Continuing our topic, "How God speaks to us," He speaks to us through fasting. Fasting is defined as a voluntary abstinence from food. The process has been called a “sin-detector.”
Fasting, instead of making us holy, reveals our lack of holiness. During a fast, we encounter a deeper level of irritability, of a need to control and other unpleasant products of the flesh. Fasting is one of God’s ways of speaking to us saying, “There is an issue in your life that is hampering your freedom, your joy. Fasting will heighten your awarenes of yourself and reveal baggage that needs to be cleaned out. See it. Confess. Repent. Allow me to work thoroughly in your life to transform you into the godly person you deeply desire.”
Richard Foster says it well. “Fasting reveals the things that control us. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear - if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that we are angry because of our hunger.”
Reality must be faced.. The abstinence of food has just revealed what is going on deeply within us. Fasting is our contribution to listening prayer.
The physical pain of hunger can remind us that this is a listening exercise. God speaks to us through or fasting. “Speak Lord, I’m listening.”
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