Fasting is not just about personal growth, but also about empathizing and serving the poor.
Fasting is a means to practice justice, break through strongholds of evil, and engage in spiritual conflict.
Fasting involves sharing resources, standing in solidarity with the poor, and making a tangible difference in their lives.
Deep dives
Fasting to Develop Empathy and Compassion
Fasting is not just about willingly discomforting our bodies, but also about growing in empathy and compassion for those who experience involuntary discomfort and hunger. By voluntarily going without food, we begin to understand the millions of people who are forced to go without food. Fasting allows us to embody the character of Jesus, who empathizes with our weaknesses. It helps us train ourselves to love and serve the poor as Jesus does.
Fasting as a Practice of Justice
Fasting is deeply connected to justice and mercy. In Isaiah 58, the prophet speaks of fasting as a means to break the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, and share food with the hungry. Fasting in this context is not just about individual spiritual growth, but about practicing justice and doing good for others. It is about standing against evil and injustice, both at a societal and spiritual level. Fasting helps us engage in spiritual conflict and empowers us to break through strongholds of evil and injustice.
Connecting Fasting with Serving the Poor
Fasting is not only about refraining from food, but also about sharing what we have and standing in solidarity with the poor. By fasting, we experience hunger and discomfort, which moves us to compassion for those who go hungry involuntarily. Fasting challenges us to think beyond our own needs and to consider what we can do to help those who are less fortunate. It encourages us to use the resources we save during fasting to serve the poor and make a tangible difference in their lives. Fasting is not simply an individualistic practice, but a way to connect with and support those in need.
Justice and Fasting
Fasting can be a powerful practice to engage with justice issues. It is a way to grieve and lament during tragic events, such as school shootings or racial injustice. By fasting, we put our bodies in a state of grief and deeply connect with God's presence. Fasting also unlocks the miraculous and heightens our spiritual senses. It is a way to increase our spiritual authority and power to minister to others. Fasting is a prophetic living that helps us rid ourselves of the idols of the land we are called to serve, allowing us to be agents of the Kingdom of God in a powerful way.
The Connection Between Justice and Mercy
Biblical justice has an end point of kinship and is intertwined with righteousness. It is not an abstract concept, but rather relational and substantive. Justice flows from intimacy with Jesus and is motivated by love, not anger. It encompasses both the oppressed and the oppressors, seeking to restore and bring unity. The connection between justice and mercy is deeply rooted in proximity to the poor. Fasting and consecration are practical ways to focus on justice and mercy, actively resisting the idols of a particular place and growing in spiritual authority. These practices can involve fasting from food or other neutral things, engaging in service, and cultivating compassion for the marginalized.
Does a practice like fasting matter in the face of injustice and evil in the world? Can fasting really change any of it? If so, how?
For the fourth week of our Fasting series, pastor and writer, Tyler Staton joins John Mark Comer, Yinka Dawson, and Jarin Oda to talk about three key characteristics of biblical justice, the differences between standing for and with the poor, and how fasting is a powerful way to empathize with and intercede for our neighbors in need.
This podcast accompanies the Fasting Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all Practices are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit www.practicingtheway.org.
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