Thoughts From the Bible

Luke 5: 33-35-  Jesus gives us a short lesson about fasting in these few verses. '(33) Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?" (34) And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? (35) But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."'  Fasting is an activity designed for us to focus on God and a specific thing in our lives that we need God's hand to help us. The disciples of Jesus did not need to fast because Jesus, the Son of God, was with them in the present. Fasting is not magical, but it is a way for us to deliberately call on God's help for our lives.  Proverbs 11:25- The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. 

Read Mark 9:  14-29   In a second look at this passage, Jesus answers the question from the disciples about why they  could  not effectively  pray for the  healing of the  young  boy. We read in verses 28 an d 29,  ‘(28) And when he  came  into the house, His  disciples   a sked  Him  privately, “Why could we not cast it out? (29)  So,   He  said to the m , “This kind can come  out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” ’   Jesus’ short comments showed the disciples another  facet  of acting in His name. Jesus told the disciples there are times when prayer and fasting are needed to fight the spiritual war that is  going on in a situation. The element of fasting takes belief and commitment to a higher level as the spiritual battle in a situation rages.  Fasting is a commitment where the time usually spent eating and nourishing our b odies is substituted for focusing on pra...

Read Mark  2: 18- 22-  Jesus was presented with another teaching moment for the religious leaders. Anytime the religious leaders saw a potential way to discre dit Jesus or find a contradiction in what Jesus was saying or doing. Jesus pointed them to who He was as well as why fasting  was needed in one setting and not in another at the time. Verse 20 says,  ‘The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.’  I need to remember people who do not believe in Jesus Christ will look for every way under the sun to discredit Christian beliefs and  even discredit whether Jesus exists or not. I need to continue to study the Bible and be prepared to speak to the reality of Jesus Christ in my own life. I need to be prepared to speak to why we would fast  in order to  focus on Jesus Christ in situations in order to concentrate on Him with a specific purpose.  In this way, I will recognize myself who Jesu...

Matthew 6: 16-18- “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who i s in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Why do people fast? Fasting is where we forego eating food or limiting what we drink and spend that time in prayer for a specific thing in our lives. There are those people who see fasting as taking an extra step toward being close to God and it can be that. However, Jesus is warning us that fasting is someth ing that should be done in private and we should wear the fact we are fasting on our public sleeves so people will think we are more holy than others. God would have us fast and spend that time focused on Him and His wor d and in doing this, actually draw closer to Him. So much of our pr...