Fasting is one of those things that everyone knows about, but no one discusses. The health-conscious community has developed an interest in fasting because there is evidence to support fasting as being healthy for us. This article is about fasting, not for health reasons, but spiritual growth.
Fasting is something practiced by many Christians. It is not a spiritual requirement. There will be many Christians in heaven who have never fasted. However, Jesus, along with many of the great men of the Bible, did fast.
Fasting is almost always associated in conjunction with prayer. We should also associate fasting with Scripture reading and singing praises. One can:
Fasting by itself has no spiritual value.
As Christians, we live in two realms:
- The Physical Realm
- The Spiritual Realm
We get caught up in the physical realm: kids to school, jobs, paying bills, taking care of parents, and so forth. The problem is that God operates in the spiritual realm:
John 4:24 NLT
We meet God on the spiritual plane, not the physical. Fasting is doing something to deny the physical realm, usually going without food so that we might bring the spiritual realm into focus. The more focused we become on the spiritual realm, the more we see, understand, and fellowship with God.
Many Christians believe fasting is a self-induced suffering so that we may earn the favor of God. There's nothing we can do to earn more of it! We already have God's favor.
Fasting is about focus - focusing on the things of God.
Essentially, we have to reverse engineer fasting to determine what it is. I'm entirely sure that God planned it that way.
In the Old Testament, only one fast was required. This was the fast on Yom Kippur; the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32). Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement, so the required fasting is no longer necessary.
Jesus did not do away with fasting. Jesus fasted (Matt. 4:2). He acknowledged that it would continue (Mark 2:18-20). The Bible does not give a lot of specifics about fasting, yet it is intertwined throughout Biblical stories and teachings. Because fasting is imprecise in its purpose and scope in the Scriptures and is also a voluntary action, I would like to suggest that fasting is a deeply personal activity; different for each individual.
In the New Testament, we have a personal Savior who sits at the right hand of God. Jesus has restored our relationship with the God of the universe. We are no longer enemies of God but his very own precious children. We can enter into his very presence and speak to him directly. We don't need to get his attention; we already have it.
Because of our new relationship with God, fasting takes on a different function: It serves as a means of fellowship. That fellowship includes praise, worship, and being in the presence of holiness, righteousness, justice, truth, and love. It puts us in the presence of the spiritual realm.
My best friend is an electronics junkie. He loves electronic devices: phones, notepads, tv, video games, movies, and streaming. He spends a significant amount of time on his devices. Some of this time will involve watching/listening to sermons, listening to praise, or researching the Scriptures.
My best friend recognizes that these devices tie him to the physical realm even though a lot of the time is dedicated to "spiritual things."
In response, my friend will fast by giving up all his electronic devices for a time. When he feels the urge to pick up his phone or turn on the television, he prays instead.
My sister will frequently fast from Facebook and non-essential texting.
I suspect many of us have these same obsessions with the physical realm, and we don't even know it. We are just passing the time. No harm done. Yet, every time we pick up that phone device instead of taking a moment to fellowship with the Lord is a lost opportunity to grow closer to him.
Being useless and non-productive from time to time is essential for a healthy mind and body. However, we are stuck in the physical realm when we utilize every free moment of our time to stay busy, browse, scan, text, or press.
If we find ourselves developing an interest in fasting, this is most likely the Holy Spirit developing that desire within us. We begin the process by asking the Holy Spirit to reveal those areas of our lives that keep us bound to the physical world. There may be many. Pick one and start with that.
- For most of us, we are going to start with food fasting. Don't go crazy here. Start with one day or even a half day without food. Don't go without water. Every time you desire to eat, pray, read the Scriptures, or sing praises instead of eating.
- Begin and end the fast with prayer and reading the Scriptures.
- Don't pick a day when you are busy with things. The idea is to spend time in fellowship with the Lord. If you are busy, it defeats the purpose. The perfect scenario would be if you could get away by yourself for a day or two. I used to go camping during a fast.
- The Bible tells us not to advertise our fast or to carry on about how hungry we are. No one should know what we are doing except perhaps our spouse.
Hang in there. This is normal. Draw nearer to God as this happens, and he will draw nearer to you.
James 4:8 NLT
We may or may not experience an emotional response when the fast is concluded. The presence or absence of emotion is not an indicator of anything. What you will have is a new peace and clarity. It might take a day or two, but we will realize that we are more grounded and enlightened from our spiritual focus. We can see things a little more clearly and understand that God works in our daily lives. We are strengthened and refreshed.
There is nothing particularly wrong with practicing Lent, but there is much more significance placed upon the practice than there should be. Lent is a man-made religious practice. It has no value other than making people think they have done something for God. The Lord blesses everything that we do when we do it in his name. If you practice Lent, you do it because you love him. He will bless you because of that. The blessing will come because of your heart, not because you have participated in a religious ceremony.
Simple prayer, worship, Bible study, and being filled with the Holy Spirit is the pathway to powerful Christian living. Man-made religious practices have very little spiritual value.
If you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to fast, then pursue that in your prayers and Bible study, and the Lord will create the opportunities for fasting. At the same time, don't feel guilty if the Holy Spirit is not leading you to practice fasting. This article is not meant to be a guilt trip about fasting. It is intended to explain fasting and the benefits it might have for you.
Fasting doesn't solve anything. Fasting doesn't earn anything either. Fasting is a way to grow as a Christian, to understand God a little better, to see his perspective, and to bask in the presence of his holiness. It's an excellent way to accelerate our spiritual growth.
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