Build your faith like the kingdom castle it is meant to be. Pour yourself into the Bible every day. Visit a few minutes with your Charisma Podcast Network hosts Andrea and Ann Marie and the Fruit of the Vine podcast as they continue their conversation on all things God. 

Psalm 1:1­5 teaches, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly will perish.” As sinners saved by grace, we are accorded God’s richest blessings. But how do we access His blessings, power, equipping, joy, peace, and grace? We will continue missing the boat until we finally grasp for the last time that God’s Word is the direct line we have to God’s heart. What we consume in God’s Word we are accountable for. Press in to God’s Spirit by taking hold of His Word. Enhance your lifestyle by building your days around spending time in Scripture.

Isaiah 58 teaches, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high” (vv 1­4, KJV). What we consume in God’s Word we are accountable for. Press in to God’s Spirit by crucifying your flesh in fasting, a wonderful path forward to breakthrough and change. Invest a few of your minutes with your Charisma Podcast Network hosts Andrea and Ann Marie and the Fruit of the Vine podcast as they continue their discussion on fasting.

 We must speak life—turn from negative thoughts and dead-end words about yourself. Rest in the finished work of Christ believing in the hope and confident assurance purchased for us through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Fasting is our God-given way of peeling away the world’s distractions and leaving the battle to our Lord. That is because that battle already belongs to Him. The glory is the Lord’s. His victory is our victory when we seek His plan in the form of fasting.

Get closer to God’s Spirit by putting down your flesh. It is called fasting and it’s a wonderful way to press in to our Lord for breakthrough and change. Steward a few of your minutes with your Charisma Podcast Network hosts Andrea and Ann Marie and the Fruit of the Vine podcast while they discuss the who, what, when, where, why and how of fasting.

 Leave your flesh’s old ways behind using one of the most tremendous and powerful weapons God has ever given us, fasting. Fasting is not merely eating a bit less, choosing a salad or a smaller meal. It is a specific bypassing of meals and beverages over a set period of time. That period can be anywhere from three hours or twelve hours up to two days, three days, a full seven-day week or more. Forty-day fasts like Jesus did are always called forth by God, so it is prudent to seek Him in prayer to plan any fast longer than the usual few days.

When planning your fast, give yourself a few days at least for prepping. This will include tapering off your caffeine intake, your media diet and your sleep patterns. If you happen not to taper your caffeine you run a higher risk for large headaches under any sort of “cold turkey” abrupt stoppage of caffeine. And keep in mind that caffeine is in many of our favorite beverages each day, not least coffee and iced tea among many others.

Go forth confidently in planning the time you will spend with God in prayer and stilling your heart and spirit, knowing that the first thing our Lord Jesus did after His baptism was fast in the desert. He instituted fasting and as with all of God’s blessing delivered to us through Jesus’ blood, we can embrace fasting right now today, joyfully expecting the vibrant opportunity to humble ourselves, quiet our souls and hear whatever our Father longs to share with us.