Daniel 10:3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, … till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
Daniel 9:3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting …
Psalms 35:13: “I humbled my soul with fasting and prayer.
It’s Day 19 of my 21-day Daniel Fast. They should call it a “Daniel Slow” the way everything slows down. It’s been 440 hours and 49 minutes since I had a cup of coffee. I take that back, I had a cup of fast food decaf one afternoon while in Atlanta but I actually am giving myself extra points for that since it was decaf and from a fast food joint. I am meeting Jim Misner at Starbucks at 8 AM Monday morning for some real communion.
So what’s the point in depriving our bodies of something we want? What spiritual benefit is there for denying ourselves the pleasure of bread, meat, sweets, starches and caffeine? Does God just like us better when we enjoy our lives less? Does He just love it when people suffer? After all, He made His own Son die on a cross.
Well, there’s no way God would have created pleasure centers in our brains and equipped us with magical chemicals like dopamine to carry messages of delight throughout our bodies when we take a bite of something tasty if he didn’t find pleasure in our pleasure. Your physical body is all wired with nerve endings that respond with a sigh to the right touch, the right sensation and the right temperature. So no, God is not a colossal killjoy or a universal Ebenezer Scrooge. Voltaire said, “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” Okay, God isn’t overjoyed by our self-denial, so why did he put fasting on the menu of spiritual disciplines?
1) Fasting transforms natural craving into spiritual promptings.
Every time I walk by the bowl of chocolates left over from Christmas and am tempted to pop one in my mouth or smell the delicious aroma of Cheri’s morning coffee, I am reminded to pause and worship. The pain of not getting what my flesh wants reminds me to lift my eyes to the Lord and get what my spiritual man wants; communion with the most high God.
2) Fasting challenges the tendency to make food & drink my source of daily joy.
Have you noticed that food & breath mint commercials implies so many God-like promises? “What would you do for a Klondike Bar?” “Open Happiness” (Coca Cola, 2009), “Isn’t life Juicy” (Starburst), “They’rrrre GR-R-REAT! Brings out the tiger in you,” (Frosted Flakes), “Put a tic tac in your mouth and get a bang out of life,” “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup,” “Red Bull gives you wings,” “A bowl a day keeps the bullies away” (Apple Jacks) “Double your pleasure, double your fun” (Double Mint Gum) “Come hungry, leave happy” (IHOP)
Now, none of us really think a breakfast cereal is going to turn us into a tiger or a can of coke is going to eradicate depression, but we do use food to maintain our happiness and fasting reminds us that ultimately only a right relationship with God can give us lasting joy. The pain of denial not only makes us think about God but makes us better depend on God.
3) Fasting says an emphatic no to the bully that lives in my heart.
Yes, every one of us has a sugar craving, caffeine starving, saturated fat stuffing bully that resides in our hearts. I am not trying to give health advice right now; so we’ll assume that moderate amounts of these things are okay, but who’s always exercising moderation? Fasting will give you the muscle to say no to the imposter bully that will decrease your daily potential and possibly shorten your life. God wants to put the healthy energetic you in charge of your life, not the inner slob that doesn’t care about consequences, only satisfying cravings. BTW, the bully within doesn’t stop with food cravings. Fasting deals with a power that the Bible calls, “the flesh.” The flesh is sins preferred host, only spirit-led self denial can train our bodies & souls to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all matters.
The burning question that I have sensed from the Holy Spirit as I have pondered being in the ministry for the final quarter of my life coming up is, “Phil, are you all in?” As many of you know, I have a dynamic family and a lot of young talent around me. I can let off the gas a bit; just making sure I give the appropriate pastoral touches and show up to preach. However, I am hearing God say, “Your most meaningful ministry is ahead.” Hearing that in my soul is better than a whole-bean, fresh-ground cup of Sumatra Java on a cold morning.
Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
