The Rewards of Fasting by Mike Bickle

by Mike Bickle

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.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Mike Bickle is the director of the International House of Prayer Missions Base of Kansas City, an evangelical missions organization based on 24/7 prayer with worship that is engaged in many evangelistic and inner city outreaches along with multiple justice initiatives, planting houses of prayer, and training missionaries.

The International House of Prayer has continued in non-stop prayer led by worship teams since September 19,1999, and is committed to combining 24/7 prayers for justice with 24/7 works of justice. Around 1,500 people (staff members, students, interns) serve full-time on the missions base, investing fifty hours per week in the prayer room, classroom, and ministry outreaches. Mike is also the founder of the International House of Prayer University which includes a full-time Bible school, music school, and media school.

Reviews

[Sarah Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty awesome book..If you have any questions about fasting & why to even do it, this is the book for you :-) Informative, but not condemning at all...encouraging instead.

[Virgil · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books on fasting by far. Very detailed into the experience and biblical basis for fasting, and its purpose. Keeps the main focus on Christ and our hearts before Him, and steers clear of any superstitious ideas about fasting.

[Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profoundly important teaching on fasting that provides not only practical guidelines for fasting but, also solid in-depth foundational biblical teaching on the lifestyle of fasting and prayer that should be essential reading for all believers in our generation whether they have a desire to fast or not because, as repeated multiple times in the book, a lifestyle of fasting and prayer is "Christianity 101." O Lord, that we would not be a generation of just "awakened interest" but, of real hunger that responds to Dana Candler's exhortion with real spiritual fervor and discipline,

"Awakened interest is not yet hunger... Hunger is when we cannot live without more, when we make radical alterations to our lifestyles in order to pursue God. A good way to measure the reality of our hunger is to measure the extent to which we rearrange our lives, our time, our money and our comforts to pursue that for which we hunger."

That we would be a generation that sets our hearts and minds above and, as Mike Bickle exhorts us, "transition into living primarily by the Word of God and secondarily by the legitimate pleasures,"

There are three general categories of pleasures that stimulate our souls:  illegitimate pleasures, pleasures that are legitimate, though not spiritually enhancing, and holy pleasures that come from living by the Word of God...
It is obvious to believers that we must deny all of these illegitimate sinful desires and fantasies (Matt. 16:24).  Our greater challenge is in the area of legitimate pleasures.  The norm in Christianity is to fill our lives with natural, permissible pleasures, such as honor, recreation, food, comfort, and money, to prove that we are not religous.  These are not sinful in themselves, but neither do they enhance our life in the Spirit.  They do not bring us into greater contact with God.
At the highest level of life, the human spirit was created to live primarily by the Word of God, not by natural stimuli.  Though our bodies need food, our souls are to be propped up and stimulated primarily by God's Word.  "Man does not live by bread alone but by the Word of God." (Matt. 4:4)
We stimulate our souls in a multitude of ways rather than by God and by His Word.  Our raw, naked weakness rarely gets exposed because we keep it propped up by things like food, entertainment, recreation, money, music, activity, and even ministry endeavors.  Charles Finney, a powerful nineteenth-century evangelist, spoke about the deception of what he called "innocent amusements," declaring that too many people overindulge in entertainments that are not in and of themselves unrighteous, but that do not enhance their souls in fellowship with God...
In the wilderness of prayer and fasting, we face the barrenness of our own souls.  This voluntary wilderness is the place of transformation... We voluntarily deny ourselves some of the "legitimate pleasures" in order to experience the "superior pleasures."  The wilderness of fasting strips us of false comforts, strengths and securities.  We come to grips with how much our souls are propped up by a thousand things other than God, and with how hard it is to feel love for Him or for others when those props are removed.  Are we captive to the consumerism in our society?  Are we blinded by too much eating, too much sleeping and too much entertainment?  Are our hearts bloated and rigid from too little of the Word of God and too much of worldly comforts?  The answer is most often yes.  The solution is to enter the voluntary wilderness of prayer and fasting.  As we are stripped of all other lovers, He transforms us into lovers of Him...  We must transition into living primarily by the Word of God and secondarily by the legitimate pleasures God gives us, instead of the other way around, which is how most of us live now.

