The Skinny on Fasting

It's been a long week. Let's lighten up a little...




I love these guys!

Dieting? Tech fast? Fasting makes me hungry? The Pharisee?

What about fasting?


The Scripture does not command us to fast. God does not require it of Christians. At the same time, the Bible does present fasting as something that is good, profitable, and valuable. The book of Acts reports believers who fasted before making important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23).

All too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. However, 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. It also helps us focus off ourselves and on to those who are much less fortunate than we are. We forget that there are people throughout the world, and in our own neighborhoods and cities, who can’t make a choice about whether they should eat or not; there is no food available to them.

Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast, as demonstrated by the techy guy in the video. Anything that we can give up on a temporary basis 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 our attention to God.

Fasting should not be considered a “dieting method.” The function of a biblical fast is not to lose weight, but instead 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 be more successful in turning our attention to Christ.

Fasting should not be considered a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God.

Fasting is not a way to look more spiritual than your associates. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude. Matthew 6:16-18 says, “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.”

Fasting, like many other things in our lives is meant to be a covenantal and special relationship between us and God. We are meant to be changed internally by these actions.

Why and How Do We Pray?

What is a prayer? The simplest definition is a conversation with God. What do we talk about when we're talking to Him? Lots of people work hard at making their prayers sound a certain way, like the examples in the film clip. The style is not important. We should not be trying to put on a public display to gain accolades for ourselves. I would venture to say that sometimes, even the specific words aren't that important. sh

Have you ever felt the need to have a talk with God, and all you could summon up were tears? God knows what is on our minds and in our lives. He doesn't need for us to recite a laundry list of needs and wants. He wants our hearts. He wants us to know Him. As we grow in prayer we discover that prayer is more than simply asking God for things, a selfish means to an end. Prayer is not an attempt to force the hand of God, but an act of submission to Him, with the understanding that God’s answers are wiser than our prayers. Prayer is an opportunity to commune with God and that should be sufficient for us.

Rather than Matthew's version of this text (Matthew 6:9-13), I will refer to Luke 11:1-11:4. The disciples approach Jesus and say, "Lord, teach us to pray." Luke mentions that Jesus was already "praying in a certain place" (11:1), when the disciples approached Him concerning prayer. Seeing the deficiency of their prayers, the disciples ask for help.

For many people, the Lord’s Prayer is simply a prayer to recite, just something to say. But as we look more closely at this prayer, we can find this model prayer to be a life-changing experience. There is no magic in praying a mechanical recitation because that would be empty and meaningless. Jesus discourages us to "not keep babbling like pagans who think they will be heard because of their repetitive prayers" (Mt 6:7). But as we truly pray this prayer, with understanding, we may find it changes our lives. All the petitions in this prayer are intentional and intense.

Some people view prayer thesame way thy do their seatbelts. They’re glad it’s there, but they hope they never have to use it. In prayer we rely on God; prayer is our steering wheel, not our spare tire! Those who don’t pray are trusting in their own, limited resources. Some people turn to God only when their lives become a mess, or faced with circumstances beyond human contrl, or their fragile foundations are shaking.

And we all struggle with God's answers. The writer C.S. Lewis once confessed that he was grateful God hadn’t given him everything he wanted: "I don’t know where I’d be if I’d gotten all I asked for!" Prayer may not change our situation, but it changes us. It should give us time to slow down examine our motives and examine ourselves! In John’s first epistle he cautions that our prayers need to be "according to God’s will" (5:14).

There are no frills in the Lord’s Prayer. It avoids pompous, high-sounding phrases, sticking to simple, meaningful concepts. The Lord’s Prayer is God-centered, not me-centered. It highlights the primacy of God.

Jesus waste time discussing the posture of prayer; people prayed kneeling, sitting, standing and laying face down. He doesn’t dictate the place, we can pray anywhere. He does not discuss the manner of prayer, nor does Jesus specify the time of prayer.  When we live in a God-conscious state of mind and being, we begin to recognize the presence of God around us, which opens up the channel of communication with our Lord.

