Prayer - Praying & Fasting
Fasting
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
-Jesus of Nazareth, 1st century
Matthew 6:16-18
[This is the 8th message in this series]
In the 2nd lesson in this series, we read from the Book of Matthew, chapter 6. The excerpt we read above are the preceding verses.
In the bible, praying normally includes fasting. In the old days they only need to fast from much fewer things, as life isn't as complicated as it is now.
Staying Away From
Fasting for them generally means staying away from eating food, or certain kinds of food or a few human activities.
Today we have so many food choices and diets and so abstaining from certain foods are common and normally done because of health reasons or esthetics (or beauty or artistic reasons) or because it is the latest fad or it is the hip or in fashion or the in thing to do. This is not biblical fasting.
Today fasting is not anymore about abstaining from certain foods but more to do with abstaining from the things of this world that keeps us from connecting with God and spending time with Him.
But don't get me wrong, staying away from food is still fasting. When we pray and spend time in our secret place, reading the bible, singing psalms and hymns, we are already abstaining from physical food. We are instead feeding our spirit with spiritual food. Thus Jesus told His disciples after they found Him speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria that He has food to eat that they know nothing about (John 4:32).
Fasting for them generally means staying away from eating food, or certain kinds of food or a few human activities.
Today we have so many food choices and diets and so abstaining from certain foods are common and normally done because of health reasons or esthetics (or beauty or artistic reasons) or because it is the latest fad or it is the hip or in fashion or the in thing to do. This is not biblical fasting.
Today fasting is not anymore about abstaining from certain foods but more to do with abstaining from the things of this world that keeps us from connecting with God and spending time with Him.
But don't get me wrong, staying away from food is still fasting. When we pray and spend time in our secret place, reading the bible, singing psalms and hymns, we are already abstaining from physical food. We are instead feeding our spirit with spiritual food. Thus Jesus told His disciples after they found Him speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria that He has food to eat that they know nothing about (John 4:32).
Worldy Influences
Fasting today involves more than merely abstaining from food but is more involved with staying away from entertainement, from television, movies and music of this world, from social media, hobbies, games, sports and all the other such activities and past times that have taken over almost every waking hour we have each day.
So many people will almost die when you take away their smart phones, gadgets or streaming services or vices or whatever makes their day complete. This includes their social activities, their pets, their job and even their "religious" work.
When we spend time with God, we fast from everything else. We read Scripture, we talk with Him, we sing songs of praise, we meditate, we have alone time with our heavenly Father.
If we can spend long hours watching Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, being on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, watching ballgames, playing online games, chatting with friends, reading books, magazines, periodicals, gossiping, exercising, doing vices and yes eating food then surely we can pray and fast for even a portion of the time we spend with all the other things that fills up our day.
And yes, we do brag about us praying and fasting. But this isn't prayer and fasting, that's religion.
Fasting today involves more than merely abstaining from food but is more involved with staying away from entertainement, from television, movies and music of this world, from social media, hobbies, games, sports and all the other such activities and past times that have taken over almost every waking hour we have each day.
So many people will almost die when you take away their smart phones, gadgets or streaming services or vices or whatever makes their day complete. This includes their social activities, their pets, their job and even their "religious" work.
When we spend time with God, we fast from everything else. We read Scripture, we talk with Him, we sing songs of praise, we meditate, we have alone time with our heavenly Father.
If we can spend long hours watching Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, being on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, watching ballgames, playing online games, chatting with friends, reading books, magazines, periodicals, gossiping, exercising, doing vices and yes eating food then surely we can pray and fast for even a portion of the time we spend with all the other things that fills up our day.
And yes, we do brag about us praying and fasting. But this isn't prayer and fasting, that's religion.
And that turns off people and God big time. We can fool some of the people, some of the time. But we cannot fool everyone, all of the time and more importantly we shouldn't try to fool or mock God. Pretty scary that many try to.
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