A Hunger for God by John Piper outlines the biblical teaching on fasting from food and shows us the right and wrong ways of approaching the subject. The reader is encouraged in multiple ways to incorporate fasting into their spiritual walk. 

You can grow in your desire for God through the biblical practice of fasting.

The human body is designed to crave comfort whenever it has the ability to do so. We love drinking a bottle of soda. We love to sit and watch good movies with loved ones. And when possible, we love visiting the best resorts for our vacations. While it is good and natural for us to experience pleasures, fasting is a necessary measure. It serves to keep our bodies in check.

It is very easy to start a fast and not enjoy the spiritual benefits attached to the exercise. It is easy to begin a fast and still exhibit pride. We know how much God hates the proud. Fasting is more than just denying yourself from doing what you love the most. Instead, fasting is meant to be a way to desire God and His communion more. So how can we guarantee we focus on desiring more of God through our fast and don’t get stuck in our pride? These and many more fasting-related questions can be answered when we look at the biblical origins of fasting.

In this summary, you will learn:

  • that fasting is about stimulating our desires for God;
  • how fasts are most effective when we see our weaknesses; and
  • mistakes believers make when they fast.

Fasting has been practiced by believers for thousands of years.

Fasting is not new. Fasting is an old practice that started a very long time ago. A brief historical review reveals the many religious, political, and health reasons people have used for fasting. The intent of a person who is undergoing fasting for a political purpose will be quite different from that of a person whose intent is religiously motivated.

For example, Mahatma Gandhi engaged in multiple extended fasts as a way of convincing the colonial masters that India was due for independence.

If we focus on what the Bible says about fasting, we discover that fasting was a regular practice for the Jews of the Old Testament. They saw fasting as a way of setting themselves apart for God as part of the Mosaic Law. Fasting during specific periods of the year was knit into the fabric of their lives.

Although one could argue about their intent and purpose in fasting, the Jewish commitment to regular fasting cannot be questioned.

To understand what it means for someone to fast and still not relate with God according to His commands, we look at Luke 18:10-12:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust and adulterers, or even as the tax collector. I fast twice a week.’”

In this example, a man simultaneously fasts and condemns someone else for not fasting. It is obvious that while he fasted, his focus was not on desiring God. Therefore, what should differentiate the Christian of today from some of the worshippers of old is that we understand fasting is a way to reach out to God and develop stronger communion with Him.

The point of fasting is to develop a hunger for God.

It is shortsighted and wrong to think fasting only has to do with food. Fasting in the Christian perspective, which is a reflection of the New Testament example of fasting, encompasses many things.

The essence of fasting is primarily displaying our love for God. The self-discipline required to deny yourself from watching your favorite TV show could be described as Christian fasting. Choosing to stay alone in a solitary place instead of going site-seeing with a group of friends could be described as a type of fast.

Insofar as the action is motivated by your desire to spend time with God instead of other things and people in your life, it is fasting.

Staying away from fleshly desires or pleasures and moving toward God also reveals the weaknesses in our hearts. It helps us to stay more focused on God’s words.

Fasting has very little to do with starving yourself of food. And it has a lot to do with starving yourself of sin. Yet it is possible to fast for 40 days without the expected spiritual impact. Therefore, God wants us to focus on getting rid of our sins whenever we are fasting.

Because fasting is about desiring the presence of God, we cannot keep sin in our hearts during the process. Fasting won’t be effective like that. We only deceive ourselves when we try to do so.

Running to and embracing God’s mercies is the best way to increase the effectiveness of fasting.

God likes for us to develop the habit of spending time with Him. If we want to spend the time well, we must be set apart to God throughout our fast and afterward.

With our new and improved understanding of what Christian fasting is all about, our next goal should be to know what Jesus thought about fasting. Did He want people to fast or not…

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