FAST FOOD

I don’t know if everyone is familiar with fasting so I‘ll give you the Gena definition. It means to make a commitment to go without food or drink or both for a designated amount of time. During this time you pray for a specific thing you are seeking the Lord for. For me it’s usually a decision that needs to be made.
When the Lord told me to home school my youngest daughter I thought I heard him wrong because I thought home schooling was for “weird” people. Being the queen of weird I should have known better. Anyway, my daughter and I decided to pray about it while she was on a youth group trip and because this was a big decision I decided to fast too. I knew for sure at the end of the fast that I was supposed to home school and when my daughter got home from camp she told me she felt the same way. I don’t think I would have had the guts to make that decision if I didn’t believe it was what God was telling me to do. It was an amazing year and the Lord taught us both many lessons.
In the Bible the people would fast when they were seeking the Lord for something serious. Esther had all the Jews fast when there was a plan to have the people killed. Daniel fasted probably right before he was thrown in the lions den.
Daniel 9:3
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
In Joel the Lord tells the people to return to Him with all their heart with fasting.
Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights, no food or water in the wilderness with satan tempting Him the whole time.
There are many scriptures in the New Testament telling about the times the disciples fasted.
Jesus even gave the do’s and don’ts on fasting.
Matthew 6:16-18
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, 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 men 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.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is fasting was and is important to God.
A friend of mine asked me and a few other ladies to fast and pray for a situation she’s dealing with so we did. I was really praying about it before hand and I asked the Lord to show me what He wanted me to know about fasting from the Bible.
I want to tell you something about God, if you ask Him a sincere question He will answer you. Saturday night He put on my heart to read Isaiah. I thought to myself there are 66 chapters in Isaiah can you narrow it down. The next morning I woke up and turned on the TV. I don’t usually watch TV especially in the morning; guess what was written on the TV screen? Isaiah 58! I turned off the TV and got out my Bible. Guess what the heading for that Chapter is? Observances of Fasts!! I can’t make this stuff up. I’ll give you the gist of it but I would encourage you to read the whole chapter.
Message Bible Isaiah 58:6-8
This is the kind of fast day I am after to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the work place, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will be turned around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You will call out for help and I’ll say, “Here I am.”
Wow, that blew me away!
Obviously God isn’t just interested in what we eat or don’t eat or how long we go without food or water, what He’s really interested in is how we treat each other.
If you have never fasted I would encourage you to try it, there is something special about sharing this time with the Lord. It’s a personal time between the two of you. If you are a regular faster (is that a word?) I would encourage you to check your heart and make sure you are following the guidelines God gives us in Isaiah.
Next time you fast food have it God’s way!