Archive for fasting
Dealing with Temptation
Posted by: | CommentsThe Scripture tells us that "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Then it says that Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights.
We know as we look back to this occasion that Jesus was about to begin his earthly ministry. Can we draw the conclusion that we might also face seasons of temptation before we are released into new levels of ministry?
The final temptation was a temptation for Jesus to receive power and glory if he would fall down and worship the devil. It came right on the heels of two other powerful temptations. Yes, temptations. Hebrews records for us that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet he never succumbed to the temptations. He never sinned.
So imagine Jesus after forty days and forty nights of fasting. Tired. Lonely. Hungry. And here comes a third temptation.
Power and glory belong to Jesus. They are rightfully his. Yet Satan tried to get Jesus to receive what was rightfully his by short cutting God’s plan. "Just do it the easy way. You can have the glory and power now. Just worship me."
This wasn’t a new song and dance for Satan. He was kicked out of heaven for the same issue.
Jesus answered the temptation by saying "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."
Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
You Can Make It!
Posted by: | CommentsThe second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness was, in part, one of identity.
Matthew 4:5-6
Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, sat Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written,
"He shall give His angels charge over you." and
"In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus had completed forty days of fasting. He was physically weak. He was hungry. He went head on with the Devil, passing the first test and boom, here comes test two. Ever noticed how when one temptation or struggle passes, there is often another one right on its heels?
Satan again tempted Jesus in the area of his identity. He taunted Jesus just as in the first temptation, "IF you are the Son of God…" He even quoted the Scripture this time answering Jesus method of passing the first temptation.
Knowing who we are is a struggle we can all have at times. Fasting helps to clarify that. As we deny our flesh in pursuit of God, our ability to hear and know gets sharper.
Jesus once again uses the Word of God to rebuff the enemy. And there is yet one more test before God will send the angels to minister to Jesus. Hang on, dear child of God, when the testing seems relentless. God will send help. You can end the season of testing with God’s strength for your weakness. You can grow in your understanding of who God has created you to be.
Remember that Jesus passed these tests as a man full of the Spirit of God. The same Spirit dwells inside you as a believer. "I can do all things through Christ who is my strength." Philippians 4:13
And at just the right time, God will minister to you, just as He ministered to Jesus.
Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
Finding Strength for Your Weakness
Posted by: | Comments
Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
The Inward, Outward, and Upward Journey
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday I shared with you about how fasting ups our awareness. Today I want to take that a step further.
Life is an inward, outward, and upward journey. Fasting touches all three of those areas.
The inward journey is the one in which we allow God to go inside our hearts and show us what is not pure. He also gives us revelation as to why certain issues are a struggle for us. Maybe he reveals an issue we have with rejection and then takes us even deeper to look at a significant life relationship that this struggle stems from.
In our outward journey, fasting causes us to see others with new eyes. Isaiah 58 is clear about the fact that our fasting ought to result in tangible care for others, whether that care be helping someone with groceries, encouraging someone, ministering to the about Christ’s love, or fixing their car.
The upward journey is the one in which we are taken deeper into the experiential knowledge of the love of God.
I pointed out yesterday that we are triune beings; our body, soul, and spirit are all interconnected and affect one another. In the same way, these three journeys are interconnected and affect one another.
Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
How Hungry are You?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we fast, we get hungry. Ravenously hungry. Our flesh screams at us – EAT! Our mind and emotions kick in to tell us why we should break the fast. In fact, it is just plain funny how much hungrier we get if we are fasting than if we just skip a meal because we are busy.
And we become aware. Awareness is one of the purposes of fasting. When we fast, we quickly become aware of the power our flesh has. That is a good reminder for us. Flesh is powerful. Seasons of denying the flesh are profitable for us for many reasons.
Awareness is important for us to live a life in tune with God. As God made us body, soul, and spirit, He created us to be aware of our physical needs, our emotional needs, and our spiritual needs. We have many enemies of that awareness, including busyness which is chief for most of us. We learn to ignore the signals our body sends. We learn to ignore the signals our emotions send, and even more sadly we learn to ignore the signals our spirit sends.
Fasting ups our awareness. Jesus said that those who hungered and thirsted after righteousness would be filled. So my prayer for us all today is that our hunger and thirst would make us aware of our need to depend upon God and of the need for our flesh to be crucified. I pray that our hunger and thirst would increase our desire for righteousness for that desire leads to being filled. And nothing can satisfy us like God for we were created to be filled with Him. Allow your fasting to remind you that there is someone who can fill your deepest hunger and quench your deepest thirst.
Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
