Fasting

Our team is doing either a 30 or 40 day fast in the days leading to our Africa departure. Yesterday was the 30 day mark so all 9 of us are doing a fast of some kind! Some are fasting from sugar, some from facebook(!), some fasting 1 day a week...

Here's an excerpt from the book "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster that we referenced when preparing for our fast. Most of us had never done one before so we wanted to be sure to do it right!

“God questioned the people in Zechariah’s day, “When ye fasted... did ye at all fast unto me, even me?” (Zech. 7:5, KJV). If our fasting is not unto God, we have failed. Physical benefits, success in prayer, the enduing with power, spiritual insights - these must never replace God as teh center of our fasting. John Wesley declares, “First, let it be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven...” That is the only way we will be saved from loving the blessing more than the Blesser.

“Once the primary purpose of fasting is firmly fixed in our hearts, we are at liberty to understand that there are also secondary purposes in fasting. More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things sruface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear - if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger; then we will realize that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.

“Fasting reminds us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us. In Christ, “All things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Therefore, in experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is Feasting!

“Fasting helps keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow nonessentials to take precedence in our lives. How quickly we crae things we do not need until we are elsaved by them. Our human cravings and desires are like rivers that tend to overflow their banks; fasting helps keep them in proper channels.”

It is our hope that the weeks and days leading to our trip will be God glorifying and that he will prepare us for our experiences! Fasting can be reveal some things about us that we may not like to deal with, so please be praying for us!

28 days to go!!