January 2010 – Shades of Grace | Natalie Nichols- Shades of Grace | Natalie Nichols
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Fasting Day 17: Breaking Negative Emotional Habits

Do you have a habit of being negative – a habit of seeing the glass half empty? Are you plagued by frequent despair and despondency? Are you so focused on yourself and your problems that you can’t see what God is doing in and around you? Don’t feel condemned; you are joined by one of the greatest prophets in the old testament – Elijah. Just as God used fasting to break... read more

Fasting Day 16: Targeting Decisions (The Saint Paul Fast)

Are you facing decisions this month, this year – things for which you need wisdom and direction? Life presents major decisions that are crucial to our future. Decisions can impact our destinies. We mull over them for weeks, months even, without making a determination one way or the other, scared of the consequences in either direction. God promises that when we enter the chosen fast, He will cause... read more

Fasting Day 15: Lives of Influence

Do you want to be a faithful witness? Do you want the light of Christ within you to affect those around you? Do you want to be a greater influence for Christ on your job, in your family, your church, your community? Christians are commanded to be a witness and testimony to others: “You are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).  Christians have two obligations: to live godly lives and to extend our... read more

Fasting Day 14: Fasting Affects a Nation

Fasting is a discipline that offers countless personal benefits.  For most of us, our motivations in fasting are personal.  But the promises of fasting can also impact your community and your nation.  In the Bible there are two cases where fasting literally changed a nation and changed history! Nineveh Finds Mercy According to the Bible, the city of Nineveh was in trouble. It was full of wickedness and... read more

Fasting Day 13: The Ezra Fast

Are you dealing with a money problem? Are you facing a financial dilemma? Are you going through a major change in life? Are you experiencing a problem you did nothing to initiate? Do you need room for expansion of your business or your church? As you are fasting and targeting this issue, look to Ezra and the fast he called when leading the Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem. Look to Ezra and His Fast When... read more

Fasting Day 12: The Reward of Waiting

Fasting is waiting upon God. God promises blessing to those who wait on Him. By waiting upon God through fasting and prayer, you will receive: 1. Renewed Strength. Are you tired and weary? Have you been exhausted of all endurance? “30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with... read more

Fasting Day 11: The Missing Link

Do you feel like something is missing from your life? Do you have dreams and desires that aren’t coming to fruition, no matter how hard you try? Do you feel as though something is keeping you from deeper intimacy with Christ, even though you are serving Him faithfully? Perhaps a key element is missing from your life – an element Jesus mentioned in Matthew chapter six. In the Sermon on the... read more

Fasting Day 10: Search My Heart

Did you know that it is possible to fast and God not hear your plea? God said of Israel, “You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high” (Isaiah 58:4). What was Israel doing wrong that God did not hear their voice? Cleansing is Crucial Israel was unrepentant and hypocritical, displaying an outer form of godliness through fasting, but their lives were void any true power and... read more

Fasting Day 9: More Than Food

Fasting, praying and scripture go hand in hand. Job said: “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Without prayer and time in the Word, we are merely on a diet. And if that’s the case, Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig would be a whole lot easier! So I encourage you to set time apart to meditate on the Word and to pray. Are you fasting for greater... read more

Fasting Day 8: God Fills the Hungry

As I knelt to pray yesterday, I opened my Bible to the Psalms. I planned to begin my prayer time with a passage of praise. My Bible fell open to Psalm 107, so I thought I would quickly glance before turning away. I was awed by what I read, especially given this fasting season! I believe it will be a word of encouragement to you today: Psalm 107:8-9 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing... read more
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