Why fast?

notes from sermon by Clayton King, NewSpring Church March 22, 2009

Fasting –> Freedom –> Giving –> Praying

We do not know how to do without

Jesus assumes fasting is part of life – a religious practice (Mat 6:16-18)

Fasting – a time of denying self of something valuable in order to get something from God or to be set free by God

• Sacrifice
• Way to show religious devotion
• Shows repentance
• Appeal to God for a great need — not a tactic to manipulate God
• Reward is God himself

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

1. Restores our hunger for God
2. Reminds us of our weakness
   • Increases humility
   • Increases sensitivity
   • Fasting / prayer must start with being honest with God
   • If addicted to nice things — be careful — or the tables will be turned and you won’t just have nice things, nice things will have you
   • If in financial trouble – fast from things
   • Part of our financial problem is that we don’t know how to say ‘No’ to our desires

2 Cor 12:7-10

3. Variety

• Fasting doesn’t need to be from just food
  • TV
  • Internet / Facebook
  • Texting
• Ask self – what is it that I feel like I can’t live without?

1 Cor 6:12

Lord, I pray we practice the spiritual discipline of fasting
and become disciplined to things of God
and learn to do without things of the world.