One reason that many Christians do not experience great excitement, joy, or success in their prayer life is because their prayers are not definite. We do not specify our supplications to God, and therefore there is little clarity, faith, or power in prayer. No passage of Scripture reveals this truth more clearly than the healing of Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52:

Almost everyone has a “special” place, a place that they love to go to relax, to engage in a favorite activity, or just to be at peace. In fact, most people, like me, probably have several. A scenic view from a back deck. A cozy basement. But do you have a special place to meet with God and pray? A place where you can “shut the door,” knowing that no one can bother you? In His teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stresses the importance of having such a place. I’ve come up with four reasons why He stresses a secret place, some based on textual exegesis and some based on just plain common sense: intentionality,  privacy, intimacy, and integrity.

So I transformed myself into a morning person. It really wasn’t very hard. There were several keys, I quickly found, to waking up earlier.

Isaiah 58 is perhaps the most famous passage on fasting in all of Scripture. Often called “the fasting chapter,” it is a devastating indictment upon the religiosity of man and all its vain, self-righteous rituals. In Isaiah 58, God clearly articulates the ultimate purpose of fasting, and in the process, the ultimate goal of redeemed humanity as well. Not surprisingly, the two purposes are one and the same.

While Peter, James and John were off with Jesus, beholding His awesome transfiguration, the rest of the disciples were struggling. A desperate man had come to them with his son, who was experiencing epileptic-type symptoms and great suffering.

I was four days into my fast. On the night before I was to share the gospel and my testimony before a large crowd, I lay in bed, soaking in the manifest presence of God.

The fasters from Scripture read like a “Who’s-Who” of the Bible. Moses (40 days) came down from Mount Sinai with his face glowing. Elijah (40 days) called down fire from heaven. Daniel (21 days) shut the mouths of the lions’ when he was thrown in the lions’ den. And on and on and on.