Please do not STARVE yourself and call it a FAST

I am speaking from experience. 

There are a lot of biblical principles that we attempt, fail at and eventually give up on because they do not produce the promised results. Fasting is one of those principles. When it does not work as expected, we doubt the validity and potency of God's word instead of critically evaluating ourselves to see how we might have failed to correctly and completely implement these principles.

This Lenten season, I thought I should write about fasting since most people engage in some kind of fast during Lent. It is important to know that just because we have abstained from something does not mean we have fasted. What are we doing during that time of fasting? Are we seeking God in meditation/worship/prayer, or are we distracting ourselves with other pleasures (TV, social media etc)... eagerly counting down to the time the fast is supposed to break. Fasting should be a deeply spiritual exercise, otherwise it is just starving. 

There are three important things to have in mind when it comes to Christian fasting:

1. Fasting is not optional. Unfortunately fasting is no longer emphasized in many churches. It is a critical spiritual exercise that has gradually been reduced to an activity for over-zealous Christians. Remember Jesus said "When you fast..." not "If you fast..." (Matthew 6:16)
2. Fasting is powerful. Fast with purpose and expectation. Miracles still do happen. Consider what Jesus told the disciples who failed to successfully cast out a demon (Matthew 17:21)…fasting releases an additional surge of God's power.
3. Biblical fasting is abstaining from food. Nowadays many of us fast from other pleasurable things, and I agree it is definitely good to do so. It helps us discipline the flesh. However, in scripture fasting is talked about with respect to food.

Allow me to share my personal experience with fasting as encouragement. Learning to fast instead of starving myself has been truly enriching. A true fast should end with an intense feeling of intimacy with God. I especially enjoyed my last fast because it opened my eyes to three important truths I desperately needed to be reminded of at this point in my life:

1. Jesus is enough. Enough for me to be happy, fulfilled and content in life every single day. Most of us live life waiting for one blessing or another to make us happy. But even in the deepest pain, there can be joy in Christ.
2. Experiencing the Holy Spirit is not an optional part of the Christian experience. In many ways, my life should be a testament of the Holy Spirit's power. Today's Christianity can make one disregard this, as it tends to be over-intellectual and under-spiritual. Instead of seeking all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our churches, we have come up with all kinds of excuses as to why it is okay not to not have them manifesting among us. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:20 are especially relevant today: "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." (NKJV)
3. Dying to self is the secret to having it all. I should be okay with the possibility of never getting/achieving all that I want. Without meaning to, a lot of us tend to idolize our hopes and dreams. Most of us hold on to earthly things (even good ones) more than we hold on to God. To be blessed immeasurably, we need to get to that place of total surrender, being like Abraham who was ready to give his most prized possession (Isaac) to God in obedience.

So by the end of my Beginning of Year 3-week Fast, I knew I had actually heard from God. I'm still digesting these three truths and they are deeply convicting as well as life changing.

May every fast end with a tangible experience of God that deeply and specifically impacts our lives for His glory.