Elmer Towns: Christian fasting

I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. Daniel 10:3

“Even if we wanted to, we could not manipulate God. We fast and pray for results, but the results are in God’s hands. One of the greatest spiritual benefits of fasting is becoming more attentive to God — becoming more aware of our own inadequacies and His adequacy, our own contingencies and His self-sufficiency — and listening to what He wants us to be and do. Christian fasting, therefore, is totally antithetical to, say, Hindu fasting. Both seek results; however, Hindu fasting focuses on the self and tries to get something for a perceived sacrifice. Christian fasting focuses on God. The results are spiritual results that glorify God — both in the person who fasts and others for whom we fast and pray.”

Elmer Towns in The Daniel Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2010) Day 17, 183.

When this posts, I am somewhere between Pakistan and USA.

This meditation seemed fitting as I travel from a region dominated by Islamic and Hindu beliefs where fasting aims to get something. Alternatively, Daniel fasted for 21 days to humble himself before God and to gain understanding.

I pray as we fast during Lent that we will become more attentive and attuned to God.

And I pray that as Islamic and Hindu people fast, that somehow, by the Holy Spirit, that the Heavenly Father would draw them close to Jesus, the only one who can fulfill their deepest longings.

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12

“In fasting, what we are saying is that more than we enjoy food, we enjoy God… Fasting is feasting on fellowship with God.”

David Platt at Secret Church 19, where he taught on 125 passages dealing with “Prayer, Fasting, and the Pursuit of God.” List compiled here by Eric Roberts.

Happy Ash Wednesday.

It’s a day each year when we return to God with our whole hearts. We enter a season by fasting, weaping, and mourning With Platt, we proclaim that we want to enjoy God more than food. We announce that feasting on fellowship with God is our greatest desire.

To do this we return by taking a posture of repentance.

We repent of disordered attachments. In plain terms, that means we let go of good things that may have become too important to us, and maybe even more important than God in our lives. To repent is to change directions and ask the Holy Spirit to help us put things in order.

We repent of sins that so easily beset us. This refers to habits or patterns of living that do not honor God and are not life-giving to us and to those around us. To repent is to change directions and ask the Holy Spirit to help us put to death these practices and patterns and instead walk by the Spirit so our lives produce fruit.

In this sense, feasting on fellowship with God leads to fruitful living. And one of the many fruits the Spirit produces is generosity. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:22-23

Observing Lent is one of the greatest pathways to growth in generosity.

God, we repent of our sins and return to you this Lent. Help us grow this season. Produce the fruit of the Spirit of generosity in our lives this Lent for your glory. And grant me safe passage home from Pakistan (I depart shortly after the time when email goes out). Amen.

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. Psalm 104:27-28

“Providence is the hand that turns all the wheels in the universe; it is the pilot who steers the ship of the creation. Providences are sometimes dark, often difficult to decipher. God often writes in shorthand. His providences are often secret, but always wise.”

Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 115.

I spent some time in prayer in my hotel room as I approach Lent. As “examine” is my word for the year, I wanted to examine what strengthens our ability to practice the Lenten disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting. It’s God’s providence.

The reason we set aside our desires is because He cares for us more than we care for ourselves. The reason we pray simple, humble prayers of dependence is because He is absolutely dependable. An the reason we give is because He first gave to us.

Walk outside today. Give thanks for God’s providence. Look for His shorthand. What does it say to you? How do you see his matchless care? How does creation rely on His absolute dependability? In what ways do you see His abundant generosity and how might you imitate it?

Now resolve to observe Lent this year rooted in His matchless care. Join me for an Ash Wednesday zoom at 4am Denver time (4pm in Karachi, Pakistan) tomorrow. Register at bit.ly/GTPLent2025. Whether or not you join the zoom, download Lent Companion here and journey with me through Lent.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

“We fast to seek and submit to God’s will… Our spiritual need for God is far more fundamental than our physical need for food and water.”

David Platt at Secret Church 19, where he taught on 125 passages dealing with “Prayer, Fasting, and the Pursuit of God.” List compiled here by Eric Roberts.

We’ve had a remarkable tour of the country, including preaching at the historic cathedral in Karachi, St. Andrews (pictured above). Click here to listen to the message welcoming the church to journey through Lent.

We are fasting lunch today in Pakistan.

Our fast relates not to Lent but to discerning direction regarding next steps. God moved in many ways and from here we want to be sure to submit to God’s will. We need His favor and direction more than food. What about you? Are you facing any decisions? Fasting is the best way to chart a course.

Not sure what to do or how to do it? Journey with GTP through Lent. What is Lent? Lent is special season observed by Christians since the days of the early church.

