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Hunger for God Seminar by John Piper

New Resource available by Desiring God.   

At 5 hour seminar by John Piper on his classic work " A Hunger for God"

• Hunger for God (Session 1)
• Hunger for God (Session 2)
• Hunger for God (Session 3)

Download the Notes from the Seminar

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie.
It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for
heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not
the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we
drink in every night.” ― John Piper

“The supremacy of God in all things is the great reward we long for in fasting. His supremacy in our own affections and in all our life-choices. His supremacy in the purity of the church. His supremacy in the salvation of the lost. His supremacy in the establishing of righteousness and justice. And his supremacy for the joy of all peoples in the evangelization of the world.” ― John Piper

Related articles

David Brainerd's Fasting Testimony

Bill Bright's Fasting Testimony

Do Not Stuff Your Soul with the Small Things

Free Download - "Hunger For God" by John Piper

In my humble opinion this is and will continue to be the classic text on the subject of fasting for my generation and generations to come.

About the Book

There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you."

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives--whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God--and Him alone--is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.  HT

Download Here

Listen to the Sermons that gave birth to this book.

Related articles

Bill Bright's Fasting Testimony

Why Should You Enter a Spiritual Fast?

David Brainerd's Fasting Testimony

David Brainerd's Fasting Testimony

David Brainerd a young missionary in his 20's understood the need for fasting in the advancement of the Gospel as well as the expansion of his soul.  Here is a brief testimony from his diary:

Feeling somewhat of the sweetness of communion with God and the force of His love and how it captivates my soul and makes all my desires and affections to center in God, I set apart this day for fasting and prayer to God, to bless me in view of preaching the Gospel. I had life and power in prayer this afternoon. God enabled me to wrestle ardently in intercession for my friends. The Lord visited me marvelously in prayer. I think my soul was never in such agony before. I felt no restraint, for the treasures of God’s grace were opened to me. I wrestled for absent friends and for the ingathering of poor souls. I was in such agony from sun half an hour high till near dark that I was all over wet with sweat. Oh! my dear Savior did sweat blood for these poor souls! I longed for more compassion toward them. I was under a sense of divine love, and went to bed in such a frame of mind, with my heart set on God.

Questions for reflection:

1. Do you have a fasting testimony?
2. When is the last time you wrestled with God over the souls of men & women in your life?
3. When is the last time you tasted the sweetness of God's grace deep with in your soul?
4. Do you hunger for God more than you do for his blessings?
5. What inwardly is stopping you from having a fasting testimony?

During the month of February I am asking that we as a movement would enter into a 30 day partial fast (Daniel fast) in order to strengthen the prayers offered for church multiplication. As a movement we are halfway into a five year Ignite a Church Campaign between 2010-2015. 

To join our growing "fasting team" send an email to gary@convergemidamerica.org  and he will send you daily encouragement and updates.

 

Bill Bright's Fasting Testimony

Bill Bright the passionate leader of Campus Crusade (CRU) had a power experience with God in the late 1990's specifically around this area of fasting.  Read his fasting testimony and allow God to speak to you through it.

"I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world.

Increasingly I have been gripped with a growing sense of urgency to call upon God to send revival to our beloved country. In the spring and summer of 1994, I had a growing conviction that God wanted me to fast and pray for forty days for revival in America and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission in obedience to our Lord's command.

At first I questioned, "Is this truly God's call for me?" Forty days was a long time to go without solid food. But with each passing day, His call grew stronger and more clear. Finally, I was convinced. God was calling me to fast, and He would not make such a call without a specific reason or purpose. With this conviction, I entered my fast with excitement and expectancy mounting in my heart, praying, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

I believe such a long fast was a sovereign call of God because of the magnitude of the sins of America and of the Church. The Lord impressed that upon my heart, as well as the urgent need to help accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission in this generation.

As I began my fast, I was not sure I could continue for forty days. But my confidence was in the Lord to help me. Each day His presence encouraged me to continue. The longer I fasted, the more I sensed the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit refreshed my soul and spirit, and I experienced the joy of the Lord as seldom before. Biblical truths leaped at me from the pages of God's Word. My faith soared as I humbled myself and cried out to God and rejoiced in His presence.

This proved to be the most important forty days of my life. As I waited upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit gave me the assurance that America and much of the world will, before the end of the year 2000, experience a great spiritual awakening. This divine visit from heaven will kindle the greatest spiritual harvest in the history of the Church. But before God comes in revival power, the Holy Spirit will call millions of God's people to repent, fast, and pray in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "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 will heal their land."

The scope of this revival depends on how believers in America and the rest of the world respond to this call. I have spent fifty years studying God's Word and listening to His voice, and His message could not have been more clear."  HT

For more on this subject download Bill Bright's 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer

Download 7_Basic_Steps_to_Successful_Fasting_and_Prayer

Why Should You Enter a Spiritual Fast?

