catapult magazine

my husband and i had the opportunity to participate in a 30-hour Famine recently (a program organized by World Vision to help raise money for hunger relief efforts). although the famine wasn’t organized toward this specific end, it struck me how we could control the flesh in a way that strengthened the spirit. not only was the fast a way to walk in another person’s shoes for a day; it was also a way to provide a physical reminder to focus on prayer and meditation. all of the junior high kids, as well as the leaders, kept talking about how they weren’t hungry at all, but that struck me as being against the point. the urge to eat, to consume was much stronger than the hunger pains and i found that i could channel that urge into a kind of alarm clock that reminded me to reflect on God—His goodness, His will.

though bordering on ritualistic in some cases, i find that fasting is an effective way to be literally empty in order to be filled by the Holy Spirit, to condition myself into Paul’s “state of constant prayer.” for me, fasting can be an act of meeting the Holy Spirit half way, of making my intention for a higher level of relationship with God crystal clear to myself, being that i’m sometimes my own worst enemy and lack the stillness necessary to engage in the simple act of listening.

Maybe it’s me, (or maybe it’s just Lent), but there seems to be a whole lot of fasting going on. I’ve heard people talking about it, I’ve seen people reading about it, I’ve even been invited by my pastor to join our church in fasting every Wednesday.

However, I know nothing about fasting (except that scripture mentions it in conjunction with praying and tithing). I would love to know others’ opinions, questions, or thoughts about this practice or other “spiritual discipline”-type practices.

~Kristin

a great “introductory” book to spiritual disciplines in general is Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. The outline of the book is as follows:

I. The Inward Disciplines (Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Study)
II. The Outward Disciplines (Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service)
III. The Corporate Disciplines (Confession, Worship, Guidance, Celebration)

alas, i have not been disciplined enough to finish the book, but i think some others of us members here have been (hint, hint). this topic (spiritual discipline in general) is one that is becoming increasingly more intriguing to me, but, like you kristin, i don’t know that much about it. i wish my church would place more emphasis on the disciplines (other than tithing), but i guess it’s up to me to do my own research. i can start, i guess, by getting into Foster’s book.

I have looked at and briefly skimmed through the Foster book, as many people have recommended it to me. To be honest, the idea of specific, well-charted diciplines specifically for my spiritual self is sort of unappealing to me. I know that a statement like the above is uninformed and not very fair to the author. But I haven’t yet made it past my initial mistrust to actually pick up the book (or other books like it).

Why are spiritual disciplines important? What is their purpose? I feel as though Calvinists are already some of the most disciplined, controlled, inhibited people on earth; is it healthy to magnify that? Also, it seems like the whole idea could be quickly reduced to legalistic, pietistic rule-following, with the “undisciplined” left dealing with guilty feelings of never doing enough.

Comments? Objections?

Hi Kristin!

I certainly understand your feelings. For the most part, I agree with Calvinism, though at the same time I question whether Calvinist doctrine is always Biblical (maybe fully Biblical would be a better way to put it). I don’t want to sound heretical or anything, but all too often the conservative Christian Reformed Church seems a bit Pharisaical. Maybe? I’m not sure if that’s what you meant by the “peitistic rule-following” or not but that seems to be my angle.
Anyway, I haven’t checked the book out, but would like to. I’ve never been the most responsible/disciplined person in the world, but I’m learning. Truth be told, my spiritual life seems to be the slowest on the uptake. It may be very worthwhile for me personally. Maybe those of us who (when forced) declare ourselves Calvinists could learn from Biblical discipline rather than the ritualistic accepted norm-type discipline that I think you were referring to Kirstin.
Oh, and thanks for the reference Kirsten.
P.S. I’ll get back to that truth paper thread in the next couple of days Kristin; I’ve got to find some old papers for reference.

God is always pleased when his children continue in there search for him. Thankyou for your honesty in regards to the fasting issue. Many people do things like go to church and say grace and tithe and have no idea why they do it. Many do these things just because they were learned.

