Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough Study Guide , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - L. Towns Elmer

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57 pages

English

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Description

The personal study guide leads individuals through the nine fasts described in Dr. Towns's bestselling book Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. By the use of questions, the reader is guided through the different purposes and elements of each type of fast. It is for every Christian who is seeking a deeper relationship with God, a strengthened faith, an understanding of the relationship with God, and an understanding of the discipline of fasting. This study can be used by individuals for personal study or as a test for small Bible study groups.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christian worship

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	10 février 1998
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441267283
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0288€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 1998 by Elmer Towns
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6728-3
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
KJV — King James Version. Authorized King James Version.
NIV —From the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
C ONTENTS
I NTRODUCTION
T EACHING S MALL G ROUPS
1. T HE F ASTS G OD C HOOSES
Putting the issue of fasting into biblical perspective
2. T HE D ISCIPLE’S F AST
Fasting for freedom from addiction
3. T HE E ZRA F AST
Fasting to solve problems
4. T HE S AMUEL F AST
Fasting to win people to Christ
5. T HE E LIJAH F AST
Fasting to overcome negative emotions and habits
6. T HE W IDOW’S F AST
Fasting to provide for the needy
7. T HE S AINT P AUL F AST
Fasting for decision making
8. T HE D ANIEL F AST
Fasting for health and physical healing
9. T HE J OHN THE B APTIST F AST
Fasting for influential testimony
10. T HE E STHER F AST
Fasting for protection from the evil one
11. C HOOSING THE F AST G OD C HOOSES FOR YOU
Selecting the appropriate fast
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:6-8
I NTRODUCTION
Across America and around the world, God is calling His people to the discipline of fasting. Christian leaders of various denominations have begun to use their influence to call their followers to fast and pray for a spiritual awakening in our land and revival in our churches. In various communities God has already begun to answer that prayer.
This study guide has been prepared to help you grow in the discipline of fasting. For some, fasting may be something new to their Christian life. Others may have fasted for years. In each case, these studies are designed to help you better understand as an individual or in a group setting the biblical principles of the fasts God has chosen.
This study guide is based on Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough (Regal Books, 1996). You will need a copy of the book to fully benefit from the studies that follow. The study guide provides opportunities to think through the issues raised in the text and personally apply each of the nine biblical fasts in your own life. Reading the text and completing these studies will help you gain maximum benefit from the discipline of fasting in your life. Because journaling is a great tool for chronicling spiritual growth and especially helpful when fasting, you will find a page entitled “Notes” at the end of each chapter. This note page is for you to journal what you have learned about that fast, how God is speaking to you through that chapter, or other personal thoughts. The final chapter of this study guide—“Choosing the Fast God Chooses for You”—will guide you through the process of evaluating each fast and will help you determine which fast(s) need to be practiced on a regular basis in your life.
Many Christians still struggle with the need for fasting today. In the introduction to Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, I suggest nine reasons why the spiritual discipline of fasting is needed today:
• More than ever before, believers are in bondage to demonic powers and need strength to stand against sin.
• Believers throughout the world need solutions to the many complex problems and threatening situations they are facing.
• The Church is in desperate need of revival and every tribe, tongue and nation is in desperate need of evangelization.
• The world in general and the Church in particular are crying out for people of character and integrity—people who have found in Christ the emotional healing and strength to overcome sinful and destructive habits.
• The abundance of food has insulated North American believers from the realities of starvation and malnutrition in two-thirds of the world.
• The media has so captured the national attention that even believers are operating according to principles completely alien to God’s will for their lives.
• Even with the abundance of food and medical technology in North America, people are not necessarily healthier.
• A great many believers have become so entangled in economic and social pursuits that they need to be set free to establish their testimonies and to influence others for Christ.
• Because of the growing influence of demonic forces and the waning influence of biblical Christianity in North America and the fact that believers need protection from the evil one.
Do any of these reasons speak to needs in your life, your church or your community? If so, God has chosen a discipline of fasting for you. I encourage you to find a prayer partner or become a part of a small group that will support you and hold you accountable as you begin fasting for spiritual breakthrough.
May God use this study guide to help you make a difference in your spiritual growth and in your world.
Elmer L. Towns Lynchburg, Virginia
T EACHING S MALL G ROUPS
The primary purpose of this study guide is to help you personally understand fasting and to help you grow as a Christian. But this study guide can also be a tool to help you prepare and teach small groups. A simple three-step process to successfully guiding small-group Bible study is a result of the following definition of teaching.
T EACHING IS THE PREPARATION AND GUIDANCE OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES .
Remember, talking is not teaching, and leading a small group is not lecturing to them about fasting. Also, listening is not learning, so your students may not be learning just because they are passively listening to you lecture.
Step One: Preparation
You begin teaching when you begin studying, and the way you study determines the way you teach. The questions in this study guide will help you dig into the Bible and the text Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough . When the questions make you think, use them in a small group. The same question will challenge others as well.
Step Two: Guidance
Your role in a small group is to guide or lead discussion. Resist the temptation to lecture. Use the questions to give focus and direction for group discussion. You are there as a resource person because you have previously answered the questions. You are a guide.
Compare your role to that of a fishing guide. The fishing guide walks or rides with you, guiding you to the best fishing hole. The guide knows the equipment, the bait and the best times to fish. The guide doesn’t go along to catch fish but to help you catch fish.