Fear of Fasting

 

Whenever I think about starting a fast, my mind quickly jumps to thoughts of unpleasant deprivation. Jesus fasted forty days and nights — yet how did he survive that long without food? Could I survive that long without it? Could I survive that long even in a partial fast?

The Daniel Fast is a partial fast where a person gives up processed sugar and carbohydrates, meat, and dairy for a time so that they can draw closer to the Lord. At this time of year, many people are declaring a church wide fast or doing things individually, to jumpstart the new year and declare it for the Lord.

But could I be capable of such a thing?

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30)

What if I start and I’m not able to finish? What if I give into temptation and quit early? What if I fall and can’t get back up again?

Fear is full of what if’s - its goal is to get you to be so worried about failure that you never even start a task at all. 

When it comes to fasting, Jesus has told us that we should all fast - He said: “WHEN you fast…” in Matthew 6:16

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  (Matthew 6:16-18)

So what Jesus describes here is the cost of fasting. The cost is that we should not look for the approval of others but for God’s approval alone. To remember that fasting is between us and the Lord, and no one else. If we can’t “afford” that, then we shouldn’t even start. Otherwise, we should fast. Talk to the Lord and see what kind of fasting you should do, and how long. The Lord knows what you’re capable of and that we have to crawl before we can walk… and before we can run.

Yes, Jesus was capable of a 40 day fast. But without the kind of abiding relationship that Jesus had with the Father, we would not be capable of that sort of feat. And this kind of abiding relationship is fertilized through fasting and prayer. Without absolute reliance upon the Lord, we are not capable of feats of faith and fasting, bringing our flesh under God’s control, but it is one of the ways we cultivate our reliance upon the Lord.

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13b)

So if God has promised to provide a way out of temptation when it comes, and to not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, then we can step out in faith and do the fasting we need to to draw closer to Him. Pray about it, decide on a set amount of time and type of fast, and then trust in the Lord to help you endure it, to draw closer to you, and not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. Today it is my prayer that I will be braver than my fear of fasting.