By Allen White
When you fast, do not look somber as
the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are
fasting. Truly I tell you, 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 others 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
The purpose of fasting is to devote meal times to pray and to
depend on God to sustain us. In this, our hope is to better discern God’s will
for us and to draw closer to Him.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day resorted to fasting for show.
They would show up in public looking as pathetic and miserable as they possibly
could as a sign of their extreme devotion to God by fasting. Some, apparently,
were impressed by this show of piety. God wasn’t impressed.
Jesus said that fasting for the sake of public opinion was
self-rewarding. If their aim was to connect with God in a meaningful way, then
it was self-defeating. Fasting for pity or piety got them nowhere with God.
They were missing the point.
Fasting helps believers uniquely focus on God. By devoting
concentrated time to God through prayer and relying on God for our well-being
brings another dimension to our relationship with God. During a fast, we
realize how little food we need to survive and in the process, come to
understand what little else we really need to be happy and meaningfully
connected to God.
By denying our physical bodies, we place the priority on our
spirit rather than on the flesh. Anything that we can do to curtail the
influence of the flesh, the better off we are.
If you’ve never fasted, then a Noon to Noon fast might be a good
place to start. You eat breakfast, then start fasting at lunchtime. You spend
lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day in prayer. You break the fast at lunch
the second day.
Many people will still drink liquids during that time. The key is
devoting yourself to God in prayer. Don’t get caught up with what you should or
should not try to put in a blender.
There are other types of fasts. Some practice media fasts where
they unplug themselves from email, internet, cable and cell phones for a given
period. These constant inputs in our lives can cause us to ignore the people
who are with us, like our families. The noise level in our lives can also cause
us to miss hearing God’s voice.
So, when you fast, put on a happy face. Don’t advertise that
you’re fasting. Impress them with your kindness rather than your fasting.
If you have a health condition that could be affected by not
eating, check with your doctor before you begin a fast.
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