About Spiritual Disciplines 10 Reasons Not To Eat (Part 1)
| 10 Reasons Not To Eat (Part 1) |
| Written by David Zook |
| Friday, 11 September 2009 14:57 |
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Did you know fasting is mentioned in the Bible more than baptism? Surprising? It was to me. Fasting may be the most neglected of the spiritual disciplines. Most Christians routinely pray, serve, worship, study, and try to obey. Some memorize Scripture, evangelize, journal, and give.
Amazingly, directing these desires toward God allows him to strengthen us to remain abstinent. Thus, as we draw close to him, he draws close to us (James 4:8)and our relationship with him deepens. The Bible describes individuals, congregations, and nations fasting as they seek God’s purpose and direction in their lives. People in the Bible fasted on special occasions and on a regular basis. There are not a set number of days that you need to fast. Donald Whitney is his excellent book on the spiritual disciplines, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, points out that there are ten reasons to fast. Here they are: 1. To Strengthen Prayer Have a major decision that you are praying through? Strengthen it by fasting. “Fasting does not change God’s hearing so much as it changes our praying.” (page 166) 2. To Seek God’s Guidance When life gives you a “Y” in the road it’s wise to fast and ask God for guidance. When appointing elders to the churches Paul and Barnabas founded (Acts 14), they fasted and prayed to receive God’s guidance. It’s likely that they had a pool of elder candidates to consider. By fasting and praying, God guided them to which ones to appoint. 3. To Express Grief People in the Bible routinely fasted when someone died as a way to express their grief. They also fasted when they were grieving sin. There may be some sins in your life that mere confession may not be adequate to express your remorse. Fasting is a way to express your sorrow in ways that words can not. 4. To Express Repentance and Return to God “In Joel 2:12, the Lord specifically commanded His people to signify their repentance and the return to Him by fasting; ‘Even now, declares the Lord, ‘return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (page 177) 5. To Humble Oneself Before God Like kneeling while praying, fasting is a way to humble yourself before God throughout the day. It’s an expression to reflect the honor and respect that God richly deserves. Please drop us a comment below and share with us a time that you have fasted and how it benefited you. It will encourage us and possibly inspire some to follow your lead. Be sure to tune in to the next post on Monday for reasons six through ten.
I heartily recommend that you pick up Donald Whitney's, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. It's a practical and powerful resource that will help you to draw close to God by reminding and teaching you how to pray, serve, worship, study, obey, memorize Scripture, evangelize, journal, and give without being legalistic. Click on the image to order your copy today. |
But when it comes to fasting, many scratch their heads and wonder what it means and what good it will do. Maybe you are one of them. 
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