If you hate fasting as much as i do, then stick around as we try and learn how to benefit from fasting. Hopefully the benefits might far out weigh our desire not to fast and lead us on a new path of change.
New International Version
if my people, who are called by my name, will humblee themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land 2 Chronicles 7:14
WHAT IS FASTING
Fasting is essentially giving up food (or something else) for a period of time in order to focus your thoughts on God. While fasting, many people read the Bible, pray, or worship. Fasting is found throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, over fifty times!
WHY YOU MUST FAST
I have heard people sometimes down play the benefits of fasting. If you have not fasted before or barely ever fast you might what some really great reasons to go down the fasting route.
If you want to jump directly to the benefits follow this link, but here is what you might miss out.
Think of fasting this way, remember when you really needed to get something done either from school or work or you’ve got a deadline to meet? And ironically you find your kids are super hyper that day or your siblings will just not turn down the volume of that song they are listening to. Imagine walking home into a messed up room, everything scattered, baby crying ,kids jumping all over.
What do you do? You have two options basically. Fix the mess and get the environment serene or try and get your work assignment done somehow in the chaos. There might even be a third option. Leave the environment and go somewhere else altogether where you can focus.
GOD PLAYING CATCHUP
The imagery above is the state of spiritual life of many christians. We are going through the every grind of life having so many things to deal with. Work family career, you name it. In the midst of all these God is somewhere in there trying to grasp our attention. We make a few minutes each day hopefully not each week for God hoping he can keep up with the unavoidable chaos in our live somehow and speak to us or chip in a miracle or two.
What we often forget is that God is a very real person with emotions, intellect, character trait and also has a way he likes things done. We often want to shove him somewhere in our week and still somehow hope great spiritually awakening , revival with accompanying material blessings falls on our laps. Sorry but it just doesn’t work that way.
It is ok to involve God in our everyday life, a few minutes here and there whiles attend to other things. However like all love relationships, the time away from the kids and everyone else so we focus on us is what creates the bond and the growth and joy we long for.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY GOD TIME
Much said about playing catch up with God. I think the point is well made on the need for quality and “quantity” God time. Having made quality time for God, do you want to get deeper into God and experience depths and knowledge of him like never before? Or do you want to experiece the power of God spoken of in the scriptures and walk in the miraculous? This is where fasting come in, introduce some fasting into the mix.
HOW FASTING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE: BENEFIT FROM FASTING
- You feel the presence of God more
- You ae able to pray longer
- The voice of God becomes clear and comes easier
- It frees you from addictions and secret sins
- The power to exercise more self control
- Supernatural inspiration to understand the word of God better
- You think clearer
- Your words are fewer- Of course you are hungry(just kidding)
- Answers to long standing prayer topics
- Destroys demonic strongholds
- Peace of mind and freedom from depressive spirits
- Materal blessings
Seeing all these benefit from fasting, There is no reason not to make fasting a regular part of your life. I will be making a more comprehensive write up on types of fasting and the benefit from fasting. But let me chip in here that making fasting a regular part of your life means there are time you fast the whole day, or other times a couple of hours where you are in intensive spiritual activity: such as deep prayer and meditation on the word of God or worship. In such instance you refuse any interruptions from you phone, you fast food and where need be fast water.
More on that in subsequent articles. Share your thought in the comments section and send a mail if you have questions. Subscibe to our daily devotional where daily i share a word with you to carry for the day. Somethng to munch on as you go through your day.
See you.