Questions about Fasting

Chapter 1:
Week 2 - Food

So, how's it going?  Have you considered fasting from food in any way this month?  I have considered it...but haven't done it yet.  I am realizing the value of accountability here.  If I don't tell anyone, I can change my mind, postpone it, cut it short, back out - you get the picture.  So, although according to the bible we are not supposed to make a "big fuss" over our fast (see below), I am going to lean on my sisters for accountability.  So here is my promise, I am going to do two 24-hour fasts before we meet on the 9th of February.  Just telling you that I plan to do it sort of "seals" my commitment and will make me stick to my word.  So thank you for that!

I wanted to look at some outside input on fasting this week, so I went to one of my favorite websites for questions related to Christian topics.  www.gotquestions.com  Take a look at what they have to say about fasting, and dig deeper by reading the scripture verses they reference.  And if you need some accountability like I did, please post a comment and we can pray for each other.  Have a great week!

Question: "Christian fasting - what does the Bible say?"

Answer: Scripture does not command Christians to fast. God does not require or demand it of Christians. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.

Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when fasting from food. Extended periods of time without eating can be harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish the flesh, but to redirect attention to God. Fasting should not be considered a “dieting method” either. The purpose of a biblical fast is not to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Anyone can fast, but some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example). Everyone can temporarily give up something in order to draw closer to God.

By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God. Fasting is not a way to appear more spiritual than others. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude. Matthew 6:16-18declares, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, 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 men 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.”

Chapter 1: Food

So....have you read Chapter 1 yet?  I have and really enjoyed it.  I actually burst out laughing when, on Day 19,  she was talking about standing in front of Starbucks wanting so badly to buy a coffee and she said "the only possible way I could act more disturbing is if I ground up some beans, made a line with a razor blade, and snorted it in the middle of aisle 9" - hilarious!

Other parts of the chapter made me cringe, like when the she mentions standing in the kitchen looking at the variety of food in the fridge and cabinets, and saying 'there is nothing to eat', or throwing away left overs just because there is plenty of new food to eat today.  I have done both of those things, and even today, I threw away some uneaten left overs (they really were past their prime) but her words were ringing in my ear as I did it.

So, the question on my mind is... are you thinking of fasting from food in some way this month?  In the leader guide,  Jen gives some ideas about ways to fast that you may not have thought of...

• cut out 7 ingredients (for example:  high fructose corn syrup, sugar, caffeine, hydrogenated oil, etc)
• no fast food or processed food - only whole food
• choose a country and eat their simple diet
• eat the same simple breakfast, lunch and dinner for 7 days
• eliminate your 7 'go-to' foods 
• eat what you already have - no grocery shopping for 7 days!
• fast from one meal a day, for 7 days

Jen lists some famous fasts in scripture, and talks about how after them, God really moves. (see Esther 4:16, Ezra 8:21-23, or Daniel 9:3, 20-21) The fasts positioned God's people for a breakthrough.  She states "what wasn't possible, suddenly was.  What wouldn't move, came unstuck.  What hadn't worked, finally did.  What was totally blurry, became crystal clear".

If you decide to fast sometime this month, don't worry too much about the rules - just establish what you are going to do and stick to it - then focus more on the spirit of the fast.  Remember, you are fasting to allow room for God to move in your life.  If you are having trouble figuring out exactly what you want to do with all of this, please pray for answers.  God will show you the way.

Cant wait to hear how it's going!

PS - regarding our conversation about gratitude in kids - I found this book - I like the description, might be worth a peek...

Thanksgiving Heart: Cultivating Gratitude in Young Children All Year Round (with access to 12 bonus printable pages) for Kindle

With practical ideas, faith-filled stories, and a heart for moms with young children, Stacie Nelson shares simple ways she's growing gratefulness in her own life--and the lives of her three girls.

This is not a book with activities or ideas for Thanksgiving Day; nor is it a book with a prescribed formula or ten-step program to make your child grateful. Instead, Thanksgiving Heart is a Christian book focusing on simple, practical ways to guide and train your children in growing a grateful heart all year long. It’s about learning to giving thanks in ALL things at ALL times.

Week 1: introduction

Hi Ladies,

 

Hope you are having a great week.  Thank you so much for coming out on Saturday morning.  I thought we had a really great group, and I am looking forward to some interesting conversations  :)

 

Here are some thoughts and questions for this week pertaining to the introduction:

 

Jesus spoke a lot about the difficulty of rich people getting into heaven.  Check out these verses (and the surrounding context):

 

Luke 6:24

Luke 8:14

Luke 12:21

Luke 1:53

 

Jen Hatmaker writes:  "the day I am unaware of my privleges and unmoved by my greed is the day something has to change."  Have you thought about how much you have, and if your "stuff" (whatever that is), is taking up so much room that you are allowing it to squeeze out Jesus?  She suggests that we spend time in prayer about this and asks "If we have a blind spot, a very grave one according to Jesus, dont we want to know it?"

 

God gave us a tool to "heighten our spiritual sensitivity and perhaps expedite His intervention" That tool is fasting.

 

Scripture gives six extreme circumstances that may command a fast.  They are:

mourning, inquiry, repentance, preparation, crisis and worship.  Which area motivates you to fast from your own excess?

 

Read Isaiah 58:1-7

 

Questions from Jen:

What is God begging us to refrain from here?

What does their reaction in verse 3 communicate to you?

How can you relate to this confusion?

 

I will end with the descriptions of fasting from Jen:

 

"Fasting is an intentional reduction, a deliberate abstinence to summon God's movement in our lives.  A fast creates margin for God to move"

 

Are you ready for God to move in your life?

 

 

Keeping you all in my prayers this week, Leslie