There are so many convicting and encouraging passages in this little book that I will be returning to and incorporating into my daily walk and pursuit of intimacy with the Bridegroom. The chapter reading the whole of the Sermon of the Mount in Matthew as a call to a lifestyle of fasting is, for example, especially profound and one that I will be revisiting with an open bible to dig deeper. As I've said already, essential reading for all believers!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

His book re inspired my love for fasting a drilled in an understanding of why it it so vital. Fasting should be Christianity 101. If you have a hard time getting anything out of fasting you should read this book. It is a practical manual in how to do it well so it's not drudgery but something to be embraced. I will recommend this book to anyone wanting to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of truth on fasting that every Christian should read. It is like an all-purpose book for those interested in learning more about how to fast and why we fast. Scripture is quoted throughout the book to guide the Christian in his own study of what God has to tell us about fasting.

[Rohan Battersby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really helpful. A fantastic guide for not only understanding the reasonably obscure discipline of fasting but the importance of prayer in general. Very insightful but also down-to-earth in advising physical, attitudinal and spiritual pitfalls.

[Melissa Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing. I can’t recall ever being taught about fasting through church but believe Christians should have a lifestyle of fasting and prayer, and this book is a good place to start.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update: now that I've completed this book I think the book was extremely repetitious, would have been better without the first chapter, used one version of the Bible, and without Dana Candler's input. There were word choices that I think were hers, (as it was difficult knowing when she stopped writing and Mike took over again),
pg 49 He wants to actually possess (italicized) us. (um, is she referring to demons, no, she's referring to God. That isn't biblical and raises a red flag.
pg 55 . . . God is raising up those who will pursue Him in spiritual violence, as John the Baptist did, and with the passionate zeal King David had. (violence? I don't think so. Did she mean fervor, ardor, enthusiasm?
The good points would be: the examples of different types of fasting, the different reasons for fasting, the rewards, and the dangers.
*****************************
I thought it strange the author went off on a tangent about men having issue with thinking of themselves as part of the bridegroom. I wade through the sludge.
Then I get to page 8 and I'm checking the scripture he gives, then BAM! He goes and mentions the trinity. Seriously Mike Bickle?! Where in scripture is that?! Oh that's right, it isn't.
I'm so disappointed/disgusted, I've thrown the book on my bookshelf and I may or may not try and sludge through the opinon of the author or I may just throw it in the bin.

[Sofie Strömvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tough book with a tough tone. This is not for the faint hearted. But for those who desire to know God in depth will find this book a gold mine and a great preparation for what lies ahead. I thought the tone could have calmed down once in a while, but at the same I understand why it didn't. This book needs to be serious in order to be effectual. And I'm very grateful that it was serious, actually. Not many Christian non-fictions dare to take the marvelous message of the Gospel to this extent, which I think maybe more should. So in relation to everything else, this is a very unique book. I'm grateful for everything it taught me. I will do my best to go on and put it into practice.

[Ronnell Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while a book comes along that literally changes your life! This was this book for me! Every Christian should read. Yes, it talks about fasting from food, but it is more than that, it is going beyond our comfort to press in deeper with God.To experience the MORE He has for us. More love, more power, more blessing, more influence.

[Vesper Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on fasting that i can imagine. enabled me to fast for longer periods of time because i understood that fasting is not results-based, but hunger-based--it's about learning to hunger for the presence of the Bridegroom. None of the other reasons made sense to me until this one.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow....such a great book for anyone looking for more information on fasting and prayer. Everything is backed by scripture and gives an easy to understand outlay of Fasting. Thank You Mike Bickle and Dana Chandler!

[Danielle Schmidt]

On the list to read!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing fasting book!

[Andrew Sharpe]

Good book on fasting

[Perla Dreibus · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far one of the best reads for the disicpline of fasting.

[David]

Clear Concise heart level book on the whys and hows of fasting. It helped me understand why this should be an important part of every Christians walk as they are led by Father's heart.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you are new to fasting.

[Andrea Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on fasting I've ever read.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource on prayer and fasting.

[Amy Riccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book challenged me, opened my eyes, and totally rearranged some of my thinking.

[Eszter Beáta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very informative, if you have any questions about fasting, you will find the answer. It is also challenging, but if you are not a missionary in a house of prayer you can't do everything what is described in the book, some parts are almost impossible with an usual workplace.