Jentezen Franklin - The fasting edge

Fasting has become one of the most important elements of my faith in recent years. If you are feeling spiritually dull, The Fasting Edge will sharpen your focus and empower you to serve Christ with your whole heart.

C RAIG G ROESCHEL
P ASTOR OF L IFECHURCH.TV
A UTHOR , WEIRD B ECAUSE N ORMAL
I SNT W ORKING

Some of the most pivotal times in my entire life have come during or after seasons of fasting. Its impossible to overstate its potential to propel you to a whole new level in your walk with Christ and unlock potential you never knew you had. And its almost equally impossible to overstate Jentezens ability to equip you to do it. The Fasting Edge is essential reading for anyone wanting to leave spiritual mediocrity behind and embrace the kind of life God always intended you to have.

S TEVEN F URTICK
L EAD P ASTOR , E LEVATION C HURCH
AND A UTHOR , S UN S TAND S TILL

M OST C HARISMA H OUSE B OOK G ROUP products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs. For details, write Charisma House Book Group, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600.

T HE F ASTING E DGE by Jentezen Franklin
Published by Charisma House
Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group
600 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Old Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Some names of persons mentioned in this book have been changed to protect privacy; any similarity between individuals described in this book to individuals known to readers is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by Jentezen Franklin
All rights reserved

Visit the authors website at www.jentezenfranklin.org.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Franklin, Jentezen, 1962

The fasting edge / Jentezen Franklin.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-61638-584-2 (casebound) -- ISBN 978-1-61638-629-0 (e-book) -- ISBN 978-1-61638-625-2 (international trade pbk.) 1. Fasting--Religious aspects--Christianity. I. Title.

BV5055.F732 2011

204.47--dc23

2011031723

11 12 13 14 15 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America

The material contained in this book is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, provide medical advice, or take the place of medical advice and treatment from your personal physician. The author in no way claims to be a medical doctor. Readers are advised to consult qualified health professionals regarding fasting and/or treatment of their specific medical problems. Neither the publisher nor the author is responsible for any possible consequences from any person reading or following the information in this book. If readers are taking prescription medications, they should consult their physicians and not take themselves off medicines without the proper supervision of a physician.

Lovingly dedicated to my brother,
Richie, whose ministry I was saved
under, who gave me my first
opportunity to preach, and who taught
me so much about the power of fasting.

Acknowledgments

A special thank-you to my wife, Cherise, who constantly inspires me, and to our children Courteney, Caressa, Caroline, Connar, and Drake, who are a blessing to me each and every day.

Steve Strang, Tessie DeVore, and the Charisma House teamthank you for partnering with me to publish this book and for always going the extra mile for excellence.

Tomi Kaiser, your gift has enabled me to reach many through print. You are the engine behind this book and my favorite to work with.

To all the incredible Free Chapel staffthank you for your dedication to this ministry.

To the greatest executive team: Tracy Page, Natasha Phillips, Brian Smith, and Caressa Franklinthank you for all you do to ensure this ministrys success.

Lastly, thank you to the Free Chapel congregation and Kingdom Connection partners for your support as we continue spreading the gospel locally and globally.

Contents

I t happens to all of us. We keep going and going, and before we realize it, we just dont seem to be as effective at anything as we used to be. Has your passion for the Lord waned from when you were first born again? Does it feel as if you have lost steam since the last conference or revival meeting you attended? Has life begun to wear you down to the point that serving the Lord has become just one more appointment to keep on the weekly calendar, falling somewhere between work, meals, and getting the kids to practice? Have you grown weary of the same old routine at work? Do you find yourself flaring up in your relationships with family and friends more readily? More to the point, have you simply grown dull?

Abraham Lincoln is known for making the statement, Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax. For many of us that sounds like a waste of at least three and a half of those six hours. But remember, Lincoln was a skilled woodsman, having cut down trees, chopped firewood, and split rails to build fences since his youth. His experience even became part of his campaign slogan when his party dubbed him the Rail Candidate in this countrys 1860 presidential elections, a reference to his common-man rail-splitting days. Two facts Lincoln knew very well, as do all who work with such tools:

Using a dull ax requires more physical effort and time to cut down the same number of trees as using a well-sharpened one. Since a dull ax will not bite into the wood, one powerful swing can result in it glancing off of the intended target and cutting into ones leg instead. Years of experience made Lincoln keenly aware that the right tools properly cared for make hard work more successful. He may have even read Solomons wise counsel on the subject in Ecclesiastes 10:10:

Wisdom is taking the required time to sit down with a file, an ax stone, and some oil to put the proper edge back on the ax. With the file you slowly grind away the larger imperfections and burrs. Using a fine stone in a circular motion further hones the edge and removes the remaining shiny spots that indicate the blade is still dull. Rubbing a small amount of oil along the edge helps to remove the bits of shavings and debris that have been ground down. It is a process, and anyone familiar with the process will tell you that a power grinder is never to be used to speed things up. Hastening the process that way actually softens the steel in the ax head, leaving it completely useless.