Ten Ways: Fast

You want to bring glory to God's name? You don't just want to profess to be a Christian, but you want to love and enjoy God? You've got to see God's glory.

A fourth way of doing this is by fasting. Fasting is the voluntary denial of a normal thing for a spiritual purpose. Being punished and having your car keys taken away isn't fasting (fasting is voluntary). If you don't eat broccoli, you can't give it up and call it fasting (fasting is from a normal part of your life). And if you give up soda because you are on a diet, it isn't fasting (fasting is for a spiritual purpose).

In America, we live in a society that never says no. Just do it. Have it your way. If you can afford it, buy it. We indulge ourselves in every possible luxury at every possible turn. We love comfort. We love more. We love stuff.

Fasting teaches us to deny our impulses. In short, fasting teaches us to say "no."

Just look at King David. He slowly built a harem for himself. Even though God's law taught one man and one woman, David followed in step with the other kings of the times and added wife upon wife. He got used to saying yes. He got used to indulging in physical pleasure. He got used to doing what he wanted to do. Then, he saw Bathsheba. He was so used to saying yes to his desire for women, his sin was almost inevitable.

Fasting can be an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and joy in this life from Jesus. It shows that seeking God is more important to you than: ____________.

Of course, denying the flesh doesn't save us or even grow us. God does that. But, we can use fasting to show that we do love God most. That knowing Him is our highest pursuit. That following Him is our greatest desire.

In the Bible, fasting involved giving up food for a time. That's a great way to start. Skip a meal, like lunch, and spend that time praying. Have a goal in mind when you fast. Don't just skip a meal and hope God zaps you. Pray for an unsaved friend, pray for a sin you are struggling with, or cast a trial/care on Him.

Another type of fasting could be for a season of time. Giving up the Internet, the movies, or sports would be a great way to carve out more time in your schedule for prayer.

You want to see God's glory? You want to see God work? Fast.