Welcome to the fifth episode in our series on listening for Jesus inside spiritual disciplines – because in these practices, we are having conversations with God, which means in these practices, we can hear Him louder. 

Today Marnie is with Wendy Speake, author of A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving: 30 Days of Rejoicing in God’s Goodness, and we’re talking about something called an “ask” fast, which includes the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting and praise. Wendy shares her own story of an excruciatingly painful season during which God invited her to reframe her prayers from requests to praise and thanksgiving.

We all have seasons where it feels hard to praise God. But what if praising Him through the hard things changes us? What if we praise Him for being God and then watch Him be God?

If you are longing for peace and joy in places where you’re barely holding on, this episode is for you.

Marnie and Wendy discuss:

• Four seasons where praise feels hard.
• Why spiritual disciplines aren’t to “check the box” (but also: we must check the box).
• What an Ask Fast is and how it works (and how it’s three spiritual disciplines in one!).
• How to reframe our prayers from petition and request to praise and thanksgiving.
• How we aren’t avoiding the hard things, but praising God through the hard things.
• How we listen for God in spiritual disciplines.
• Why spiritual disciplines matter.

Wendy Speake is also the author and host of The 40-Day Sugar Fast, The 40-Day Social Media Fast, and the companion resource, The 40-Day Feast. As a trained actress and heartfelt Bible teacher, Wendy ministers to women’s hearts through storytelling and Biblical life applications. She utilizes drama, poetry, and the study of God’s word. During her career as an actress in Hollywood, Wendy longed to tell stories that would edify and encourage women. Today she does just that.

Three next steps from this episode:

1 | Download your FREE copy of “Three Listening Questions to Ask in Spiritual Disciplines” and learn three simple questions for Jesus for whatever spiritual discipline you practice.

2 | Enter to win a FREE copy of Wendy’s book, A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving: 30 Days of Rejoicing in God’s Goodness here! Enter before 12:00 PST on October 31, 2026!

3 | Sign up for Wendy’s FREE 30-Day Ask Fast here! When you sign up, you’ll be invited to free, private Facebook group where Wendy will lead us through her new book during the month of November! You’ll also want to grab a copy of her book for the Ask Fast.

You can find out more about Wendy through her Website or on Instagram. You can connect with Marnie through her Website or on Instagram.