james' blog...

james' blog...
misc ramblings n' thoughts...

Sunday, June 02, 2002

fasting...

Often times, I think that we imitate Christ only for things that we are fairly comfortable with and things that are convenient and not so difficult to do. One issue that is really inconvenient and difficult to do (at least for myself) is fasting. In fact, I was just talking to Jon today after dinner about how much I really enjoy food. I also remember when Albert was praying before eating at KBBQ and he was just really praising God for blessing us with taste buds and the ability to enjoy food. Think about it: God could have just created us humans so that we wouldn't need to eat, or that we just had to intake a certain tasteless substance each day. But instead He gave us the ability to be able to enjoy and taste food. Very cool indeed.

Anyways, going back to fasting, last week I was talking to Pris about fasting and that kind of got the idea in my head initially. After Kowloon (after CCF) I went back home that night and thought a bit more about it, read the Word on it (Matthew 6:16-18, Luke 5:33-39, etc.), and really prayed about it. I felt God kinda tugging at my heart a bit to try it. But then....food oh so good!! *bleh*, what to do?!

This weekend I was just sharing with Jon about it and he told me he really felt the tug to fast. That was really cool because it kind of confirmed from God that He really indeed wanted me to do it. It's a lot easier to do it when there's someone else doing it as well (ie. 30 Hour Famine) and that can share your struggles, your pain and your hunger. Misery loves company, no? It's also cool since Jon's my accountability buddy and he's already been encouraging and motivating me with this, as I have been with him.

So starting tonight at 10:00pm, I will be doing a complete water-only fast for 50 hours until Wednesday, taking one day to eat a little bit on Wednesday, and then doing another 50 hours until Saturday. That's the plan, but maybe God will change that and extend it or something.

Why am I fasting?! There are different reasons why people fast: to experience what it's like to be hungry or to live in a less fortunate situation, to listen more closely to Him, even to diet, or other reasons as well. I think I'm just doing it to really desire and crave God and to hear him. When you don't eat, you get hungry and when you get hungry, you crave food and so you eat to fill your cravings. For a fast, when you don't eat, you get hungry so you crave food but instead of eating food (since you can't), you crave God and you seek Him instead.

The most important aspect of a fast is prayer. Fasting is always associated with prayer (ie. Acts 13:3, Acts 14:23, etc.) and is the whole reason for fasting. Fasting without prayer is just a diet.

I know Kar already talked to me about health related issues of fasting for extended periods of time, but I really encourage you to reflect on it and see if it's something God's calling you to do. You don't have to do a water-only diet or something of the sort. It can be like lent, or like what they did in the Old testament: like giving up meat for a week, or giving up a certain few of your normal/favourite foods for a little while.

Let's strive to hear His voice and crave it and not just be a Christian when it's convenient to do so.

posted by jamescl | 10:02 PM

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