Embrace the Within no. 101

"The highest honor in the church is not government but service."

John Calvin

I can not testify enough about the importance of fasting. I think in all my years of attending services and talking with Christians, fasting is probably one of the most overlooked and understated actions a faithful servant to the Lord can undertake. We talk a lot about study and prayer and fellowship and how important those things are for our spiritual health, BUT fasting is important to both our spiritual and physical health.

When I started my journey nearly three years ago, it was because I knew my physical and mental health were off the rails. I didn’t walk around wearing my mess like a badge BUT it was still there. I was not in alignment with what I believed. And one of the things that helped me before I even came to God was intermittent fasting. I never really paid attention to the idea of fasting before that. Sure, I had always heard about exercise and diet shouted all over the place, however, very few people were talking about the importance of simply not eating. And in a society where food is constantly available, the simple act of not eating for a certain amount of time is radical yet still simple.

Then, while reading the Bible from cover to cover, I rediscovered the importance of fasting in the Word. So, as I have been moving forward in my walk with the Lord, I found that not just intermittent fasting for physical health BUT fasting for spiritual health was just as an important use of the practice. And I am working on keeping that practice of fasting as part of my weekly walk.

“Then Marie said, Behold the seruant of the Lord: be it vnto me according to thy woorde. So the Angel departed from her.”

Luke 1:38 GNV

I hear folks talk a lot about reading, study, prayer, and fellowship. I think those things are vitally important to discovering what we believe. I just want to add the importance of fasting especially in a society that is hyper-focused on consumption. One way to set ourselves in alignment with the Lord is to separate from what the world values and follow more of what the Word says.

I encourage you to read and study about fasting and its physical and spiritual benefits. And if you have a story about fasting you would like to share, then please feel at liberty to share here and with others. The more we celebrate the benefits of fasting, then I think the more we can normalize a practice that I feel is often marginalized in the church.

Grace and Shalom to your week. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of the Lord is now. Be a blessing to the Lord and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #MyNepheshMyChoice #ChristsLifeMatters #EmbracetheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH #GodKnows