Fasting...

I am going to be the first one to admit that fasting is not a regular part of my regimen.  I must say, however, that in the last ten years, I have consistently heard more an more about fasting.  The problem, at least for me, was that although many people around me were starting to put this into practice in their daily lives, I did not see any common thread to weave the reasoning, methodology, and benefits of fasting together to make it a palatable undertaking for me.  I heard things like "you should fast and pray about that" or "I'm doing a Daniel fast" or "I'm not doing a food fast, I'm abstaining from [insert item here]."  Huh?  What?  I was rather confused.

I picked up Fasting - Opening the Door to a Deeper, More Intimate, More Powerful Relationship with God by Jentzen Franklin (see my last post for links and summary) in a CVS pharmacy (of all places) while picking up a prescription about a year ago.  It sat on my bookshelf gathering dust (as many of my books do) until the appropriate time.  I must say that in reading this book, my reservations mentioned above are constantly addressed  and my knowledge of this subject continues to deepen.  I fully plan to put into practice what I read and will write about it at some time in the future.  However, for now, I wanted to share an excerpt with you so you can understand something that I did not for a long time: Fasting is not just encouraged by Jesus - It is expected!

From Fasting: During the years that Jesus walked this earth, He devoted time to teaching His disciples the principles of the kingdom of God, principles that conflict with those of this world.  In the Beatitudes, specifically in Matthew 6, Jesus provided the pattern by which each of us is to live as a child of God.  That pattern addressed three specific duties of a Christian: giving, praying, and fasting.  Jesus said, "When you give..." and "When you pray..." and "When you fast."  He made it clear that fasting, like giving and praying, was a normal part of Christian life.  As much attention should be given to fasting as is given to giving and praying.  Jentzen Franklin

Blessings!

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