"May
the Lord
answer you in the
day of trouble!
May the name of
the God of Jacob
protect you!"
(Psalm 20:1)
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LENT
The church celebrates the lent each year to remind
believers that Jesus fasted for forty days to demonstrate the effectiveness
of fast in facing the temptations of the devil. Before the Lord was led up
by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, He fasted 40
days and 40 nights to be prepared for the fight, which He won. (Matt.
4:1-11, Lk 4:1-13). He gave us himself as an example to follow, declaring
that the only way to overcome the devil is through prayer and fasting (Matt
17:21; Mk 9:29).
What is the fast?
The definition of fast is to abstain or hold back from
something (e.g., food, habit or desire) by your own choice. Fast, in a
broader sense, is to abstain from evil deeds, bad habits, or sin that keeps
you away from God or suppresses your spiritual life. Isaiah 58:6-8. Fasting
from food is a command from God, Matt 6:16-18.
The sin that cast Eve and Adam out of the paradise was
the desire to eat. Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and
pleasing to the eye. She ate some and gave some to her husband, and he ate
it, Gen 3:6. Man did not eat meat until after the flood of Noah Gen 9:3.
The purpose of fasting
Fasting by itself is not an ultimate goal. Through
controlling our desires to eat, we hope to strengthen our spirits so we do
not let any evil desire or sin to reign over our bodies, but to live
according to the Spirit of God, so we become sons of God (Rom 8:14).
The bible warns us in Gal 5:17 that “the flesh desires
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. They are in conflict
with each other, so that you do not do what you want". Notice the inverse
relationship between the flesh (i.e., the sinful nature) and the spirit.
Therefore, St. Paul said, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after
I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" 1 Co 9:27.
Jesus said "Man does not live on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from the mouth of God" Matt 4:4; Deut 8:3. The book of
Ecclesiastes, 12:1 reminds us “the dust (flesh) returns to the ground it
came from and the spirit returns to God who gave it". In
Matt 6:31, 33, God said "do not worry, saying, 'What
shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' But seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be
given to you as well.
Is fasting an important practice in Christianity?
Jesus himself, the Son of God, gave us Himself as an
example to show the importance of fast in our struggle against the devil.
Before he was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil,
he fasted forty days and forty nights. He passed the temptation
successfully, Matt 4:1-11.
When the disciples failed to cast out an evil spirit from
a man, Jesus told them "this kind (i.e., the devil) can come out only by
prayer and fasting" Mk 9:29. The message here is that fasting is an
important means by which we can overcome the devil and stand against his
temptations. Furthermore, Our Lord Jesus Christ expects us to fast Mt 9:14,
15 & Mk 2:18-20; and taught us how to practice fasting Mt 6:16-18. Based on
that, the Coptic Orthodox Church arranged fast for the whole church to
practice as the one body of Christ. During fast we lift our heart to the
Lord with one spirit and control our desires not only from food but also
from any other desires that separate us from God and may result in losing
the eternal life.
Fasting in the Old Testament:
The time of fast is good for repentance. In the book of
Joel 2:12-15 God says "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and
weeping and mourning... who knows? He may return and have pity... Declare a
holy fast, call a sacred assembly".
The people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a
fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them ... When
God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had
compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened".
Jonah 3:5-10
God accepted even the fast of Ahab "Then the word of the
Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel ...
then say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked
up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood ... When Ahab heard these
words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted ... Then the
word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: "Have you noticed how Ahab has
humbled himself before me? Because he humbled himself before me, I will not
bring this disaster in his days, but I will bring it on his house in the
days of his son." Notice the effect of prayer, fast, tears and humility on
God's heart. 1 Kings 21:17-29
Moses before he received the two tables of the Testimony
from the Lord, he was on the mount of Sinai with the Lord for forty days and
forty nights without eating bread or drinking water Exodus 34:28; 24:18.
There are many examples in the Old Testament to show the
importance of fast before God. Read Judges 20:26, 1 Kings 19:8; Isaiah
58:6,7.
Fasting in the early church
Praying and fasting before starting any project or taking
any decision was the common practice in the early church (and should be in
our life as well), Acts13: 2,3 and 14: 23 & 2 Co. 6: 3-10 & 2 Co. 11:23-30.
St. Paul emphasized the fast as one of the principles in his ministry "But
in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience,
in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments,
in riots in hard work, in sleepless nights, in fasting; by pureness,
by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, in the Holy Spirit and in
sincere love" 2 Co 6:4-6. He also mentioned the same principles in 2 Co
11:27 "In weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and
thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness".
Why sometimes God does not consider our fast?
The Lord answered this question in Isaiah 58: 3-12 He
says "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of
injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and
break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to
provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe
him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light
will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear; then
your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be
your rear guard". Notice the promises of the Lord to those who fast from the
evil and show a positive signs to their growth in the spiritual life. God
does not accept the superficial fast but the one from the bottom of the
heart Lk 10-14.
Fast should be accompanied by prayers, giving to the
needy, and other virtuous such as love, chastity, reading in the bible. It
should be a time of repentance, confession, and growing spiritually. It
should benefit the spirit more than the body, Matt. 15:11 & 1 Co 8:8.
Last modified:
August 30, 2008
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