Fasting:Small GroupStudy Guide

This study guide has been developed from Fasting: Opening the door to a

deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with God by Jentenzen

Franklin. It is prepared for a four-week small group on fasting.

Developed by Christine Sweeney

Chapter 1:Fasting forYour Breakthrough

A Time of Reflection

Chapter 1

As we go through this lesson, and afterwards, reflect on the following and discover what God will show you through our study on fasting.

Make a list and reflect on times when your own desires (for food or drink,

for worldly pleasures, such as activities or time with friends, or even

idleness in front of the television) have kept you from spending time with

God in prayer or meditation.

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Pray about factors you listed that have hindered you from moving forward

in God’s plan for your life. Make a personal commitment to eliminate as

many of these distractions as possible from your life during your fast.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?

--Psalms 42:1-3

Notes from Chapter 1

I. Fasting is NOT:A. Merely going without food

B. For fanatics, religious leaders, or just ministers

II. Fasting is:A. Refraining from food for a spiritual purpose

B. A normal part of a relationship with God

C. A way to bring a person into a more intimate and powerful relationship with God

III. Biblical Example of fasting from the Old Testament was David in Psalms 42.A. In Psalms 42, David was fasting. His hunger and thirst for God

became greater than his desire for food.

B. Because of his desire for God being greater than his desire for

food, he reached a place where he could literally cry out from

the depths of his spirit and reach to the depths of God, even

when he found himself in the midst of a tremendous trial.

IV. Biblical Example of fasting from the New Testament was Jesus in Matthew 6.A. During the time that Jesus was present on the earth, He

devoted time to teaching his disciples the principles of the kingdom of God.

B. In the Beatitudes (Matthew 6) Jesus describes the pattern by which we, the children of God, are to live. The pattern addressed three specific duties of a Christian.

i. Givingii. Praying

iii. Fasting

C. Jesus said “When you give…” , and “When you pray…” and “When you fast…” . Jesus made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, is a normal part of Christian life. As much attention should be given to fasting as is given to giving and praying.

The three duties of every Christian are giving, praying and fasting.

Chapter 2:Dethroning King Stomach

A Time of ReflectionChapter 2

As you prepare to begin your fast, use this period of reflection to determine

how you will dethrone “King Stomach” from his throne in your life.

Remember that with just one meal (a piece of fruit), Adam and Eve went

from a place in God’s presence to fearfully hiding from Him.

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How can you prepare physically and spiritually to be ready to fast?

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Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And on those days He ate nothing, and afterward when they

had ended, He was hungry. Luke 4: 1-2

Notes from Chapter 2

Fasting is so often overlooked because it means the crucifying of “King

Stomach”.

I. Examples from the Bible of People under the Reign of “King

Stomach”

A. Adam and Eve (Genesis 2; 8-9; 16-17)

B. Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezekiel 16: 49-50)

C. Esau

D. The children of Israel

II. Things to Remember as One Prepares to Fast

A. There are certain “promised lands” and promises that God has

specifically for us. We have an entire book filled with His

promises, but some of them we will never realize as long as

King Stomach rules our appetites and controls our life.

B. God has supernatural blessings to pour out on the Israelites in

the wilderness, but they preferred their carnal appetites.

Likewise, God wants to pour out supernatural blessings in our

lives, but they will never be realized if we are not willing to

seek Him in fasting and in prayer.

C. There is no convenient time to fast.

Chapter 3:How Much?How Long? How Healthy?

A Time of Reflection

Chapter 3

Full

fast: _________________________________________________________

Partial fast: _________________________________________________________

Daniel fast: _________________________________________________________

Corporate fast: _________________________________________________________

Which one do you feel best describes the fast God is leading you to do

during the period of your own life?

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***I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured

the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.-- Job 23: 12

Notes from Chapter 3

I. Success Stories: Those who Dethroned King Stomach

A. Moses (Exodus 34: 27, 28)

B. Esther (Esther 4-7)

C. Hannah (I Samuel 1: 7)

D. Others Who are Noted for their Fasts in the Word

i. Judah

ii. Ezra

iii. Nehemiah

iv. David

v. Anna

II. Types of Fasts

A. Absolute fast- You take not food, no water; this should only be

done for short periods of time.

B. Normal fast- go without food of any kind for a number of day; do

drink water, and plenty of it!

C. Partial fast-can be interpreted many ways; usually involves giving

up particular foods and drinks (Biblical example—Daniel fast)

D. There is no real formula that can be given to determine which

type or the length of the fast that is right for you. The length of

time that you choose depends on your circumstances.

No matter the type of length of the fast, if it means something to you, it

will mean something to God.

III. Practical Tips for Fasting

A. Without being combined with prayer and the Word, fasting is

little more than dieting.

B. When you are fasting, it is not the time to sit in front of the TV.

You will just torture yourself with all the food advertisements.

C. When you begin longer fasts, it is not a good idea to gorge

yourself in the days before. You should actually begin tapering

off your food intake in preparation.

