Fasting

Our spiritual discipline this week is fasting. 

I don't remember ever preaching a whole sermon on the topic of fasting, nor do I remember a time when I heard a sermon that was wholly dedicated to this topic. Fasting has been a topic I have wrestled with a lot over the years. I truly believe God has revealed profound truths regarding this ancient spiritual discipline to us in His Word. 

In preparation for Sunday, read Matthew 6:1-18. In this section of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, He talks about giving, prayer and fasting. There are a couple of things that He says about all three. Do you see what those are? 

If you are looking to do an even deeper dive, check out Isaiah 58. In the context of Isaiah 58, God is speaking to a group of people for whom fasting was a regular habit, quite unlike us today. Fasting was a norm in ancient Israel. Those who didn't practice it would have been an oddity. However, God was not happy with the way they were practicing fasting, and He confronted them for it. 

Wrestle with these questions. What kind of fasting is God pleased with? What kind of fasting gets His attention in a good way? 

Pastor Nathan