01/07/2024
ON FASTING EFFECTIVELY: If you'll ensure you're not feeding the body but you still feed/satisfy the soul, then your fasting will still largely be ineffective. What I'm saying is, fasting isn't about the food (not eating) but about not gratifying/satisfying that desire of the flesh (soul). The more you restrain the flesh and allow the Spirit to exert it's control, the more effective your fast and the more dominant your spirit will be over the flesh. That's actually what fasting is.
It is not the prevention of food from entering your mouth that's the goal but the taming of hunger and the desires of the soul/flesh.
If that desire is still as strong after the fast as it was before the fast, then either you didn't fast well, or you need to fast again (continue the fast). Fasting isn't about weakening the body through starvation but about weakening the fleshly desires through self control and restraint.
Hence if your fasting isn't taming your desires, not making you more temperate, more self controlled, not taming your anger and lust, then you're not fasting well.
You didn't eat throughout the 21day fast yet you can't stay away from your phone for 6hrs? You're not fasting right. If you were, your desires for the things in the world would've dwindled and your passion for God would've been kindled. Truly, we never stop loving God (love can wax cold, but it never dies out).
In Rev 2:4, Jesus didn't say they stopped loving Him; He said they abandoned their love for Him. It's because we never truly lose our love for God, but the passions of the world can so dominate you that you won't feel the love your spirit has for your God; you'll only be feeling the soul's desires for things, not the Spirit's desire for God.
And one reason you'll endure a 6-6 fast for 21days and it'll not yield any significant spiritual returns is because you were feeding while fasting. Let me explain.
I've already established that fasting is to regulate the desires of the flesh seated deep within the soul; the goal of fasting is the soul/flesh, not the body. Hence once you're not feeding the body but are feeding the soul, you're still eating and not fasting.
What gratifies or satisfies the soul🤔? Many things do. For some, texting, watching movies, TV, social media, hanging out with friends, eating, sleeping, s*x, talking with people etc gives them pleasure (ie. satisfies their soul).
Your emotions are part of the soul (the soul comprises of your mind, will and emotions) hence anything that can feed your emotions or desires is feeding the soul.
Hence once these things that give you a sense of pleasure is still ongoing like a normal day during a fast, your soul is still being fed and your fast won't avail much.
This is why from scripture, people separate themselves from people to fast. Paul teaches us in 1 Cor 7:5 that things that give pleasure such as s*x should be avoided during a fast. It's almost as if you can only feed either the soul or spirit per time and this is why it's critical you wean yourself off pleasure when on a fast.
Today, many shut the door of their mouth against food, but open the door of their heart, eyes and ears to many things that feed the soul and so their fasts are diluted. Separating yourself from the activities, distractions and busyness of life gives you the focus to do a lot spiritually than you do on a normal day. If the only difference between the day you're fasting and the day you're not fasting is the mere absence of food but not a modification in activity, then you're not fasting efficiently.
When you're fasting, don't eat; I'm not just talking about the body, I'm talking about the soul. Once you're feeding the spirit with the Word and prayer, it'll be easy to feel your love for God again. It's not because fasting gave you a love for God; it's only because it could lower the noise of the soul so that the love within your spirit for God can be loud enough for you to feel your love for God again. As your perception of the sensations of your Spirit increases, your discernment becomes "loud enough", your spiritual sight becomes clear enough, and God's voice becomes audible enough. The stronger the hold of your spirit, the more fewer utterances in prayer can get across so that there is faster response and results from heaven that aren't masked or drowned by the soul/Flesh. This is how fasting works!
Photo credit: David Ohene Agyekum
