One of the least practiced disciplines of the faith is fasting. It is also one of the least understood. Let’s see if we can help make a little more sense of the discipline of fasting.

First, fasting is not merely about food. It is most often about food, but it is not limited to food. Fasting from food is but one way to accomplish the goal of fasting—a goal to be defined in a moment. We can fast from a variety of things such as entertainment, hobbies, or anything else that is both lawful and desirable.

That helps us define what fasting is and the goal of fasting. Fasting is temporarily denying ourselves what is lawful and desirable for the sake of concentrating on spiritual pursuits. For instance, one might fast from TV to given more attention to Bible reading and prayer. One might deny oneself dining out to give the money, that would have been spent on food, to feed the poor.

Be reminded that a legitimate fast must be from what is lawful. It isn’t a fast to forego a particular sin because we are supposed to repent and turn from sin anyway.

It isn’t a fast to deny oneself from what one doesn’t like. For me, it wouldn’t be a legitimate fast to stop eating bananas for a time since I do not like bananas at any time!

Be instructed as well that fasting does not turbo-charge one’s prayers or in any way obligates God to answer our prayers. Rather, fasting changes (matures) us. As we fast (in any legitimate way) to give ourselves more fully to the Lord, we progress in sanctification.

Next time: An over arching goal of practicing the disciplines of the faith…