WHEN WE FAST
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
Matthew 6:16 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
In Matthew 6 Jesus taught on the three pillars of our faith journey—prayer, giving, and fasting. With each of these subjects Jesus did not say, “If you…” but instead Jesus said, “When you…”
Jesus expected His followers to be people whose lives were marked by prayer, giving, and fasting. Yes, fasting was an expected part of being a disciple of Jesus.
What is fasting? It is disconnecting from the distractions of the world to connect into the power and presence of God.
Most often we fast from food but sometimes people feel called upon to fast from social media, television, or some other activity that we really enjoy.
Fasting, from a biblical perspective, is always coupled with prayer. We take the time we would normally spend on something else that we are giving up and spend extra time in prayer.
Fasting without prayer is just a diet. It might help us physically, but it has little impact on our spiritual lives.
We fast because we recognize that actions we take in the physical realm release results in the spiritual realm. A good illustration of this is when Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses during the battle. Moses was on the mountain watching Joshua and the army of Israel fight the enemy. Moses held up his hands to God and as His hands were lifted the children of Israel would be winning. When his arms got tired the children of Israel started to lose the battle. Aaron and Hur stepped up to hold Moses arms up.
This is a great picture of intercessory prayer. Joshua was sweating and fighting in the valley while Moses was interceding on the mountain. Both roles were equally important.
I believe that when we fast and pray God will give us ideas and thoughts that when we act on them, we will see incredible breakthroughs in our lives. We can expect some new thoughts when we fast and pray.
We need to remind ourselves we are not doing this to impress people. We are fasting and praying for 21 days to make space for God and increase our awareness of His presence and purposes. Let’s not let the Devil rob us by bragging about our fasting and praying.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to develop a new sensitivity to Your voice today. Give me insights and ideas that will help my life to align with Your purposes and plans. Give me to courage to act on what You are showing me.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”
I did an awesome job on tithing last year . I want to incorporate more fasting and more praying this year . To my discretion of course :)