Fasting. A topic that is not usually preached on. Something we plump Americans don't like to talk about. Oh we love our praise music, our singing, our Bible Studies, our youth group activities, but mention "fasting" and the room will get mighty quiet.
Trivia Question: Who was the first person in the Bible mentioned to fast? Answer: Moses. Also note that the Bible calls Moses the "most humble man on earth". HMMMM....there is a connection!
In our culture of personalized American "I have my rights" thinking, we don't like to think of giving up things. The selfish "name it and claim it" Christianity is more about getting, being blessed, etc. than in being crucified with Christ.
Growing up in the Baptist tradition, fasting was rarely mentioned or explained. We were too busy at the pot luck dinners for that! The past 3 or 4 years I felt led to fast or give up something during the Lent season. When I mentioned it to someone on staff at a prominant Baptist church, he scowled at me and said, "Now how can giving up something like food bring glory to God?" I was floored.
I'm relieved to be at a church that openly talks about fasting and openly practices it. It is a very Biblical topic, and Christ fasted. We as His disciples should follow Christ's model.
The Greek word for fasting is nesteia -- a compound of ne (a negative prefix) and esthio which means "to eat." So the basic root meaning of the word simply means "not to eat." Leviticus 16:29 gives another facet. This verse says that fasting is synonymous with "afflicting one's soul." We gain some insight here about how the Hebrews viewed fasting. Fasting is more than just "afflicting one's body". It is "afflicting one's soul."
Fasting is a Christian duty. There are two kinds of fasting:
Abstinence refers to lowering the quality of food, for example not eating sweets or coffee or meat.
Fasting refers to the quantity of food being lowered.
Fasting is an expression of wholeheartedness. This is clear from Joel's call to the nation of Israel: "Yet even now," says the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting. . ." (Joel 2:12).
How do you know when to pray and fast and when to just pray? That is not a question that someone else can always answer for you. But here is a principle: In God's word we always find fasting connected with a very troubled spirit or a very anxious heart before the Lord. So a reason for fasting is not something you choose on the spur of the moment. Rather the reason is a consuming one. In a sense, it's not something you choose, so much as something that chooses you, because it's that important.
Fasting can also be to prepare for a holy day in the church. There is only one fast command in the Bible and that was the fast on the Day of Atonement. This fast was from sunset of one day to sunset of the next (Leviticus 16:29;23:32). Since most of this time was sleeping hours, this was not a long time without food.
Biblical fasting is "not eating" with spiritual communication in mind. How do we know this? Because Biblical fasting always occurs together with prayer in the Bible - ALWAYS. You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast (Biblically speaking) without praying. Biblical fasting is deliberately abstaining from food for a spiritual reason: communication and relationship with the Father.
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