The Season of Lent: Fasting

Devotional
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Reflection
After being baptized, Jesus went on a 40 day fast where He was ultimately led into the wilderness (desert) to continue His fasting. In the Old Testament, there is a very strong connection between the desert and preparation/testing. For example, the desert served as preparation grounds for Moses' ministry as well as Israel's testing from God. In this case, Jesus was getting prepared to fulfill His ministry, specifically, being a sacrifice on behalf of sinners. How are we to understand fasting?

Fasting is a physical demonstration of a longing heart for Jesus. When we fast, we are showing that we want nothing more than to be with Jesus; we are showing that we love nothing more than we love Jesus; we are showing that nothing captivates our attention more than Jesus. This is why during this time we abstain from any type of distraction, including food, and pray or meditate on His Word as if nothing else existed. The center and the motivation of our fast should always be Jesus, if He’s not then we are not only doing it wrong, but we are doing it in vain.

When we look at Jesus fasting, He would often do it in solitude. It was certainly an intimate act when we read in the New Testament that He would go to pray alone. He wanted to be alone with God the Father and enjoy that time with Him.  Why do you fast? Is it because you want to be intimate with God and be changed by Him? Or do you do it so that you would get something from Him? Church, it’s time to check our motivations for fasting because although fasting for a better house, a good job, or a nice car is not bad, fasting is meant to be a transformative means of grace. Fasting is not meant for our gratification in material things, but sanctification in godly things.

There is no doubt that fasting is a special and intimate discipline, however, we will also find that it is difficult to do. This is because fasting exposes idols in our lives when we abstain from everything but God's Word. In fasting, God’s Word shines a light into the darkest depths of our hearts. Why do we constantly think about the Cowboys game or any other NFL game when we fast? Why do we have this urge to look through our phones? Why do we start thinking about work or our hobbies? Those are all good things, however, if they stop us from having intimate time with God, that might be an indicator that something in our lives is an idol.

In this passage from Matthew, we see that as much as Satan tempted Jesus, He pushed back with the Word of God when being tempted. This says plenty of the depth of Jesus’ heart for the Father. There were no idols in His life to uncover. He was sinless. What we do see is a Jesus that depended on nothing more than the Word of God to sustain Him, and as Christians, we should too. What captivates your heart? What idols prevent you from spending intimate time with God? This is important because this speaks volumes of what you believe about God and about His everyday graces.

If you have been fasting for the wrong reasons, or if you have idols in your life that you are not engaging, I invite you to repent. The Lord has made this means of grace to be special and regular, not selfish and optional. As we get ready for our next fast in this season of Lent, let us approach God with repentant hearts. Fasting is a privilege for the children of God, and we can only fast properly when we come before God and confess our sins.

By: Alan Morales