Early January is a choice time to fast and pray for wisdom and direction for the new calendar year, in our marriages, families, finances, work, business, ministries, and even hobbies; and for the success of our church.
Jesus our Savior and King didn’t say, “If you fast,” but “when you fast.” Fasting is in the same “when list” as praying and giving (Mat 6:16). Jesus our Bridegroom said about His bride, His disciples, “The days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Mat 9:15). So Christian fasting is a “love thing” for the bride who longs for her Groom.
This puts it into another category, the category of things God doesn’t command, even though He desires them, both for His pleasure and for our good. Every engaged or married couple knows that expressions of romantic love cannot be commanded or demanded. That’s not how mature love works. Each partner is captivated by love that is ready to sacrifice for the delight it brings in the eyes of the beloved. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to our God that He is more important to us than food, or other things we need and prize.
Fasting is an investment of time and sacrifice in which we temporarily deny ourselves something else we need and/or value, to show our longing to be close to our Bridegroom Jesus, and our priority of God above everyone and everything else in our lives. Since fasting is about appetite, in preparation we can choose to transfer physical hunger into hunger and thirst for something we realize God wants us to long for at a deeper level. You get to choose why you will fast, and then you become more like Jesus as you fast.
Please click on the link to view a 15-minute read that will help you choose the goal(s) of your fast, what kind of fast and how long, benefits, and practical guidelines. It also includes some personal testimony.
