The Power of Prayer and Fasting – Ronnie W. Floyd

© 2010 Nashville, B & H Publishing Group

Ronnie Floyd is the pastor of a large and growing church in northwest Arkansas. The church actually exists in two campuses (First Baptist Church of Springdale and The Church at Pinnacle Hills). His most recent (as of last month) accolade is to be the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

When I received this book from the North American Mission Board, I thought, “This will be good. I’ve been wanting to study a little more into fasting.” Within the pages of this “Revised & Expanded” edition, I found many challenging and worthy reminders of the call of Scripture for God’s people to be not only a people of prayer, but also a people who fast. Floyd includes a number of heart-touching testimonies of how prayer and fasting have become essential in his own life and ministry as well as that of his church and other people he has had influence with.

One of the most mind-numbing challenges I encountered as I read this book was the call to bring the local church into a corporate time of fasting. Floyd defines fasting as the “abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind.” (see page 4) And his encouragement to the body of Christ to fast is based on that definition. I can agree with him, that this is the basic definition of fasting. I think that the process can be expanded to abstain from other things (like media), and that the purpose of the fast is spiritual in nature. While there is such a thing as a fast for the purpose of weight loss, this book is dealing with the spiritual kind of fasting.

The problem with my expanding his definition lies in this: when we abstain from food, it is doing away (for a time) with something that the body cannot live without. Refraining from watching television or using smart phones, while these things seem important to a modern society, is not necessary to the survival.

Floyd bases his thesis (and includes it in the title of the book) on fasting and prayer as a means to tap into the power of God. I don’t think that this is his ultimate intention (he even says as much in the book), but the reader often comes away with this impression: that if I will pray and fast, I will experience magnificent power from God. I would suggest that if the reason for one’s fasting is to tap into godly power, then the intention is a false front. My best understanding of fasting and prayer is that the purpose of these activities is not for me to get something from God, but for me to focus my entire being on Him. Prayer and fasting are for my sake in the respect that they bring me into God’s presence for the purpose of complete worship. To approach them with the thought that “if I do this, I get to see something spectacular” (which is a selfish realm from which to start) I miss the point of prayer and fasting altogether.

I think that this is a good book for Christians to read, but I would advise caution not to get caught up in the selfish side of Christian disciplines. Instead I would encourage (as Pastor Floyd has encouraged me in the writing) to practice both prayer and fasting, but to do so with the goal of spending precious time with our Father in Heaven. (I can also agree that doing so will open our eyes to a greater spiritual explosion than ever before—but that’s the residue, not the intention). (3 out of 5 reading glasses)

 

—Benjamin Potter, July 1, 2014

Read but not Reviewed (Recommended Anyway)

While I like to respond to as much of what I read with a thoughtful opinion in the form of a quick review, I don't always fulfill this desire. I am a fairly slow reader because I have to digest every word. Then, I want to be truthful and thoughtful when I do write my opinions down. When life gets hectic, I find that just fulfilling the normal duties of a small-church pastor can keep me from setting my thoughts to keyboard. So, I thought I'd just give a quick recommendation concerning a few books I read in the first part of the year (and then maybe I won't feel so bad about getting to the next--freshly read--review).

Compound Murder (A Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery) by Bill Crider (Minataur, 2013). As with anything by Bill, and especially starring the Blacklin County Cast headed by Dan Rhodes, I heartily recommend this book. I read it around Christmas and the next installment is supposed to hit stores next month, so I thought I'd better at least mention this one (4 reading glasses).

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (Harper Collins, 2000 edition). I finally got a chance to give this classic defense of the Christian Faith a good solid read and found it to be timely and quotable. This is a book anyone should read. It has my highest recommendation (five reading glasses).

Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels (IVP Books, 2008, 20th Anniversary Edition). This one is a modern classic on prayer, It is another challenging read with much advise. I recommend it for the Christian who wants to dive deeper into their own prayer life. (4 reading glasses)

Sun Stand Still – Steven Furtick

© 2010 Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs

You expect to read mixed reviews for things—books, movies, restaurants. You don’t often see them in the same review. But I find myself with mixed thoughts after having read Steven Furtick’s new book Sun Stand Still.

Steven Furtick is the founding pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is young. He is hip. He is everything that an up-and-coming pastor would want to be. What does he have that gets the attention of book publishers, and turns the head of readers? A good line and a noticeable presence. Elevation has grown to more than 6,000 attenders in three locations in four years—that’s noticeable. The first few pages of the book reveal several catchy, creative lines for the memory of the reader.

Basing his premise on the story of Joshua’s prayer mid-battle for the day not to end until the Israelites have completely defeated the enemy (see Joshua 10 for the full story), Furtick builds an argument for strong faith-filled prayer. The book is inspiring to the point of excitement. It is a reminder that we are to exercise extreme faith in our daily living, and daily prayer in our faithful living.

On the upside, the author speaks to a new, younger audience who may not be impressed with the age-old preacher filled with sweat and rage as he shouted the message to this new audience’s grandparents. Furtick opens scriptures to inspire Christians to build into their faith a God-sized desire.

Several things were not so exciting about the book though. First of all, the need for the author to create a dictionary to define his terminology: audacious faith; Sun Stand Still prayer; Page 23 vision, and the like. Also, the “Page 23 vision” itself is based on Jim Cymbala’s Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire rather than Christ. And especially, the tendency for the teaching to come across as a magic mantra which will cause the person praying to accomplish great things for God (though, the author spends several pages trying to avoid just this misunderstanding).

Did I enjoy the book? Were good ideas developed? Yes, of course. Is this a book I would recommend? I’m not convinced that it would be a helpful read. For this reason, I give it only two and one-half out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, October 26, 2010

The Prayer of Jesus – Ken Hemphill

© 2001 Broadman & Holman, Nashville.

Prayer is a constant concern for Americans. There is the constant fight over when and where people can pray – that includes the quip that “as long as there are tests there will be prayer in public schools.” In the church community, there are volumes of books, hours of conferences, and pages of small group study materials that teach us how to pray. Some of these efforts go so far as to suggest that if we prayer a certain prayer in a certain way, then we will get whatever we want. Almost like a magic incantation.

Although the subtitle suggests “The Promise and Power of Living in the Lord’s Prayer,” the book is not about a formula to fabulous living. Instead it is a thoughtful dissection of the model prayer found in Matthew 6. Hemphill has long been a favorite among Baptist writers. His congenial style, an personable demeanor are just what people are looking for in a pastor, seminary president, or church growth consultant (all of which he has done quite successfully). His treatment of the Lord’s Prayer, while occasionally a choppy read is filled with well-considered study and personal anecdotes that bring the principles he espouses to life.

From the very beginning, Hemphill suggests that if believers will follow the pattern set forth by Jesus when His disciples asked Him to “teach us to pray” it will change their lives. He outlines the prayer into four triads dealing with how we respond in prayer to God, and then offers instruction on how to apply this outline to daily living. By doing this, we are told that we can apply other scriptures such as “pray without ceasing” to our daily lives.

The outline of the model prayer—a three-part address, a three-part commitment, a three-part petition, and a three-part benediction—bears little resemblance to the age-old prayer outline used by evangelists for years—ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). The major difference in these two approaches to prayer life is the focus. While both deal approaches deal with our sin at some point, our relationship with God at some point, and our need at some point, Hemphill’s approach is actually more God-centered. If we get to the place that we really place God at His rightful place in our lives, praying according to the pattern that Christ gave us should do nothing less than draw us closer to Him.

Hemphill includes suggestions of how to put these ideas into practice in our personal lives as well as in group study. For the practical suggestions and the personable presentation I give Hemphill’s study of the Lord’s Prayer 4 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, January 10, 2008