Fasting

What’s your first reaction to the thought of fasting? Is it something you have done or do? What does it, or could it, look like?

There are lots of examples of different people fasting in different ways in the Bible.
Here are a few you might want to have a look at...
Luke 4:1-2
Daniel 1:8 & 10:3
Esther 4:16
Acts 9:9
Have a read around these verses and have a think about; What’s happening? Who is involved? How long? Why? What happens?

Have a read of Matthew 6: 16-18 and see what Jesus has to say about fasting.

Jesus talks about fasting in the same ‘breath’ as giving and praying (verses 2-15).
Is He suggesting they are all equally important parts of living out our faith? If that was true then, is it still relevant now?

Jesus says ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. He was talking about a practice that was common among Jews at the time. He doesn’t say ‘if’ and He doesn’t say ‘must’ – should we read anything into this?!

Why Fast?
“At times there is such stress upon the blessings and benefits of fasting that we would be tempted to believe that with a little fast we could have the world, including God, eating out of our hands.
The central idea in fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity. There is nothing wrong with these normal functions in life; it is simply that there are times when we set them aside in order to concentrate.”
(Richard Foster – Celebration of Discipline) 

So why do you think we might/could/should fast?
How might we apply fasting to our culture today? What could we fast from other than food?

How?
Don’t walk before you can run, it’s OK to start ‘small’.
Be aware of who you are and what is ‘good’ for you. Don’t do anything that will damage your physical or mental health.
It’s a personal thing between us and God, we need to work out with Him what we’re doing and why.
But, it’s also something we can learn about, and do, together!