A Fast Secret
Was there ever a time you went without food or something you love for a period of time? Whether it was through a detox, cleanse, or fast. It’s hard. Especially when it was something you became dependent on like caffeine or television. And it seems that every time you tried to cut something out, that thing always seemed to pop up even more. Tempting you to just indulge. The truth is fasting is a hard thing, but it’s a practice that can be good for our souls.
Fasting is not a new practice, but one that is deeply embedded in the history of the church and mentioned throughout the Bible. Fasting was often used as a time of spiritual preparation. Nehemiah fasted and prayed before setting out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4). Moses fasted for 40 days, preparing him to receive the Ten Commandments (Ex. 34:28). And Elijah fasted for 40 days before he received fresh direction from God (1 Kings 19:8) (Mark Jobe, President of the Moody Bible Institute). The practice of fasting is steeped in the movement of the spirit throughout the people of God. When we remove that consumption for a period of time, we open the door to bring ourselves closer to our God. Too often we only do the first part of fasting and therefore the practice falls flat. We often don’t go back to it because we don’t see it helping. It’s the second part of the fasting that is most critical. We’re to fill that time with prayer and the study of Scripture. To fill those moments with being in communication with God
The reality is that fasting and prayer are God's challenge to discipline our spirits and be transformed into his image. God invites intimacy as we set aside all distractions. Then we'll find our fast more satisfying than any feast. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry" (John 6:35 NIV). Fasting doesn't earn anything; it's to honor God and help us focus as we enter his presence. That's our fast secret (Norman F. Brown, Today’s Devotional).
Hunger or the removal of media become secondary when we are filled with the Bread of Life. Our spirits find rejuvenation and refreshment. We find connection as children of the Living God. Maybe you’ve never tried fasting. Maybe you’ve done it here and there but didn’t see the value. Why not try it again but with a fresh perspective. It’s not about deprivation. It’s about the preparation of our spirits to be in alignment with God. Begin by choosing what you will be fasting from. Whether it’s food, your coffee breaks, social media, sports. Choose something that is a part of your everyday routine today. Then decide the number of days you will fast. Why not try it for a week? Finally, and this is the critical piece, at the times you would normally do that activity, study Scripture. Pray. Listen. Spend that time with God. I believe the vast majority of people want to hear what God is saying. We just need to create the space to listen.
Fasting is not a new practice, but one that is deeply embedded in the history of the church and mentioned throughout the Bible. Fasting was often used as a time of spiritual preparation. Nehemiah fasted and prayed before setting out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4). Moses fasted for 40 days, preparing him to receive the Ten Commandments (Ex. 34:28). And Elijah fasted for 40 days before he received fresh direction from God (1 Kings 19:8) (Mark Jobe, President of the Moody Bible Institute). The practice of fasting is steeped in the movement of the spirit throughout the people of God. When we remove that consumption for a period of time, we open the door to bring ourselves closer to our God. Too often we only do the first part of fasting and therefore the practice falls flat. We often don’t go back to it because we don’t see it helping. It’s the second part of the fasting that is most critical. We’re to fill that time with prayer and the study of Scripture. To fill those moments with being in communication with God
The reality is that fasting and prayer are God's challenge to discipline our spirits and be transformed into his image. God invites intimacy as we set aside all distractions. Then we'll find our fast more satisfying than any feast. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry" (John 6:35 NIV). Fasting doesn't earn anything; it's to honor God and help us focus as we enter his presence. That's our fast secret (Norman F. Brown, Today’s Devotional).
Hunger or the removal of media become secondary when we are filled with the Bread of Life. Our spirits find rejuvenation and refreshment. We find connection as children of the Living God. Maybe you’ve never tried fasting. Maybe you’ve done it here and there but didn’t see the value. Why not try it again but with a fresh perspective. It’s not about deprivation. It’s about the preparation of our spirits to be in alignment with God. Begin by choosing what you will be fasting from. Whether it’s food, your coffee breaks, social media, sports. Choose something that is a part of your everyday routine today. Then decide the number of days you will fast. Why not try it for a week? Finally, and this is the critical piece, at the times you would normally do that activity, study Scripture. Pray. Listen. Spend that time with God. I believe the vast majority of people want to hear what God is saying. We just need to create the space to listen.
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