Joel 2:12-17 NIV
Rend Your Heart
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
Every year as we near Resurrection Sunday, I feel called into fasting. I am not Catholic and do not follow Lent, but the 40 days of Lent come right before Good Friday and it is a perfect reminder to me that it is the time of year to really focus in on just what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Actually, this is my favourite time of the year. I love everything there is about Jesus and His death and sacrifice on the cross totally humbles me and awakens in my a very deep love for Him. I love Him because He loves me. If it wasn't for His reaching out to me and showing me His love, I would never know Him. It is Jesus who has stirred my soul and my first desire is to honour Him and love Him the next desire is for me to share His love with you and all those I meet.
I am a believer of fasting and over the past few years, as I dive into fasting, I am being led to believe that fasting material goods is not Biblical. I cannot find any references in Scripture to this type of fast. I have found fasting of food, a fasting of marriage relations, there is the reference of when John the Baptist's father had lost his voice for a period of time, and then there is wearing sack cloth. Animals fast, children fast but from my searching I can find no reference to fasting of material goods.
I am being led to believe that giving up something material is like removing an idol. Something that has taken the place of God and this is not a fast. This is good, please don't misunderstand me, this just isn't a fast.
A fast is a time to mourn and seek our Father's heart. A time to feed our soul on His Word and to deny our physical body substance so self is weakened and His Spirit becomes stronger in us. I don't see how self can be weakened by giving up say your computer for a time. Your physical body is still very strong therefore holding onto self and not being filled with the Holy Spirit.
I do believe giving up material goods is beneficial to removing idols in your life and replacing God back into His proper place of being number one. I think this is healthy and valuable to our walk with Father.
Yesterday on Twitter I took part of a chat that was focused on Lent and fasting. It was then that Father really spoke to my heart and made me to say that a material fast is not an acceptable fast in Father's eyes. My sharing of this brought in some opposition but it seems that more people agreed with me than those who did not.
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them and if you have some Biblical reference to a material fast please share!!
Blessings and Happy Valentine's Day!
Good post! I agree, I do not believe fasting TV and video games and internet is "real" fasting. Now, as part of a fast from food, yes. I don't think it would be wise to watch TV and play video games when you're fasting from food, lol!
ReplyDeleteI've also heard of fasting sleep, or "night watching". It's another way to deny the flesh or physical body.
Kimberly!!!
DeleteI am so happy you have your internet up and going! I surly did miss you so much!
Yes, fasting sleep is acceptable, I forgot about that one.
Lol, I agree with watching TV and fasting food just don't mix at all. All those food commercials, it is like you are feeding your lust just by looking at all that delicious food. I don't know about video games as I haven't played any.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Blessings,
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Thanks! I'm just so excited to be able to comment again! My phone would never let me comment on Blogger, it was always so complicated. I don't play video games either, by the way! ;)
DeleteHi Kimberly,
DeleteI sure do know about trying to comment on blogger via phone, it sure can be a pain. I only do it when it is an urgent prayer request.
Blessings hon,
<><
This is a very good post and you've raised a very important point I think. I have fasted before today with food and drink, and felt I was drawing closer to God, or more truly He was coming closer to me. However, these things are not to be taken lightly, and perhaps they are for adults who know what they are doing, under authority from scripture or a genuine Christian pastor or Priest or Minister who knows what they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteYou mention idols; that's very astute. I think many Christians think of idols and they think of stone statues or gold statues, but many things can be 'idols'; things like money, the worship of social status, a bigger and better car or house or boat when we don't really need one, even overuse of something like Facebook or Twitter can become obsessive and unhealthy and become an idol that gets between us and God. And at one stage I too began to see the PC itself as a kind of false idol that could be used too much, especially overuse of the Internet; but I think some things are open to debate certainly. It's certain though that many things, certainly their overuse can be a kind of idolatry. Great post.
Hi Tim,
DeleteThank you. Fasting has been a direction Father has been leading me in for many years now. It truly is a powerful weapon that Father gives us and I find it so sad that very few Christians are willing to obey Father here. I have heard many people say to me that they cannot fast because of health reasons. Although one needs to be careful here and it is advisable to have a doctor's permission and guidance but anybody can fast processed food like sugar and prepackaged foods. Anyone can eat a very simple fare and not harm their bodies. A fast does not have to be completely removing food from the diet that type of fast should only be directed by Father.
I agree with you on the idols. :) I think we could even go so far as saying a mirror can be an idol if you have to look in it all the time, which, in truth, it is our reflection which is self that is the real idol. Anything that is more important that Father is an idol and it is very wise to give it up for a time in order to put it in its proper place. Overuse of anything is not healthy for us and yes, I agree, the internet can take the place of our solitary time with Father and should be kept in line. :)
Thanks for sharing!! I really do appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Blessings brother,
<><
Very good post about fasting. I agree with you that fasting things isn't what it's all about. I have never really fasted. I do believe it's a good thing as long as you are led by the Lord to do it. I had not heard of fasting sleep before either. Where is that found in the bible?
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you
Chelle
Hi Chelle,
DeleteI don't really know if fasting sleep is a fast but more of a vigil. The only Bible verses that I know of that talk about fasting sleep are:
1 Kings 19:8
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. This is Elijah.
2 Samuel 12:6
David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.
Jesus many times got up early to pray or spent the night praying. Then there is Ana..
Luke 2:36-37
36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[e] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
I think this could be an acceptable fast but since there really aren't a lot of bible verses talking about it I would think that it should be accompanied with a food fast.
I hope that helps answer your question.
Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
<><
Hi child of God,
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a material fast. I have fasted only once I believe, for three days. I love what the Lord says in Isaiah ch.58 regarding fasting 'Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
It reminds me of evangelism, sharing the food that we receive to those who need it, just as you do. God bless you.
Hi Brenda,
DeleteIsaiah 58 is the outline for fasting. :) Giving to others what we have, sharing with them Spiritual food, physical food and such. Loving and forgiving each other even when they do not deserve it. This type of fasting from 'self' is what Father truly desires. Self pride, self anger, self jealously, self hording and so on. It's funny, when I fast I see these nasty tendencies bubble to the surface. Because I am hungry I tend to have less patience and can be more irritable and these are just what the Lord wants us to release to Him. And, what better way to realize that this is what we need to rid ourselves of but by pushing ourselves to the limit to know that beneath the surface of our skin lies selfishness. Fasting cleanses not only our physical body by removing toxins but our spiritual self by bringing to the surface root sins and weakness.
Blessings sister, thanks for commenting. :)
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Thank you so much for your kind comment on my photo and verse. The dialogue here on fasting is very interesting!
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth,
DeleteThank you for visiting, glad you liked the post.
Blessings,
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