This past Sunday kicked off a two week prayer and fasting emphasis at EPIC Church. It’s our first, but will definitely not be our last. I can’t think of a better way to start each year. So let me share some thoughts from a previous post about fasting to help and encourage those of you that are participating in this fast. Let’s start with what fasting is not!
Fasting is not…
1. …a spiritual way to lose weight. Yes, you will lose weight during a fast as you abstain from food and your body begins to purify itself from the inside out (I’ll leave out the details). But if your goal is to lose weight then all you are doing is practicing anorexia under the guise of a spirtual discipline. By the way, this is not a healthy way to lose weight because you will quickly gain the weight back when you resume your normal eating habits again. You may want to try other forms of discipline like exercise and moderation. Just a thought.
2. …simply skipping meals. As a teenager I remember thinking that I fasted breakfast everyday before school. The truth is I never ate breakfast before school. That’s abstinance from food but not fasting. The purpose of fasting is to abstain and deny your body the desire for food while consecrating that time to feeding your spirit. For me the most difficult thing is not just skipping meals, but also taking that time to pray and seek God. Yes you heard me right. For me it takes as much discipline to spend time feeding my spirit as it does denying my flesh. I’m sure I’m not the only one that can relate.
3. …is not a spiritual shortcut. Taking a day, week or even month to fast and spend time with God is not a shortcut to personal holiness. Fasting has the potential to take you into a much deeper walk with the Lord, but it’s up to you if you will stay there. Fasting requires discipline, but so does everyday life. The worst thing you can do is come off a fast and revert back to old habits and a lack of spiritual discipline. The spiritual hunger must continue beyond the time of fasting in order to continue to grow in the Lord. After all, we’re either getting closer to God each day or farther away.
4. …is not manipulation. We don’t fast to force God’s hand to do what we want. Fasting will result in miracles, and God honors fasting according to His Word. But God knows the motives of our heart, and we cannot manipluate God to do what we want no matter how long we fast. One of the goals of fasting, beyond personal spiritual growth, should be a desire to see God do the impossible. Present God with all kinds of prayers and requests and believe God for miracles. But God works in mysterious ways and His timing is always perfect. You must trust God’s way and timing. Don’t fast to try and force God’s hand to do what you think is best. Why? Because He’s God and He’s always right!
Now let me summarize a few reasons why we should fast. I’ll keep them short and sweet and let you do some personal study into fasting. Here we go.
1. The Bible says to fast. (Matt. 6:16-17 says “when you fast”, not “if you fast”)
2. Jesus exemplified fasting. (Matt. 4:2)
3. Jesus said some things only come through prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29 – some manuscripts say prayer and fasting)
4. You get closer to God. (Acts 13:2 – the Holy Spirit spoke…)
5. You develop good spirtual disciplines. (Acts 14:23)
6. Your body benefits from fasting. (Dan. 1 – partial fast, medical research proves fasting helps purify the body of toxins)
7. God honors fasting if the motives are right. (Matt. 6:18 )
It’s time to fast. In Joel 1:14 the prophet calls the people to a holy fast. I feel like now is one of these moments for EPIC Church. So let’s join together and believe God to do amazing things in both our individual lives and the church.
Send me an email if you have any additional questions regarding fasting.
