A few weeks back, in our study of Matthew’s gospel, we discussed the topic of fasting. With a little help from John Piper (A Hunger for God), Donald Whitney (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life) and a couple of others, I have tried to outline the biblical occasions for fasting. Here is the fruit of that study.

I have four broad categories, and a few different expressions of each. It isn’t exhaustive, but it should “grease the wheels” of your desire and determination to practice this spiritual discipline.

Read on…

I recently read Prayer and the Voice of God: Listening to God’s Living Word will transform the way you pray by Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne. It is a wonderful book on prayer! Here are some excellent quotes from the book to help you in your prayer life.

Click here to read the quotes.

Gary-Gilley is the Pastor-Teacher of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois. I have read many of his book reviews and articles, and I always greatly appreciate them. I highly recommend his stuff.

I just read his article called, “The Lord Told Me - I Think.” In the article he considers the commonly held notion that God communicates to us today outside of Scripture. He lists “three competitors now challenging the Scriptures as final authority in our lives”: subjective experience, non-authoritative and fallible prophecy (as espoused by Wayne Grudem), and the “inner” voice…

Here is a question that many people with a right understanding of the sovereignty of God like to ask: If God chooses some to be saved and hardens others so that they will not be saved, why should we pray?

S.D. Gordon, in a book on prayer, says:

Everything that has ever been prayed for, of course I mean every right thing, God has already purposed to do. But He does nothing without consent. He has been hindered in His purpose by our lack of willingness. When we learn His purposes and make them our prayers, we are giving Him an opportunity to act.

He also says:

There are people…in that lower, lost world…who are there…because someone failed to put his life in touch with God, and pray.

Gordon assumes that God has limited Himself so that He is dependent of the will of men to bring things to pass – at least certain things.

This idea is acceptable to many because they feel as though their prayers are very useful. They feel as though they can accomplish much in their prayers. But, is it biblical? Is it correct? No!! Emphatically, ‘NO!!” [Click article title to read more.]