fasting

At conference last week we were really challenged by one of the seminars that spoke on fasting. The man that spoke is a kiwi but has moved to Thailand with Campus Crusade to work there. He and his team do a 40 day fast at least once a year to pray for students in Thailand to know Jesus. I was humbled by one of the women that works with him who shared that she had only been a Christian for 2 years and had already participated in two 40 day fasts in her young Christian walk.

All throughout the Bible it refers to prayer and fasting, but personally, I hardly ever fast. It makes me so hungry and uncomfortable, and well, I just really like food. And discipline isn't one of my strong points. But I have been challenged again that humbling ourselves before the Lord is so necessary in our lives. I found this quote the other day, which I thought fit pretty well:

"Fasting creates a habit of reliance in our lives. Hunger, which normally arises every five or six hours, becomes acute every five or six minutes. When we are fasting, hunger becomes a trigger mechanism prompting us to turn to God for empowerment. All day long we call out to God for strength, endurance, self-control, and wisdom.

Fasting makes us weak, and when we are weak, we are more humble. Fasting gives us a firm grip on our smallness, finitude, and lack of power - as opposed to coffee, which makes us feel fast, smart, and competent."

-Dan Hayes

And as someone that enjoys coffee quite a bit, I can relate to this comparison :) With the start of a new semester, and the trip to Thailand on the horizon, we are in desperate need of wisdom and power from God. We are praying His Holy Spirit will break through the strongholds we see in students' lives here, such as depression, apathy, alcoholism, sex, and loneliness, to name a few. We are asking for wisdom in how to lead the trip in Thailand and that God will be preparing students to go.

We will be fasting for the next 10 days (not quite ready for 40!), and will be seeking the Lord on these things. If you feel led, we would love if you would join us in prayer!