Eating Is Meant For Us Fasting Is Meant For God

# 287 – We are continuing a series on fasting. What does it mean to “fast?” Fasting is the deliberate abstaining from physical gratification in order to obtain a spiritual reward from the Father. It is a denial of the flesh in order to gain a response from the Spirit.  I like that latter definition because it doesn’t restrict fasting to mere food.   In fact, we shall see that there is even such a thing as sexual fasting, and by inference we can say that fasting is denial of anything that brings momentary pleasure to the flesh. Giving up TV, watching the Packers,  golf,  whatever your flesh would miss if it didn’t have it.   Personally, I would recommend starting with food simply because Jesus said, that “man does not live by bread alone” and fasting from food is a great way to drive that point home.    Let’s see if we can dig up some spiritual principles as related to fasting. In Zech 7:5,6 we find two rhetorical questions, questions with obvious answers. When you understand this, it will help you understand what is being said here by God through the prophet Zechariah.    “Say to all the people of the land and the priests. When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh for these seventy years was it for ME you fasted? (The obvious answer is “yes, God we fast for You!) .”And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? (The obvious answer is, “yes, we eat and drink for ourselves.”     You can’t eat for someone else other than yourself.  Now I don’t mean that I can’t clean up my wife's plate at the restaurant, I mean I can’t eat on her behalf. She does not benefit physically in any way at all based on what I eat.  She receives no nutrients from that cheese omelet I had this morning. I eat to satisfy my flesh, my belly, not hers “Do you not eat and drink for yourselves?   Eating and drinking is to satisfy our selves. But in fasting, we cease to eat in order to satisfy God. As eating is meant for us, fasting is meant for God. “Was it for Me you fasted?” It should be, if not, verily verily I say you have your reward.   Food satisfies, pleases, and energizes our bodies. Proper fasting satisfies and pleases God and it energizes Him on our behalf. This is His “reward” spoken of in Mt 6: 18. And when the disciples wanted to know why they couldn’t deliver a certain boy from a demon Jesus said in  Mr 9:29 "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." It is prayer and fasting that energizes God on our behalf, in order to enhance our spiritual performance and bring glory to Him. Father, let us fast, and let You be glorified.