“Panic not, fear not, worry not, blame not, complain not, condemn not and criticize not, BUT Trust God, Have Faith, Be hygienic, Stay home, Socially distance, Mask up, Pray always, Love people, worship God, reach out and Serve society” Isaac De-Graft Takyi
What is fasting to you? When was the last time you fasted? Has your doctor asked you to fast in preparation for your annual physicals recently? Has your Pastor or church leaders requested for fasting? When was the last time you decided to fast?
I think most of us know at least a little bit about what fasting is since it is mentioned over 50 times in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. But in spite of that, it may very well be the least understood and least practiced of all the spiritual disciplines of grace that we are expected to practice as children of God for our own growth and maturity as Christ.
So, my prayer in this article is that this message will do three things for you:
- First, that you will come away with a better understanding of what a Biblical fast should look like, and
- Second, that you will be motivated to incorporate this discipline of grace into your life on a regular basis.
- Finally, make the decision to be used by God as you participate in this discipline of fasting.
WHAT IS FASTING?
The usual Hebrew noun for fasting is ṣôm; its cognate verb is ṣûm. These occur 14 and 20 times respectively in the Hebrew Bible. Periphrastic alternatives are “to eat no bread” (e.g., 1 Sam 28:20; an idiom reflected in Luke 7:33) and “to afflict oneself” or “to afflict one’s soul” (ʾinnah nep̄eš), a technical term for fasting in the Priestly Code. The usual Greek words for fasting are the noun nēsteia and its verb nēsteuo (formed from a negative prefix and esthio, “I eat”). These denote the total abstention from food, whether by necessity or by deliberate choice. The verb may also be extended metaphorically, for instance it means “to hold back from evil or pollution” in the Gospel of Thomas, logion 27: “fasting from the world.” The adjective nēstis occurs only at Mark 8:3 and Matt 15:32 in the involuntary sense “on an empty stomach.”
Fasting is the deliberate, and generally temporary or prolonged abstention from food and sometimes water for a religious reason. Predominantly as a means of humbling oneself before God for His help. So, fasting is abstaining from food, or any other good gift from God, in order to humbly seek God first and love others.
Kindly read along side me from Isaiah 58 and discover what godly fasting is, and its benefits to you.
Godly Fasting
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house.
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
What if we all practice this way of fasting?
Benefits of Godly Fasting
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, —Insight, Revelation, Understanding
and your healing shall spring up speedily; —Health, Healing
your righteousness shall go before you; —Righteousness
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. —Glory
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; —Answers to Prayer
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ —God’s Presence
Godly Fasting
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Benefits of fasting
then shall your light rise in the darkness —Light
and your gloom be as the noonday. —Beauty
11 And the Lord will guide you continually —Guidance
and satisfy your desire in scorched places —Satisfaction
and make your bones strong. —Health
and you shall be like a watered garden, —Fruitfulness
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail. —You shall be a Blessing
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt. —Restoration
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations. —Pacesetter
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, —Repairer
the restorer of streets to dwell in. —Restorer
Godly Fasting
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable.
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure or talking idly.
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
Benefits of Fasting
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth. —Promotion
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, —Provision
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” [1]
What a way to fast! The time to fast is now. Thank you for fasting.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Is 58:6–14). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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