As we’ve been learning, God wants to use the “spiritual disciplines”—practices employed by followers of God throughout the centuries in order to grow closer to God—to unumb us to Him. These disciplines include Scripture, prayer, community, and many others.

God particularly uses the practice of fasting to sensitize us to His presence, and help us realize our dependence on Him.

“Bread”

“But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)

Besides the necessary nutrition we need for each day, I think each of us has some kind of “bread” in our lives. In the language of Brene Brown, we all have things and practices that help us “take the edge off” of the difficult emotions caused by the daily challenges of life. From dessert, to exercise or sports, to coffee, tea, and sugar, these and many more items help us get through the day (I left off the plethora of addictions that are ravaging this generation; I’ll leave that for another day). Notice, much of what we use to help us through are not inherently wrong things—in fact some are beneficial to us. However, the reality is that, if you’re anything like me, you often use these things to mask what’s really going on behind the surface of your personality.

Fasting as Revelator

Fasting—the intentional, temporal removal of one or more things that we typically rely on for subsistence—is a revelator. It reveals the true condition of our emotional, physical, and mental states. It brings uncomfortable emotions to the surface, challenges our mental states, uncovers how tired our bodies really are without those four cups of coffee. Fasting puts our true selves on display—the parts of us we don’t want anyone to see.

Why put ourselves through this? Why does Jesus model this practice for us? Why have followers of Jesus practiced this throughout the centuries?

Need

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 ESV)

In his famous words from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus is essentially saying this: “You’re blessed when you realize you need God.”

This is one of the primary things that fasting does for us: Fasting puts us in a state of blessedness. For those of us living in the West, where even the poor among us are in a significantly better condition than many of those in other parts of the world, we especially need this kind of blessing. In our supplemented lives, it’s so easy to forget that we have needs that no one can meet but God alone. Not more money, not more status, not more of anything . . . only God.

My experience with fasting is usually the following: I spend the first part of my fast complaining to God. I am mad. I feel challenged, because I’m not getting what I want (Do I sound like a pre-teen? . . . absolutely). However, by the end of the day, I find that the things I thought I needed don’t seem to be as important as I thought they were. I feel grounded, with more clarity about who God is and who I am. When I return to the rhythms of life, I’m a little different than I was. I’m more thankful for the little things, and I typically find it easier to communicate with God.

This is not my experience every time . . . a lot of the times I don’t feel different than when I started. But I’m learning to see those dull moments more like a regular aspect of practicing a new skill—it doesn’t always seem like you’re growing, but over time you find that you’ve improved (if you play an instrument, you know what I mean).

What fasting is not . . .

At this point, you’re probably seeing that I’m about to challenge us to take on the practice of fasting . . . you’re right. But before I do, I want to clarify a couple of things:

Fasting is not a means to earn God’s love.

We are saved by grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8). Our salvation is not earned through even the most “holy” of efforts. God would not love you any more than he does right now if you fasted three times a week, or did any other action for that matter.

Fasting is not only for priests, pastors, etc. Fasting is for every believer. God wants to have a closer relationship with each one of us, and fasting is one of the tools he uses. Clergy have no special standing before God.

Fasting is not about flexing spiritual muscles so others can be impressed. Jesus explicitly taught against this (see Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting is not about being sad all day to show God you’re sorry. Again, you cannot earn forgiveness. God gives it to you freely when you believe in Him and ask Him to forgive you.

Fasting is a practice that sensitizes us to God’s presence, and helps us realize our dependence on Him.

HOW?

Particularly if you’ve never tried this before, DO NOT GO BIG. The goal is not to try really hard for one day. Our goal is to incorporate this life-giving habit into our way of life. So . . .

Start small. Habits take a while to form. Here are some ideas:

For a specific time period, refrain from something that usually gives you comfort, security, or distraction. (food, social media, a hobby)
- Food fast (check with your doctor if you have any medical conditions)
  - Fast for a 16 hour period (after you do this a few times, you can increase to 24 hours)
  - Drink plenty of water
- Social media
  - Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok . . . stay off for a day. After you did this a few times, increase to two or three days.
- Other

What to do with your time during a day of fasting . . .

Intentional time of prayer
Intentional time studying or reflecting on the Scriptures.
Go about your normal day, and every time you feel the pang of hunger (or the need to look at social media etc.), pray in your heart.

I’m curious to know what your experience is. If you have any thoughts or questions, email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com.

Love y’all,

-Ian