Being Conformed thru Discipline part 7

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

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.

In our day and age of consumption the Discipline of Fasting for the believer is a challenge and seems out of date.  Yet as you can read above from the lips of Jesus, that Fasting should be a regular part of our devotional life and walking in following Jesus.  In fact look at the rest of Matthew 6 and see that fasting is treated like Praying or Giving, which most consider a normal part of following Jesus.  Consider the following quotes:

The fast day was a glorious day, such as London has scarce seen since the Restoration.  Every church in the city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every face.  Surely God heareth prayer, and there will yet be a lengthening of tranquility. -John Wesley, in 1756, after the king of England called for a national fast because of a threatened invasion by France

It was not Christ’s intention to reject or despise fasting… it was His intension to restore proper fasting. - Martin Luther

Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven’s gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory. -C.H. Spurgeon

First, let fasting be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him.  Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven. - John Wesley

Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, and self-discipline usually it's friend and generator. That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early desert fathers believed that a person's appetites are linked: full stomachs and jaded palates take the edge from our hunger and thirst for righteousness. They spoil the appetite for God. - Cornelius Platinga, Jr.

Now it is not my intention here to write about the different types of fasts found in the Bible or the different ways that you can practice this in your life, you can read or find a PDF copy online of Richard Fosters book: The Celebration of Discipline.  It is my hope that you consider this discipline of fasting and make it yours… in your life… as you follow Jesus.