A few different groups I am a part of have been talking about and encouraging fasting lately. I'm sure with the new year that many of you are either taking part in your own fast or hearing about various fasts to join. I'm worried that many people approach a fast the wrong way. I can sure say that I have been guilty of this myself. I wanted to take a little time and share what I feel is the biggest disconnect people have when they decide to take part in a fast.
Let's start by defining both words.
Diet:
(Noun) the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats
(Verb) restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight
Fast:
(Verb) abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance
While I wish most people saw the word diet as the noun definition above, I'm afraid most people really see it as the verb. And for this discussion, the verb definitions of both words are what we will use.
I believe people more commonly see fasting as a way to jumpstart their diet goals, with the Lord by their side, rather than as a means to grow closer to the Lord. Which then could have some physical benefits, but not as the primary goal.
Our preacher recently made a comment about how often times going through a difficult time is God’s way of pulling us closer to him. A fast is a way that we put ourselves into a difficult time for the purpose of desiring to get closer to God.
A fast, for spiritual reasons, should never be about weight loss. It also shouldn’t be a way to see how you get something from God (if I’m good with my fast, God will do ___ for me.) Fasting shouldn’t be something you could do ALL of the time. It shouldn’t be a hard set of rules that you try to see if, with enough willpower, you can keep for a specified period of time.
Fasting should be about spiritual gain. It should be about personal sacrifice and a desire for closeness to God. Even though it is difficult, it should bring you joy that you are getting to spend extra time with God, by reading more of his word, and through prayer. Fasting should be hard, you should need to lean in harder on God to keep your fast.
Fasting and prayer should go together.
See these scriptures for some more insight:
Remember, fasting is not and never should be a way to jumpstart a diet and lose those first few pounds. This can actually lead to some very unhealthy, disordered eating habits. Also, if you do decide to fast, it is between you and God. It’s a special time for the two of you.
With all of this in mind, and with maybe a better understanding of what fasting is, maybe it’s time to pray about whether you need to spend some time fasting. Pray about whether a fast might be just what you need to help strengthen your relationship with Christ. Could you sacrifice food, whether a meal or something like sugar, social media, tv, caffeine, or there are 100 other things to fast from and use that time you would have spent doing those things to spend more time with Christ? Once a week, a whole week, a month... whatever time frame you feel Christ leading you to fast. But PRAY first!
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