Fasting Slowly-Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 6:16-18
- The Upside Down Kingdom
a. Don’t let good practices go bad (part 3): Make fasting about God - Importance of motive in fasting
a. Motive is to abstain from food for spiritual purposes, to centre on God, not for weight
loss, vanity, attention seeking, or a desire for power
b. Technique to block out distraction, noise and go deeper into our God zone
c. Fasting reveals the things that control us and allows us to feast on the Word of God - So why is fasting so difficult today?
a. As with many spiritual disciplines, fasting:
i. Has fallen out of fashion in the world and in the Christian tradition
ii. Never seems to fit into our “Too much to do” and “Too much distraction”
worlds
iii. Seems to be impossible given our current habits
iv. Science and culture think it is old-fashioned and maybe even dangerous - Tips for right-motivated fasting
a. Having the right equipment
i. Mind – develop “an appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God”
ii. Body – plan duration and what you can eat/drink
b. Starting your workout – Walk before you run; recalibrate if necessary
c. Watching your “heart” monitor- Keep examining your internal and external motives for
fasting so that you are fasting for the right reasons – to go deeper with God