How do I fast for spiritual purposes?
Fasting often gets a bad reputation among modern Christians. We enjoy reading through the gospels with friends or journaling, but the idea of fasting brings sheepish smiles and averted eyes, especially when food is involved. While we can (barely) tolerate staying off socials for a while, giving up tempting pancakes and scrambled eggs seems like too much to ask.
If that’s you, I can relate. I used to cringe at the thought of fasting, often trying to find any possible excuse (which may or may not include claiming slim people shouldn’t fast). However, fasting becomes a joy when we recognize how it shapes us, especially when combined with prayer. The combination of praying and fasting invests significantly in our spiritual lives, much like sermons and Bible studies. One of the key benefits of prayer and fasting is the teaching of sacrifice.
Sacrifice is another word that evokes mixed feelings. It sounds honorable and even romantic in movies, but in reality, it can be challenging. Yet, sacrifice is at the center of the Christian life. Our salvation depends on God’s sacrifice, as the popular text states:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
Because of God’s sacrifice, we are called to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). This involves commitment and devotion, akin to the oneness of marriage. If sacrifice is crucial in the New Covenant, we should value practices that help us learn it.
Moreover, Christians are tasked with loving God and loving others, as Jesus stated in Mark 12:29-31:
Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
How can we follow these commandments without sacrifice? Love, in this context, is not a mere sentimental emotion but an attitude and action oriented towards the well being of another. It involves self denial and placing others’ needs above our own–actions that require sacrificing our needs, comfort, and resources.
So, how do we learn sacrifice through prayer and fasting?
Through the denial of physical needs for something better
Christian fasting and prayer are distinct from fasting as a dietary method. It calls us to deny our physical needs for a moment to seek a deeper intimacy with God. While Jesus was present on earth, His disciples did not need to fast. However, Jesus expected them to fast after His ascension to earnestly seek God's presence.
What does this mean for sacrifice? Fasting and prayer teach us to set aside our physical needs for a communion with God, a practice that extends to other aspects of life. It becomes easier to sacrifice our time, resources, and comfort for God and others.
Through enhancement of self control and discipline
Is it possible to learn sacrifice without self control and discipline? Fasting and prayer teach us to manage our appetites, control our desires and evaluate our thoughts, all lessons in sacrifice. You cannot sacrifice if you live to satisfy all your desires. Through fasting and prayer, we remind ourselves that life involves more than our appetites, as Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4).
Through learning dependence on God
Our reluctance to sacrifice often stems from the belief that we control our lives. This temptation affects Christians, who may forget that we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Fasting and prayer realign our minds, reminding us that we depend on God for sustenance and satisfaction. This shift fosters a willingness to share what we have, even sacrificially. By learning dependence on God, we view our resources as means to glorify God and serve others. Thus, if you want prayer and fasting to shape your view on sacrifice, let the practice teach you dependence on God. Nothing like an empty stomach to refocus our priorities.
Through identifying with Christ
To reiterate, sacrifice is central to Christianity. Jesus’ death represents the ultimate sacrifice, paying the price for our sins, and His resurrection confirms that this sacrifice was not in vain. By denying ourselves food, we identify with the sacrifice of Jesus, who denied His comfort to suffer for our sake. His resurrection also assures us that our sacrifices hold eternal value, a crucial reminder for our brothers and sisters who have faced abandonment because of their commitment to Jesus.
Let me conclude with a caveat. While fasting and prayer are important, they should not devolve into extreme asceticism, as Paul condemns in his letter to the Colossians. The Christian life encompasses joy and sorrows, comfort and suffering, feasting and fasting. Severe treatment of the body is unbiblical. However,a consistent lifestyle prayer and fasting can shape us into individuals willing to sacrifice for God’s glory and help us live a disciplined life .