LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 6:16-18, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”   Jesus

 

In the Bible fasting refers to the discipline of abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.  It is almost always linked with prayer.  Fasting could be thought of as continual prayer without words.  After discussing how to pray, this seems to be a logical place to discuss fasting.  

 

The Bible tells us about three kinds of fasting. After being baptized, Jesus went into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).  There we are told Jesus was tempted for forty days after which He “hungered”; one of the temptations was for Jesus to eat. Does this indicate that He abstained from food and not water?  To abstain from water for forty days would have been a miracle.  Jesus was not only God but a human and would not have used any other means of resisting temptation than is available to the Spirit-filled believer.  During this forty day fast it is reasonable to believe He was preparing Himself by prayer and meditating on God’s Word for the work His Father had sent Him to do.

 

A second type of fast is found in Esther 4:16. Esther was told by Mordechai to “neither eat or drink for three days” before approaching the king on an important matter.  Three days without food or water has been called an absolute fast; it should not be for more than three days because of the risk of the kidneys.  They could possibly begin to shut down and dehydration may result.  Moses and Elijah fasted for forty days but under supernatural conditions.  Both of them were with the Lord Himself under His protection. 

 

There is a third type of fast which is a partial fast rather than a complete fast.  Daniel 10:3 describes Daniel refraining from pleasant food, meat and wine for a three-week period.  This seems to be the fast most Christians do today as they go without a certain favorite food or drink for a given amount of time.  Or they might fast a particular meal time in order to pray and spend time with the Lord. 

 

Jesus Himself practiced this disciple and taught that fasting should be part of the Christian’s discipline as an act for preparing for His return. According to Mathew 9:15, it is clear that Jesus expected His disciples to fast when He was gone.  It was to be a sign of the Believer hungering for the return of the bridegroom.  It was also to be a way to increase spiritual intimacy with the Lord and placing His kingdom above their own needs. 

 

Fasting with prayer has several purposes.  It honors God.  It is a way to humble ourselves before Him.  It is a way for Believers to mourn over their sin and personal failure as well as the sins of the nation (remember Matthew 5:4).  It is a way to seek God’s presence, and to draw near to Him when fighting against spiritual forces.  Fasting is a way to seek greater knowledge or when seeking understanding and wisdom about a particular matter. 

 

It is necessary to understand we are to fast in secret and not so others can see how spiritual you are.  If that is the reason for your fasting, that will be your reward.  Fast for the right reasons and God rewards you as He knows best. 

 

I am going to stop here in the Sermon on the Mount to share some things about celebrating the coming of the Christ child.     

 

 

If you receive this blog through email, you can go to the regular blog page by moving your cursor to the top of the page and click on LEARNING DAILY header.  Then you can see the archived articles and comment section. You can also leave a comment by clicking on the date in the Comment Section.