The Advent of Easter, Part XI by Pamela Christian—Copyright © 2019
After salvation, when our spirits have been completely replaced, we need to cooperate with the process of sanctification. To help us resist the ways of the world and to be transformed through the renewing of our mind, various spiritual disciplines are of tremendous help. Spiritual disciplines are experienced in three categories: Inward, Outward and Corporate. Inward disciplines include: meditation, prayer, fasting and Bible study. Outward disciplines include: simplicity, solitude submission and service. Corporate disciplines involve: confession, worship guidance and celebration. With this post, with the focus on the Lenten Season, we’ll consider prayer and fasting.
In his book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Richard Foster explains prayer is the discipline that brings us into the deepest and highest work of the human spirit. “Real prayer is life creating and life changing. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives.”1 I can think of several people I know who claim to be Christian who do not exhibit any real interest in prayer, whom I would describe as lackluster Christians with lives visibly more like an unbeliever. For the Christian, prayer is not to be a matter tacked onto their lives—prayer is to be the sustaining essence of their lives.
Scriptures reveal the importance of praying “rightly.” To pray rightly means to think God’s thoughts, to desire the things He desires, to love the things He loves, and to will the things He wills. Communing with God through prayer is an exercise of our faith and knowledge, meaning our effectiveness in prayer will be developed over time and use.
When we are confident we are praying according to the revealed will of God, we should pray with full expectation that change will occur. Learn more about prayer than this post intends to provide through Andrew Murray’s classic book With Christ in the School of Prayer.
Fasting is the discipline of abstaining from food or an activity for spiritual purposes. With spiritual fasting you will experience spiritual increase. The increase may be knowledge, understanding, wisdom, revelation, love, and more. Fasting in the Old Testament was an effort to implore God to intervene, often at times of morning seeking God for hope over a situation. In the Old Testament era the Jews fasted frequently, though there was only one fast prescribed by the law. Once each year on the Day of Atonement the Hebrews were to afflict their souls (Lev. 16:31), which meant fasting (cf. Isa. 58:3).
While there are no compulsory fasts required of Christians today, the New Testament seems to take for granted that children of God would see the need to fast occasionally. Teaching about fasting Jesus said “when you fast” not if you fast. Fasting for New Testament Christians should arise out of a feeling of intense need, not as a ritual or formality. The Bible reveals fasting often accompanied repentance, which is an outward expression of contrition for spiritual rebellion. Scriptures suggests God honors fasting when conducted along with deep and sincere dedication.
In the New Testament since everything God wants for us is available through faith in Christ, fasting is a means to better connect with the heart, mind, and will of God, aiding us in life decisions, clarity of prayers to be uttered, and amending our thoughts to align with His, for example.
Unfortunately, in our culture, spiritual fasting is often considered an option. However, Jesus’ teaching about fasting was the same as His instruction on prayer and giving—all three are to be regular disciplines for the Christian. Martin Luther said, “It was not Christ’s intention to reject or despise fasting . . . it was His intention to restore proper fasting.”2
In this high holy season leading up to Easter, to simultaneously employ the disciplines of both prayer and fasting, confessing our shortcomings and thanking Jesus for His love and transforming power is most appropriate.
Prayer and fasting are disciplines that can help us more fully connect with God and mature us as new creatures in Christ. Our new creation in Christ will be the topic of the next post
For March 24-25, 2019 read and meditate on the following Scriptures:
Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 9:14-15; Luke 2:37; Luke 5:35; Acts 14:23; 1 Corinthians 7:3-6; James 4:3;
- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, (Harper Collins 1998) p. 33.
- David R. Smith, Fasting: A Neglected Discipline (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1969) p. 6
Scroll down below to access earlier posts in this series. To view the entire list of planned devotions, see the Introduction.
Note: All the books in the award-winning Faith to Live By series are written to help people discover and live in life-giving truth. Visit the Author Page to learn more about the different books. When you purchase any of my products, you are helping support the ministry and spread the gospel of Jesus.
Your privacy is always respected and protected.