Fasting

Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:19-21)

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    Kopper finished off the Halloween chocolate when no one was looking - a big, big, big bowl of it.

    My wife thought he was a goner; until I reminded her about the last box of chocolate that he gobbled down only weeks before 10/31.

    Of course, my walks with him well before 4:30 a.m. over the past few days have been a lot longer if you know what I mean.

    How's your diet?

    I've been thinking a lot about mine.

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    Jesus said, "When you fast..."

    He did not say, "If you fast..."

    Apparently, fasting, abstaining from food/drink as a spiritual discipline, was a regular part of His life and expected of those who followed Him.

    Indeed, if you check your handy concordance, you'll discover fasting was a rather common part of holy communion (intimacy with Him).

    Moses, David, Elijah, the disciples/apostles, and Jesus Himself fasted.

    That's why we fast.

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    Because I want to get closer to Him, I'm scratching the surface of this spiritual discipline.

    Yeah, I've done it in the past and studied lots about it; but only recently, as part of my wineskin-expanding experiences, begun to make it a part of my calendar.

    From what I've gathered, there are three basic ways to fast: (1) Normal - abstaining from food/drink but not water; (2) Absolute - abstaining from food/drink/water; and (3) Partial - restricting food/drink.

    Parenthetically, diabetics and folks taking any kinda medication should consult with a MD before trying it.

    The method is not as important as the meaning/motive.

    The specifics and timing are not remotely as important as the desire/hunger/thirst to do whatever He prescribes to increase our intimacy with Him.

    Fasting is a spiritual discipline akin to Hebrews 11:6: "God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

    Derek Prince: "If you fast in the right way with the right motives, God will reward you openly.  So if you fail to fast, bear in mind that you are depriving yourself of the reward."

    Simply, when we do what Jesus tells us to do, we move closer to Him.

    That's why we fast.

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    Fasting aligns our hearts with His.

    In How to Fast Successfully, Prince lists seven reasons to fast: (1) to humble one's self before God; (2) to move closer to God; (3) because it is a tool to better understand Holy Scripture; (4) because God uses our obedience to reveal His will to us; (5) to seek healing; (6) to meet the challenges of life; and (7) to intercede for others.

    Others have embraced fasting to honor Him, mourn sin against Him, seek grace, resist temptation/evil, show repentance, gain revelation, and...

    I won't/can't limit Him to just seven or seven hundred reasons to fast; for my guess bolstered by experience is He is bigger than any of our estimates.

    My guess bolstered by experience (mine and others) is He takes obedience through fasting to bless particularly as well as spectacularly.

    Personally, I recall Jerry saying almost 30 years ago, "Just do what God tells you to do and He will bless you for it!"

    George MacDonald: "Get up, and do something the Master tells you...Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because He said, 'Do it,' or once abstained because He said, 'Do not do it.'  It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you...Even the smallest step of obedience leads to spiritual growth and knowledge...Whosoever will do the will of God - not understand it, not care about it, not theorize about it, but do it - is a son of God."

    In other words, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus."

    That's why we fast.

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    Fasting reminds me that less is often more.

    I need less of myself and those like me and more of Him; or I'll spend my days like Kopper did after eating too much chocolate.

    Peterson quoting Jesus: "When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it...God doesn't require attention-getting devices.  He won't overlook what you are doing; He'll reward you well."

    Honor is the path to help.

    That's why we fast.

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Blessings and Love!