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Fasting:Whose time is it anyway?
Fasting and prayer are often linked together in the Bible. It seems to go without saying that if you are fasting but not praying, you are just on a glorified diet (Daniel Fast) or just simply going without food. A total waste of your time! (And God’s!)
Fasting isn’t all about the food, or the lack of it. It is about pulling yourself away from the things of the world and focusing on Almighty God. When you deny yourself certain things that you love then you have time to spend with the Creator, time to listen for His voice, His bidding, His calling.
When you are on a complete fast, it seems to be a no-brainer that at mealtime, instead of eating, you spend that time in prayer and the Word. But if you are on a limited fast, a juice fast, The Daniel Fast, etc., you are still consuming calories and possibly preparing a meal and that time with the Lord seems to take a back seat.
If you have chosen a different type of fast, not from food, maybe from social media or other things that you enjoy or spend too much time on, again, when do you carve out that time with the Lord to make your fast beneficial?
This is where we could miss out on so much! There is fellowship with Him just for the taking, there is communion with the Savior if we will just take the time.
Mark 1:35-36 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him.
Not everyone is an early riser, although I have found that to be MY best time to spend with the Lord. When He is first, when my focus for the day is on Jesus, everything seems to go so much smoother the rest of the day!
Prayer cleanses your heart and mind and prepares you for the rest of the day.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
But if you are not a morning person, if all you can do is get that coffee down at 5 a.m., then pick the time that is best for you. What time of the day is more beneficial, when you are uninterrupted and can focus on the Word and listen for His voice? That’s YOUR time with God!
Hebrews 13:15-16 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Most importantly, we pray continually throughout our day. Yes, I know this is the most difficult thing to do! We are busy, we are laden down with burdens of the day, so much to do, so little time to do it. But if we let our minds think of the things of God all throughout our day, let the fruit of our lips acknowledge His name, if we think on these things, our time is well spent. Our focus is in the right place, our hearts are open before Him and we can hear His voice!
It’s His time anyway, friends, it all belongs to Him. Everything is about Him, it’s not about us! We were put here to glorify God and when we point to Him, when we reflect His glory, others will see it and be drawn to the Savior. That is our entire purpose, seeing others come to know Him.
Be blessed as you fast and pray that you will know the mind of God, cleanse your heart and mind from things that weigh you down and focus on His perfect will for your life!
Do you have your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional? There are 21 days of devotions, three days of preparation and plenty of Daniel Fast recipes in this go-to book. Check it out on Kindle or paperback here on Amazon.
