At least three times a year churches do what is called a corporate fast, meaning the entire church is supposed to go without something for a period of time. I have never attended a church that held a corporate fast and the entire church actually fasted. And then there are those “professionals” who let the world know they are going without for the Lord. Fasting has become one of those charismatic church traditions that do not really impress GOD.
MATTHEW 15:1-6
Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Your sacrifice of going without food, television or anything else does not impress YHWH. He who sent His only begotten Son to die a horrendous death for the sins of mankind is not impressed by your being hungry.
Your active participation in a corporate fast becomes irrelevant if the corporation is not in 100% agreement.
Like weekly church attendance and tithing, fasting has become an ineffective tradition.
PSALM 40:6 KJV
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
It is not that we are not required to give and to serve but it is about the motivation behind the action. Tradition is about what you feel you have to do. God’s love should place a desire within you to do something because you want to.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 KJV
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Fasting should be a time of listening to YHWH. It should not be a time of begging him for material things or things outside of His will. It should also be a time of repentance.
JONAH 3:7-8 KJV
And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
I often chuckle when someone tells me their church is fasting, the fast are planned thus even I, an outsider, know when it is going to happen. They fast before the major holidays so as to not stop anyone from feasting, rarely is it done during a time when most people are on vacation. Sometime in January, June and October most of the churches that practice corporate fast participate in these activities. Many church leaders give exceptions to various individuals for health reasons; in the book of Jonah the people of Nineveh AND the animals fasted.
Fasting occurs when I don’t eat or drink and cease from doing anything that stops me from hearing from and responding to Ruach, the Spirit of GOD. It is usually 3 hours of quiet time with my Bible, a pen and notepad and no food or drink. I fast because there is something that YHWH has spoken to me that I do not get- I fast for understanding. written by Marsha L F Randolph
MY JOURNEY reflects the faith filled opinions and property of the author MARSHA L F RANDOLPH. All rights reserved- do not use without permission. All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. Don’t miss weekly faith based post FOLLOW THIS BLOG and receive notifications when a new article is posted.
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