|
Have you ever had
to challenge or confront someone who was out of order?
It probably wasn't pleasant. Perhaps it even led to
a fight. Now, what do you do when you're the one that's
out of order and you need to confront yourself? You
know the story--you haven't been getting up early and
praying like you should; you've been backsliding when
it comes to curbing your tongue; or maybe you've been
spending more than you should.
If you're struggling
in any area of your life because of a lack of discipline
and self-control, a little godly confrontation may be
in order. It's time for a FAST.
Fasting simply
means abstaining from something you really want to do
(usually eating) for a period of time for the purpose
of spiritual development or enlightenment. Amazingly,
appetite and self-control seem to have a strong
correlation with one another. Have you ever noticed
that if you can control your appetite or desires in
one area, the discipline you gain spills over into other
areas of your life? The Bible says...
Proverbs
25:28
A person without self-control is like a house with its doors
and windows knocked out. (The Message)
We all know what can
happen if we leave our windows or doors unlocked--that's right,
our home could be robbed or burglarized!
Fasting can help
us shut the door on the poor decisions our flesh (sinful nature)
can lead us to make. How? By giving our spirit the power to
resist temptation. In this scenario, don't think about the
term, flesh or sinful nature, as just meaning your physical
body. Rather, think about flesh as our natural mind-set. The
Bible says...
Galatians 5:17
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite
of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires
that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These
two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are
not free to carry out your good intentions. (New Living
Translation)
So, instead of us having
a strong tendency to do what is right. We have a strong tendency
to do what is wrong. Fasting (denying our natural tendencies)
strengthens our spirit man so we can make choices in line
with the will of God for our lives. This is exactly what Jesus
did.
In Matthew
4:1-10, Jesus was lead by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. While there, he fasted forty days
and forty nights. After Jesus had fasted, the devil approached
him and tried to get him to sin three times. Jesus successfully
resisted all three of the devil's temptations because he was
led by his spirit and not by the desires of his flesh. After
this victory over his flesh, Jesus officially began his ministry.
Now you may not have
the weight of saving the world on your shoulders, like Jesus
did. However, there is something that God has called you to
do. How we live our daily lives, determines whether we will
fulfill that call or not.
For instance, maybe your
flesh wants to eat fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies
while watching a 24-hour marathon of "What Not to Wear"
episodes this Saturday. While, your spirit wants to workout,
spend time with your family and get that stack of paper work
filed. Do you realize that the stronger of the two will determine
what you do this weekend?
If you find that you're
continuously having trouble making quality decisions, fasting
(coupled with prayer) can give you the boost you need to move
forward in your goals FAST.
For an in-depth study
on the benefits of fasting and practical guidelines when fasting,
read "Fasting Made Simple" by Pastor Paula White.
(Available on the product page at www.paulawhite.org)
Today's Life Principle:
Fast to strengthen your spirit and resist evil.
|
Free
E-zine Sign Up
