Rev. Ted Kang

To Jesus, fasting was not a matter of “if” but “when”.  He entered His public ministry with a season of fasting.  He expected His followers to practice fasting as an ongoing spiritual discipline.  Fasting is a discipline of simplicity. We lose our ability to appreciate things simply because we have too many things to consume.  We have very little appetite for the things of God when we are stuffed with the things of this world. Fasting, in its purest form, is a voluntary abstinence from the “good” things of this world so that we will develop a hunger for the “greater” things of the Kingdom.  A well-respected pastor and theologian once said, “the greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It’s not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink every night.”

Reflections:

1. What are the good things in your life that are preventing you from pursuing the best that God has for you?  
2. Many assume that God no longer speaks today.  Is it possible that our lives are perhaps a little too cluttered with other voices that we simply do not have the bandwidth to hear His voice?  
3. How can you de-clutter and simplify your life in this season so that you will have room for the spiritual blessings God wants to release to you?