Fasting is a discipline that – until the last couple years – was not even on my radar.  I knew it was in the Bible.  I had done it a couple times in the past.  For the most part, to me, it was what Christian extremist and wackos did…taking narratives from the Bible like Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and Christ (Matthew 4) and making them prescription.  Or it was what Catholics did during Lent around Easter.  But through further study and the examples of others, I have embraced the discipline of fasting and have experienced the joys and blessings that come with it.

This week I have called our church to join me in a week-long fast.  I have a three-fold corporate and personal purpose for doing so:

1. Humble Purity
2. Total Dependence on Christ
3. Blessing of Clarity

Fasting is, ” the voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.” (Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 160)  One of the “intense spiritual activities” the Bible associates with fasting is prayer.  And so, it is my desire to provide a topic and brief devotional thought for each day our church fasts this week.

Glory
Many topics could rightfully serve as first, but I feel led to start where the Bible starts. The ultimate goal of everything we do – the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 provides the foundation – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

If we begin a fast with any other primary motivation, we are in danger of being distracted.

This focus is what strengthened Christ when His soul was troubled with the impending reality of the cross before Him.  John 12:28 says that Jesus called out, “Father, glorify your name.”

The ultimate goal of a fast is that God would be glorified.  May He be glorified by the “why” and “how” of each of our respective fasts and of our church humbling ourselves before Him.

Suggestions for Prayer

1. (Morning) Anticipate the activities you expect will take place today and pray intentionally that God will be glorified in and through them.
2. (Morning) Ask God to bring to mind areas of your life that are not glorifying to Him…confess and repent of them…and seek His strength to make the necessary changes.
3. (Afternoon) Take time in your busy day – at work, at home, at school… – get away from the routine.  Reflect on your day so far.  Where has God been glorified?  Intentionally pray that the remainder of your day will glorify Him.  Pray for opportunities to live and share the Gospel and for the courage to make a “defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…” 1 Peter 3:15.
4. (Evening) Yearn for a greater awareness of the glory of God in your life.  Wrestle with the reality of John Piper’s statement:  “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”
5. (Night) Assess your “glory index” (i.e. how much is God being glorified by the way you are fulfilling that which God has called you?) in the following areas:
1. Personal Walk With Christ (Ephesians 4:1-3)
2. Your Life as a Corporate Worshiper of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25)
3. Your Use of Your Gifts and Talents (1 Peter 4:10)
4. As a Spouse (Colossians 3:18-19)
5. As a Parent (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4)
6. As a Worker/Boss (Colossians 3:5-9)

Thought For the Day…

“Fasting:  Abstaining from food for measured periods of time in order to heighten my hunger for the things of God.”  – James MacDonald