I've written on fasting, and the reason why we fast. I've often said that fasting is not the same as hunger strike, as some do unknowingly, but a time to spend dedicated time with God which could be through prayers, praise, meditation, a time to seat at His feet, that you really don't know when time goes, and you'll find out that you went without food.
Fasting as I've also said is a time where the things that seem to distract you from spending time with God are cut off, and in many cases, food seems to take first place. But one thing we need to know is that fasting is not a means to an end, but an end to a means. In other words, we don't fast to get things done, but fasting is the result of what was done. Allow me to explain.
In the present dispensation of the finished works of Jesus, it actually doesn't make sense to do something to get the grace of God, this is because Jesus had done it all for us. What we need to do is to believe in what He (Jesus) has done, and we would see ourselves fall into the path already laid down for us even before we were born.
In the old testament or covenant, we would have read when Esther asked the Jews to fast for her as she intended to meet the King concerning matters that would result in saving the Jews for elimination, (ref.: Esther 4:15&16). Jesus also fasted for forty days in the wilderness in order to align Himself with the task God had placed before Him, (ref.: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12&13; Luke 4:1-13). Here, Jesus carried the Spirit of God in Him, even though He wasn't yet glorified, His fasting wasn't a means to an end, but an end to a means.
As Jesus is now glorified, having fulfilled all the requirements of the Law and the Prophets, has now been given a name above every other name, and has the highest authority that exist and would ever exist. It is this finished work, this sign of completeness that Jesus has given to everyone who is born into His kingdom.
Now, why is fasting an effect, and not a cause? As a Son or Daughter of God, you are a steward of the Lord Jesus, and as a steward you manage the resources you have been given as your own, even when you know it's not yours but the Lord's [at the back of your mind]. Why is this important? It is important because the means to fasting is actually Stewardship.
Just think with me, let's say you're really hungry and what comes to your mind is a meal you know how to cook well. Now, if you cook this meal well, you'd enjoy eating the food, but if you don't cook the food well, it would taste awful when you eat it. So, because you intend to have a great meal, you'd focus on cooking the food properly. It is when you have finished cooking the meal that you'll find out that you had put aside everything. Now, a steward sees cooking the food as if it were his or hers when eventually it won't be eaten by the steward but by another whom the owner had directed the steward to.
Going by this illustration, Jesus has given us all we would ever need. So, when we focus on Him as a steward in order to be attentive to His leading, we ensure we pay attention to what He has asked us to do. We take the task as though it were for us, by applying the spirit of excellence in all that we do. It is after the task has been achieved that we find out that we had fasted. Fasting wasn't our intention, but Stewardship.
When Stewardship becomes our focus, fasting becomes our lifestyle because fasting in summary is fixing your eyes on Jesus who has given you His strength to do all things. So, we see that fasting is actually meant to be an effect of our Stewardship, which is the cause.
When fasting becomes difficult, it simply means you're idle in the Spirit. In a less harsh tone, it means there's nothing to be managed. When the Lord has entrusted His resources for you to manage, then you fast without knowing it.
Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!
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Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are gotten from New King James Version (NKJV)
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