Feasting on the Glory of God: The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting

It’s month 5!!!

I’m at the half way mark of my journey on the World Race. It doesn’t seem real sometimes. It feels like it’s been only 5 days and then it feels like it’s been more like 5 years then 5 months. But as I continue on my journey, I am now in Phuket, Thailand.
 
I would have never of thought that I would be in Thailand. It seems so surreal. Thailand is a beautiful country. Mountains, city life, jungle, ocean, it has all the elements in being a tropical paradise in Asia. This month is “MANistry” month, where all of the guys get together for this one precious moment on the Race. It’s been such an awesome time so far. The men of my squad are authentic, genuine guys who love Christ. We are partnering with a British couple who have been missionaries here since 2006, and we are helping build a discipleship training facility for women who have been rescued from sex trafficking. So that means we get to do manual labor! Dig holes, mow, use machetes to tear down all sorts of plantation, fish, pour cement, get into chest deep of mud and pluck out vegetation from the lake, just all the things a man loves to do. Cultivate. It’s been awesome just to be around guys and share life and exalt God’s glory. God’s already been showing up in massive ways both as a team and individually. For my own soul, God has resurrected this awesome joy that the dust of skepticism made my mind forget about. It’s the beauty of the spiritual discipline of Fasting.
 
Fasting. I don’t know of another idea that makes people cringe to think of. Maybe Predestination or Limited Atonement… But those are for another time and day. For all of my Christian life, I’ve been skeptical of fasting. I grew up in a normal, charismatic, non-denominational church where fasting was talked about and done. But in the midst of good efforts to endorse fasting, I saw hypocrisy occasionally and it made me question the reason and nature of fasting. I remember specifically hearing one person speak about how “hard” his fasting was. But it wasn’t in the tone to exalt God’s grace as sufficient for the time of hardship in fasting. It was so that he could boast about how good and strong his willpower was in fasting. The tone of his voice, as he continued his rant on his own strength, crushed me. After that moment, I questioned fasting. I had fasted a couple times before. But what good was it if man used it for their own exaltation? I also remember corporate fastings, and seeing the members pledge to fast out of emotionalism and in a matter of hours discontinue their fast, and then be discouraged when none of their desires or prayers were heard. In the sea of confusion, frustration, anger, and uncertainty, even with some out-of-context Scriptures I had in my pocket, I discontinued fasting and shelved it in my heart as an unnecessary, out-of-date task done by others but not me. And besides, being in a country that is proud of our golden arches made by fries and are extra large re-fills, it doesn't seem normal to starve yourself!!
 
Years later, I'm on the World Race…
 
After a struggling, hard month 4 in the Philippines, I knew that I needed to go deeper in my intimacy with God. One of the tragic things I see in the world is that when things get tough, people hit the eject button and leave. As soon as something gets tough, people stop doing whatever it is that their doing. And it could be a little thing. If the wifi isn't working, stop trying to upload whatever it is you're trying to upload. If a relationship isn't working, it's time for a divorce. If the video game isn't working, hit the reset button. But in the Christian life God has called us to certain things, and when it get tough, we can’t simply leave and give up. We're called to persevere, to endure. What do we do when the times get tough? Cling tighter to Jesus. Fall more deeply in love with Him. Rejoice loudly. That’s why we are called to rejoice in suffering. We need to get closer to God when the suffering gets more severe. And it will get more severe. And it did for me in the Philippines. So coming into month 5 in Thailand with new obstacles, with my brothers beside me, with a new country for the Kingdom to be unleashed in, I knew I needed crave more of God.

But how? That was the question. I wanted more of God, but didn’t know what to do. Usually I would go into Theology. I love Theology!! I can spend hours digging into the rich treasure that is theological doctrine, historical ideologies, church fathers and church history, and all the juicy topics that would make any theologian and scholar run wild. But something was missing in my heart; this spiritual discipline that my soul craved. Is it Reformed Theology? No, I have enough of that (but not really. haha.) Is it New Perspective on Paul? No, definitely not that (even though I love studying it.) Is it fine tuning my views of Dispensationalism? No, pretty sure that’s not it either (still fun though!) Well what about my eschatological understanding of the Mount of Olives text? No, that’s not it either (but always a pleasure.) Slowly, but surely, as I let go of things I desired and was comfortable with, the Spirit started turning my heart and blowing the dust off this joy I’ve kept in the back of my mind for so long.

"Fasting…"
"Wait, what? No, I got rid of that years ago… What about Preterism?"
"Fasting… Fasting… Fasting… Fasting…"
 
The Holy Spirit knew what I was craving for. I wanted more of God. I wanted to know a deeper satisfaction in Him. And the Spirit knew exactly what I needed. It was through fasting that I would feast on the savoring satisfaction of God.

I want more of God. I need more of God. I desire more of God. The real me is not what people see on the outside. It's what flows in the inside of my heart that will springforth onto others. I want my heart so hidden inside the love of God. My heart is like a wellspring in which the entirety of who I am is showcased, and what's down in the well of my heart is what comes up in the bucket of what I give and display to others. All I want to show the world is Jesus Christ. Nothing of my own. I want the desires of my heart to be Jesus. And in this discipline of fasting, I have found a deeper appettite for more of He who never leaves me hungry.
 
Jesus says in Matthew 6:16 “And when you fast…” as if He was expecting the children of God to fast. It isn’t IF you fast or you MUST fast, but WHEN you fast. And in the context of the chapter, along with giving and praying, Jesus is restoring the joy of this spiritual discipline. Praying is something we do. There’s no question about it. As Christians we pray. And giving likewise is something we do. There’s no question about the reality of being a giver of love, money, possessions, etc. But why has it that, in this world where the golden arches and free refills, fasting has been something to be questioned and shunned out in our Christian life. Jesus Christ didn’t reject this spiritual discipline, but endorsed it, doing it Himself (Matthew 4.) The Early Church fasted, Paul fasted, Isaiah fasted, Moses fasted, Daniel fasted, Elijah fasted, David fasted, and those whom have changed the Church in the most distinguished ways have fated; Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, John Knox, and even today’s most influential church leaders like Francis Chan, John Piper, and Matt Chandler all fast. They all know and knew that fasting brings us deeper in our intimacy with God. For me and for so many, fasting has met our desire to savor the sweet satisfaction of a greater intimate walk with the Savior. The earth-shattering, soul-shaking, culture-shocking promise that our souls could come to an even more intense security in our Sheppard make our hearts salivate for more of God.
 
And even in our complete satisfaction in God, by His grace He hears our prayers and in our contentment in Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts. And it’s not that our prayers seem more delectable by our fasting to God, but it’s that our hearts come to a more beautiful delightfulness in God, and when we delight in the Lord, it is then that He gives us the desires of our transformed heart. I have many prayers to ask of the Lord. I’ve been praying fervently for important, I would go so far to say “lifelong” and “life changing” requests. I’m pleading, asking, and expecting to receive. But in all of that, I’ve come to a greater dependency and delighting in of the Lord. My joy is not in answered prayers, but in God. I’m content in Him, and fasting has brought me to a new reality of that contentment. Fasting isn’t so much an act of abstaining from food as it is feasting on the word of God. And I’m feasting indeed; feasting before the throne of God above.

Continue to pray for our team as we are diving deeply in the vast ocean of God's grace! There's much to do here in Thailand! Glory be to God and let His kingdom come!

Some photos of our living conditions!