The Lord’s Prayer is a blueprint for prayer, a flexible model, not a rigid formula. It is appropriate to pray these words because in them we unfold the entire message of the Bible and a summary of our relationship to God.

But its a risky prayer to pray. I cannot truly say "our" if I’m living only for myself. I cannot say "Father" if I don’t try to act like His child. I cannot say "Who art in Heaven" if I am not laying up treasure there. I cannot say "hallowed be Thy Name" if I am not striving for holiness. I cannot say "Thy Kingdom come" if I’m not doing my part to hasten that day. I cannot say "Thy will be done" if I am disobedient to His word. I cannot say "in earth as it is in Heaven" if I’m unwilling to serve Him here and now. I cannot say "give us this day our daily bread" if I’m not relying on Him to provide. I cannot say "forgive us our debts" if I am holding a grudge against someone. I cannot say "lead us not into temptation" if I deliberately place myself in its path. I cannot say "deliver us from evil" if I refuse to put on the whole armor of God. I cannot say "Thine is the Kingdom" If I am not loyal to the King as His faithful subject. I cannot attribute to Him "the power" if I fear what other people may do.
I cannot ascribe to Him "the glory" if I am seeking honor for myself instead.

If we want to become people whose lives are devoted to prayer, we must begin to do things by prayer. This means we begin with prayer, not tack prayer on as an afterthought, calling on the Lord after we have already made our decision, then seek God's stamp of approval. To be devoted to prayer means that we give priority to prayer, and we are never too busy to pray. Our level of commitment to Christ is measured by the character of our prayer-life.

Prayer is not a gift for a select few. All who have trusted Jesus for salvation can pray as He taught. True prayer will not be achieved by human effort; it is a gift of God. Prayer is grace. If we are followers of Christ and we want to learn to pray, Jesus stands ready to teach us.

How do you view Tithing?

How we view our giving is important. Whether we are talking about tithing, offering, capital campaign, whatever... We are covenanted, having promised, to support our place of worship and the ministries generated from it.

This video is funny, but sadly it is also true:

1. The non-giver. Doesn't give but gives the appearance of giving. Perhaps God will give him the appearance of salvation, rather than the real thing.

2. God as an investment. Prosperity thinking all the way. Hear the actor when he says, "Do I love Him?...Whatever." Fortunately we serve a God who loves us anyway.

3. The clueless giver, counts everything and anything as a tithe. Come on, a "smile...boom-shaka-laka-tithe." I wonder if this works for the IRS? Don't get me wrong, making someone else smile is important and wonderful, but it doesn't help pay the bills. When was the last time you were behind in your bills, and smile got you off the hook?

4. Excuse-giver. Yes, we all have bills and obligations. But listen carefully as this gentlemen says hat he must first take care of what he wants (not just his needs) before he can even consider tithing.

5. Manipulator- I will give more, when I get more. I'll throw in a few more Benjamins when the choir starts singing songs I like and when the pastor starts talking about what I want to hear. And what I want to hear is that everyone should be more like me.

6. Pageant-giver. Now, anyone who knows me knows that this is my biggest bug. Every Sunday I have an internal struggle about this. The church that I grew up ion took up offering all at once. There was a separate receptacle to receive the tithes, but everyone went to put their money in together. That is not our current situation. The tithers are called forth separately. This by itself has no impact on whether I tithe or not, and if you really want to know you can ask me....but, every single Sunday I ask myself , and usually the poor soul sitting next to me, "Is it more important that I actually tithe (or make any other contribution), or is it more important that I be seen doing it?" But I digress...

We are here to help further the Kingdom of God. We have bound ourselves to a particular house of God, a particular church family in the Body of Christ. Just like our nuclear families we are responsible for taking care of it, seeing to its upkeep, and helping it not become irrelevant in reaching out to the dying world. Just like our nuclear families, we do not (should not) run away from home over minor disagreements. We don't leave the body, we pull closer into the Body for prayer and encouragement. We do not stop contributing to the electric bill because someone slighted us. We stand by our convictions, and we demonstrate the love of Christ to those who are hurting.

We are to be a shining example to the world around us. The world is in need of Christ's light, living water, and love...and we are His Body.

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