“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)
“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.” (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT)
In the Kingdom of Heaven (where I reside and abide) everything is upside down and inside out. In the Kingdom of this World (where I reside, but do not abide), I take to receive. In the Kingdom of Heaven, I give to receive. In the Kingdom of this World, I toil to get ahead. In the Kingdom of Heaven, I rest to get ahead. When it comes to fasting (along with all spiritual disciplines), in the Kingdom of this World, If I fast it is primarily for self fulfillment in order to exalt myself. In the Kingdom of Heaven, I humble myself before the Lord and He exalts me in His timing. Before I make fasting a “normal” part of my lifestyle, I need to get alone with the Holy Spirit and do a “Heart Check.”
As was clearly shown in the passages above, my motives for fasting are far more important than the practice of fasting itself. If I am fasting with selfish motives then I am wasting my time, and the very thing that is intended to draw me closer to my Heavenly Father (Daddy), and make me more like Jesus (Brother), will drive us further apart. They will not move away from me, it will be me that moves away from them.
There are HUGE benefits to a lifestyle of fasting (we will start looking at them tomorrow). However, I do not fast for the benefits. The Kingdom principle is found in Matthew 6:33, “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (BSB) My primary motive in fasting is to lift up Jesus and put down my flesh. It is placing Christ (the Anointed One and His anointing) on the Throne of my life, and putting my spirit in control of my soul (mind – intellect, emotions, and will) and body. When I enter into this lifestyle with proper motives, I will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the benefits will take care of themselves.
Holy Spirit, please purify my motives as I enter into the lifestyle of fasting that you intended to be “normal” for me. Help me to live each and every day recognizing…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 130: “The great value of the lost art of Fasting.” Part 2: Fasting begins with a “Heart Check”