The Rewards of Fasting

The grace of fasting is a gift from God that positions us to experience more of God’s power and affections. We fast to encounter God more and to change the world! Done in the right spirit, fasting increases our receptivity to God’s voice and His Word. Jesus called His disciples to fast in a way that would position their hearts to encounter Him more as the Bridegroom God (Mt. 9:15). This book is designed to equip people to embrace the discipline, grace, and joy of fasting, that they might encounter more of Jesus as their heavenly Bridegroom.

Fasting. It sounds difficult. Fasting every week. That sounds impossible! Our society considers hunger among the worst of fates, but God calls fasting part of basic Christianity. Hunger for God is not foreign to anyone who loves Jesus—it is an ache within that makes us desperate. What may be new to some people is that fasting is an avenue God has chosen to answer our hunger and to fuel our experience of Him. Fasting is essential because it answers our cry for more of God. In order to respond to God's invitation to fast, we must first discover the truth about this grace and discipline, including the joys of embracing voluntary weakness, the amazing benefits of a fasted lifestyle, and the dangers to avoid along the way. This journey of fasting intensifies our experience of God's heart, increases our encounter of Jesus as the Bridegroom, and equips us to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit in the severe times in which we live. Fasting is not something we can neglect or avoid—but something we must embrace wholeheartedly.

Mike Bickle is the director of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City (IHOP–KC), an evangelical missions organization based on 24/7 prayer with worship. Mike is also the founder of International House of Prayer University, which includes full-time ministry, music, and media schools. He is the author of several books, including Passion for Jesus, Growing in the Prophetic, The Pleasures of Loving God, After God’s Own Heart, and Prayers to Strengthen Your Inner Man. Mike’s teaching emphasizes growing in passion for Jesus through intimacy with God, doing evangelism and missions work from the place of night-and-day prayer, and the end times.