WFW: Fasting

When you mention the word “fasting,” most people think of abstaining from food, which is understandable. But fasting is, essentially, simple abstention. It can be abstaining from eating types of foods, or from watching television, or from magazines, or whatever. Those things all have their place, but what does God say about fasting?

From Isaiah 58:

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

OK, so, if you breezed through all of that and are wondering what all that flowery writing has to say, it basically means:

So you abstain from food for a while, big deal! How about changing your attitude? How about changing the way you treat God and the way you treat other people? Why don’t you stop trying to be such a “good person,” meeting endless failures and hurting people? Start living your life God’s way! He wants only good for you. Ask for God to save you. Ask Him to help you live your life. You will be so very happy.

So what does all this have to do with fasting, with me? Well, I am on a diet, you see. Not a diet of food (although that wouldn’t hurt!), but a diet of THOUGHTS and a diet of WORDS. Sometimes I go through these phases of being really negative, being really cranky. They are usually times of stress, but it isn’t the stress that causes it- it’s the lack of God’s words in my heart; times of stress usually cause me to neglect to maintain His word in my thoughts and heart. After all, what comes out of the mouth starts with what’s in the heart, right?

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Fasting of food can be a good thing, sure. But it’s no good at all if we just turn back to our own selfish, nasty ways, and are filled with thoughts of worry and stress and bitterness. And try as we may, we are ALL selfish and nasty and we worry and stress out. Some days may be really good, but others… well… So, really, who can be a saint???? Well, if you turn your heart to God, He will fix that heart. I don’t know how it happens, but it happens. So for me, I’m on a thought-fast and a word-fast. I’m judiciously watching my thoughts and words, rooting out the selfish and negative stuff, and filling my head with God and His words to me. It’s a challenge, but the reward is great. And it is gratifying to know that not only will I be happier, I will make everyone else around me happy, too.