I don’t think it’s mandatory to fast anything from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. But it can be a good idea to fast something during that time or any other time of the year. Jesus said, “When you fast…” not “If you fast…”. However, when you fast during this sacred time, it can show your devotion to God to the world. It brings attention to the beautiful work of Jesus on the cross to redeem all mankind.
The kind of fasting that God wants and delights in is a fast that leads you to help others as often as possible. Isaiah 58:6-14 speaks of this kind of fast. Fasting unto the Lord should lead us to free people who are imprisoned by something. It should lead us to lighten the burdens of other people. When the effects of our fasting do this, our own wounds will heal a little more. As we help others, God will guide and protect us.
Sometimes we will have to tell other people no to something if we’re participating in a Lenten fast. We may have to turn down an invitation to lunch or dinner, but we can offer a walk with them around a neighborhood instead. If we do have to say no to something, we shouldn’t just say we’re busy. We should be ready with an explanation in mind that shows our hope as a believer. We can explain why we’re making this sacrifice and that reason should be to glorify God.
1. The Depravity of Sin. We show people the seriousness of sin and the importance of repenting from those sins. We can cry out like Daniel, “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations (Daniel 9:4-5 NLT). Our sins are so grievous to God that He had to send His one and only Son to make sacrificial atonement for them.
2. A Zeal for God. We show other people that we are more hungry for God and His truth than we are hungry for food. We may even realize that nourishment can come from doing the will of God in the form of good works (John 4:34 NLT).
3. Our Persistence. Fasting and continual prayer show God that we are serious about wanting His righteousness, truth, and justice to prevail on the earth. Like the widow who got an atheist judge to do what she wanted simply because she wouldn’t leave him alone (Luke 18:1-8), we will see some righteousness and truth if we are persistent. God loves this kind of faith.
4. The Importance of the Easter Holiday. Resurrection Sunday is the most event of Christian history. If Christ hadn’t died on the cross and been raised to life again, the Christian faith is useless (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT). More importantly, if Christ wasn’t raised, then you are still guilty of your sins and have no hope of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:17-18 NLT). So, thank God that the resurrection of Christ is true!
The main point of a fast is to give up something that means something to us so we can spend more time cultivating our relationship with God through bible reading and prayer. Then the more time we spend with Him, the more we want to spend our lives doing things that help other people. So, fasting is a discipline that brings the first and second commandments alive in our hearts.
Walking out our faith in front of others will show them more about God and faith than if we preached a thousand sermons to them. Sermons are great when someone is ready to accept God’s truth. But acts of love and service may get their attention even if their spiritual eyes are still shut. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are a disciple of Jesus (John 13:35 NLT).
Letting people know that we are doing something to celebrate the Lenten season will show them that we want to glorify and honor Christ’s work on the cross. It’s like holding up a candle that gets brighter and brighter, the closer we get to the celebration of Easter, or rather what it should be called, The Resurrection. At least 70 million people in the world have been martyred for their belief in Christ since Jesus walked the earth. And the number of martyrs has grown each century after the 1st Century A.D. Most of the numbers have occurred in the last 200 years or so. There is power in the resurrection—a power to overcome death. We want to hold up Christ’s work on the cross as special and life-giving to a world that is growing darker and darker every day.
Dear Lord, I am asking you today if I should give up anything during the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday. If you call me to give something up for the Lenten season, help me give glory to You the whole time. Help me to learn even more about You and Your character so that I can imitate You. May I realize that You provide everything I need. I don’t want to cling to things of this world. I want to cling to You. And may I speak of You to other people throughout this time and show them Your love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. May the people I meet know I follow You because of the love and hope that springs out from me. And may they realize that they can have that love and hope too. Thank You for dying for my sins. And thank You for the opportunity to speak of Your life-giving power. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
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