Christians observe Lent over the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday by practicing the disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting which appear at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. And we pause these practices on the 7 feast days – the 7 Sundays – to celebrate the work Christ has done for us.

This timeframe of 40 days mirrors the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before His earthly ministry began.

In that sense, Lent prepares each of us for the celebration of the resurrection and for our ministry and service after Easter. This year, Lent runs from 5 March 2025 to 20 April 2025. We observe Lent by reading a daily devotional, engaging spiritual practices, and having period zooms together to discuss key learnings.

We want you to join us. Journey through Lent with GTP.

1. Click to download LENT COMPANION here in English or Spanish. Each day you find a short reading, a Scripture, and thoughts to ponder and apply in your life.

2. Join us for zoom calls to explore the Lenten disciplines, to enjoy discussion, and have times of rich learning together. Register here for English or Spanish zooms.

The zooms will take place on 5 March (Giving), 17 March (Prayer), 31 March (Fasting), and 21 April (Life after Lent) at 11am GMT. It’s early for Americans but opens the door for the world to participate.

Whether or not you have done much fasting in the past. Fast with us to seek and submit to God’s will. Our need for God is greater than our need for food.

And I am excited to deliver the first of the four Lent zooms live from Pakistan.

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12

“Fasting is emptying your body of food. But in spiritual comparison, you must also empty yourself of every barrier to God, so you can be filled with His presence.”

Elmer Towns in Knowing God Through Fasting (Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers) 11.

The commitment of muslims to Ramadan teaches a lesson to us as followers of Jesus Christ.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. And no one in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan eat anything from sunrise to sunset during the month.

As they empty themselves, I am praying for God to reveal Himself to them in a powerful way.

Fasting from a biblical perspective is a great gift from God to help us reset our relationship with Him. Whether or not you understand the value of Lent, I want to invite you to experience it this year.

What is Lent? Lent is special season observed by Christians since the days of the early church.

Christians observe Lent over the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday by practicing the disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting which appear at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. And we pause these practices on the 7 feast days – the 7 Sundays – to celebrate the work Christ has done for us.

This timeframe of 40 days mirrors the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before His earthly ministry began.

In that sense, Lent prepares each of us for the celebration of the resurrection and for our ministry and service after Easter. At observe Lent from 5 March to 20 April 2025 by reading a daily devotional and having period zooms together.

We want you to join us. Journey through Lent with GTP to strengthen your faith and your training.

1. Click to download LENT COMPANION here in English or Spanish. Each day you find a short reading, a Scripture, and thoughts to ponder and apply in your life.

2. Join us for zoom calls to explore the Lenten disciplines, to enjoy discussion, and have times of rich learning together. Register here for English or Spanish zooms.

The zooms will take place on 5 March (Giving), 17 March (Prayer), 31 March (Fasting), and 21 April (Life after Lent).

Whether or not you have done much fasting in the past. Empty yourself this Lent so you can be filled with God’s presence.

I am excited to deliver the first of the four Lent zooms live from Pakistan.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

“God may change a promise, but not break a promise.” The Lord shall give that which is good.” He may change a temporal for a spiritual blessing; He may not increase “the basket and the store,” but He may increase the faith and the patience; He may cease to give His people pieces of silver, but He may give them treasures of gold.”

Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 114.

I had a hard day yesterday. Let me explain and maybe you can relate?

God gave our team good things for which we were unprepared. He gave us challenges to grow our faith and patience when we were expecting increase in the basket and the store. Sound familiar?

It was a rare day with margin for rest in the schedule that got exchanged with troubles. Thankfully God helped us navigate them. God works for good, but not always the kind of good we expect.

As a result of the challenges, we determined to change hotels and realized only later that God wanted us on that side of the city for only a day and He had work for us on the other side of the city.

Sometimes the good that God gives us is temporal. It takes shape as provision in physical form. But other times, like yesterday, I got opportunities to grow in faith and patience.

As I process the experiences, I realize I had margin for the challenges. God used them, in part to mold and grow our Pakistan team. Now early the next morning I celebrate God’s generosity in this.

Thanks God for your goodness to us supplying spiritual gold when sometimes we hope for temporal silver.

And after a long morning and afternoon, a sweet blessing was to see beautiful flowers line the street to the location where we had an amazing event.

I shot the header photo from the front seat of the Uber. I felt like it was a warm welcome from the LORD. Then the time with influential workers went so well, praise God.

Peer accountability will come to Pakistan by God’s grace.

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3

The Israelites in the wilderness were continually exposed to change. Whenever the pillar stayed its motion, the tents were pitched; but tomorrow, ere the morning sun had risen, the trumpet sounded, the ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the narrow defiles of the mountain, up the hill side, or along the arid waste of the wilderness. They had scarcely time to rest a little before they heard the sound of “Away! this is not your rest; you must still be onward journeying towards Canaan!” They were never long in one place.

