An earlier reviewer mentioned that the book sounded more like a lecture and little like an experience. I can assure you that since I have personally taken a class under Dr. Towns, he is an extremely fascinating man to listen to! Also, I like the biblical examples he uses to illustrate the importance and results of fasting. While experience is important, being biblical is even more so! Towns' book is an excellent read to encourage you to fast. He covers the following points:
1. Models and kinds of fasting.2. Principles for fasting to break sin's bondage.3. Fasting to solve a problem and break negative emotional habits.4. Fasting to meet the need of others.5. Fasting to make important decisions and physical healing.6. Fasting for protection from demonic attacks.7. Fasting to experience personal revival.8. How fasting can benefit our bodies.
Read to be encouraged and challenged!
Quote from the author in the acknowledgment:"The material in this book was taught in the pastor's bible class at Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, during the summer of 1995. Thank you, class, for listening to my lessons and sharing with me the things you have learned about fasting. I wrote each chapter as I taught a lesson. For the most part, it was not the older Christians but the younger people who talked to me about this series and tried the things I taught. I have learned much about fasting by looking at it through the eyes of my students." End of quote.
Even though the book is full of detailed information about fasting, it reads like a classroom lecture. The author uses several examples of fasting experiences of other people to help illustrate his lessons, but I can recall only once during the whole book where the author used an example of his own personal fasting experience. Because of this I found the book to be informative, but very dry. Lacking in the expression of personal experience.
Fasting is (or should be) a time of deep personal intimacy with our Creator. A place where the closeness of his presence reveals our own heart's motive, allowing us to intercede for our own spiritual breakthrough, and as well, responding to Him as he leads us to intercede for a spiritual breakthrough in our home, family, friends, church, city, nation, etc. It is this aspect of relating "intimacy with God" that seems to be missing from this book.
But as the title says, "The more you read on this topic, the better".
