Category: Fasting

Why fast?

5/22/2015

Yesterday I explained some of what fasting is not. So today I want to show you some of what fasting is.

Fasting is doing without something—usually food—for spiritual purposes. Biblical fasting is a private matter between an individual and God. While it is important in the Christian life and service, it is not something that is commanded, nor can it be used to judge the spirituality of others. Spirituality comes only from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Fasting is a time to focus on God. Prayer and fasting go together like an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. Fasting is more than just denying ourselves of things that we want and need. It is also a time when we focus more on God, and less on us. When we fast we seek to center our attention on God so that we can put Him first in every area of our lives. When we fast we get hungry. What we need to do is let our hunger focus our attention on God. This is a good time for us to say a “breath prayer”. A breath prayer is not an extended period of prayer. More like a single sentence about what I’m fasting for or just a prayer of praise to God.

One of the hardest things to do during a fast is to be sure we are focusing on this primary purpose. If we are skipping lunch it is easy to use this time to get some extra work done, get a nap in or watch some more TV. We have to guard against this and make sure that we use this time to focus on God through prayer or reading our Bible. Satan would love to hinder our fast by taking our focus off of the primary purpose of the fast.

If fasting is not directly commanded in Scripture and isn’t really an accurate gauge of our spirituality then we may wonder why we should do it? Let me give you several reasons.

Jesus expected that we would fast. “Moreover, when you fast…But you, when you fast…” Matthew 6:16-17 (NKJV)

Did you catch what Jesus said there? He said WHEN you fast not IF you fast. Jesus fasted, His disciples fasted and He expected that we would fast.

Fasting demonstrates our faith and sincerity. When those in the Bible fasted the right ways with the right attitude they were seeking to demonstrate to God that they were depending on Him and were sincere about wanting Him to work in their situation. One place that shows this is Ezra.

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” Ezra 8:21-23 (NKJV)

Instead of asking the king to give them guards to protect them as the traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem Ezra decided to trust God to protect them. To show that they were really trusting God and sincerely wanting His help Ezra declared a fast for a period of time. The great thing we see here is that God honored their faith and sincerity. Fasting demonstrates our faith and sincerity probably more than anything else we can do.

Jesus promises to honor fasting. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:17-18 (NKJV)

Jesus tells us that if we fast in the right way with the right motives we will be rewarded for it. The God who sees what we do will reward us. From this passage I am convinced that anytime we fast in the right way with the right motives we can expect that God will bless us for it. Now we aren’t specifically given any ideas of what these rewards will be. However I can tell you some I’ve experienced in my life.

Fasting improves my relationship with God. Any relationship will be improved with you spend a period of time focusing on the other person. Our relationship with God will be no different. I have never completed a fast without my relationship to God being better than what it was before I started. This has been true when I was close to God and when I wasn’t so close to God. I heard a pastor say once, “Fasting is only effective in as much as it brings me closer to God.”

Fasting reveals what controls me. At various points in our lives we all tend to let things other than God and His Spirit control us. When I have fasted God has used this increased time with Him to reveal to me what is controlling my life. Sometimes I already know what this is and other times I am surprised by what is revealed during my fast. Fasting has helped me remove these non-essential things so that my most essential relationship—with Him—can be put in the place it’s supposed to be.

Fasting makes me more sensitive to God’s voice. The more focused I am on God the more sensitive and receptive I am to His voice. The Bible teaches that through His Holy Spirit God wants to guide us in every area of our lives (Galatians 5:25). Rarely is the problem God’s unwillingness to lead us as much as it is our lack of sensitivity to His leading. It has been my experience that when I fast and focus on God I am much more sensitive when He wants to speak to me through His Word and more sensitive to general “impressions” from the Holy Spirit.

This post was written by Rev Ross. You can find his post here: https://stacyjross.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/why-fast/

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What fasting is not

5/21/2015

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the spiritual discipline of fasting. I personally believe that fasting is a very important and very powerful spiritual discipline. Despite this, it seems to be largely neglected by the modern church, me included. As neglected as this spiritual discipline is in the modern church you can’t read the Bible without finding out that fasting was an important part of the lives of the great heroes of the faith. At the same time you can’t read the biographies of more modern heroes of the faith without finding out that fasting was an important part of their lives as well.

I think part of the problem with fasting is that many people have a lot of unanswered questions about fasting. Can I eat at all? Can I drink water? What does fasting do? Why is it important? This week I’m going to write some of what the Bible has to say about fasting. A part of what we need to understand about fasting is what fasting is not.

Fasting is not dieting in Jesus name. Several years ago I heard a preacher make this statement when he taught on fasting. I’ve used it every time I’ve taught on fasting since then. I’m not sure I remember anything else he said, but I liked this. It seems doubtful many people would use it for this, however if we were thinking about it we need to realize this is a wrong motive for fasting.

Fasting is not an empty ritual. “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” Luke 18:12 (NKJV)

This statement was made by a self-righteous Pharisee attempting to justify himself to God by showing how religious he was. It’s my understanding that the Pharisees fasted every Monday and Thursday. Nothing in the Law required a regular time of fasting. However let me also say that nothing in the Law prohibited a regular time of fasting. The regular time of fasting wasn’t the problem. The problem was that it became an empty ritual that they went through to show how pious and righteous they were. I firmly believe that when something becomes an empty ritual it loses any power or significance it may have.

