Fasting

The Lost Discipline: Rediscovering the Power of Fasting

In a world obsessed with instant gratification, we've lost something vital. Something that once defined the Christian faith for over 1,500 years. Something that every major figure in Scripture practiced. Something Jesus assumed His followers would do.

We've lost the discipline of fasting.

More Than Just Truth

Consider this startling reality: 60% of Americans identify as Christian, yet only 4% are actual disciples. We know the truth about Jesus—we believe He's real, that He's God, that He died for our sins. But knowing truth isn't enough.

Even Satan knows theology. Demons believe in God and shudder at His name. They have truth, but they lack one crucial thing: allegiance. They refuse to follow the way Jesus lived.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We've become experts at the "truth" part. We study Scripture, attend Bible studies, and can quote theology. But we've neglected "the way"—the actual lifestyle, habits, and practices that Jesus modeled.

Think of it like six-pack abs. We all believe they're real. We know the truth about them. We may even know exactly how to get them. But most of us don't want to follow the way to actually have them. Similarly, many believers know Jesus is real but refuse to adopt His way of living.

The Way of Jesus

Jesus lived with specific habits, practices, and rhythms. He had daily routines and weekly disciplines that produced the fruit of His life. The early church followed these same patterns, and they experienced signs, wonders, miracles, and transformed communities.

For spiritual health, we need all three: allegiance (the way), truth, and power (life). Like a three-legged stool, remove any one leg and everything collapses. Many churches specialize in one or two but miss the complete picture.

A Forgotten Practice

Fasting stands as one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in modern Christianity. Yet its history is remarkable:

Moses was the first recorded person in human history to fast
David, Samuel, Elijah, Esther, the prophets, Paul, and Jesus all fasted
For 1,500 years, the entire Christian church fasted every Wednesday and Friday
The Didache, a first-century document, commanded fasting before baptism
By the fourth century, fasting was so common that church leaders had to regulate it, prohibiting fasting on Saturdays and Sundays
The entire church once fasted from Good Friday evening to Easter Sunday morning to connect with Jesus's sufferings. Lent originated as a 40-day fast during daylight hours before Easter—a practice Muslims later adapted for Ramadan.

Fasting only fell out of practice with Protestants during the Enlightenment when the focus shifted to intellectual understanding. Today, atheists and many Protestants are among the only people on earth who don't fast regularly.

What Jesus Said About Fasting

In Matthew 6:16, Jesus said, "When you fast..." Not "if" you fast, but "when." He assumed His followers would fast, just as He assumed they would pray and give to the poor.

Jesus instructed that fasting should be done secretly, not for show: "When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

There's a reward for fasting. Because we don't fast, we don't even know what those rewards are—and we miss out on them entirely.

Why Fast?

Biblical fasting isn't a restricted diet or giving up social media. It's abstaining from food, period. This discipline serves multiple purposes:

It offers our whole being to God. Romans 12:1 says, "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Notice it says "bodies," not just minds or feelings. We must be whole-bodied in our submission to Christ.

It helps us deny the flesh. The number one factor determining a child's future success is delayed gratification. Fasting trains us to tell our bodies "no" and delay gratification. When we gain control in one area, we gain control over the entire flesh.

It reveals what controls us. Fasting exposes our pleasure addictions and shows how much we need comfort to be happy. It teaches contentment even when we don't get what we want.

It reorders our desires. Christian thinkers throughout history noticed that an undisciplined appetite creates a domino effect across all areas of life, especially connecting gluttony to sexual immorality. Gaining control over food helps gain control over other fleshly desires.

It amplifies our prayers. People in Scripture fasted in response to crises, sin, invasions, and national emergencies. Queen Esther called for a fast that saved the Jewish people from genocide. During World War II, King George VI called for a national day of prayer and fasting when British soldiers were trapped at Dunkirk. Hours later, an inexplicable fog protected them while the English Channel became miraculously calm, allowing their rescue—the "Miracle of Dunkirk."

The Power of Rhythm and Response

Biblical figures fasted both in rhythm (as a regular habit) and in response (to specific situations). The early church in Antioch had a rhythm of worship and fasting. When the Holy Spirit spoke, they responded with fasting and prayer before sending out Barnabas and Paul.

John Wesley refused to ordain any minister who didn't fast every Wednesday and Friday. He wrote, "The man who never fasts is no more in the way to heaven than the man who never prays."

St. Basil the Great, who helped shape the Nicene Creed, wrote: "Fasting gives birth to prophets. She strengthens the powerful. Fasting makes lawgivers wise. She's a safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the brave, and a discipline for champions."

Crucifying the Flesh

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself." Galatians 5:24 declares, "Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

How do we crucify the flesh? We must say no. We must discipline our actual physical bodies. Romans 8:13 warns, "If you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Willpower alone isn't enough—just ask anyone whose New Year's resolution failed by January 9th. We need the Spirit's power. But we can't expect holiness while constantly comforting ourselves and feeding every pleasure. Fasting creates space for the Spirit to do what we cannot do ourselves.

A Call to Return

What if we returned to the ancient paths? What if we adopted the rhythms of Jesus and the early church? Not to earn God's favor, but to position ourselves for transformation?

The way of Jesus isn't just theological truth to believe—it's a lifestyle to embody. It's presenting our bodies, not just our thoughts, as living sacrifices. It's worship that extends beyond Sunday morning into the rhythms of our entire week.

Fasting feeds our spirit while starving our flesh. It weans us from pleasure addiction. It transforms our bodies from enemies into allies in the fight against sin. It draws on God's power to overcome what willpower alone cannot conquer.

The question isn't whether fasting works—centuries of faithful Christians testify to its power. The question is: Will we recover this lost discipline? Will we move beyond knowing truth to living the way?

The early church changed the world not just because they believed the right things, but because they lived a certain way. Perhaps it's time we did the same.

(This blog was created from Pastor Stacy's original sermon using pulpit.ai)