I will just give you a simple breakdown on fasting:

1. Any born again believer (one who has asked Jesus to forgive them of there sin and accepts him as Lord) is in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

2. This relationship with God is proactive and requires involvment on our parts(God is already totally involved with us)

3. Fasting is not a spiritual discipline (discipline would suggest correction and the flesh can never be corrected)

4. When we become born again we recieve the HolySpirit which resides in the heart(center of a man/woman) of every believer

5. The HolySpirit is God and has the mind of God which more than capable of controlling our entire body

6. Every born again believer has this new control center(the mind of Christ) and there own free will(their own mind which always existed and still exist)

7. Gods’ intention for those who are born again is that they allow the mind of the Spirit to control their body (or flesh)

8. Our level of relationship with God will determine how much control we let God have

9. Our sinful nature(or flesh) usually is in control of our bodies

10. Our flesh and the Spirit our two co-existing control-centers which are in every believer

11. One of these will be in a position of dominance at all times

12. The one that is fed the most will be the most dominant

13. we have an opportunity moment by moment to feed our flesh or our spirit

14. Fasting simply is a decision to withhold food (anything that provides pleasure enjoyment, or sustinance"food") from the flesh and instead feed the spirit (Spiritual food, word of God christian music, fellowship with God)

15. this decision will produce a flesh that is subduded or weakend. Once the flesh is weakend the Spirit can assume the dominant role

16. If the Spirit is in control , the your flesh will do what God wants it to do

17. Fasting produces more of a focus and submission to the will of God which is carried out through you via the HolySpirit

18. Fasting is essential if you desire to live a life that overcomes the desires of the flesh

19. Fasting is something that you should do with some regularity as long as you are on this side of heaven
The Spirit and the flesh will forever fight for the dominant role in your body.

20. We fast becasue we want God to be in control and because we want more of God (his Spirit will always guide us to more of him

21. Fasting must come from being taught but not out of tradition

22. We are taught the fundamentals of fasting but do it because we are personally responding to the love God has for us and all he has done for us

23. Everything we do for God should be our decision and we must know and understand why we are doing it. (everything else is tradition and has no value to us)

Now that God dwells among his people as the Spirit who is, as you say, “more than capable of controlling our entire body” (though I would rather say “more than capable of guiding the church”), why does He have to wait for us to fast in order to gain control over the “flesh”?

What kind of a powerful spirit can’t compete with a three-course meal?

There must be a better Biblical reason for fasting than this.

Upon more reflection:

I work for a church in the second wealthiest US county—a church faced with the constant dilemma of materialism and inappreciation in its community and in its members. Never having lived in or really experienced suburban life, I am constantly overwhelmed by the realization that everything one could possibly want or need is within easy reach. While there are, of course, many good people who are cognizant of and thankful for the aestheic blessing of new clothes, nice cars, good restaurants, pianos (in my case :)), etc., I do see a lack of gratitude—a belief that these luxuries are deserved—in many of the people I encounter.

By limiting ourselves, however superficially, of something that so far has been always available to us, we can (albeit in a small, unlasting way) experience a different mentality. We can actively set ourselves apart from the gluttony of a materialistic society and realize that we don’t really deserve all that we have been given. We can renew our gratitude toward a gracious God.
Fasting may be one way of making a commitment to a life of awareness and thankful living.

One question I still have:

How does emptying oneself physically provide more room for the Holy Spirit? I find that when I do not eat for long periods of time, I am anything but still. My mind is cloudy and obsessive; my thoughts are jittery and wild. In the past few years, I have been realizing that I am most equipped to live worshipfully when I am well-nourished mentally, physically, and emotionally. I would like to see more of an emphasis in the church on taking good care of our selves—of learning more about our personal needs; of listening quietly to God and to ourselves.

Fasting was a regular discipline for men like Daniel, who “…gave [his] attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting….” (Daniel 9:3 NAS) Later in this same chapter, God’s answer to Daniel comes through the angel Gabriel, who says, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you….” (Daniel 9:22-23 NAS) Even though Daniel was an incredible man of God, he still had to unlock the door to spiritual understanding through the discipline of prayer and fasting.

Some other examples in Scripture of those who fasted are Jesus (Matthew 4:2), Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9,18,25-29), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Daniel (Daniel 10:3), Ezra (Ezra 10:6), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4-11) and Paul (2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27).