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Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Practical Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts
This Time-Tested Book Will Strengthen Your Faith, Drawing You Closer to God
This comprehensive book is for you if you seek a closer walk with God, whether you wonder how to fast or you've been practicing this spiritual discipline for years. As you learn the clear biblical reasons for fasting, you'll also be introduced to nine biblical fasts that God can use for specific physical and spiritual outcomes. These include
· The Disciple's Fast--to free yourself and others from addictions to sin
· The Ezra Fast--to solve problems, inviting the Holy Spirit's aid
· The Saint Paul Fast--to bring clearer perspective and insight in critical decision-making
· The Daniel Fast--to gain a healthier life or healing
Each fast includes its purpose and biblical basis, why or when to practice this fast, and a practical step-by-step guide as you prepare for it.
Now included in the book are new stories from people who have found spiritual breakthroughs in fasting, study questions for individuals or groups, biblical references to fasting, a fasting glossary, and more.
This comprehensive book is for you if you seek a closer walk with God, whether you wonder how to fast or you've been practicing this spiritual discipline for years. As you learn the clear biblical reasons for fasting, you'll also be introduced to nine biblical fasts that God can use for specific physical and spiritual outcomes. These include
· The Disciple's Fast--to free yourself and others from addictions to sin
· The Ezra Fast--to solve problems, inviting the Holy Spirit's aid
· The Saint Paul Fast--to bring clearer perspective and insight in critical decision-making
· The Daniel Fast--to gain a healthier life or healing
Each fast includes its purpose and biblical basis, why or when to practice this fast, and a practical step-by-step guide as you prepare for it.
Now included in the book are new stories from people who have found spiritual breakthroughs in fasting, study questions for individuals or groups, biblical references to fasting, a fasting glossary, and more.
- GenresChristian
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2017
160 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Elmer L. Towns
337 books48 followersDr. Elmer Towns is a college and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education. He began teaching at Midwest Bible College, St. Louis, Missouri, for three years and was not satisfied with his textbooks so he began writing his own (he has published over 100 books listed in the Library of Congress, 7 listed in the Christian Booksellers Best Selling List; several becoming accepted as college textbooks. He is also the 1995 recipient of the coveted Gold Medallion Award awarded by the Christian Booksellers Association for writing the Book of the Year, i.e., The Names of the Holy Spirit.
He was President of Winnipeg Bible College for five years, leading it to receive American Accreditation and Provincial authority to offer degrees (1960-1965). He taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in greater Chicago, Illinois, in the field of Religious Education and Evangelism (1965-1971).
He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty's existence. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.
Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism.
His personal education includes a B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
He was President of Winnipeg Bible College for five years, leading it to receive American Accreditation and Provincial authority to offer degrees (1960-1965). He taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in greater Chicago, Illinois, in the field of Religious Education and Evangelism (1965-1971).
He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty's existence. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.
Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism.
His personal education includes a B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 27, 2021
My friend Trent Holbert suggested I read this book, and boy, am I glad he did!
As a Christian, I am trying to improve upon my fasts from being mostly about achieving better health and using them to improve my relationship with Jesus and as a time for spiritual growth and as a sacrifice during times of turbulence the lives of loved ones in my community. This book by Towns is helping me to take my strong foundation of fasting for health and make it more Christ centered.
This book has examples of nine different fasts based on the Bible, and I outlined some of what the author describes as the Daniel Fast in my full review here.
As a Christian, I am trying to improve upon my fasts from being mostly about achieving better health and using them to improve my relationship with Jesus and as a time for spiritual growth and as a sacrifice during times of turbulence the lives of loved ones in my community. This book by Towns is helping me to take my strong foundation of fasting for health and make it more Christ centered.
This book has examples of nine different fasts based on the Bible, and I outlined some of what the author describes as the Daniel Fast in my full review here.
April 8, 2025
Phenomenal and thorough overview of nine different fasts! Each fast includes background information, which provides helpful context, and easy-to-follow steps and key principles. This by far is the best resource I’ve read that teaches you how to fast. This is what I was looking for! Highly recommend!
April 23, 2020
Three out of ten.
Not incredibly impressive from any standpoint, except that it is a book about fasting. It was a slog, though, short as it is. The style of the writing is subpar, the organization rarely better than abysmal. Towns' tortured eisegesis of Isaiah 58 is surprising from the dean of a conservative theological seminary. The classification of nine fasts could be helpful, I suppose, if they were a little less vague and inter-referential. The most interesting tidbit was a nod in Appendix 2 to Yuri Nikolayev (whose name was misspelled)(but who certainly piques my curiosity).
I have become quite lazy with my fasting and need to get inspired again. Unfortunately, this book wasn't the miracle cure for me.
Not incredibly impressive from any standpoint, except that it is a book about fasting. It was a slog, though, short as it is. The style of the writing is subpar, the organization rarely better than abysmal. Towns' tortured eisegesis of Isaiah 58 is surprising from the dean of a conservative theological seminary. The classification of nine fasts could be helpful, I suppose, if they were a little less vague and inter-referential. The most interesting tidbit was a nod in Appendix 2 to Yuri Nikolayev (whose name was misspelled)(but who certainly piques my curiosity).
I have become quite lazy with my fasting and need to get inspired again. Unfortunately, this book wasn't the miracle cure for me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews