a call to fasting

a call to fasting...
as i explained yesterday, fasting is a discipline that many of us desperately need. why? cause our lives are being ruined by our inability or unwillingness to deny our selves. our bodily desires (or mental desires) too often dictate our lives, and often those desires are detrimental to us (and to others)...
and so, amidst needing to deal with the specific areas of sin that dominate our desires (lust, greed, materialism, pride, selfishness in whatever form), many of us need to aggressively deal with our own lack of self-control and inability/unwillingness to deny ourselves.
enter: fasting.
again, as i said yesterday, fasting isn't about food. It's about training ourselves in self-denial. it will reveal to us how much our lives are dictated by our desires, and it will train us to acknowledge our desires and submit them to God's desires (to say "no" to ourselves so that we can say "yes" to God). which is exactly what many of us need.
now lets just say it--fasting isn't easy. its not convenient. its socially awkward at times. and it can't fit around our schedules (or between meals or snacks). it will reshape our schedule. simply put: it's costly. but thats exactly what we need--a new habit that will challenge us profoundly, that will call into question how we think and live, and that will ultimately change us. fact is, being unable to deny ourselves is costly. too costly. so at the outset, we need to decide what we want most: to not have to go thru the difficulties of fasting, or to break free from the bondage of having no self control? as far as i can see, fasting is less costly in the long run...
now there are a lot of ways that one could take on a discipline of fasting. whatever it is, it needs to be costly and regular. for me, i've recently decided to fast one day a week (a habit i've had in the past and i'm now coming back to). its long enough (a whole day) that i definitely start to feel hunger and have to wrestle with that, and its consistent enough that it becomes a part of my way of life, and calls into question my way of life (not just something i do once in a while).
to the question of does fasting have to be from food? well, there might be a time and place for fasting from other things (and certain medical conditions that would hinder someone from being able to fast), but generally i think there is significance in fasting being from food. we need it. in fact, its a gift from God (unlike say: the TV). to deny ourselves food (for a giving time) is to deny ourselves something that is essential to living, and to do so will cut us to the core. few other forms of fasting will cut us as deeply as food fasting.
on a practical note, its vital to decide ahead of time when you will fast and how you will fast. for me its mondays, and all i consume is water. if you wait till the morning to decide whether or not you'll fast, you won't. and if you wait till the moment to decide whether or not you'll eat or drink a certain thing, you will. whenever i start fasting, i have to sit down and think through and decide when and how--otherwise my fasting will be dictated by my desires (which is why i'm fasting).
one other practical thought: don't abandon your fast if you break your fast in some way (by accident or even on purpose). we do that too much (with sin). you mess up (give in to your familiar temptation) and then decide to just give up. at some point you'll have to get up again, why makes things harder on yourself by just throwing up your arms in defeat (and all the impact that comes from that). if you mess up (ie. forget that you're fasting and chuck back a Timbit, or intentionally break your fast in some way), dive back into it, pray about it and learn from it.
the main thing that i think we often lose sight of is that fasting will only become a "spiritual" discipline if we go about it in submission to the Spirit of God. that doesn't mean that we will be in prayer every moment of our fast, but that we will be intentional to engage with God as we fast: to let our feelings of hunger prompt us to prayer; that when i feel like i so much want/need something to eat or drink, that i'll bring that hunger to God and ask Him to stir my hunger for Him; that i'll pray and ask God to make me more aware of my sinful desires and that i'll similarly submit them to Christ and deny myself; that when i start rationalizing my way towards eating something that i take to heart how often i do this with sinful desires, and that i seek God to help me turn from this... and so on.
for fasting to accomplish its purpose we need to go about it in dependence upon and submission to the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to use this as a means of His transforming work in us--which involves the renewal of our minds, the submission of our will, the redemption of our bodies, the re-direction of our desires. ultimately for His glory and our joy in Him...
thats enough for now. questions? thots? words of wisdom? obviously i haven't covered everything in reference to fasting, just the stuff that's most pressing. if you have questions or stuff you want to explore further, then respond to this blog and we'll go deeper.
praying with and for you (you are part of the reason that i'm fasting). your parkside compadre, scott anderson