by Þaundra dalton-Þmith WWW.ICHOOSEMYBESTLIFE.COM
reap the rewards
of fasting
GROWING UP I VIEWED DISCIPLINE AS A DIRTY WORD. It
conjured up images of punishment, hardship and stifling rigidity. I saw discipline as something to rebel against if I wanted to enjoy my life. Imagine my surprise when I learned self-discipline is one of the fruits of the spirit. Self-discipline is the ability to self-regulate or control your natural impulses. If you’ve ever tried to quit a bad habit, stay on a diet plan or commit to a fitness program for longer than a week, then you know how hard it is to practice self-disciple. However, unlike these examples that require you to provide all the strength required to resist, the fruit of self-disciple is empowered by the Holy Spirit. One of the best ways to practice the fruit of selfdisciple is with a spiritual fast. Spiritual fasting is not about losing physical weight, although that is a nice bonus. It ’s about losing the mental and spiritual baggage which prevent us from a deeper and more intimate walk with God. One of the best benefits of fasting is the resulting confidence and sense of identity in Christ. Too often our overbooked schedules leave little room for times of reflection. In the beginning, for me, it was more about obedience to a spiritual discipline than anything else. But as I sacrificed time I would normally spend doing my own thing in exchange
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for the purposeful pursuit of His presence; I started learning about the hidden benefits of fasting. Denying the body food it craves causes a deep hunger inside to be awakened — not just the physical, but also the spiritual hunger many of us possess. We begin to feel empty and yearn to be filled. Time spent reading the Bible is the gateway through which He pours in a life-changing understanding of the fullness of our identity in Christ. He reveals who we are through the Word. The more we allow God to reveal about our desires, cravings, longings and passion; the more we learn about our individual gifts and talents. Going deeper with God leads to reaping blessing in other areas of our lives. What you fast is a matter of personal choice. It should be a sacrifice to some degree and require you to resist some type of food. Medical and health issues can limit the fasting options of some, but everyone can fast something. Breast-feeding moms have told me they were fasting packaged foods and eating an all-natural diet for a period of time. College students have told me they have fasted take-out and opted to only eat prepared meals for a specific period. Entire congregations have joined together to corporately avoid bread, meats, and sweets for three weeks (the Daniel Fast). All these are
