Teaching Tuesday: Beyond Belief - Fasting

May 27th, 2025

Series: Beyond Belief
Sermon: Fasting (5.25.25)
Watch the messages HERE.

So - after Sunday’s sermon - have you tried fasting yet?

If so, I’d love to hear how it went for you. If not, do you have plans to try it?

Michelle Eagle, who leads the discipleship ministry at Harpeth Christian Church in Tennessee, writes:

“The Bible [Matthew 4, Luke 4] says that Jesus was tempted after 40 days of fasting. I had been taught that Jesus was so weakened at that point that it made him vulnerable to Satan’s attack, but since he was Jesus, he overcame. Yet, [I now understand it] this way: after 40 days of fasting, yes, Jesus’ body would have been weak, but his spirit was stronger than ever. Denying himself through fasting was preparation for a major spiritual battle to come.

Now, when I consider fasting, I am awed by this gift from God to enhance my prayer life. Yes, fasting is a time to hand over the struggles of others. Yes, it is a time to ask God to intercede for the burdens of my heart. But now I understand that it is also a time to strengthen me spiritually to handle what life is going to throw at me living in a broken and dark world.”

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of faithful disciples of Jesus gives us the peace of God which transcends all understanding, and which guards our hearts (Philippians 4:7). When we deny ourselves food - for a safe and specific period of time - our discomfort often results in the gift of increased clarity and understanding of God’s will and love.

“When we take our heart to God by fasting and prayer, we can speak loudly and boldly,” C.S. Lewis wrote. “When we experience pain in life and we all go through pain, I know of no other way to navigate life than by fasting and prayer. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

When Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees and teaching his followers about fasting, he told them not to be hypocrites, not to show off, and not to fast in such a way that draws attention to themselves and tries to create the perception of piousness and gain earthly rewards from people.

In fact, Jesus went so far as to instruct this group of religious elite (who favored performative spirituality over pursuing an authentic relationship with God) to fast in ways that are unseen and unimpressive, and then “...your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:18).

If our hearts are in the right place, and we give our whole selves to the Lord - including our bodies - we will be rewarded by God. In fact, we will be rewarded with God. As one pastor said:

“We fast from what we typically depend on in order to feast with him and on his presence. We don’t take fasting seriously because we don’t see it for what it is: a feast we desperately need. Fasting helps us to starve our flesh to feed our spirit in God’s presence. Throughout the Bible, whenever God’s people fasted and prayed, He supernaturally met their needs. Fasting creates a space and time for our spirits to seek God’s face, who nurtures, nourishes, and quiets us and fosters faithfulness, obedience, and dependency in us.”

TO KNOW HIM AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!

- Pastor Brady

Posted in Teaching Tuesdays