D. Regardless of the length of your fast, when you begin, you

should try to drink at least one gallon of purified water

throughout the first day. Purified water flushes the toxins out

of your system, which will help you get off to a good start. It

also will help you feel full. Water is a faster’s best friend, so

continue to drink plenty throughout the fast.

E. Headaches often occur in the first few days of fasting. This is

the result of impurities and toxins in you body being burned

for energy. After three days, the headaches usually disappear.

F. When you go on an extended fast, your digestive system shuts

down. It will not always be pleasant. Some feel sluggish, have

headaches, or have difficulty sleeping. However, once you get

past those first couple of days, if you keep drinking plenty of

water and juice, those toxins that poison your body will get

flushed out, and you will find what can only be described as a

sweet place in the fast.

G. During those first couple of difficult days, you may find it

difficult to focus on prayer and the Word, but without fail, as

things clear up, you will find yourself in a deeper place with

God, where the rest of what you have experienced just does

not matter.

IV. Fasting—Good for Your Health

A. In his book, 101 Reasons to Fast, Bob Rodgers cites many

statements from Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine,

and others who discovered the many medical benefits fasting

can have on the body.

B. Medical benefits of Fasting

i. Fasting cleans your body

ii. Fasting gives your body time to heal itself.

iii. Fasting can relieve nervousness and tension and give

your digestive system a rest.

iv. Fasting also can lower your blood pressure and can

lower your cholesterol.

v. Fasting slows your aging process.

vi. Fasting sharpens your mental process and aids and

improves your sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell and all

sensory faculties.

vii. Fasting breaks the addiction to junk food. It can also

break the power of an uncontrolled appetite.

viii. Fasting has also been known to help break addictions,

such as nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.

C. What Doctors Say about the Medical Benefits of Fasting

i. Don Colbert, MD, says, “Fasting does not only prevent

sickness. If done correctly, fasting holds amazing healing

benefits to those of us who suffer illness and disease.

From colds and flu to heart disease, fasting is a mighty

key to healing the body.”

ii. Dr. Oda H. F. Birchinger, who supervised more than

seventy thousand fasts, stated, “Fasting is a single road

to healing, for anyone who agrees to take it, for

recovery and regeneration of the body, mind, and

spirit.” The doctor also went on to say, “ Fasting can heal

and help rheumatism in the joints and muscles, diseases

of the heart, circulation, blood vessels, stress-related

exhaustion, skin diseases- including pimples and

complexion problems, irregular menstrual cycles and hot

flashes, disease of respiratory organs, allergies such as

hay fever and other eye diseases.”

There are practical tips to fasting, and fasting is known to produce both

spiritual and natural benefits. Why not take a radical step of faith? We

have only one life to give to God—let’s get control of our bodies and go

for God with the best that we have!

Chapter 4:Every AssignmentHas a Birthplace

A Time of Reflection

Chapter 4

Every assignment, every call of God, every direction starts somewhere.

God has specific assignments for your life. How will you discover them?

How will you hear His voice? Fasting is an important step in keeping you

sensitive to His Spirit, enabling You to hear his direction, and to live in a

holy manner. What specific area(s) of your life do you need to hear God’s

voice about?

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How committed are you to obeying what you hear God speak? Do you have a person that you will share with that will hold you accountable, and that will encourage you when things get difficult?

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***My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch

them out of My hand.John 10: 27-28

Notes from Chapter 4

Key Verse: John 10: 27, 28—My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,

and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never

perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Key Phrase: “My sheep hear my voice…”

I. God created us to hear His voice.

A. Romans 12: 1: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,

acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

i. Giving, praying and fasting are the ways in which one

presents his or her own body as a “living sacrifice.”

B. Romans 12: 2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove

what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

i. One can never walk in the perfect will of God until he or

she seeks Him through fasting.

ii. It is through fasting, that you will discover His good and

perfect will for your life.

II. Biblical Examples [Those who Heard the Voice and Direction of

God]

A. Paul (Acts 9: 7-9)

B. Peter (Acts 10)

C. Receiving a Fresh Revelation

i. Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or

else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is

spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine

must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2: 22

1. Fasting is what prepares you for a new anointing.

Fasting prepares the way for God to give you fresh revelation, fresh

vision, and a clear purpose.

D. Fasting in a time of Testing

i. Perhaps you are a place of desperation—one in which

you just cannot afford to miss God’s will for your life.

The only possible way to survive is draw near to God—

from whose hand no one can snatch you—to hear His

voice, and to follow His plan.

ii. Biblical example- Jehosophat

Do you want God to tell you what you need to do at this time in your life?

Be still and see the salvation of the Lord! Be ready for the victories where

it takes longer to bring the victory home than it does to fight the battle.

Press in like Jehosophat! God will deliver you and show you His plan!

III. Satan Hates When You Fast

A. Satan gets disturbed—and defeated—when you become more

than a Sunday- morning Christian.

B. He also knows that fasting releases God’s power.

Don’t allow the enemies in your life to cause you to focus more on your

appetites or circumstances than on the promises of God that are released

when you fast.