-
Lesson OneWhy Pray?4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson TwoWhy Not Ask?4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson ThreeWhen You Don’t Know What to Say4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson FourObstacles to Prayer4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson FivePraying for Others4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson SixPraying with Others4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson SevenPrayer and Fasting4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson EightWhat about “Unanswered” Prayer?4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson NinePersevering in Prayer4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Lesson TenLiving a Prayer-Filled Life4 Activities1 Assessment
-
Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 3
Discussion Questions
-
As a group, see how many examples of fasting you can name from Scripture.
-
Moses Fasted Before Receiving the Commandments – Deuteronomy 9:9-18
David Mourning His Child’s Illness – 2 Samuel 12:1-23
Elijah Fasted While Escaping Jezebel – 1 Kings 19:4-8
Ezra Fasted While Mourning Over Sin – Ezra 10:6-17
Esther Fasted for the Safety of the Jews – Esther 4:15-17
Darius Fasted For the Safety of Daniel – Daniel 6:18-23
Daniel Fasted for an Answer to Prayer – Daniel 10:1-3
Jesus Fasted Before Temptation by Satan – Matthew 4:1-2
Paul Fasted After His Conversion – Acts 9:1-9
Church Elders in Antioch Fasted Before Sending out Missionaries – Acts 13:1-3There are different types of fasting in the Bible. There is limiting yourself to a specific kind of food (Daniel 1:8–14). There is fasting from food entirely (Daniel 10:2–3). There is fasting from food and water (Luke 4:2; Acts 9:9). There is also “fasting” from a certain activity, such as a husband and wife abstaining from sex for a predetermined period (Exodus 19:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5).
-
Moses, Daniel, David, Jesus, Esther, Paul, the disciples in the upper room.
-
Moses fasted when receiving the ten commandments; King David fasted for his child’s healing; King Johasophat fasted for protection from invasion; Esther fasted for protection for God’s people; Daniel fasted for God’s mercies; Ezra fasted for traveling mercies; Jesus fasted in the wilderness; and the early church fasted for Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey.
-
There are different types of fasting in the Bible. There is limiting yourself to a specific kind of food (Daniel 1:8–14). There is fasting from food entirely (Daniel 10:2–3). There is fasting from food and water (Luke 4:2; Acts 9:9). There is also “fasting” from a certain activity, such as a husband and wife abstaining from sex for a predetermined period (Exodus 19:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5).
-
Jesus, Moses, David, King Jehosephat, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and the exiles, Paul and Early Church Leaders
-
How is fasting a way of telling God, “You matter more than anything else”?
-
When we fast and pray, we are staying in His Word and focusing our minds, bodies and souls only on Him.
-
It is a way to show that God matters more than anything else because it is showing God that he matters more than things that we truly need to survive.
-
Fasting is a way of telling god that what ever I am giving up is not important, and is of little value and does not matter more than the benefits I can get from Him. ie. I will learn to pray with the right motives; Enriching my relationship with Him; I can to walk closely with Him, Its way of going deeper in my relationship with Him, and it is a way I can humble myself in the sight of God and many more .
-
Fasting, as practiced in the Bible, is a way of humbling ourselves before God and telling Him, “You matter more than anything else, (even food) and I want Your wisdom and your way above all.”
-
When we fast we are telling God that He is the most important thing in our life and that we are dependent on Him for our substance.
-
Why do you think Jesus indicated that we shouldn’t “broadcast” when we are fasting to others?
-
I believe that Jesus wants us to focus on God. By “broadcasting”, we are not focusing on Him. We are focusing on others and their reactions to our fasting.
-
Jesus indicated that we shouldn’t broadcast to others when we fast because praying and fasting is between ourselves and God only. As Matthew 6:17-18 said, But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your father who is unseen and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
-
We have to be very careful with our motives. God will reward our fasting if we do it unto Him, not with our focus on getting attention from others
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get” Matthew 6:16God will reward our fasting if we do it unto Him, not with our focus on getting attention from others.
-
So that we would be focusing on God and not trying to attract other’s attention in order to look super spiritual.
-
Our fasting is between us and God. We are fasting to have a closer relationship with him and that is what the focus point should be. Our motives are made known here, are we trying to impress others?