The Way to Spiritual Growth-
Fast
Fasting is an often neglected key to drawing closer to God.
Here's how you can effectively use fasting as a powerful spiritual tool.
By Robert J. Millman
Since ancient times, fasting has been an intregal part of worshiping God!
Humanity, however, has been misled and confused about the true meaning and purpose of fastiing.
Pagans associated fasting with penance and self denial. First-Century
Judaism turned it toward ritual and public display.
Modern Christianity, for the most part, has discarded it as
unnecessary.
The Church of God, however recognizes that fasting continues
to be important, not just on the Day of Atonement, but
throughout the year.
Just what is fasting? According to the Bible, to fast means to abstain
from all food and water for a certain period of time (Jonah 3:5-7).
Juice fasts, health fasts and the like may offer physical benefits, but
they are not appropriate for the Day of Alonement oe other times
set aside for a spiritual fast. Notice that everyone is
commanded to fast on the Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 23:29) Our Creator knows that it is possible for us
to live without food and water for at least one day.
.
Why fast?
God, in both the Old and the New Testament commanded His
people to fast (Leviticus 23:29, Matthew
6:16-18). He, as our Creator, says that fasting is good
for us. He should know! He intends us to learn valuable spiritual
lessons from fasting.
"What spiritual good could missing three or
more meals possibly do anyone?" you may be asking.
Intellectually, we may confess to God tlat we are
weak sinful and desperately in need of His
strength, guidance and correction.
But saying something in prayer and actually
understanding it in the depths of our being are two different
things.
Job testified after his long trial: "I have heard of You by the
hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.
Therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust
and ashes" {Job 42:5-6).
We may kneel and pray daily for the strength to live God's way. We we
may pray for the faith to depend on God to work out our problems, and
for help in
conducting ourselves in total harmony with His law. Yet we rise from
prayer, go our way and tackle the day in a manner not quite that ideal.
Why do we fall short?
Our minds are constantly struggling against God's guidance (Romans
8:7). Even after the Spirit of God enters to enlighten us and allow
understanding to flood into our minds, a battle still rages within us,
as Paul so eloquently explained in
Romans 7:16-18.
Jeremiah understood the human capacity for self-justification and
self-deception when God inspired him to write. "The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah
17:9).
God understands us. And, if we will draw closer to Him through fasting,
as He directs. He can help us to understand ourselves more fully.
When we fast, our hunger is a sharp reminder that we are just human
desperately dependent on God's good earth, with it's soil and rain, to
sustain our existence. Denied these necessities, we would soon die and
degenerate into mere dust.
How unimpressive we are, feeling light-headed and suffering from bad
breath and fatigue afterjust one day of fasting! How humbling to
realize that without nourishment from the soil beneath our feet, our
minds quickly become disoriented.
Deprived of nourishment for any substantial length of time, our minds
would become incapable of rational thought. Yes. we may admit to God in
prayer that we're not really very impressive, but when we fast, we feel
it.
Getting the right perspective
Just how may we keep a godly perspective on life? How can we avoid the
pitfalls of self-reliance, self-confidence and self-rightcousness?
David said. "I humbled myself with fasting" (Psalm 35:13). Could you
profit by following the example of a man whom God said was
"after His own heart" (I Samuel
13:14)?
The situation is urgent! James warns and exhorts that "God resists the
proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw
near to you" (James 4:6-8).
How do we draw near to God?
James continues: "Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be
turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (verses 9-10).
James prescribes tasting.
Compare the use of the words afflict (Leviticus 23:27), mourn (Matthew
9:14-15), weep (Zechariah 7:1-5) and humbled (Psalm 35:13). They all
indicate fasting.
Read the fourth chapter of James and note how James links the process of drawing closer to God with the need to fast.
The right attitude in fasting
Although people have fasted for many reasons, there is only one purpose
God accepts. That is to "rend your heart, and not your garments; return
to the Lord your God" (Joel 2:13). Our motive in fasting must be to
humble and submit ourselves more fully to God.
God respects those who set their hearts to seek His will and direction
in their lives. He respects those who want to bring themselves more
fully in line with His way of thinking and living (Isaiah 66:3).
However, fasting to get God to side with us or take our part in an
argument just won't work. Fasting just to get His attention is also
futile (Isaiah 58:3-4).
Jesus explained the great purpose for fasting. We read in Matthew 9:14-15:
"Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the
Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said
to them, "Can the friends of the
bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is
with them? But the days will come when the bride groom will
be taken away from them, and then they will fast."
While He was on earth, Jesus" disciples enjoyed close daily
communication with Him. His teaching, inspiration and
encouragement were readily at hand.
But once He returned to heaven, it became more difficult for them to be
in harmony with His thinking and clearly understand His will for their
daily lives.
That is why Jesus foretold their need for diligent fasting.
Fasting provided the closeness and understanding they had achieved when
He had been with them
in person.
We should be fasting for that same reason. It is appropriate that we
are directed to fast on the Day of Atonement, which pictures the time
when Jesus and all His disciples will finally be brought together in
complete harmony (at-one-ment).
God responds when we fast
Make no mistake — fasting is something God notices and takes seriously. He does respond!
God hears all our prayers, but He takes particular notice of our
fastings. Daniel fasted for 21 days before he received an answer, but
God assured him that his petition had been considered from the very
beginning of his fast (Daniel 9:23). Ours can be. too, because our
fasting shows God we are sincere about seeking Him.
Consider the story of Ahab. The prophet Elijah spent many years
witnessing to Ahab and the kingdom of Israel Ahab didn't respond. In
fact: "There was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in
the sight of the Lord" (I Kings 21:25).
Elijah's final warning about what was to happen to Ahab's household,
though, did produce some results. Ahab "tore his clothes and put
sackcloth on his body and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about
mourning" (.verse 27).
When he began fasting, God saw that Ahab was sincerely
repentant. The promised punishment was postponed until after
Ahab's death. If God had mercy on Ahab. He will certainly respond to
our coming before Him in heartfelt, contrite fasting and prayer.
Ahab's contemporary in the southern kingdom of Judah was King
Jehoshaphat. When faced with an invasion, Jehoshaphat tried something
unique in the annals of military strategy; "And Jehoshaphat feared, and
set himself to seek the lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all
Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from
all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord" (II Chronicles
20:3-4).
Men, women, children — everyone fasted. God's answer came
quickly, They were told to go out to meet the invaders, trusting in God
to settle the matter for them (verses 16-17).
When Jehoshaphat led his people out the next
day, they came upon a strange sight. The
invaiders had turned against each other, and the
entire army lay dead before them. The citizens of
Judah gathered up the spoils and returned home. What a spectacular
answer to their fast!
Fasting shows God that we, like Jehoshaphat. are willing to rely on His
strength and not our own physical resources, because we understand that
our own resources will quickly fail us.
Dedicated to God
Fasting is a powerful testimony to God that we want to turn from our
own sinful, vain ways and give our lives to Him for His use (Romans
12:1). Fasting shows that we urgently want to be dedicated to God, and
not to the things of this world.
Paul speaks of a fast as a time to "give yourselves to fasting and
prayer," even breaking off normal marital relations (I Corinthians
7:5), thereby showing our intent to turn from everything physical to
all that is spiritual.
God responds to attitudes like this! Notice God's promise of spiritual
blessings: "Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness
shall go before you. . . The Lord will guide you continually, and
satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones, you shall be
like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not
fail" (Isaiah 58:8,11).
by Robert J Millman reprinted from the Good News Magazine May 1984
