Fasting Positions the Soul Before God
Fasting positions the soul before God. "More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface."(1) As these things bubble up to the surface, the Holy Spirit reveals the deeper areas of the soul that are broken and in need of confession and transformation.
We all have patterns or rhythms that have become commonplace in our lives. Things that we do without even thinking about it. Patterns of sleeping, eating, and even rhythms of work and rest. When we practice the spiritual discipline of fasting, we create space to reflect upon these patterns in our lives. Reflection during fasting can shine a new light on a habit that may need to be altered. In a hustle and bustle culture, fasting slows us down long enough to see the blind spots in our lives.
Fasting brings a clarity of mind that is rarely experienced in the physical world, intensifying the presence of God. This posture allows for a fresh sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit, creating a willingness to hear what our ears have previously been deaf to. Fasting connects the body, mind, heart, and soul - all four make up the spiritual life and can not be separated from one another.
When we fast, we join with others around the world who fast, not as a choice, but out of a lack of food. This kind of fasting opens our eyes to the words of the prophet Isaiah:
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" Isaiah 58:6-7 ESV
Fasting disciplines the mind and, by extension, the body so that in times of feasting, we are able to remain within healthy boundaries resisting the temptation to overindulge. This brings to mind the words of Dallas Willard when he said, "fasting teaches temperance or self-control and therefore teaches moderation and restraint with regard to all our fundamental drives."(2)
Fasting reveals a hunger in our souls, not just in our bellies. "God-centered fasting always has as its motive to create an opening for God's revelation and mercy. It is not to coerce God or change his mind. Our doing something does not condition God's response."(3) Fasting is not about bartering with God. We must resist the urge to make fasting transactional!
Like all spiritual disciplines, fasting is a means to an end. Apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, spiritual disciplines are nothing! We must resist the urge to make an idol out of the "means." In fasting, we surrender our bodies to God, acknowledging the words of Jesus, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 ESV
(1) Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, pg. 55
(2) Dallas Willard, Spirit of the Disciplines, pg 167
(3) Dr. Siang-Yang Tan & Dr. Douglas H. Gregg, Disciplines of the Holy Spirit, pg. 129
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