Fasting is not done for show. “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:16 (NKJV)

One of the things that I think is really interesting about Jesus is that He was always as—if not more—concerned about motives as He was actions. Not only had the Pharisees turned fasting into an empty ritual, they also made a huge show out of it. Jesus calls them hypocrites. The word hypocrite refers to a Greek actor. It was someone who put on a mask and pretended to be something they weren’t. In this case they pretended to be devoted to God by fasting when they really weren’t. It was all for a show.

Jesus also gives us the reason why they did this. It was so that others would honor them for their devotion. In another place the Bible tells us that they cared more about the honor that comes from people than they do the honor that comes from God (John 5:44) and that they loved human praise more than the praise of God (John 12:43). They did what they did so that others would say, “Oh my, Bob is such a good Jew. Wow he is awesome!” They did the right things but with the wrong motives. Jesus goes on to say that if we fast for a show then we may well receive honor from others. But if that is our goal, we should not expect anything further. God will not reward us for right actions that have been done with wrong motives.

Fasting is not effective or even acceptable unless we are in a right relationship with God.“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?” Isaiah 58:1-5 (NKJV)

Here God is rebuking the Israelites for going through the motions of fasting without making sure their hearts are right with Him. They looked pious and devoted but in reality they had abandoned their God. I’m wasting my time when I fast without first make sure my relationship with God is as it should be.

Fasting is not merely an external practice. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?” Isaiah 58:6-7 (NKJV)

The type of fasting that God wanted them to do was the kind of fast that resulted in them drawing closer to and being more committed to God. As we fast there should be a legitimate change in our lives as we draw closer to God.

Fasting is not God’s quid pro quo program. Biblical fasting is not a something for something arrangement with God. In fact, fasting does not guarantee that our requests will be granted.

“So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!” When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 2 Samuel 12:13-19 (NKJV)

This post was written by Rev Ross. You can find this blog post here: https://stacyjross.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/what-fasting-is-not/

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Weight Control

4/11/2014

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Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight...

What is it that keeps you from living a life of obedience to God? Do you struggle with a particular sin, habit or attitude?

Every now and then, we all tolerate things in our lives that makes it difficult for us to please God. And when we know we're not pleasing God, we typically aren't happy with ourselves either. This is one reason that Hebrews 12:1 tell us to "...lay aside every weight..."

The words "lay aside" are taken from the Greek work, apotithimi, a compound of the words apo and tithimi. Apo meansaway and the word tithimi means to place or lay something down. These two words when compounded gives a picture of someone who is laying something down while at the same time he is pushing it far away from himself.

Removing sin from our lives will not occur accidentally. We must decide to change - to remove, to lay aside, to put away attitudes and actions that don't please God and adversely affect our walk of faith.

Also, this verse refers to these incorrect attitudes and actions as "weights." The word "weight" is from the Greek word ogkos - a word that describes a burden or something so heavy and cumbersome that it impedes a runner from running the race as he should.

What if an athlete tries to run the race with loads of extra weight? S/he certainly would not be able to run very far! That is exactly what sinful attitudes and actions do to your walk with the LORD. If you don't remove them, they will eventuallyweigh you down and knock you out of the race of faith!

The Holy Spirit is urging you and me to take a good look at our lives and then remove everything that weighs us down and keeps us from a life of obedience. We must be honest with ourselves and with God.

Do you have a habit, attitude, action or sin that binds you? Are you plagued by a fear that weighs you down and keeps you from fulfilling your potential in Christ? Make a rock-solid, quality decision today to grab hold of those unnecessary burdens and remove, lay aside, and permanently put them away from your life.

Once you make that decision, you'll find yourself running your race of faith with much more ease as you press on to victory!

This post was adapted from Sparkling Gems from the Greek

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Fasting

6/1/2013

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When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do.

"Sit down and eat your chicken, rice, green beans, and salad." One father saying these words to his child might mean: "You've eaten so little today. I am telling you to sit down at this dinner table and eat the amount and kinds of food that will nourish your body." The same words to a different child might mean something else, however. The exact same command might mean, "You have already eaten so much junk today! I am telling you to sit down at the dinner table and eat the amount and kinds of food that will nourish your body."

The words of Jesus, above, about instructions on fasting might mean something different to Jesus' first audience than for us today. Though the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the only requisite day for Jewish fasting, the faithful would also fast for various occasions including mourning, repentance, or even national penitence. Some would make a great show of their fasting to be seen by others; they would look unkempt and even don pale makeup to emphasize their pallor. Jesus exhorted these people to freshen up. Fasting, which is invisible to others, Jesus promised, is recognized by God.

What's striking from a 21st century perspective is that Jesus assumes His audience is fasting! Fasting wasn't an ancient regulation with no bearing on the Christian life. Rather, the message for believers today is that God recognizes the heart of those, who, discreetly forego food or drink, or Facebook, or Twitter, or television in order to focus their attention on things of God.

Jesus' word to us today about fasting might remind us to take up this practice in order to deepen our relationship with God. We do this to please our Father, not to impress anyone around us by our show of holiness.

This post was taken from Today in the Word

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Fasting

6/22/2012

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Why fast?

What fasting is not

Weight Control

Fasting

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