WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4
WEEK 3 CHALLENGE - FAST
Fasting is considered a biblical and spiritual discipline that Jesus himself practiced and taught his disciples to do. Fasting orients our mind, heart, body, and soul towards God and hearing the Holy Spirit. You are encouraged to choose a 24 hour period during the week to do a full food fast. If you want to do a shorter or longer fast that is up to you! Additional encouragement and instruction provided in the devotional (below).
+ Read. Don’t forget to keep reading your bible! Click here for the full 28 Day Luke Reading Plan or find the link at the end of the devotional. ♥️ 📖
+ Pray. If you want to keep pressing deeper, then plan another One Hour Prayer time this week. If possible come to the Prayer Room. Prayer Room Reservation | One Hour Prayer Guide 🙏
_________________________
WEEK 3 DEVOTIONAL - “Fast”
One of the popular health and diet trends these days is intermittent fasting. Fasting has become somewhat of a mainstream word that is no longer only attached to sacred or spiritual practices, but it has become one of the basic building blocks of health and diet for many people. There is even a New York Times bestselling book called, Fast, Feast, Repeat: Including the 28-Day Fast Start. A few years ago a title like that would have likely been written by some religion professor from Oxford and it would be all about the Judeo-Christian history and the rhythms of religious feasts, ceremonies, and fasting unto the Lord! But now, it’s a bestselling 28 Day kick start to healthy living…and the world is eating it up.
Fasting certainly has health benefits. It does all sorts of great things for your body, such as cleansing yourself of toxins and helping control your appetite. The world is using the practice of fasting for one of its many benefits, but there is more and better things that come from fasting!
Jesus taught his disciples to fast and pray. Fasting requires preparation, discipline, dependency, and trust. When we fast we reorient ourselves — think of it like a hard restart on your phone or computer — we’re re-setting our hearts to seek pleasure, purpose, joy, and life through Christ instead of worldly things and even food. When we fast we feed off contending instead of consuming! Fasting is a practice of denying ourselves in order to depend on God. Ultimately, fasting helps us dedicate ourselves to God, listen to His Spirit, and it even opens the door for the Spirit of God within us to give us power over the flesh.
In Matthew 4:1-2 it says, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.
Uh yeah, Jesus was hungry!
He didn’t eat for forty days! 🤯
The scriptures go on to describe the devil tempting Jesus with three very specific temptations. Don’t forget that Jesus was feeling all the normal human physical things we would feel after 40 days of fasting. He was vulnerable and weak when the devil comes to tempt him. Yet the story ends in Matthew 4:10 with Jesus powerfully saying, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
So this powerful, sort of epic moment from the story of Jesus reveals something incredibly important for us. When Jesus is tempted he has the strength to overcome the temptation. Consider, 2 Corinthians 12:10, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” In other words, in your weaknesses is your greatest strength. Most people think, “In my strength is my greatest strength.” We tend to believe that we are strongest in our greatest talent and abilities, but perhaps where we see real strength in people is in failures, struggles, and vulnerabilities.
Jesus is physically weak.
He has had no food and he’s hungry.
And it’s in that weakness that he has strength to overcome. But what did he specifically overcome?
He overcame temptation…
which is no small feat.
For example, have you ever made the decision to not eat any sweets for the next week or the next month and then there’s that one moment, or that one cookie, or that one party, or that one excuse where you think, “oh just this one time.” 🍪
We all experience temptations.
Believe it or not statistics say that 100% of the human race struggles with temptation 😂 (okay that’s not a real statistic — because it’s obvious!). We’re all tempted by things and that temptation sometimes leads us to things that are no big deal, such as one cookie, but other times it leads to sin, or to things we regret or wish we hadn’t done. Every one of us have not only sinned, but we are vulnerable to more sin, and we will encounter temptation and we need the strength to overcome when we are weak in the face of temptation.
Fasting and prayer builds us up. It builds our discipline, our dependency, and ability to overcome temptation.
Consider this — What is the temptation you need to the strength to overcome? Or what is the area of weakness you need God’s strength to meet you in?
Answer one or both of those questions. Name it and then spend time building yourself up in prayer and fasting. God can be your strength where you are weak. This week our 28 Days of Renewal Challenge is to fast for 24 hours.
HERE’S HOW.
1. 24 Hours— You are encouraged to choose a 24 hour period during the week to do a full food fast. Feel free to choose your own duration if 24 hour feels too short or too long. 24 Hours is merely a suggested duration (suggested time frame is to start at 7pm and end at 7pm the next day)
2. Why Do It? — When we fast, if forces us to seek God and lean into Him for help and comfort. God meets us powerfully during times we are desperate for Him. Often when people fast they feel God’s nearness (Phil 4:4-7) and are more able to hear the voice of God (John 10:27). Fasting is also connected to the idea of denying yourself (deny the flesh). This practice can be an act of worship (Rom 12:1), but also a training exercise in your discipline (1 Cor 9:25). When we grow our discipline in small sacrifices like food for a period of time it will grow our confidence and ability to be disciplined in bigger things like prayer, scripture reading, exercise, and even in our ability to overcome temptation.
3. How Do I Prepare? — Plan ahead and choose when and how you’ll do your 24 Hour time frame. Drink plenty of water ahead of time and during the fast (this is important!). Scriptures teach us to not tell others when you fast (Matt 6:16-18), so only tell whoever is necessary while fasting. If you plan to go longer than 24 Hours make sure you do a web search to learn best practices for fasting and consider your personal health conditions.
28 Day Renewal Challenge
+ Read - In addition to fasting this week continue your daily reading through Luke 📖 (Days 15-21)!
+ Pray - If you want to press deeper and make the most of these 28 Days also schedule another One Hour Prayer this week. Prayer Room Reservation.
May this week be a deeply impactful time as you deny self and depend on God. Blessings on you, Amen. 🙏