“That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.” (Joel 2:12-14 NLT)
“We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD? “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.” (Isaiah 58:3-9a NLT)
“After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.” (Acts 14:21-25 NLT)
Jesus said in Matthew 6:16-18, “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (NLT) In these few words Jesus let me know that He saw fasting as a normal part of the life of those who follow Him. He didn’t say, “if you fast.” He said, “when you fast.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, said, “Jesus takes it for granted that His disciples will observe the pious custom of fasting. Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian life. Such customs have only one purpose — to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.”
Fasting was intended to be a “normal” part of my life, and yet I was raised in a Church culture where fasting was basically non-existent with the exception of the “Lent” season. We turned a “normal” spiritual discipline into a once a year religious activity.
From cover to cover the Bible talks about fasting. It is a common Jewish practice which has been passed on to Christians. While the Bible does describe this as an activity done at “special times” for “special purposes,” it was intended to be far more than that. Fasting was given as a foundational element of my “normal” lifestyle. Practiced as a basic spiritual discipline in my life, fasting brings with it several benefits.
As the Spirit has been challenging me in preparation for my 100 days of focus on fitness, He has prompted me to add fasting as a key element of what He wants me to do. While there are some specific things needing to be accomplished during these 100 days, the broader purpose is to launch me into a deeper walk with the Lord that will transform my daily life experience. A lifestyle of fasting (which I have not yet successfully adopted) is an expected result of this season I am about to enter.
I am going to keep this short and sweet today. Tomorrow I will begin to drill deep into what the Spirit has to say about the “normal” life practice of fasting. Until then, let’s prepare to move into the “fast lane of fasting,” as we consider…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 129: “The great value of the lost art of Fasting.” Part 1: Fasting is a “normal” part of life.