This week I am participating in an extended fast to clear my mind and re-focus on what is important. I hope you will consider joining me at some level this week. It will be a great way to lead into Easter weekend and get April off to a great start.
For most of my life, fasting was something I knew about, but the churches I grew up in, my family, and myself very rarely participated in or talked much about fasting. To me, that was something the “really dedicated people” did and that was not me. I did not spend a lot of time reading about fasting and did not understand it. Fasting is much more than just not eating for a period of time, starving yourself for no apparent reason.
Fasting is a discipline that goes back to the Old Testament and is practiced across multiple religions. From a health perspective, there are many benefits to fasting. Imagine that. Something that God implemented for us turns out to actually be good for us. If we would just trust that God has our best interests in mind and isn’t always trying to punish us, life would be so much better. During the fasting state, your body experiences an increase in blood flow to the brain. When I fast regularly, I have more energy, and am mentally more alert and can think clearer. There are many more physical benefits to fasting, but this is the most important for our purposes. Being more mentally aware, alert, and having a clearer mind puts us in a better physical state to listen to God and have a clearer understanding of his teaching.
Fasting for spiritual growth is much more than just not eating and starving yourself. The not eating is designed to clear our minds and increase our mental “sharpness.” Spiritual fasting calls us to spend an extended time in prayer and study. It is a time of personal growth and drawing closer to God. Spiritual fasting is an important discipline to grow closer to God and listen to what the Spirit is telling us. It is much more than simply going without food.
I know some say that during a time of spiritual fasting, you should take the time you would spend eating and spend that time in prayer. I don’t know about you, but I am a busy father going to baseball games, working long hours, and simply trying to keep up with everything I have on my calendar. Meals are often less than 15 minutes and are more likely eaten in the car, at a baseball game, or in between something else. At work, when I do get to eat, it is almost always at my desk while I am working or in the middle of a meeting. Dedicating my “mealtime” to prayer would not be very much time.
In “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, John Comer makes the observation that the biggest thief of joy today is distraction. What is it that is distracting you from God? For many of us, it is our phone. The constant notifications of that new text or Facebook message, or a notice from any number of apps we have set to notify us of things we just can’t live without but didn’t know we needed. All of that information at our fingertips. We can’t stand to have a question that we don’t know the answer to. I didn’t even know I needed to know the answer to that question, but now it is suddenly urgent that I find that out. We are constantly being distracted. When you wake up in the morning, do you grab your Bible and start reading, or do you grab your phone to see what you missed last night or turn on the TV to watch the morning news? Our world is full of distractions and the business of distracting us is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Most people call it “marketing”, but the marketers are being paid to distract us and draw our attention to what they want us to focus on. It is a career in professional distracting.
OK, Now What?
From 7 pm today, Sunday, March 24, to 7 pm March 29 Good Friday, I am going to spend some time fasting and seeking God’s guidance for myself and my family. I hope you join me for these five days, or at least a part of it, and find something that is distracting you and taking time away from your relationship with God. Maybe it is giving up social media or watching the news. Maybe it is giving up watching television. Maybe it is even giving up something good. Sometimes Satan uses things that look good to distract us from spending time with God. Set aside time every day, maybe even 2 or 3 times a day, to pray and read the Bible, and listen to God. I am asking for 5 days to see what God will do in your life. It will also be a great way to get ready for that Easter meal and all that wonderful Easter candy.
In addition to this, I am asking you to fast with us. As always, if you have health issues and are on medications, please check with your doctor before going on an extended fast. If you are not able to do an extended fast, perhaps fast every other day. Or fast 2 days, eat a day, and fast 2 days. If you have not done an extended fast before, I will tell you the first day is the hardest and it gets easier after that. Our bodies know what to do and how to respond. Just be sure to drink plenty of water.
Through the week I will have daily scriptures and devotionals to encourage you on this journey. For me, the five days will end on Good Friday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. If you choose to participate with me this week, leave a message in the comments. Also, at the end of the fast, I want to hear what God did in you this week and how things went for you. Be sure to subscribe to this site for your daily devotionals this week.
What is distracting you from time with God?
How much time are you devoting to God every day this week?
Fast to increase your energy and alertness as God speaks to you this week.
Thank you for joining me on this 5-day journey together.
Today’s Devotional Reading:
Mathew 21: 1-12
