Fasting gives greater power and emphasis to our prayers and confessions as we depend on God.
Fasting is feasting on God, hungering for him alone.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES #4. CONFESSION
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Proverbs 28:13).
Confession is an admission of sin followed by repentance.
Confession can be either private (between you and God), personal (between you and a trusted believer), or public (between you and everyone).
But while we are more open to private confession, many are terrified at the thought of personal or public confession.
Of all the spiritual disciplines, confession is the only one that Jesus did not practice. Since Jesus never sinned, he had no need to confess (Heb 4:15). However, Jesus is a critical part of confession, because without his atoning death and resurrection on the cross, we would not be able to receive God’s forgiveness.
Because of Jesus, the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Today, private confession is taught in most churches, but we rarely hear personal and public confession instructed.
While confessing our sins to God is of utmost importance, we may want to find a trusted believer to confess to for both support and accountability.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES #5. WORSHIP
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29).
In many churches, we have made the word worship synonymous with singing, but it is much more than that.
The English word worship comes from the Saxon word weorthscype that evolved into worthship. So when we speak of worshipping God, we mean responding according to his worthiness.
