Week 7 – The Holy Habit of Fasting

Biblical Fasting Definition – Abstinence from food for spiritual purposes
  • Designed to root you in the Lord for the purpose of becoming more like Him 
  • It should be voluntary 
Types of fasting in scripture:
  • Normal – No food, but still drinking water (Matthew 4:2) 
  • Partial – Not eating certain types of food (Daniel 1) 
  • Absolute – No food, no water (Ezra 10:6) 
  • Supernatural – extended time frame (Deuteronomy 9:9) 
  • Private  - Unobservable (Matthew 6:16-18) 
  • National Fast (2 Chronicles 2:3) 
  • Regular Scheduled – Like the Day of Atonement for the Jews 
Fasting should have a Biblical purpose or it is just a dietary fast.
Biblical Purposes for Fasting:

  • Strengthen Prayers (Ezra 8:23) 
  • Seeking God’s guidance 
  • Expressing Grief (1 Samuel 20:34) 
  • For Deliverance or Protection 
  • Expressing repentance and return to God (Joel 2) 
  • Humbling ourselves before God (1 Kings 21) 
  • Expressing concern for the work of God 
  • Ministering to the needs of others (Isaiah 58:6-7) 
  • To overcome temptation 
  • To express worship and love to God (Luke 2) 

Week 6 – The Holy Habit of Stewardship

Stewardship of Time Notes
•Make the best use of time because the days are evil – Eph 5:15-16
•Prepare now for your eternity. 2 Corinthians 6:2
•Time is short – James 4:14
•Time is passing away – 1 John 2:17
•Time is uncertain – Proverbs 27:1
•Understand that time cannot be regained. Phil 3:13-14
•We will give an account of our time. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
•Time is easily lost. Fight against slothfulness. Proverbs 26:13-14; 24:33-34
•Time’s value in eternity. Luke 16:22-25

Week 5 – The Holy Habit of Serving

Serving Notes
· To serve God is to obey God. Deuteronomy 13:4
· Let your service stem from gratitude towards Him. 1 Sam 12:24
o Reflect upon the salvation He has given.
· Serve Him with gladness. Psalm 100:2
· Don’t serve from guilt…serve from His gracious forgiveness. Isaiah 6
· Dwell on the humility displayed as Christ washed the disciples feet.
· Love is the ultimate driver of your service. Galatians 5:13
Places to get involved serving:
· At Walnut Ridge: o Preschool Ministry – Jerica@walnutridge.org
o Children’s Ministry – Brady@walnutridge.org o Youth Ministry – Katherine@walnutridge.org / Landon@walnutridge.org
o Adult Ministry – Jim@walnutridge.org
o Senior Adult Ministry – Linda@walnutridge.org
o Choir / Orchestra – Chris@walnutridge.org
o Praise Team / Worship – Jason@walnutridge.org
o Audio / Video Team – Graham@walnutridge.org
o Mission Team – Travis@walnutridge.org
o Greeting Team – Jody@walnutridge.org
o Parking Lot Team – See info desk in foyer
o Safety Team – Kent@walnutridge.org o Ridge Sports – Chris@walnutridge.org / jason@walnutridge.org
Local / International Ministry Opportunities
o https://walnutridge.org/missions-partners

Week 4 – The Holy Habit of Speaking About God

Put yourself into situations where evangelism can happen.
· Go to dinner with a lost person
· Take a house-warming gift to a new neighbor
· Help a neighbor with yard work or chores Walk in wisdom, make the best use of time.
· Learn to ask good personal questions
· Let them know that you specifically pray for them
· Ask them how you can be praying for them
Write down the gospel.
· https://www.namb.net/evangelism/3circles/
· https://www.navigators.org/resource/ one-verse-evangelism/ 

Week 3 – The Holy Habit of Worship

•Direct your focus upon God.
•Respond to His worthiness of praise.
•Look at creation through the lens of God’s might and glory.
•Respond in worship.
•Read His Word.
•Respond in worship.
•Balance your worship in Spirit and Truth. 

Week 2 – The Holy Habit of Prayer

Make a plan to pray, and discuss your plan with another.  I will discuss my plan with _________________________.
  • Time
  • Location
  • Method
Pray the Bible.
  • Read a verse, and then pray to the Lord from the thoughts that verse sparks within you.  When you run out of things to say, move to the next verse.
Pray with others.
  • Come to Evensong.
  • Listen to how others pray through passages, pray for others, and pray for missions.
Be a student of prayer.
Remind yourself that He expects us to.  He hears you.  He answers you.

Week 1 - Delight in His Word

Reading plans:
  • https://replicate.org/resources/reading-plans
  • 5 places – equal chapters daily starting in Genesis, Joshua, Job, Isaiah, and Matthew
Meditating on the Bible:
  • Emphasize different words in the text. How does this affect the meaning?
  • Rewrite the text in your own words
  • Formulate a principle from the text.  What does it teach?
  • Think of an illustration of the text – What picture explains it?
  • Look for an application of the text
  • Ask how the text points to the Law or the Gospel
  • Ask how the text points to something about Jesus
  • Ask what question is answered or what problem is solved by the text
  • Pray through the text
  • Memorize the text
  • Create an artistic expression of the text
  • Ask the Philippians 4:8 questions of the text – What is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy about it?
  • Joseph Hall Questions:
  • What is it (define and/or describe what it is) you are meditating on?
  • What are its divisions or parts?
  • What causes it?
  • What does it cause; that is, what are its fruits and effects?
  • What is its place, location, or use?
  • What are its qualities and attachments?
  • What is contrary, contradictory, or different to it?
  • What compares to it?
  • What are its titles or names?
  • What are the testimonies or examples of Scripture about it?
  • Set and discover a minimum number of insights from the text
  • Find a link or common thread between the paragraphs or chapters you read
  • Ask how the texts speaks to your current issue or question
  • Use meditation mapping (like a mind map)
Favorite Bible Intake Methods from the Staff:
  • Erik Erby
  • F260 Bible Plan on YouVersion Bible App
  • Podcast – Unashamed with the Robertson Family
  • Podcast – The Forgotten Jesus Podcast
  • Jody Maxwell
  • The Bible Recap – App
  • Jim McReynolds
  • Bibleref.com
  • The Bible Project – YouTube
  • Spoken Gospel - YouTube
  • Katherine Paul
  • Podcast - Call her Holy with Nicoletta Bradley and Laura Eldridge
  • Podcast - Becoming Something by Jonothan Pokluda
  • Listening to the Bible App
  • Katie Olson
  • Sermon from David Jeremiah and Charles Stanley
  • Listening to the Bible App
  • Linda Hambrick
  • Sermons online
  • Dana Southern
  • Through the Word – App
  • Landon Boehmisch
  • The AC podcasts
  • Bibleproject
  • Anything Wesley Huff is in