Jan 9th 19 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Be Sure to Begin Your Fast With Repentance

The importance of beginning a Biblical fast with repentance cannot be overstated. If we continue fasting with unconfessed sin, God might not hear our plea. More importantly, because it grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit, sin can keep us from hearing God!  Unconfessed sin hinders our worship and prevents us from enjoying communion with our Heavenly Father during these three weeks. And it causes us... read more

Jan 8th 19 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Declaring Our Helplessness and Hope in God: A Little Motivation, Part Two

It can be challenging to keep your fast during the first few days. Your body and appetite are adjusting. You’re hungry, you crave comfort foods, and depending on the type of fast, your body may be weak. So it’s helpful to have a little extra motivation these first few days. It’s beneficial to be reminded of what actions you’re taking before God when you fast—and in turn, how... read more

Jan 7th 19 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Fasting Day Two: A Little Motivation (Part One)

If you’re like me, the first day of your fast yesterday was tough. It seems like it’s more difficult to fast after the holidays, after eating unrestricted from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. No wonder! We’ve given King Stomach free reign over our appetite for six weeks! In light of this, I want offer a little bit of motivation. I want to remind you of a few things you’re doing... read more

Jan 6th 19 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Let’s Get Started: Helpful Tips and Information to Begin Pursuit 21

It’s finally here! Pursuit 21—twenty-one days of experiencing God through fasting and prayer—begins today! There is no better way to launch the new year than with a Biblical fast. Just as beginning our day with prayer sets the course for the rest of the day and affects anything that might happen, so beginning the year with a fast sets the course for the rest of the year. When we... read more

Jan 1st 19 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Pursuit 21: Launching the New Year Right

A new year has begun! Have you thought about the desires you have for the coming year? Perhaps there are things you’d like to see happen in your life personally … or in your family … or on your job. There is something you can do these first weeks of January that will set the course for what God does in your life all year long—something that will bring you closer to God and release... read more

Jan 31st 18 Posted by Natalie Nichols

What’s Your Fasting Testimony? Share It and Put God on Display

What did God do as a result of your fasting and prayer? If He worked in your life in any way, take a moment to share your testimony. It will put God on display—and bless and encourage others! Anything God did is testimony-worthy! Although dramatic accounts are wonderful, they’re not the only kind that demonstrate God’s goodness and faithfulness. Anything God has done in your life—large or... read more

Jan 27th 18 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Praise God in Advance: The Fasting-Praising Connection

Is one of your causes for fasting an overwhelming situation that is beyond impossible? Are you powerless to do anything about it? Are you fasting because you’re desperate to enlist God’s help in solving the problem? Regardless of whether you’re fasting about minor needs or a major problem with insurmountable odds, the next step for you is the same—that of praise. It’s... read more

Jan 26th 18 Posted by Natalie Nichols

It’s Not Too Hard for God: Believe Again

What are your causes for fasting? Is one of them something God has given you a promise about—something He spoke to you and revealed His will about long ago, but the answer has been so delayed that you’ve given up hope of it ever being fulfilled? You’ve quit claiming God’s promised answer. You no longer expect Him to do what He said He would. In fact, you’ve given up on this... read more

Jan 25th 18 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Fasting Is Tasting: Better Than the Richest Feast

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8 Fasting is tasting. It’s treasuring the words of His mouth more than our necessary food. (Job 23:12) We live not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Deut 8:3, Mt. 4:4) As we feed our spirit with what God has said to us through scripture, as we meditate on His words and are sustained by them, they become... read more

Jan 24th 18 Posted by Natalie Nichols

The Stewardship of Fasting by J.G. Morrison (Part 2)

In part one of this post, J.G. Morrison asserts that fasting it a stewardship—that we have been entrusted with the privilege of fasting and must be good stewards of it, utilizing it and investing it wisely for the sake of God’s kingdom and His glory. He contends that: When we sincerely fast, it enables God to do what otherwise He cannot do—for us personally, our church, our community, our... read more