Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

Ideas

Mark 7 passage of “this type can only be sent out by prayer and fasting.”

Hangry / Had / Tungry opener

Some people eat to live, I live to eat.

Eating mints

Drinking milk: what most glorifies God? Me being dizzy about to embark on a long car journey, or me partially breaking fast to ensure the safety of myself and those around me?

Non-food fasting?

Telling others:

Sermon at Chorleywood where we had to share our fasting experiences on the microphone.

RM standing up in LST chapel and opening with the sentence: “as I am coming to the end of my 100 day fast.”

Me, getting it through the day keeping it quiet and then giving up altogether in the canteen at dinner time.

being hungry for something more than food.

Scot McKnight: philosphical platonism / dualism: spiritual disciplines are just spiritual, not physical. Actually, we are one integrated whole, and we have an “embodied spirituality” that is living out in the body what one desires in the spirit.

Normal fasting, absolute fasting, partial fasting. There are different ways of doing it!

Fasting as a response: not a tool for receving something (not a hunger strike)!

Fasting as a response: repentence, grief (Aaron fasts when his son dies. David and his men fast in mourning after hearing of Saul’s death. Daniel refrains from eating meat or drinking wine in his lamentation), feeling the need to seek God, poverty, injustice.

“Fasting is the kale of the spiritual disciplines. We know it’s good for us, but we don’t seek it out on the menu.”

Offered definition of fasting: “a situationally birthed prompt from the soul to seek direction, correction, or comfort from God through prayer-soaked abstention, as we await the return of our King.

“like all spiritual disciplines, the purpose of fasting is to help us grow deeper in our understanding and experience of the gospel.”

“Fasting reminds me that I am not nearly as strong or disciplined as I think I am. It exposes my weakness every week and it shows me how much I need God. It also exposes other sins in my heart.

Western fasting: TV and chocolate. Underground church fasting: food and water.

Benefits of fasting: https://in.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/faith-not-sight/the-true-benefit-of-fasting/

Exposes my weakness.

Exposes the idolatry of my heart.

Remidns me that Jesus is my sustainence.

Gratitude for food on the other days.

Disciplines for the flesh.