Even wells and palm trees could not detain them. Yet they had an abiding home in their God, his cloudy pillar was their roof-tree, and its flame by night their household fire. They must go onward from place to place, continually changing, never having time to settle, and to say, “Now we are secure; in this place we shall dwell.” “Yet,” says Moses, “though we are always changing, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place throughout all generations.”

The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich today and poor tomorrow; he may be sickly today and well tomorrow; he may be in happiness today, tomorrow he may be distressed — but there is no change with regard to his relationship to God. If He loved me yesterday, He loves me today. My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Let prospects be blighted; let hopes be blasted; let joy be withered; let mildews destroy everything; I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is “my strong habitation whereunto I can continually resort.” I am a pilgrim in the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in a quiet habitation.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (Grand Rapids: CCEL) morning reading for for 27 February.

Special thanks to my friend Pat Knapp for locating this post and sharing it with me as I spend so much time on the road.

I love it. I read it three times.

And this post was fitting because we traveled yesterday to Karachi and had two great meetings but everything took longer than expected. The day started at 7am and ended at 11pm and in between, it was a big adventure. The flight was late. Traffic was terrible. The hotel rooms were not ready. Of course people said, “Welcome to Pakistan.”

As I turn back to the post I celebrate this idea: “My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Let prospects be blighted; let hopes be blasted; let joy be withered; let mildews destroy everything; I have lost nothing of what I have in God.”

This shouts of God’s generosity and I pray that it fills us with hope, joy, and strength for service on a new day.

Pray for today’s event in Karachi. What a huge city! With nearly 19 million people, it’s the 12th largest city in the world. Praise God the top Christian workers are convening for a GTP teaching event, “Stewardship and Standards,” with the aim of forming a task force to form a peer accountability (like ECFA in USA) in Pakistan.

We did the same meeting in Islamabad/Rawalpindi and in Lahore and had and overwhelmingly positive response. People expressed honesty and humility about challenges and desire to take steps in together to strengthen churches and ministries for sustainability with standards.

Keep praying. The trip is far from over. But “my unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord!”

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

“When the Lord pardons a sinner, He doth not pay a debt but bestows a gift.”

Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 106.

I’ve had many great conversations about stewardship, accountability, trust, and generosity with church and ministry workers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and now Lahore. We go to Karachi from here.

This nuance actually came up in a conversation I had. If we saw God’s atoning work for us on the cross as just paying a debt, we might think that either we owed Him or we could pay it back. And it would not stir love in our hearts in return.

When, instead we acknowledge that we have received a priceless gift, it stirs within us deep love. But how does this relate to our own generosity. Let us give, not because we feel like we owe anything but because he did not spare anything for us.

Ponder that today. God did not spare anything but gave up His one and only Son for you and me because of His great love for us. Few things stir greater generosity and love than to ponder our pardon and the priceless gift of forgiveness.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

“A minister of Christ is both a granary, to hold the corn, and a steward, to give it out; he, then, is an unfaithful servant who dealeth not out bountifully the bread of life.”

Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 98.

I like this picture of the granary. It holds the good stuff that people need in a temporary way for dispensing bountifully. Imagine if every minister adopted this word picture.

Let’s play out the implications. God desires that His ministers (that includes all His servants) receive blessings for enjoyment and sharing. The granary stores it temporarily for dealing bountifully.

The ministry in Pakistan continues to far exceed all expectations. Thanks for your prayers. I am dispensing from the granary and having to refill each morning. Appreciate your ongoing prayers. Thanks.

The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. Ecclesiastes 5:10

“Grace satisfies; other riches cannot.” He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver: this is also vanity.” Riches can no more fill the heart than a triangle can fill a circle; but grace fills up every chink.”

Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 57.

“Grace makes beauty out of everything.” I thought of this line out of the U2 song, Grace, today after reading this excerpt from Watson. Then I paused and asked this question to my self. But what does grace have to do with generosity?

Grace may be the greatest treasure in the universe. It’s the secret sauce of the gospel that sets Christianity apart from Islam and every other religion in the world. Grace covers, fills, and lavishes the goodness of God on us.

And when we are weary or in war-torn or difficult places, grace abounds. People need it more than money.

That’s what I see in Pakistan. I see grace abounding among the Christians. Though it might be home to terrorists and pervasive brokenness, I see God’s hand at work. It brings satisfaction.

I see God’s generosity as He has lavished grace on new believers led to Christ by our GTP country team. Do you know anyone who needs a generous outpouring of grace from you today?