Righteous Act #3 – Fasting
“When you fast, do not look somber
as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are
fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be
obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen;
and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)
As we come to the third act of
righteousness that Jesus teaches us about – fasting – he follows the same
pattern as he did for the righteous acts of praying and giving to the poor.
First of all he assumes his disciples will do it and then he warns them to do
it for God, not for man. Fasting, then, is to be done regularly and it is to be
done unto God without concern for fanfare or the applause of man. It is a
spiritual discipline – a righteous act just like prayer or giving to the poor –
that is regularly practiced by a man or woman who is devoted to God.
Somehow, though, in our modern world
fasting has become less common among Christians than prayer or giving to the
poor. It seems to me that fasting comes and goes out of fashion in Christian
circles these days even though it has been a steadfast fixture in the
Judeo-Christian tradition for centuries. Could it be that we are missing
something?
I think that we probably are. Like
many Christian leaders, I have occasionally led my congregation in fasting
during a time of crisis or when it seems culturally appropriate, like when we
are all making New Year resolutions or during the season of Lent. And even
though I led the way with a few lengthy extended fasts, I didn’t really expect
anyone else to do the same. Everyone else skipped a meal here or there or
fasted from TV and movies or stayed away from alcohol and caffeine or did
whatever the Spirit led them to do.
Looking
back, I wonder why I shrunk back from challenging people to fast in the way
that people did in the Bible (going without food and sometimes without water).
Was I afraid no one would follow me? Did I think that they would think that I
was a crazy religious fanatic? Was I concerned that it might cause some adverse
consequences in some people with health issues? Did I lack faith that God would
be with them and not only sustain them but reward them as they fasted?
Whatever
it was, and it was probably some of each of those, I didn’t teach the people
the Biblical way to fast and I failed to challenge them to maintain a regular
spiritual discipline of fasting. I consistently challenged people to have
regular devotional times, read the Bible daily, pray continually, worship God
in their hearts, share the Gospel with others, and do many other spiritual acts
that fostered their growth in Christ. But somehow fasting never really made it
on that list consistently; it was only mentioned occasionally.
And
yet when I look at the Bible, fasting is there not just occasionally but
consistently. The Old Testament is full of examples of the people of God
fasting in order to draw near to God. The Pharisees objected when the disciples
of Jesus didn’t fast; Jesus defended their not fasting at that time but he also
said that his followers would fast when he was no longer with them in the flesh
(Matt. 9:14-15). And, if that weren’t enough, the disciples in Acts fasted and
prayed when they were faced with major decisions and many church leaders over
the centuries have fasted regularly.
So
then, why should we fast and why don’t we fast more often? I think the answer
is the same to both questions: Fasting goes against the grain of the modern
American culture more than any other spiritual discipline. Private devotions
seem good to us as we are a private, individualistic culture. Reading the Bible
is good as being well-read is looked upon as a good thing. Prayer is
well-accepted and practiced by many, though not all of us pray the same way.
But fasting – going without food or even going without anything our heart
desires – goes against everything we believe in as American people.
As
Americans we have our rights. And what we want, we want it now! We don’t like
to wait, and if we are made to wait for very long, we will tell someone about
it. We will “hand someone their lunch,” “give them a piece of our mind,” and
“tear them a new one” just because we didn’t get what we wanted when we wanted
it. Think about it. If you are honest, you will find it is more true than most
of us would like to admit.
Now is the time for the regular practice
of Biblical fasting in the United
States of America
Fasting tells the flesh that our
spirit is in control. And that is very important, as the Apostle Paul reminds
us, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13-14)
I don’t know about you, but I want
to live. And I want to live my life for Christ. Even if that means fasting and
telling myself no to food one day a week or for an extended period of several
days or even 40 days. I think most of us feel the same way, and we need to fast
in order to tame our flesh. For when we are able to deny ourselves food, it
becomes easier to deny ourselves other fleshly desires like illicit sex,
selfish desires, angry outbursts, and other expressions of “me first, others
second, God last.”
The bottom line is that deep inside,
in our sin nature, in our flesh, we like to put ourselves first. When we fast, though,
we declare that drawing near to God is a priority in our lives. And with his
help, we will put Him first, the needs of others second, and ourselves last. It
is hard, no doubt about that, as it is counter-culture and even counter-ego. It
goes against our culture and everything we see in the media and in the ads that
bombard us continually. It is as if we are one lonely fish swimming upstream
while the rest of the fish are going with the downstream flow.
So it’s not easy, but it is worth
it. For Jesus promises us that those of us who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, who regularly practice acts of righteousness such as fasting,
praying, and giving to the poor, will be filled. He Himself becomes our
righteousness. And that makes it all worth it.
Pray with me:
Father, thank you that I am righteous because of
Jesus. Help me to hunger and thirst after righteous living – fasting, praying,
and giving to the poor. Give me wisdom on this issue of fasting. Reveal your
will to me and guide me into everything you have for me in terms of fasting and
praying …continue praying as you are led…
For further study, meditate on these Scriptures:
Matt 4:2-4 After fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the
Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God.'"
Mark 2:18-20 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees
were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's
disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are
not?"
Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the
bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him
with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,
and on that day they will fast.
Rom 8:13-14 For if you live according to the flesh
you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you
will live.
Acts 13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the
work to which I have called them."
Acts 14:23-24 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for
them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord,
in whom they had put their trust.
Please use this blog for
personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family.
However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of
this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy
Brockett of New Song
Foursquare Church
in Colorado Springs , Colorado
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