(My latest Slidell Newspaper article) Prayer and Fasting Many Christians have never fasted even though the Bible encourages us to pray and fast. There is a time for playing and feasting, but there is also a time for praying and fasting. I like to eat buffets after church on Sunday, but I buffet, or discipline my flesh, by fasting and praying with my congregation every Wednesday. Gluttony is a deadly sin that many church members overlook. Most of our health problems have to do with our undisciplined eating habits. Even the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden has something to do with eating! So what is fasting? It is not a diet. If you refrain from eating and don’t pray, then you are just dieting. A Christian fast can involve refraining from eating anywhere from one day to as many as 40 days. Of course, you need to drink water and other liquids. The human body cannot survive very long without drinking something, especially in humid Southeast Louisiana. It would be helpful to read medical and spiritual books on how to begin and end a fast, but there are plenty of Biblical examples as Daniel, Jesus, and Moses. Just about every major figure in the Bible fasted. Why do God’s people fast? Fasting enables you to swallow your pride and humble yourself before God, get hungry for God’s Word, experience deliverance from oppressive spirits, and cleanse your body of toxins. If everything I am saying sounds foreign to you, then you need to ask the Lord to guide you on this subject. For too long Christians have become so spiritually undisciplined that they don’t understand basic Biblical concepts. Find a church where other Christians can help you to cultivate habits that will change both your natural life and spiritual life for the better.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:45:46 +0000
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