Our community at Life Changers will be fasting together from Monday the 27th to Wednesday the 29th of August.
For those interested in the fast but who may be new to the faith or may just need a fuller understanding as to why we participate in a Biblical discipline such as this, we thought it would be helpful to outline some more information and hopefully answer some questions
What does it mean to fast?
Fasting is the practice of denying one’s body certain foods and/or drinks for a period of time, in order to bring sharper focus to our spiritual disciplines and relationship with Jesus. The main purpose is for our attention and time to be drawn toward God and our relationship with Him, and away from the many things that can distract us or keep us from drawing closer to Jesus.
Why do we do this?
Simply put, the Bible teaches us that this is something that we should do. Fasting, as is the case with water baptism, was also modelled by Jesus – he set the example. In Matthew 4:1-4 it says:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for a time of fasting and communion with His Father. At the end of those 40 days, tired and hungry, He was tempted by the devil and specifically, the devil tempted Him to make His own food to eat.
Jesus’ reaction is profound: He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, and He turns temptation to satisfy His own legitimate hunger, into a lesson about the importance of what we feed our spiritual selves. He states clearly that our spirits need to be nourished within our relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus, and that when we thirst for God’s Word and intimacy with Him, our spiritual hunger and thirst will be fulfilled.
Throughout the bible we see this through God meeting our seeking with His power. Fasting shifts our focus towards Him, as our source of sustenance, as our provider and as our abundance.
The main purpose of fasting is for us to feed on God’s Word as He speaks to us through the Bible and by His Spirit.
How do we do it?
This will differ from one person to another and does require wisdom in its execution.
We are calling our community to a water fast, but it is important to always consider any medical condition or advice when fasting, and for some, a complete fast from all foods and drinking only water is standard practice. For others, fasting time or treasure (which can be something important in a person’s life which is stopped for the fasting period) is another way of participating in the fast.
The recommendation though, is that whatever is given up, should result in focused time with God, His Spirit and His Word. When we focus on the Giver, we will encounter the fullness of God. Fasting is a simple crying out, “I love you God, You will sustain me.”
Blog written by Malcolm Herbert. Malcolm is married to Michelle, has two kids and is a man who loves the Word of God with a deep passion. He is a key voice in our church community and despite supporting Man United, he is a man who can be trusted.