Spiritual Disciplines - Fasting

Thus far we have spent time talking about reading our Bibles and Praying

Those are the normal spiritual disciplines

When we talk about Spiritual Disciplines we often think the Bible Reading and Prayer

And if we are honest those are the easy ones to start with

Like those are the normal ones we think about when we talk about spiritual disciplines

They make sense and we know we should be doing them

However morning we are going to stretch the faith muscle

Fasting is the spiritual discipline we get to dig into this morning

Something most of struggle to do because it is hard

We don’t like the hard

In our house Randi has coined the phrase of pushing into the hard

When things are hard instead of running away pushing into them

Fasting is hard

And yet we are to be fasting

But it is hard and we don’t like things that are hard

When it comes to fasting we don’t fast because

We get hungry

We get a headache

We might even get hangry

And yet church with ever excuse you can come up with I still believe that fasting helps grow your relationship with Christ

And if you want to grow your relationship with Christ then it would make sense that you should be fasting

Matthew 6:16–18 NASB95

16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

These are the instructions we get about fasting from Jesus

Rather than getting into the legal weeds about how often or how long or even what to fast

From Jesus’s own words we see that He expects us to be fasting

Whenever you fast

It doesn’t start out with a detailed list about when to fast or for how long but just that it is a given we are to be fasting

And yet if we are honest when was the last time you fasted not for a medical reason

We understand Biblical Fasting to be voluntary denying yourself of food and now we have even made it other things for religious reasons

Instead of eating during whatever normal times you eat you would spend that time with God

Remember as we read His Word it is nurishment for us

And so then we must ask ourselves

If Jesus expects us to fast why aren’t we

And what will it take for us to begin fasting and what that looks like for me in my own personal relationship with God

As you fast

Your hungry reminds you to depend and trust in God

There is also a sensitiveness or keennish to the moving of the Holy Spirit

I had a professor that challenged us to fast once a week

Because not only do you grow spiritually but physically your mind becomes sharper

As you fast which again is a voluntary denial of food and physical nourishment you become more dependent on Christ in those times of hunger

So church what does it look like in scripture to fast

Ezra 8:21–23 NASB95

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.

We fast as we seek the Lord

Here they were fasting to seek the Lord for a safe journey

They were denying themselves food to spend lets be clear probably extra time in pray about the coming trip to ensure they had a safe trip

I wonder if there are things in our own life that we could spend some extra time praying for wisdom about God

Anyone Got kids

I feel like as parents we should have been fasting a while ago to have wisdom in how to raise them to run after Jesus and not the world

So you can fast to seek the Lord for wisdom

What a great and powerful God we serve in that when we seek Him He is found!!

2 Samuel 12:16–23 NASB95

16 David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 20 So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ 23 “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

David fasted for his children

David being broken over his sin and the punishment for his sin that he fast for his child

When you and I are broken over our sin at times out of repentence maybe we need to remove the simple distraction of food and spend some very intiate time with the Lord like David did here

I think typically when churches talk about fasting it is centered around and impending decision they need to make or the church needs to make

Here we see someone so broken over their sin and punishment for the sin they as we said need to remove such a simple thing as food to spend that extra time with Jesus

See there are other reasons to fast

Another reason would be for the Work of God

Nehemiah 1:1–5 NASB95

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

Nehemiah is moved by hear about the remnate in Jerusalem and their condition that he spends time fasting

He spent time removing that simple and sometimes distraction of food to spend some extra intimate time with God in prayer for His brothers and sisters

As someone in Ministry I can tell you I haven’t fasted enough about the importance of the ministry I am involved in

And yet church this is exactly what I need to jump start my exercising my own fasting muscle

To spend time praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ working in the ministry that I know personally

Again church there is more to fasting than just seeking the Lord for wisdom

But rather it is about spending that time with the Lord

I was googling what fasting does to your body

And I found this piece of wisdom but when we fast we are are expressing our dependence rather than on worldly things like food

Nothing wrong with food

But it is a wordly thing and when we understand that you and I are hang on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God

We are to trust that the God of the universe and the God who created everything inlcuding the food and the body that He will take care of us

Another reason for fasting is to sometimes hear the still small voice of God

Acts 13:2 NASB95

2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

As they doing ministry and figuring out their next steps

They spent time in pray and fasting so they could clearly hear the voice of God

Often times in life things get loud and chaotic

This is my job at work

I have 2 radios and those 2 radios I listen to 3 different channels

I have 2 phones

There have been times in situations where I have been on this ohone and the other radio is calling and then the other phone starts to ring

And duriing those times I finish dealing with the situation

Then I usually go to the kwik shop and get a drink

But when life gets loud or busy and chaotic and you are struggling to hear the voice of God

Here we see demonstrated for us to spend time in prayer and fasting to clearly hear the voice of God

THen you put action to what you heard and do it

Church this is fasting

It is hard

But church when you fast it is so good

You might get a headache

YOu might become hangry

And yet I would tell you to continue to push into the hard and seek the Lord

Strive to hear from God

Fasting is going to look different

Maybe you fast from food

maybe you fast from technology

Maybe you fast from TV, or your shows, or sports, or whatever you it is you need to fast from so that you can spend some extra intimate time with the Lord

However you do it understand Jesus says whenever you fast implying we are fasting

So church let me challenge you this week to fast

maybe it is a day or an afternoon or morning, maybe it is a week or a few days

This is where it becomes personal

This morning as we come to a close

The band will come up this morning

maybe you are here this morning and don’t know Jesus

I would invite you to speak someone about a personal relationship with Chirst

Or maybe you are already have a personal relationship with Christ

And to be honest maybe you are convicted about fasting in your personal relationship with Christ

This morning I would encourage you to spend sometime in prayer at the alter seeking the Lord in how you are fast

Maybe there is another decision you need to make

The alter is open