Truett McConnell Assignment
“Christian fasting is a believer’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. Other types of fasting—despite the benefits they may produce for the mind and body—could not be classified as Christian fasting, and fasting by a non-Christian obtains no eternal value… And fasting is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the body; it is abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.”
Fasting is defined in the Webster Dictionary, as abstaining from food especially for religious purpose. Fasting is most definitely Biblical. The fasting and therefore temptation of Christ is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. After being baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the Judaean Desert. Jesus tells the devil when being tempted, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone.’” Jesus is saying, besides physical nourishment and relying on food to sustain your being, you must rely on the Lord in that same childlike dependency. Little children children cannot prepare their own meals, the rely on their parents to feed them. In the same way, we must trust the Lord and solely rely on Him for our provision.
Jesus also details to the devil, “Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” Especially in America, food can become an entitlement issue because most Americans are wealthy. People become entitled to having food a prepared in a certain manner or speed, but food in itself is a gift. People don’t realize it, but having good food and being entitled to it, takes your focus away from God. We are called to worship the Lord with all of our heart, not earthly substances. For this very reason, many people fast things that are not food. Things like telephones, or your tv, or even family members or friends can come before the Lord. The Lord asks us to fast things sometimes, that we are not aware we need to. The Lord asked one of team leaders to fast her best friend for two months.
The purpose of fasting is to have complete reliance in the Lord. It’s taking away the one thing we feel we need, something as basic as nourishment, and replacing it with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus can look like many things, whether it be prayer, reading your Bible, or just sitting in the presence of the Lord and having Him be your comfort. Whenever you feel hungry and want to eat, you take it to the Lord. His word and his presence sustains us.
I felt the Lord calling me to fast in the beginning of my Race in month one. I had never fasted meals for a full day before, so I was intrigued. Here is my journal entry from the morning of the fast. “I felt God prompting me to fast in the recent days. I want to grow closer to Him and hear His voice clearer, so I’m obeying. Breakfast wasn’t as difficult as I suspected, but I feel that dinner will be harder.” I remember during breakfast and lunch, my servant’s heart tendencies increased dramatically. I was no longer worrying about myself, I was focusing more on the needs of others. Later in the night, I walked onto the roof of our compound and sat in my eno. It was near dinner and I was starving, but in the moment the Lord completely sustained me. It was one of the most intimate moments I’ve ever had with my Heavenly Father.
