What does it mean to fast? Of course, there is an outward real tangible meaning of FASTING, which means to not eat for a while, to deprive oneself from food and even from drink. And it is good to fast once in a while, as the Lord touches us and reminds us – give it to Him, and when He speaks to you, out of love towards Him and in consecration to Him, fast for the Lord and before the Lord!
But there is also a deeper meaning of fasting, which deals not only with outward things but with our inward being. The real meaning of FASTING, according to the entire revelation in the Bible, is to stop eating all things other than the Lord Jesus and to not have a taste for anything other than Him!
We all need to fast – we need to cease from all other kinds of eating, and to eat only Jesus as the bread of life in His word! In the eyes of God it is wicked to do things for Him without coming to Him to enjoy Him, eat Him, contact Him, and receive Him!
God doesn’t want man to DO things for Him – He wants us to come to Him and enjoy Him, eat Him, receive Him, and contact Him!
We eat so many other things – whatever we find satisfaction in is our food! These things may not be sinful or wrong, they may be the things we need for our living, and they may not be worldly things – but they are our food!
Even spiritual or scriptural things or practices can be something that we do or adhere to – but we don’t touch the Lord while doing them! It may sound incredible or impossible, but a believer may even set aside time to read the Bible, go to the meetings with the other believers, have a time of morning revival – yet NOT TOUCH THE LORD!
The Real Meaning of Fasting is to STOP eating Other Things and just Eat the Lord!
We may LOVE reading the Bible, but do we really EAT THE LORD, or do we just love spending quiet time in reading the Word? There’s nothing wrong with reading the Bible, going to the meetings, having morning revival, or any other good life practices – but we may do something outwardly yet not touch the Lord inwardly! This is to be wicked in the eyes of God.
God does not need “doers” but He needs and desires “enjoyers”! It is wicked in the eyes of the Lord to do many things for Him YET not come to Him personally to contact Him, enjoy Him, take Him in, receive Him, and taste Him!
Learn to touch the Lord and be touched by the Lord in everything you do! This is to really FAST – to have your appetite changed from tasting and desiring anything else to enjoying only Christ!
Christ is the real food – He is the living bread, the bread of life, the bread that came out from heaven – for us to enjoy! Christ is the water of life, the living water, even the water that quenches our thirst (see John 4). Christ is the food and the drink to us by being embodied in His Word.
God wants to be man’s food, man’s drink, and man’s only life supply! We can eat Him by taking in His Word – praying over the Word, touching the Lord as we get into the Word, and breathing Him in through the Word! He is not happy when we eat so many other things – and we do not eat Him!
He wants us to eat Him by turning to Him at all times! Whether we sit or walk, whether we work or study, whether we’re quiet or we’re speaking, whether we go somewhere or we stay at home – in all situations, in all things, in all our doings, in our not doing things, we need to learn to touch the Lord and eat the Lord!
We need to learn to stop our taste for any other thing – we need to learn to eat the Lord until the taste for Him replaces any other taste in our being!
[enjoyment based on the life-study of Isaiah (by brother Witness Lee) as quoted in the Holy Word for the Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Isaiah(2)].
Lord, save us from being wicked in Your sight! Change our appetite! May we eat only You! Teach us the real meaning of fasting! Show us that any other source is empty, vain, and does not satisfy us a bit! Lord Jesus, bring us back to You as the source of life! You are our real food and our real drink! May we touch You in everything we do or say! We want to learn, Lord, to touch You and enjoy You! We want to lose our taste for any other things than You!
I practice abstinence fasting, no food and no drinks and I fast regularly. For me fasting is one of the most effective ways to initiate, to repair, to build, to maintain and to promote the type of relationship with the Lord Jesus that he requires of me, Isaiah 58.
However, fasting must marry prayer to be meaningful and effective or else it's merely a hunger strike. Above all, I discover, fasting promotes and stimulates faith in God.
People in the world fast, and abstaining from eating and drinking either totally or partially is always beneficial for the human body in general. But to really practice fasting means NOT ONLY to physically fast but MAINLY to stop our doing, turn to God, touch Him personally, and eat Christ only. As believers in Christ we will eventually spend eternity enjoying Christ as the tree of life and the water of life – today we are learning to STOP from eating other things and enjoy, eat, and drink only Christ in all His riches.
If the physical abstaining from eating food or drink is not matched by this spiritual reality of eating nothing else but Christ, it is just an outward practice with little value in the eyes of God. The Lord Jesus condemns such practices in His speaking, and in His living His fasting was equally matched by extended times of prayer and fellowship with the Father.
Oh, Lord… we want to LEARN this, learn to STOP eating other things and EAT God in Christ only!
I practice abstinence fasting, no food and no drinks and I fast regularly. For me fasting is one of the most effective ways to initiate, to repair, to build, to maintain and to promote the type of relationship with the Lord Jesus that he requires of me, Isaiah 58.
However, fasting must marry prayer to be meaningful and effective or else it’s merely a hunger strike. Above all, I discover, fasting promotes and stimulates faith in God.
People in the world fast, and abstaining from eating and drinking either totally or partially is always beneficial for the human body in general. But to really practice fasting means NOT ONLY to physically fast but MAINLY to stop our doing, turn to God, touch Him personally, and eat Christ only. As believers in Christ we will eventually spend eternity enjoying Christ as the tree of life and the water of life – today we are learning to STOP from eating other things and enjoy, eat, and drink only Christ in all His riches.
If the physical abstaining from eating food or drink is not matched by this spiritual reality of eating nothing else but Christ, it is just an outward practice with little value in the eyes of God. The Lord Jesus condemns such practices in His speaking, and in His living His fasting was equally matched by extended times of prayer and fellowship with the Father.
Oh, Lord… we want to LEARN this, learn to STOP eating other things and EAT God in Christ only!
Lord Jesus! may i touch You in reality for the Body.help me and all saints to eat and drink of You moment by moment.Amen.
O Lord Jesus
May we eat only You!
Amen, oh Lord, how enjoyable thou art!❤️😍👏
Amen! PTL! He is our real food and drink, we long to eat and drink in Him day by day for us to be nourished