Ernest Smith

Right now I am in the middle of a series of blog posts that are focused on how one can grow spiritual.  I am simply discussing things that I do to try and help my spiritual journey.  I am like most people and I have found myself on the top of Mount Zion where it seems that the presence of the Lord is so evident, and I have found myself walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  I believe that walking through life, we are going to go through good times and bad, but our spiritual journey should always be growing us closer to God and in a deeper relationship with Him.

For previous posts on what you can do to grow spiritually, check out post 1 or post 2

For this post, I thought I would talk about something that is going to dictate my posts over the next 10 days.  One spiritual discipline that I attempt to have in my life is the discipline of fasting.

Fasting is one of those disciplines that I believe is lost in much of the Church today. I hear very few people who turn to fasting as a means of growing closer to God and more obedient to Him.  I have heard people who try to use fasting to simply get what they want.  “If I just fast food for this amount of time, then God must answer me and do what I am asking Him to do.”

To be honest, this is how I used to treat fasting.  I used to think that if I did A + B, then God would give me C.  Made sense to me, this is how much of the world operates…why not God?

Then, I took the challenge to fast for 10 days earlier this year.  I chose not to eat anything for those 10 days and I pretty much had a spirit of “well, since I am sacrificing this much for God, then maybe He will give me what I want.”  What did I want?  I simply wanted Him to tell me what I would be doing in 5 years.  Nothing too much.  I didn’t want a new house, a new car, or a million dollars.  I simply wanted to know what the future held and God was my crystal ball…at least that is how I acted.

While on the fast, my stomach hurt, I lost weight, I sought God…but, no answer.  I remember as we got to day 9 and 10, I was thinking “man God, did I really just waste these last 9-10 days?”  And the Lord spoke to me in that moment, not in a loud, audible way, but in a still, small impression on my heart and He said, “if you were fasting to get something from me, then yes, it was a waste, but if you were fasting to know me more, then no, it wasn’t.”

That really challenged me because I was seeking God’s hand, rather than His heart.  I was wanting what He could give me, rather than what I could give Him.  I was looking for Him to be obedient to me and my prayers, rather than me being obedient to Him.

Fasting is not a way to get God to do what one wants.  Fasting is not a way for one to “prove” how much they can  “sacrifice” to God.  Fasting is not a way to gloat to the world how spiritual one is.

Fasting is simply a way of removing a distraction so that you can have a greater concentration on who God is and what He desires for you. 

You can fast food, media, sleep, sodas…whatever you feel can help you better focus on God.  For me, I usually fast food because every time I get a hunger pain, I remember to pray and seek God.

CHALLENGE: Here is a challenge for each of you.  I want to challenge you to fast over the next 10 days.  It can be for one day.  It can be lunch every day.  It can be for the entire 10 days.  The fast could be food, media or any other distraction in your life.

I am going to fast from media for 10 days.  I won’t be posting on here.  I won’t be checking Facebook.  The only thing you will see on media from me is a tweet about work or a tweet in regards to a Scripture passage that day.  That is it.  I won’t be watching the World Series.  I won’t be watching NFL.  I won’t be watching Survivor. Oh man, I am getting depressed just thinking about it. :)  Actually, I’m not.  I am excited.  I’m excited to do this journey with any who take the challenge.  I am excited to see what God says to each of us.  I am excited to see how we may be more obedient to Him at the end of these 10 days.

So will you take the challenge?

Let the fasting begin.