A New Way to Fast

Fasting is a bit foreign in today's culture. Most commonly it is associated with abstaining from food. If you've ever tried to fast in today's culture, you quickly realize how much emphasis we put on eating, and the difficulty of avoiding meals from a cultural viewpoint. With that aside, allow me to suggest what I believe is a much more complete understanding...

The first reference to "fasting" in the Old Testament is associated with the Day of Atonement. You can read about this in Leviticus 16 & 23. The idea was self denial; not just abstention from food, but also from sex and work. A Sabbath, a day of rest and grand reflection upon the Lord is the idea.

This idea is well pronounced in the New Testament. The best form of fasting that you can carry out in your life is a life that is dedicated to God, not the things of this world. The New Testament tells us repeatedly to deny our self; put away fleshly desires; engage the Spirit of God; be done with the passions and gratifications of earthly, fleshly wants. This is the new fast. Certainly there is value in abstaining from food for a period of time, but the bigger picture is a life that does not gorge itself on material and fleshly consumption, but rather consumption of God and His Spirit; a life that is hidden in Christ.

Here are a few of the references to consider as you give your life over to His will...


New Testament Scriptures concerning self denial from Nave's Topical Bible:

• Take up your cross and follow him: Mat 16:24, Mark 8:34 & Luke 9:23
• Eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom: Mat 19:12
• Sell whatever you possess and give to the poor: Mat 19:21
• One hundred fold reward for those that leave family to follow Jesus: Mark 10:29-30 & Luke 18:27-30
• Giving all you have: Mark 12:44 & Luke 21:2-4
• The disciples left everything to follow Jesus: Luke 5:11, Luke 5:27
• Unless you renounce everything you cannot be my disciple: Luke 14:33
• Whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will keep it: Mat 10:37-39, Mat 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24 & John 12:25
  
• I do not count my life of any value unless finish the course: Acts 20:24
• Our old self was crucified with Christ: Rom 6:6
• If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live: Rom 8:13
• Put on the Lord and make no provision to gratify the desires of the flesh: Rom 13:14
• Let us not judge one another but live and die for Christ: Rom 14:1-22
• I discipline my body and keep it under control: 1Co 9:27
  
• I is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me: Gal 2:20
• Walk by the Spirit and you will not ratify the desires of the flesh: Gal 5:16
• The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit: Gal 5:17
• Those who belong to Christ have crucified the passions and desires of the flesh: Gal 5:24
  
• Whatever gain I had, I count it all loss for the sake of Christ: Php 3:7-9
• Put to death whatever is earthly in you: Col 3:5
• Renounce worldly and ungodly passions, live self-controlled & upright lives: Tit 2:12
• Abstain from the passions of the flesh: 1Pe 2:11-16
• Live not for human passions but for the will of God: 1Pe 4:2
• Go out for the sake of The Name: 3Jn 1:7
• Love not your life: Rev 12:11

Examples of Self Denial:

• Abraham, when he offered to Lot (his junior) his preference of the land of Canaan: Gen 13:9 & Gen 17:8
• Moses, in choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for only a little while: Heb 11:25
• Moses, in taking no compensation from the Israelites for his services: Num 16:15
• Samuel, in his administration of justice: 1Sa 12:3 & 1Sa 12:4
• The widow of Zarephath, in sharing with Elijah the last of her sustenance: 1Ki 17:12-15
• Daniel, in his abstention: Dan 1:8
• Daniel, in refusing rewards from Belshazzar: Dan 5:16 & Dan 5:17
• Esther, in risking her life for the deliverance of her people: Esth 4:16
• The Rechabites, in refusing to drink wine or strong drink, or even to plant vineyards: Jer 35:6 & Jer 35:7
• Peter and the other apostles, in abandoning their vocations and following Jesus: Mat 4:20
  Mat 9:9, Mark 1:16-20, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:11, Luke 5:27 & Luke 5:28
• in forsaking all and following Jesus Mat 19:27 & Mark 10:28
• The widow, who put everything she had into the treasury: Luke 21:4
• The early Christians, in having everything in common: Acts 2:44, Acts 2:45 & Acts 4:34
• Barnabas (Joses), in selling his possessions, and giving everything that he had received to the apostles: Acts 4:36 & Acts 4:37
• Paul, in not regarding even his life dear to himself : Acts 20:24, Php 3:7 & Php 3:8
• Paul, in not coveting anyone's silver, gold, or apparel: Acts 20:33
• Paul, in laboring for his own support while he also taught: Acts 20:34, Acts 20:35, 1Co 4:12 & 1Co 10:33