Daily Devotion - Joel 2:12 - Fasting for Faith
At its very core, fasting is disciplining ourselves to master all of our natural instincts, such as the desire to amass possessions or the pride of being known and adored.
I love food.
Perhaps a little too much. There's an age-old question, "Do you eat to live or live to eat?" Essentially, is food simply a necessity - a means to an end - or is it what we pursue with every waking breath?
Hunger is one of mankind's most primal urges, an instinct literally driven by the flesh of our bodies. It's no surprise that the original sin involved this strong desire.
[Gen 3:6 ESV] 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Giving in to this primal instinct meant turning our backs on God and His entire purpose for mankind. We chose our bellies over our Creator and have been paying the price for it ever since.
Fasting, then, is a way for us to reject the primitive desire to feed our flesh and to master it, choosing to obey God and reawaken our primary purpose of living according to His will.
[Joel 2:12 ESV] 12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
In today's focus verse, God commands us through the prophet Joel to turn back to Him by denying our carnal desires and mourning how far we've wandered from our original purpose.
Of course, food isn't our only issue, and the term "fasting" is much more encompassing than the calories we put in our bodies. At its very core, fasting is disciplining ourselves to master all of our natural instincts, such as the desire to amass possessions or the pride of being known and adored (1 John 2:16).
Jesus faced all three of these carnal desires when He was tempted by Satan in the desert. He had been fasting and was tempted with food, but acknowledged that God's word is far superior to chasing after physical nourishment. He was offered the cities of the world if He would change allegiances and worship Satan, and He was dared to jump from a cliff and prove that He truly was the Son of God.
But Jesus wasn't consumed with pleasing His stomach, or with accumulating things or promoting His own desires and ego. His primary concern was obedience to the Father, and because He had victory over temptation, He paved the way for us to do the same.
Question to Consider
In what areas of my life am I still surrendering to my flesh and selfish desires? How can fasting from food/TV/social media help me discipline myself to hear from God?
Prayer for Today
Lord Jesus, show me where I have lived for myself and my carnal nature. Give me the courage to say "No" to those things that tear me away from the sweet fellowship with You that I was created for. Amen.
