Fasting is Feasting
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4, NIV)
“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food.” (I Corinthians 6:13) If your body’s hungry feed it! Do you remember this verse from a few days ago? This was the philosophy guiding many of the new believers in the church found in the Greek city of Corinth.
The problem with this way of thinking is it ignores the importance of the spirit in the spirit-body connection.
Our spirits are the center of our beings, where the very essence of who we are is found. Most important of all, our spirits are the source of our will, the very thing that controls our lives.
In light of this truth, I want to ask you something - How important is it in your life and mine to recognize spiritual hunger? And another question - What happens if we fail to feed our hungry spirits?
The fact is that if we don’t feed our spirits they become malnourished. We may notice this at first in things like apathy toward times of prayer and Bible reading. We will also notice it in our relationships with others as our hearts grow colder.
After a little while (just like hunger with the body) the pangs of spiritual hunger disappear. We shrivel up spiritually. Our relationship with Christ and others begins to suffer.
This brings us to a crucial truth: healthy lives require both physical and spiritual food. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Man does not live by bread alone.”
You may remember the story of Jesus talking with the woman by the well in Samaria. When his disciples urged him to eat, Jesus responded by saying “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” (John 4:32, NIV) Jesus understood the importance of fasting and the spiritual strength it brings into our lives.
Here’s what happens when we fast -
We become painfully aware of our flesh, or self-life if you will. As our blood sugar drops and our hunger grows, we become easily irritated. Have you ever apologized to someone, saying “Sorry, I’m just hungry.”? That may be true but there’s a whole lot more going on than just hunger. I’m pretty sure Jesus never bit the head off one of his disciples or kicked a local dog because he was hungry.
Fasting reveals sinful flesh. Our impatience, grumpiness, and surly attitudes aren’t because we’re hungry. Not really. There’s a deeper issue involved and as we begin to recognize our sinful flesh, we are able to begin acknowledging our weaknesses and asking for the Holy Spirit’s empowering to live lives pleasing to God.
But there is more to it than that. No sinful flesh was revealed in Jesus’ life when he fasted. But our Lord’s fasts strengthened and sustained him in the ministry to which he was called.
This is the ultimate purpose of fasting. Not just to reveal sinful flesh in us, but to strengthen our spirits and prepare us for God’s will and purposes for our lives.
Next time you fast remember this - It’s not just fasting, it’s feasting. Feasting on the things of God’s Spirit which allow you to become the disciple He has called you to be.
In Christ,
Dan