Dare to delve deeper into the spiritual discipline of fasting and experience its transformative power.
Although fasting is often associated with abstaining from food, the Biblical meaning of fasting is far more encompassing.
However, many people adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible.
But why then would we need the Holy Spirit?
For Jesus says that the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth.
If we already had the truth by reading literally what is written, then we wouldn’t need the Spirit of Truth, would we?
John 16:13 (NKJ)
The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth.
The disciples made the same mistake by taking everything Jesus said literally.
For example, Jesus said to His disciples:
Matthew 16:6-7 (NKJ)
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
As many people still do today, the disciples interpreted Jesus’ words literally.
So they said to each other:
He says this because we didn’t bring any bread.
They had no idea what Jesus meant.
They had no idea of the spiritual lesson Jesus wanted to teach them using the natural image of leaven.
The same applies to fasting.
To explain the deep spiritual meaning of fasting to us, God uses the natural image of not eating and drinking.
Eating and drinking in the Bible teach us profound spiritual truths.
In the natural, you eat and drink with your mouth.
You put it in your mouth, and then it ends up in your stomach.
In the spiritual, you eat and drink with your ears.
You put it in your ears, and then it ends up in your heart.
Your ears are the mouth of your heart.
When Jesus says, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life,” He does not mean that you should literally chew on His body.
John 6:54 (NKJ)
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.
By this, Jesus means that you should listen carefully to His words to understand the deep spiritual significance of His death and resurrection for you personally and to understand what God says about you.
His words, which guide you to eternal life, must be eaten with your ears so that this truth enters your heart.
And when the words of Jesus are in your heart, you will naturally begin to say the same things as Jesus.
For…
Luke 6:45 (NKJ)
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
And…
Proverbs 16:23 (HSV)
The heart of the wise teaches his mouth
What Jesus says are words of life, but what the world says leads to death.
This worldly wisdom often seems very beautiful and religious, but…
Colossians 2:22-23 (NKJ)
They are according to the commandments and doctrines of men.
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom
in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body,
(for example, by not eating and drinking for a while)
but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
If fasting isn’t simply about abstaining from food, what kind of spiritual growth is it inviting?
Are you open to a more profound understanding of this practice?
For this is why Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees.
The words spoken by the Pharisees may appear like a beautiful and nourishing bread, but this bread is baked with self-imposed religion and false humility, following the recipe of the commandments and doctrines of men.
No longer eating of this earthly wisdom, that is fasting!
For when you stop eating from it, you get hungry; hungry for the truth.
Then God can feed you with unleavened bread that truly gives life.
Amos 8:11 (NKJ)
The days are coming, declares the Lord God,
when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
Now, how will you be able to hear and understand these words of truth?
By fasting!
By no longer eating from the commandments and doctrines of men.
For that teaching covers your spiritual ears, preventing you from hearing the Spirit of truth.
1 John 2:27 (NAS)
But the anointing which you received from Him remains in you,
and you have no need for anyone to teach you!
But as His anointing teaches you about all things,
and this teaching is true and not a lie,
and just as He has taught you, you remain in Him.
Just as the Spirit of truth has revealed spiritual truth to you, so you remain in God.
If you mix this truth with the literal interpretation from your church, your Bible study group, the books you read, or the Christian conferences you attend, you are still eating lies baked with leaven according to the recipe of the commandments and doctrines of men.
And do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Therefore, remove the old leaven, that you may be a new lump.
1 Corinthians 5:6 (NKJ)
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Therefore, remove the old leaven, that you may be a new lump.
Remove the old leaven
So fasting is not done by not eating for two days, or eating only crackers and drinking tea for three weeks, or avoiding Netflix for a month.
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom, but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh!
For, says God,
Isaiah 58:5-6 (ESV)
Is such the fast that I choose; a day for a person to humble himself?
…or a week, or a month,
Is it to bow down his head like a reed and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast, and will you call this a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
How exactly do you set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
You do this by doing the same as Jesus, which is proclaiming the truth.
Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh.
When you eat of His flesh, the Word of God enters your heart, and from the abundance of that Word in your heart, you will speak.
Then the Word of God has also become flesh in you.
Then you will also say:
Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Are you willing to fast and allow yourself to be fully taught by the Spirit of truth with which you have been anointed?
