Fasting unto Your Father
Scripture Reading - Matthew 6:16-18 KJV
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
As we continue our conversation about “Fasting” we are taking another lesson from the New Testament. We learned in our other New Testament lesson on “fasting” (Fasting NT) that Jesus Christ brought us a new way of “fasting” that primarily consisted of having the proper motive for “fasting” as opposed to just “fasting” as a habit or a religious duty. We previously mentioned in that write-up that “fasting” should be done based upon your spiritual condition not upon the current condition of others. Yes, even “fasting” for the nation you live in will not help that nation unless they humble themselves by turning to God according to 2 Chronicles 7:12-14. Of course there are some who believe you can “fast” to cause changes in others but we (ihlcc) believe slightly different than that in the sense of “fasting” can change you based upon your level of understanding of God’s Will but we don’t see any scriptures indicating we should “fast” to change others. We already know that changing others is between those same others and God. At best you could share God’s Word (His Will) with them but they must respond to it positively to receive a positive result (reaction) from God. A Christian should always be more focused upon improving themselves in their walk with God, than spending time wondering how to correct someone else.-Refer to Matthew 7:1-5 This is why in today’s message the Lord Jesus mentions not to “fast” for the wrong motive. Specifically, the Lord Jesus mentions in verse 16 not to “fast” with sadness. We are not supposed to do anything with sadness of heart because as we mentioned earlier this is not a Christian’s duty that is laborious and hard, nor is “fasting God’s Way” some intense effort that drains your spiritual and mental energy (joy). According to that same verse 16 we must be very careful not to appear unto men to “fast” because that would mean your reward is solely based upon the reactions of other people. As spiritual Children of God we should not be so carnal minded that we are seeking to please others by our good works, instead of glorifying God for His Awesome Good Work of giving us Jesus. Yes, one could say, “Who would “fast” unto men in this day and age?” but we would say many people do it all the time. If you are telling others what type of “fast” you are on you might also be “fasting” unto men or unto yourself. If you are spending time explaining why you are “fasting” to someone else again you are in danger of “fasting” unto men. Yes, if you are publically announcing your “fast” to another (excluding your spouse in marriage) you might be “fasting” unto man. Of course we cannot say that mentioning to someone else that you are “fasting” is always wrong but we can say with all confidence that the Lord Jesus and your Heavenly Father would rather you keep “fasting” between you and Him, void of a conversation with another person. Remember verse 17 states to appear normal us usual unto men and verse 18 states that this “fasting” should be done in secret or we could say privately unto The Lord. This is because many people like the response they get from others as appearing more spiritual when they “fast” and if a whole group is “fasting” many want to feel the support of being a part of a group. The young believer would then rationalize, “Shouldn’t all believers be a part of that (our) fast? The answer is “No”, not according to God’s Word simple because you might not need to “fast” at that time for something that is not even on your own heart. Yes, even today if a person mentions that they “fasted” for 40 days many people would think highly of that person. Again if you tell others that you “fast” every Tuesday will not those same people think that you are a devoted spiritual disciple. This is problematic because “fasting” doesn’t mean that you are deep spiritually, it could just mean that you follow a strict religious discipline. Yes, many people practice “fasting” as a religious ritual and many of those “fasters” are not even Christians but worshippers of other religions. We know even the devoted Jews practice “fasting” but that doesn’t mean they are converted Christians. “Fasting” was never designed to bring glory to men so why should so many men “fast” for their own glory. Even dangerous still are those who lead others to believe that “fasting” is the answer to all their problems. No, not so our dear faith friend, “fasting” is not the answer to all your problems that is the position (and place) of God’s Holy Word. The Word of God is the solid Rock upon which we stand. Remember, the scripture about the storms of life in Matthew 7:24-27 if focused on the doers of God’s Word being successful against the storms (problems) of this life it had nothing to do with “fasting”. We (ihlcc) too believe that those who are doers of God’s Word will overcome all test, trials and challenges of today. Primarily because they know (have an accurate knowledge of) God’s Word and understand how to apply it to their everyday life. They understand the Word of Faith message and expect the full manifestation of God’s Promise prevailing in their negative circumstances. Thus, “fasting” to know God’s Word better by spending extra time in God’s Word searching for key scriptures to strengthen your knowledge is a good thing. Whereas “fasting” to gain the approval or praises of men is a bad thing. This is one reason we try to keep “fasting” on a personal level because then you can always measure the success of your “fast” and you can know when to stop “fasting”. You will always know when you are “fasting” with the right motive because the end results of your “fast” will be fruitful. However, if you are “fasting” for someone else how can you be sure the “fast” worked when you don’t have a sure scripture to stand on. We (ihlcc) do realize that many teach “fasting” for a love one as a common practice and they also claim that is gets results and we would never argue about that issue because some people mix up fasting and prayer as one, and we are not mixing the two. All we can do at best is share the Holy Word of God based upon the interpretation we see in God’s Word not based upon the experiences of others. We do acknowledge that the Lord Jesus could lead certain people and churches to “fast” for a specific thing but we will also mention those results should be visible (clearly seen) by the “fasters” to glorify God or else how could you know it worked or it was done correctly. As Believers in Jesus Christ all that we do should bring glory, honor and praise unto God, when good things come from obeying God’s Word we would do well to praise God for it but if nothing can be measured (visible or seen) we ask, “Where is God’s Glory?”. Our prayer and hope is that people who do “fast” (and all should “fast” when necessary) would do it solely unto the Lord and that their motive would always be pure because only the pure in heart shall see God (God’s results), the fulfillment of His Promises, the reality of God’s Word working in your life, in Jesus Name. Amen!