\u2018Surely not now God?\u2019 was the first thing that came mind when I thought about fasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two weeks ago my life turned from its normal juggling act to a full on boot camp! Like everyone else in the world I\u2019ve been stretched and challenged, and everything I once knew to be normal has changed. Looking after two kids, leading Onelife and being alongside my husband Stew as he steers his business through choppy waters requires long hours, and it was all I could do to keep \u2018strong\u2019 with healthy snacks, three meals a day and a slightly scary timetable! I had begun a small fast in Lent which was already showing me how much I had started relying on comfort food, but now the idea of cutting back in this season seemed just cruel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with Celebration of Discipline I have been reading John Mark Comer\u2019s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, and one comment from his chapter on fasting stuck with me. In Matthew 4, Jesus went into battle with the enemy in the desert not at weakest because he was fasting, but at his strongest because he was fasting! He was ready for battle, in tune with his Father and ready for what was to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, having heard the gentle nudge, and in spite of my original reluctance, I chose to fast breakfast (I figured picking up a 40-day fast might be a bit of a stretch!). I carved out my usual time with Jesus at the beginning of the day but postured my heart before him offering the rest of my morning as well. Throughout the morning of continued business I actively turned my mind to him as I felt a bit hungry or wanted to reach for some food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I flexed that muscle I started to be aware of his presence in the kitchen as I was going about the things I needed to do. I became aware of people coming into my mind and prayers I had for them just in the flow of the day. It wasn't a big intense time of prayer and worship, it wasn't a convenient time to fast, and it wasn't the world\u2019s biggest plight to receive a giant revelation. It was my start, my step towards God at a time when I needed to do battle with a never-ending to-do list, with fear and with a very different 'normal'.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fasting is for God, about God, to God<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Foster writes that fasting is essentially and primarily an act of worship before God. We do it for him and him alone. Whenever there is any other agenda of being seen to do the right thing, maybe even attempting a bit of life improvement or just following with tradition, if it\u2019s not for Jesus, about Jesus and with the purpose of seeking him then it\u2019s empty religion \u2013 and Jesus had some strong words to say about that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we fix this primary reason for fasting front and centre in our lives we can appreciate the secondary reasons in our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Who am I following?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like no other spiritual discipline, fasting reveals the other things in our lives that we pledge our allegiance to, we trust in and allow to comfort us. This season of Covid-19 has caused me to fast certain things in everyday life because I realised with the pressure I was under that I could turn to those things too much. They had become little gods in my life. Social media, because of being isolated and wanting to escape the pressures of today. Alcohol, comfort food, Netflix all began to change from things that I enjoyed in moderation to becoming something I\u2019d use to relax, find comfort or get a quick fix. So I have fasted these things in different ways and asked the Holy Spirit to show me where they were something I relied on too much and even had a hold on me. When we fast we are vulnerable. We feel stripped back \u2013 and that\u2019s when our idols fall and Jesus steps into the space they leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fasting reminds us that it is God who sustains us and it also puts the spotlight on our own responses and priorities when they so quickly become \u2018me\u2019 focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping it simple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Foster makes the comment that a lot has been written about fasting and prayer or seeking God\u2019s will on a particular situation. He makes the wonderful, simple point that clearly God rewards those who diligently seek him. Sometimes we can get tangled up in complicated viewpoints, theological discussions and present a thousand excuses, but actually, when it comes down to seeking God more in our lives, why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we try to aim high and fall at the first hurdle. We get caught up in comparison and think we should be more like ______ (fill in the blank!) rather than asking, \u2018What does it look like for me to fast?\u2019 We don't love inconvenience or sacrifice. It sits outside our comfort zone. But that\u2019s the point! Fasting occurs throughout the Bible, and although not a command in itself, we see Jesus doing it (Matthew 4), we see the disciples discussing it (Matthew 6 and 9), and Paul choosing a three-day fast after his first meeting with the living Christ (Acts 9:9) \u2013 so perhaps it\u2019s something we need to bring into the normal life of a 2020 follower of Jesus?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how do we challenge ourselves without biting off more than we can chew?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Try fasting food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick one meal to miss, and instead of eating take some time to worship. Use a journal to note your experience, the Bible passages you read, what you felt God say and how you felt physically. Then, make a commitment to pick one meal a week on the same day that you can fast, and section off that time with Jesus on a regular basis. Each time, note down any words or pictures or even songs that stuck out to you that you listened to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Create space for Jesus to step in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick something from your daily life that makes up \u2018normal\u2019 life for you. What would it look like to fast that thing for a week? When it\u2019s removed, allow your thoughts to turn to Jesus, put worship music on, pray instead of reaching for that \u2018thing\u2019 and see how he fills the space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Foster recommends these daily scripture readings as we explore fasting this week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday: <\/strong>The example of Christ \u2013 Luke 4:1\u201313<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday: <\/strong>God\u2019s chosen fast \u2013 Isaiah 58:1\u20137<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday:<\/strong> A partial fast \u2013 Daniel 10:1\u201314<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday:<\/strong> A normal fast \u2013 Nehemiah 1:4\u201311<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday:<\/strong> An absolute fast \u2013 Esther 4:12\u201317<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saturday:<\/strong> The inauguration of the Gentile mission \u2013 Acts 13:1\u20133<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ufeffSunday:<\/strong> The appointment of elders in the Churches \u2013 Acts 14:19\u201323<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read about the discipline of Fasting, from our series unpacking the Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":68,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions\/70"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirteencreative.co.uk\/onelife25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}