If you do not already know of the power and importance of fasting, here are some very important facts:

• Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.
• Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
• Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."
• Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
• The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!
• Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
• Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.
• Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14:

"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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God.  HT

40 Days of Faith: Day Nine - Darryn Scheske

Today's Scriptures
"I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions." Ezra 8:21

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:5-10

Thought
Always fear haughtiness. Fear overconfidence in your ideas and determination in your way of speaking. Be meek and humble of heart--that is to say, your meekness should come from a sincere humility. Bitterness and lack of moderation come only from pride. If you wish to become meek, you must humble yourself. Make yourself little in the depths of your heart. A humble heart is always gentle and capable of being easily led in its center, even if on the surface it may seem rough through unexpected outbursts of a sharp and irritable temper. Watch, pray, and work at this. Bear with yourself without flattering yourself. Let your spiritual reading and your prayer help you to know yourself better, to correct yourself and to overcome your natural temperament in the presence of God. —François Fénelon¹

Prayer
O Lord, for greater sweetness and beauty and roundness of character,I pray; for the gift of spiritual energy and full-patienced life toward all and in Your presence. Your sweetness, patience, beauty—manifest them, O Lord. Preserve me from the pattern and print of the age I live in.  Today O Lord, Cleanse me from hurry, and keep me purely and calmly Yours.  Renew your joy and power in and through me for your glory, keep me clean and pure for you. —Oswald Chambers

via darryn.typepad.com

Today's Scriptures
"I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions." Ezra 8:21

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:5-10

Thought
Always fear haughtiness. Fear overconfidence in your ideas and determination in your way of speaking. Be meek and humble of heart--that is to say, your meekness should come from a sincere humility. Bitterness and lack of moderation come only from pride. If you wish to become meek, you must humble yourself. Make yourself little in the depths of your heart. A humble heart is always gentle and capable of being easily led in its center, even if on the surface it may seem rough through unexpected outbursts of a sharp and irritable temper. Watch, pray, and work at this. Bear with yourself without flattering yourself. Let your spiritual reading and your prayer help you to know yourself better, to correct yourself and to overcome your natural temperament in the presence of God. —François Fénelon¹

Prayer
O Lord, for greater sweetness and beauty and roundness of character,I pray; for the gift of spiritual energy and full-patienced life toward all and in Your presence. Your sweetness, patience, beauty—manifest them, O Lord. Preserve me from the pattern and print of the age I live in.  Today O Lord, Cleanse me from hurry, and keep me purely and calmly Yours.  Renew your joy and power in and through me for your glory, keep me clean and pure for you. —Oswald Chambers

Quiet Thoughts on Prayer for Driven Leaders

Prayer! That word to a driven leader evokes feelings of frustration and guilt. Frustration with our ability to slow down and commune with God, without one hundred ideas, to do's and leadership issues racing through our minds. Guilt from the sheer lack of prayer in our lives. Every driven leader says, "I know I ought to pray more" and yet struggles with making it a priority. Today, let Fenelon's thoughts on prayer refresh your prayer life and move you from being a driven leader to a drawn leader.

Fenelon's Thoughts on Prayer:

"What a blessing it is to speak to him in trust, to open our hearts to him, and by means of prayer to be united with him as much as it is possible to be in this life!"

"The treasures of God's grace are the only true riches-yet they are the only riches we balk at asking for and expecting. However, we must never stop knocking! The promises of Jesus Christ are always faithful-it is we who are unfaithful in asking for them."

Jesus' Words on Prayer:

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:9-13 NIV

Excerpt from Quiet Thoughts for Driven Leaders: 50 Thoughts from the Spiritual Letters of François Fenelon by Gary Rohrmayer hit the link for a free copy

John Piper's Sermons on Fasting: A Hunger for God

John Piper's book on fasting, "A Hunger for God" is a classic resource every serious follow of Jesus needs to read and reread.  This year I come across the sermon series that gave birth to this excellent resource.  Even though these sermons were preached over 15 yearrs ago they are timeless. It is the best series on fasting I have ever heard.  Each is filled with "ahha" moments, incredible insights, sound exegesis and appropriate challenges for application.  I pray that they will inspire a new generation to preach on this important subject.

The first line in Pastor Piper's book sums up the series well: “The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness for God”

A Hunger For God

• Prayer, Fasting, and the Course of History - Acts 13:1-4
• When the Bridegroom Is Taken Away, They Will Fast—With New Wineskins - Matthew 9:14-17
• Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone - Matthew 3:16-4:4
• Fasting for the Safety of the Little Ones - Ezra 8:21-23
• Fasting for the King's Coming - Luke 2:36-38
• Fasting for the Father's Reward - Matthew 6:16-18
• A Fast for Waters That Do Not Fail, Part 1 - Isaiah 58:1-12
• A Fast for Waters That Do Not Fail, Part 2 - Isaiah 58:1-12 (HT)

Additional Written Resources:

• Crossway Books Interview with John Piper on A Hunger for God
• Revival and Fasting
• A Call to Fast for Humility and Power

Source: www.desiringgod.org

 

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Why Should You Enter a Spiritual Fast?

