This is a book I have had on my shelf for a number of years and just had never read it. I decided a couple of days ago to pull it out for encouragement in an upcoming fast that is planned. The book was written in 1998 but the information that is contained in the book is relevant to any age where people want to know more about the spiritual discipline of fasting.
It is a quick read and is a series of very short chapters highlighting people who are known in the Christian community or have been through the years and their experiences with fasting. Of course the first one shared is a fasting experience by Dr. Jerry Falwell, whom I respect his ministry and what he accomplished for the Lord very much. Here are a few highlights from his testimony to fasting.
He fasted for the first time when he was a new Christian at the age of 18.
He understood fasting and prayer combined to be helpful in getting answers from God.
It was common for him to call his entire church to a time of fasting on a fairly regular basis.
He witnessed hearings of people that he and the church fasted and prayed for on more than one occasion.
He once began a 40 day fast asking God for financial blessings because of the large debt owed on Liberty University, which happens to be where I earned my under grad degree. Just a few days into that fast God spoke to his spirit and said that he needed to be seeking to be closer to Him rather than asking for money. He stopped asking for financial blessing at that point and finished the 40 days just drawing closer to God. After resuming his normal diet for 25 days God once again spoke to his spirit and told him it was OK for him to ask for financial blessing. At that point he started another 40 day fast. Dr. Falwell fasted 80 days out of 105, amazing. The debt at Liberty was $70 Million Dollars and God gave them enough to pay that debt and have cash flow through these two fasts. I think this is definitely God at work. What is amazing still is that I heard Dr. Falwell speak in person in Charlotte NC during the time of these two fasts and I never put that together until a couple of years ago when I did my first 40 day fast. Simply amazing.
There are others in the book that people will know. Elmer Towns, Bill Bright, Jack Hayford, Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets, D. James Kennedy and others. Remember the book was written a few years ago so there may not be people who you know. Still, this is an encouraging book.
Ronnie