Fasting Redefined
Why should you consider fasting over the next 14 days? From January 14-27?
Yes, fasting involves giving up food for a spiritual purpose. It’s not to give up food so that you can lose some weight; it’s not to give up food so that you can say you’re participating; it’s giving up food for a purpose.
1.) Fast To Get Closer To His Presence
Matthew 9:15b, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Currently Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, He’s not here with us physically any longer. He sent His Spirit to be with us and while we are on earth there will always be this yearning in our soul and spirit as followers of Jesus for more of Him. As followers of Jesus, there should be this desire in us to want to be closer to Him through His Presence.
Why, because there truly won’t be the fullness of His Presence this side of eternity in the here and now. Yes, those of us who are followers of Jesus, have His Spirit living within us but I think it’s arrogant of us to think we cannot experience more of His presence in our lives as we walk with Him.
If we are being honest, there seems to be times and seasons where we can sense His closeness more than others and there is other times where we sense this distance.
2.) Fast For More Grace On Your Life
1 Peter 5:5b, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
OH, we need His Grace in our life! We need it more and more every day!! Why do we need more of His grace?
Titus 2:11-12 (NIV 1984), “11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…”
If you have things in your life that you know is not good, it’s unbiblical to have a part of your life – it’s habit, it’s sin; you know it’s not good – you need more of us grace to break that off. That’s why you should fast.
3.) Fast for God’s Direction for the Here and Now
Acts 13:2-3, “2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
It was when they fasted that Saul and Barnabas were set aside. It was that very act of fasting that changed the course of Saul’s life because he would end up becoming Paul and the missionary movement began from this moment.
Fast for the one simple act of obedience right now that God is asking from you. So many times, we’re like, “What does He have for my life 1yr from now, or 5yrs from now, or 20yrs from now.” And the reality is it all begins with the simple act of obedience in the here and now.
How should you and I fast today?
What does it look like? Let me ask you and I a few questions to process the next couple weeks.
1 - What food or meal can I give up in order to get closer to the Lord?
2- What technology should I decrease in order to detox my mind?
3- What is the one word that the Lord would have for me to focus on in 2024?
Last thought, would you mark your calendars for our evening gatherings on January 21st and 28th as a way to set aside intentional time those evenings for worship and His word. Look at it as a way for spiritual bootcamp these nights.
Yes, fasting involves giving up food for a spiritual purpose. It’s not to give up food so that you can lose some weight; it’s not to give up food so that you can say you’re participating; it’s giving up food for a purpose.
1.) Fast To Get Closer To His Presence
Matthew 9:15b, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Currently Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, He’s not here with us physically any longer. He sent His Spirit to be with us and while we are on earth there will always be this yearning in our soul and spirit as followers of Jesus for more of Him. As followers of Jesus, there should be this desire in us to want to be closer to Him through His Presence.
Why, because there truly won’t be the fullness of His Presence this side of eternity in the here and now. Yes, those of us who are followers of Jesus, have His Spirit living within us but I think it’s arrogant of us to think we cannot experience more of His presence in our lives as we walk with Him.
If we are being honest, there seems to be times and seasons where we can sense His closeness more than others and there is other times where we sense this distance.
2.) Fast For More Grace On Your Life
1 Peter 5:5b, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
OH, we need His Grace in our life! We need it more and more every day!! Why do we need more of His grace?
Titus 2:11-12 (NIV 1984), “11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…”
If you have things in your life that you know is not good, it’s unbiblical to have a part of your life – it’s habit, it’s sin; you know it’s not good – you need more of us grace to break that off. That’s why you should fast.
3.) Fast for God’s Direction for the Here and Now
Acts 13:2-3, “2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
It was when they fasted that Saul and Barnabas were set aside. It was that very act of fasting that changed the course of Saul’s life because he would end up becoming Paul and the missionary movement began from this moment.
Fast for the one simple act of obedience right now that God is asking from you. So many times, we’re like, “What does He have for my life 1yr from now, or 5yrs from now, or 20yrs from now.” And the reality is it all begins with the simple act of obedience in the here and now.
How should you and I fast today?
What does it look like? Let me ask you and I a few questions to process the next couple weeks.
1 - What food or meal can I give up in order to get closer to the Lord?
- Time in His word.
- Time in His presence through prayer.
2- What technology should I decrease in order to detox my mind?
- Listen, technology is here to stay and I am not saying that you and I should abandon technology all together. But we would be ignorant to think that technology is robbing us from time from other things and that some technology is actually harming our minds, not helping us.
3- What is the one word that the Lord would have for me to focus on in 2024?
- Whatever that one word is, you’re going to focus your energy on that to grow in that area because it’s going to be that area that will impact all others.
Last thought, would you mark your calendars for our evening gatherings on January 21st and 28th as a way to set aside intentional time those evenings for worship and His word. Look at it as a way for spiritual bootcamp these nights.
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