Cgeneration devotional

Isaiah‬ ‭58:5‬ ‭CEV‬‬ “Do you think the Lord wants you to give up eating and to act as humble as a bent-over bush? Or to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes? Is this really what he wants on a day of worship?”

Isaiah‬ ‭58:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves…

Many times our motives for fasting are for personal reasons. We fast because we want to get something from God or because we want to build our relationship with Him and this is great. But in addition to this, we need to fast for reasons that touch the heart of God.

Leviticus‬ ‭20:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.”

Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” ‭‭

Esther‬ ‭4:15-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king…

Psalms‬ ‭63:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”

It’s really important for us to always check our motives for fasting to be sure we’re fasting for the right reasons so that we can fast the right way and we can get the right results.

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ says “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Psalms‬ ‭51:17‬ ‭GNB‬‬ says “My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.” If you want to get God’s attention, one of the ways you can be sure to get it is to humble yourself before God in fasting and prayer.

People have been fasting since bible days and major religions in the world like Islam and Buddhism believe in fasting. But fasting can be reduced to a mere ritual or a religious activity if we don’t understand why we fast. While studying about fasting, something that got me really curious is why God wants us to fast because God himself instituted fasting. So why does God want us to fast?

Proverbs‬ ‭8:17‬ ‭AMP‬‬ “I love those who love me; And those who seek me early and diligently will find me.” Want to seek God diligently? A great place to start is by fasting. There some things that can only be achieved through prayer and fasting.

Matthew‬ ‭6:33. The‬ NKJV‬‬ says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Ask yourself: What am I chasing after in 2022? Why am I pursuing those goals? Are those goals the right goals for me? Do they align with seeking God’s kingdom first?

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

Proverbs‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!”

Proverbs‬ ‭9:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ““The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs‬ ‭10:19‬ ‭GNB‬‬ says “The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.”

Ephesians‬ ‭6:2-3‬ ‭NLT ““Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.””

Proverbs‬ ‭11:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ says “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs‬ ‭4:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.” ‭‭

2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

James‬ ‭1:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬ ‘’But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” ‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭ICB‬‬ ‘’Wisdom is the most important thing. So get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding.” ‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus,’’… ‭‭

Acts 1:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””