Fasting
Notes
Transcript
What is it?
What is it?
Christian fasting is a believer’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. - Donald Whitney
when something is exerting so much influence over us that our view of spiritual realities is blurry, we need a fast to reorient and clear up our focus on God.
we must maintain and regain at times a biblical perspective
difficulties in a gluttonous, self-absorbed, denial-less society - Donald Whitney
Expected
v.16 -when
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God. - John Piper
Purpose
must be connected to a spiritual purpose
Without a purpose, fasting can be a miserable, self-centered experience.
Donald S. Whitney
it is a negative act for a positive purpose
the bible may also recognize it as an affliction imposed by ones self for a positive purpose in their hearts or others hearts
29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins.
31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.
worship
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
spiritual reminder
when fasting, your hunger may be used to remind you of something or someone to pray for
it is not to earn God’s favor in prayer, it is always an expression of the intensity of a holy desire
seek His guidance
23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
grief
2 Samuel 1:11-12 “11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”
repentance
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
true and false fasting - see Isaiah 58:1-10 -
How do I fast?
How do I fast?
practically speaking, it is most typically a day fast from food, never from water typically except in extreme cases, could be several days
can you fast, medically speaking? what can you fast from instead?
1 Cor. 7:5 “5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
use that time to be specifically and especially devoted to prayer, worship, seeking the Lord
start by confessing any fear of the practice
schedule the fast so you do not put it off and you make it a regular part of your life
do not say a word about it except for those that must know
be open to fasting as the Spirit leads you
do not be disappointed if you do not know how or when the Father who sees in secret will reward you