New Year, New Hope. 2012.

• Moses fasted 40 days on behalf of Israel’s sin: Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25-29; 10:10.
• David fasted and mourned the death of Saul: 2 Samuel 1:12.
• David fasted and mourned the death of Abner: 2 Samuel 3:35.
• David fasted and mourned the death of his child: 2 Samuel 12:16.
• Elijah fasted 40 days after fleeing from Jezebel: 1 Kings 19:7-18.
• Ahab fasted and humbled himself before God: 1 Kings 21:27-29.
• Darius fasted in concern for Daniel: Daniel 6:18-24.
• Daniel fasted on behalf of Judah's sin while reading Jeremiah’s prophecy: Daniel 9:1-19.
• Daniel fasted regarding a mysterious vision from God: Daniel 10:3-13.
• Esther fasted on behalf of her people: Esther 4:13-16.
• Ezra fasted and wept for the sins of the returning remnant: Ezra 10:6-17.
• Nehemiah fasted and mourned over the broken walls of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 1:4-2:10.
• The people of Ninevah fasted after hearing the message of Jonah: Jonah 3.

New Testament

• Anna fasted for the redemption of Jerusalem through the coming Messiah: Luke 2:37.
• Jesus fasted 40 days before his temptation and the beginning of his ministry: Matthew 4:1-11.
• The disciples of John the Baptist fasted: Matthew 9:14-15.
• The elders in Antioch fasted before sending off Paul and Barnabas: Acts 13:1-5.
• Cornelius fasted and sought God’s plan of salvation: Acts 10:30.
• Paul fasted three day fast after his Damascus Road encounter: Acts 9:9.
• Paul fasted 14 days while at sea on a sinking ship: Acts 27:33-34.

You may be wondering what all that mumbo-jumbo is above. All those verses have one thing in common: fasting. If I am being honest, I will admit, there are many times I have heard about fasting and blown it off as something "religious people" do. Something that is ancient, not used in this day and time. I have fasted before. In the worst year of my marriage  I fasted three different times. Those were the no food, only water fasts. Ick! It was tough, but interesting to say the least. Something odd, almost supernatural starts to happen when you let go of your physical senses (eating, drinking, etc.). You begin to tap into your spiritual senses and it's amazing. You begin to audibly hear things from God that you'd never imagined. You start to have intense dreams and visions. It takes you to a new level with God. 

Some people fast to get attention. Some do it out of guilt. And others do it because they feel God will be disappointed in them if they don't. None of these are true. Fasting is for you. It's your opportunity to put aside the worldly things you enjoy to rediscover or deepen your relationship with God, sometimes in a way you've never experienced. Our church, Graceland, takes on the challenge of fasting each year. This year, I have decided to give up the one thing that I desire sometimes more than food itself, COFFEE. Coffee is more than just caffeine to me, it's a comfort. The warm, rich taste is exhilarating to me. God wants to be the same comfort to me. He wants to be my reason for exhilaration. Coffee is not a bad thing in and of itself. But it shouldn't ever take the place of what God is to me in my life. I know this may sound silly to you non-coffee drinkers, but it's probably similar to someone who has a problem drinking or doing drugs. I've gotten lazy with my quiet times and my blogs. Hopefully these next 13 days will jump start me this year as I put aside my coffee, and turn to the Word for my comfort. My flesh is weak, but my spirit is stronger!