)” It is God’s desire to answer our prayers! God loves and cares for His people, and He responds with “Here I am” when we pray! This means there is never a time when you call out to God and your words just bounce off the ceiling and back to you. Our ever-present God is right there when you call out to Him.

Along with that promise, Isaiah continues to say, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11). This means that not only does God answer us when we pray, but He also continues to guide and strengthen us as we pray. When we lift our voices to God, He refreshes our souls and leaves us satisfied. 

We read in the New Testament how Jesus confirms the fact that we can pray with confidence. He promises us this, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

Today you can pray in confidence knowing God will answer.

He is faithful to His word and always holds true to His promises.

So, no matter what is on your heart or weighs heavy on your mind, pray in confidence with a faith-filled expectation, knowing that God will answer!

More Than We Can Ask, Think, or Imagine
Ephesians 3:20

One of the most encouraging and exciting verses found in the New Testament is Ephesians 3:20.

Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,…”

Imagination is a powerful thing. I’m sure we can all remember a time when our imaginations ran wild, and it seemed like anything was possible. A recent study said that the average person spends two hours a day lost in thought or imagining. That might not seem like a significant amount of time, but over the course of a year that adds up to just over 30 days.

Now go ahead and tap into your two-hour daily average of imagining and think about how different your life would be if you trusted God beyond what you could even ask or imagine. Think about it. What would your life look like if you fully trusted God without any hesitation, non-stop, around the clock for the entirety of a month?

This is what Paul is encouraging the church in Ephesus with, and the same truth challenges us today.

God wants you to tell Him your hearts desires, to trust Him with your greatest dreams, to pray the most audacious prayers, and still expect Him to do more. He is the God of more, the God of abundance, the God of increase, the God of greater. He is able to do more than can be measured. He defies our limitations of understanding, exceeding what can be quantified or qualified. That’s who our God is. That is the God we pray to.

That means the most incredible scenario you could dream up in your mind, He’s able to do more. When you are in a situation that you can’t imagine seeing a way out of, He’s able to do more. When you don’t even know how to ask the right question, He is able to do more. When you have exhausted all resources and energy trying to create a better outcome, He is able to do more. Our God is able to do even greater than what is coming to your mind at this very moment. He is the God of greater things.

The question to ask isn’t if He can do greater things. The question is do you believe He is able to do more than any of us could ever ask or imagine?
We serve an unlimited God, so let’s believe, pray, and live like that today.

Hunger and Thirst
Matthew 5 & 6

Growing up, you probably heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.”

Although I never turned into a Snickers candy bar when I was younger, the premise and intent of this statement from my parents were accurate. What you take in will be reflected by what you become. The things you consume have an altering effect on you. This principle is true in so many areas of life.

And in the same way, this principle is also true: you crave what you consume.

Cravings exist because of a constant or continual satisfaction found in what is consumed.

At various points in this fast, you most likely will experience some sort of physical craving.

But did you ever pause to think that you only crave the things that your body is already accustomed to consuming?

To be honest, I never struggle with cravings for spinach and cabbage on a 21 Day Fast.

French fries? You bet.

Pizza? Absolutely.

Kale? Not so much.

Why? Because you only crave what you’ve previously consumed.

Now that I have your stomach growling, let me encourage you with some spiritual nourishment.

There are so many benefits to a season of fasting and prayer. Fasting helps us reset our discipline with what we consume…a detox of sorts.

It’s a detox to our physical bodies from all that we typically feed ourselves, and even more important is the detox to our spiritual lives.

But one of the powerful things you need to also understand about fasting is that you are not only detoxing, but you are also developing an appetite for things that are even better.

Fasting cultivates a greater craving for the Kingdom, a greater longing and desire to draw closer to the Lord and linger in His presence.

And here is the great thing about developing a holy hunger – Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”[KU4] 

As you spend time in the presence of the Lord, fasting and praying, you are going to be blessed and nourished. Your stomach may feel empty at times, but your spirit isn’t. There is a spiritual feeding and fueling that is taking place, and with that comes a filling and satisfaction for your soul. And Jesus promises in the very next chapter that whenever you begin to develop Kingdom cravings, the Lord will take care of the rest.

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

This means that the daily focus and needs of our lives will be provided as we pursue God’s priorities, when we make His matters the only thing on our menu. The serious needs that are on your prayer list are taken care of when the things on God’s list are taken seriously.

So be encouraged today to keep developing a spiritual appetite and craving for more of God, knowing that the Lord will provide as you hunger and thirst after the things of His kingdom.

Beginning with Gratitude
Psalm 100:4, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 143:5, Psalm 77:11

There’s nothing quite like a strong start. Whether it’s an Olympic runner out of the starting blocks, taking a new position at your workplace, or the kickoff to a new semester of school – a strong start is very important. The same is true for us when it comes to fasting and prayer. A strong start to these three weeks of seeking the Lord is powerful and important.

But where and how do we start? Praise.

That’s right…praise.

Beyond the dietary plans and schedule adjustments, I want to encourage you to start strong by starting with praise. 

The psalmist says,“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:4).

In essence, the entry point into God’s presence is praise.

Praise is the key that unlocks the door to Heaven.

Praise propels us out of our present and into His presence.

Praise is where breakthrough begins.

Praise is powerful!

Often when we approach God, we quickly move right to our list of needs and requests, while failing to recognize that we have missed the one thing that will always strengthen our faith and bring us into the place we so desperately need. We need the presence of the Lord much more than we need provision from the Lord, and praise is the very thing that makes this possible.

And the amazing thing is, the book of Psalms doesn’t just tell us the power and importance of praise, but it also gives us multiple reminders of what to be thankful for.

Psalm 107:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

Our God is worthy of praise because of His unending goodness and everlasting love! The expressions of God’s love toward us come without an expiration date!

Psalm 143:5 – “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.”

Our God is worthy of praise because of all He has crafted and created, for all the amazing works He has done for each one of us! It’s easy to start with praise when you look back on all the Lord has already done on your behalf.

So, start this fast/this day/this time with the Lord strong by starting with praise. Make a list of things to be thankful for. Begin your time with gratitude. Readily recognize all that God has done on your behalf.

Before you start asking the Lord for blessing and breakthrough over the things weighing on your heart and mind through this fast, do what Psalm 77 says. “Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts” (Psalm 77:11-12).

Give a long, loving look at all God has already done for you, and you will find yourself starting strong, starting in the presence of God, starting with praise.