Do you want more of God? Do you want to hunger for Him and cry out with Moses “show me your glory”?

Perhaps the reason we don’t hunger for God, or even want to, is that we are full of this world.

 John Piper:

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18–20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.” (A Hunger for God)

So…if that is true: How do we grow in our dependent, devoted, hungry prayers? There are many things that help…but one key practice that I want to put to you: is the practice of prayer and fasting.

One way of defining fasting is: abstaining from something good to create a hunger for something even better.  

Note this: fasting is a practice that Jesus expected His disciples to engage in. See Matt 9:14-17

Matt. 9:14   Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

The point here is that His disciples shouldn’t fast yet because He is still there…but one day they should fast. Why? They will fast because the Bridegroom Jesus is no longer with them, and they WANT him, they LONG for His return, for his presence. They are homesick, lacking heaven, lacking eternal joy, they fast to express their longing and to fuel it.

So, if you want to grow in your hunger for God, and increase your appetite, may I commend to you, begin prayer and fasting.

My plan is to encourage us to fast as a church, once a month, in the lead up to our Mission Prayer nights! To help further educate us in this I want to promote the following resources:

1. A Great Sermon

A great sermon explaining the practice of fasting in more detail by Pastor Dave, check this one out ‘Running Dependant’ in the series: The Race of Our Lives: https://soundcloud.com/user-986589168/running-dependant?in=user-986589168/sets/the-race-of-our-lives

2. A Great Book:

Nothing has helped me with my fasting more than John Piper’s ‘A Hunger for God’ - I have ordered 3 copies of it for Sunday.

3. A Great Practice:

How do we fast?

Simply, abstain from food or other controlling appetite, for one day, once a month, and focus yourself on prayer that longs and pines for God. For example, my practice is to skip all meals on a Friday and break my fast at dinner time.

During the day I try to make plans for prayer that centre’s my heart on the Lord, crying out for more of Him and interceding for others in my life.

You don’t have to do it alone! Do it with someone, that is, plan it together, spur each other on.

Then, let’s come together for Mission Prayer and break the fast together!