“No desire of the human heart is safe unless the natural heart is first satisfied by God.” - Oswald Chambers
There is an unholy trinity at work in our midst: the devil, our flesh, and the world. Self-sufficiency and pride of life epitomize the character of the unholy trinity. Fasting is a powerful and extreme act of defiance against the main thing this trio would have us do: rely on any source other than God.
One of the most amazing patterns I’ve seen after having fasted regularly now for years, is that when I fast even when I can’t afford to because of all the things I have to get done, somehow it all gets done! Like the promise says, “all those things get added unto me!” When we fast, even when it seems we can’t afford an empty gas tank, we tap into God’s supernatural fuel and resources. When we empty our pockets of our scant fish and bread, the Lord of abundance takes that offering and multiplies it so that we have more at the end than we did at the beginning! David wrote, “I humbled my soul with fasting.” (Ps. 35:13) When we humble ourselves before His face, it qualifies us for the provision He wants to pour upon us, for God opposes the proud but exalts the humble. (Prince Fasting 1986)
The abundance that has been poured out during my regular fasting experiences, have overcome that core fear of laying down my life; instead, I fear not laying down my life. When we seek Him and His kingdom business first, He takes care of ours. Fasting is the one discipline that we can purposefully engage in to experience the principle of true humility firsthand: “I am the power outlet, you are the plug; without Me you can do nothing.” Fasting tangibly illustrates the Christian life is all about—the great exchange of our meager life for the power of His resurrection life
Fasting reveals the mystery underlying God’s economy: when we lay down our life, we find it. So often we mindlessly default into living for ourselves. We give into the pressures of life when we are not regularly and purposefully seeking His face. We so easily become like the disciples who told Jesus that they would put Him first once other things weren’t so pressing (Mt. 8:22, Lk. 9:60). At our very core is the fear that if we don’t live for ourselves, we will miss out. Fasting on a regular basis is like pre-scheduling a tow truck to snatch us out of self-absorbed ditches and get us back on the track of purposefully seeking Him and living for Him!
Adapted from the Coram Deo Secret
http://www.marisarickerson.com/coram-deo.html
There is an unholy trinity at work in our midst: the devil, our flesh, and the world. Self-sufficiency and pride of life epitomize the character of the unholy trinity. Fasting is a powerful and extreme act of defiance against the main thing this trio would have us do: rely on any source other than God.
One of the most amazing patterns I’ve seen after having fasted regularly now for years, is that when I fast even when I can’t afford to because of all the things I have to get done, somehow it all gets done! Like the promise says, “all those things get added unto me!” When we fast, even when it seems we can’t afford an empty gas tank, we tap into God’s supernatural fuel and resources. When we empty our pockets of our scant fish and bread, the Lord of abundance takes that offering and multiplies it so that we have more at the end than we did at the beginning! David wrote, “I humbled my soul with fasting.” (Ps. 35:13) When we humble ourselves before His face, it qualifies us for the provision He wants to pour upon us, for God opposes the proud but exalts the humble. (Prince Fasting 1986)
The abundance that has been poured out during my regular fasting experiences, have overcome that core fear of laying down my life; instead, I fear not laying down my life. When we seek Him and His kingdom business first, He takes care of ours. Fasting is the one discipline that we can purposefully engage in to experience the principle of true humility firsthand: “I am the power outlet, you are the plug; without Me you can do nothing.” Fasting tangibly illustrates the Christian life is all about—the great exchange of our meager life for the power of His resurrection life
Fasting reveals the mystery underlying God’s economy: when we lay down our life, we find it. So often we mindlessly default into living for ourselves. We give into the pressures of life when we are not regularly and purposefully seeking His face. We so easily become like the disciples who told Jesus that they would put Him first once other things weren’t so pressing (Mt. 8:22, Lk. 9:60). At our very core is the fear that if we don’t live for ourselves, we will miss out. Fasting on a regular basis is like pre-scheduling a tow truck to snatch us out of self-absorbed ditches and get us back on the track of purposefully seeking Him and living for Him!
Adapted from the Coram Deo Secret
http://www.marisarickerson.com/coram-deo.html
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