Bill Bright's Fasting Testimony

John Piper's last sermon as Pastor of Bethlehem Church

David Brainerd's Fasting Testimony

A Quick Study on Spiritual Fasting

"Fasting is not about changing God. It is not a mystical exercise to gain God's approval. Fasting is not about changing my world, but about letting God realign my heart toward his purposes."  Alex Gee

Introduction:

When is the last time you entered into an extended spiritual fast?  Fasting is ultimately an expression of humility and dependence on God.  Fasting is more about replacing than it is about abstaining.  It is about replacing the daily intakes of food, entertainment, and human contact with focused times of prayer, feeding on large amounts of the Word of God and spiritual listening. One of the great benefits of spiritual fasting is a heightened awareness of God's presence and power in our lives.  It is not that God has moved but that we have.  Fasting has a great way of moving us towards a deeper spiritual dependency away from willful self-dependency. Take a few minutes this week to read through the Scriptures, insights and reflective questions to sharpen the spiritual discipline of fasting in your life.

Scripture:

"Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD."  Joel 1:14

"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer." Ezra 8:23

“They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother." Psalm 35:12-14

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Mathew 6:16-18

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"  Acts 13:2

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”  Acts 14:23

Insights:

“Like all the Spiritual Disciplines, fasting hoists the sails of the soul in hopes of experiencing the gracious wind of God’s Spirit.  But fasting also adds a unique dimension to your spiritual life and helps you grow in Christlikeness in ways that are unavailable through any other means.  If this were not so, there would have been no need for Jesus to model and teach fasting.” ~ Donald Whitney

"Fasting, if we conceive of it truly, must not. . . be confined to the question of food and drink; fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting." ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven.  The man who prays with fasting is giving heaven notice that he is truly in earnest....Not only so, but he is expressing his earnestness in a divinely appointed way. He is using a means that God has chosen to make his voice to be heard on high." ~ Arthur Wallis

Reflective Questions:

• When is the last time you called your family, staff, leaders or congregation to a time of spiritual fasting?
• What in your life keeps you from practicing spiritual fasting?
• What else could you fast from beside food?
• How does fasting humble a person?
• Do you have a fasting testimony?

Types of Fasts:

• The Normal Fast: In this type of fast the person abstained from food but not water. The duration can be that which the individual or group feels led to set. Jesus fasted for 40 days (Matthew 4:2). However, the more common practice of a normal fast appears to be from one to three days.
• The Partial Fast: In this type of fast, the emphasis is placed on restriction of diet, rather than abstaining completely from eating. Examples are: Daniel, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego eating only vegetables and drinking only water (Daniel 1:15) and later on when Daniel alone practiced a partial fast for three weeks (Daniel 10:3).
• The Absolute Fast: An absolute fast is one in which the person refrains from both food and water. This type of fast is not to exceed three days. Exceptions to this three day limit (1 Kings 19:8; Deuteronomy 9:9-18 and Exodus 34:28) were based upon direct, divine guidance and care. Examples of the absolute fast are: Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9-18 and Exodus 34:28); Elijah (1 Kings 19:8); Ezra (Ezra 10:6); Esther and her household (Esther 4:16); and Paul (Acts 9:9).

Resources:

• The Power of Prayer and Fasting: 10 Secrets of Spiritual Strength by Ronnie W. Floyd
• A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper
• The Transforming Power of Fasting: Personal Accounts of Spiritual Renewal by Bill Bright
• Fasting for a Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide To Nine Biblical Fasts by Elmer Towns
• Free Guide to Spiritual Fasting

Spiritual Dependency: Prayer - Part 3

10 Steps to a Practical, Joyful, Prayer Life (continued)

Dick Eastman has been an author who has deeply touch my prayer life over the years … here are the second 5 insights he gives to help us develop a more consistent and joyful prayer life.

6. Feed every day on spiritual food. Jesus said, "People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God" (Mt. 4:4, NLT). Jeremiah wrote, "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight" (Jer. 15:16). Read the Word daily so you can pray it back to God.

7. Fellowship with the Lord in love. The prophet Hosea proclaimed, "Come, let us return to the LORD. . . let us press on to acknowledge him" (Hos. 6:1-3). "Acknowledge" (or "know," as it is sometimes translated) is from the Old Testament Hebrew word yada. One important definition of yada is "direct, intimate contact." Intimacy with the Lord is the key to joyful prayer.

8. Forgive every wrong done to you. Jesus said, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him" (Mk. 11:25). Elsewhere He admonished, "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Mt. 6:14). The Lord knew that holding a grudge would make it all but impossible to pray effectively. Indeed, bitter believers rarely pray.

9. Forsake all things that hinder spiritual growth. When Andrew Murray suggested that "we pray as we live, it's the life that prays," he hit upon a vital key to joyful prayer. Those who would pray well must heed Paul's directive, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col. 3:5).

10. Finish what you start. Rees Howells, a remarkable intercessor from an earlier generation, often said, "You will never be a true intercessor until you are first willing to be a part of the answer to your own prayers." When God selected the house of Cornelius to first release the gospel to the Gentiles, it was because Cornelius was someone who "gave generously . . . and prayed to God regularly" (Acts 10:1-4). Cornelius not only prayed, but he put feet to his prayers.

Source: Pray Magazine

May we be a movement of prayer warriors who advance on our knees with joy in our hearts.