Fasting

Spiritual Training Cycle: Surrender (wk. 5/13)

Reading: Matthew 6:16-18

This month is all about spiritual exercise. Think of spiritual exercises as the nuclear reactors of our faith. When we pray, read the Bible, or gather in community, we’re engaging in activities that are incredible catalysts to connect us to God. What’s amazing is that none of these exercises are new. They’ve all been around since the early church began, so in a way, we’re also connecting to the men and women of faith who have gone before us. As you learn more exercises and engage in them, you broaden your spiritual horizon and create more ways to deepen your connection to God. Let’s take a closer look at the spiritual exercise of fasting.

Fasting is most commonly defined as abstaining from food and drink. There are all sorts of fasts out there, so it’s important that we look at this concept from a Biblical perspective. When we engage in a fast, our goal is to let go of an appetite we have for something in order to seek God. Fasting for any other reason may help someone lose weight or rid their body of toxins, but it doesn’t deepen their connection to God. When we look to the Bible for examples of how to fast and who fasted, we find plenty. People such as Moses, Elijah, and Daniel fasted privately. In other contexts, God’s followers fasted together, a practice still common today in some denominations. With the technological advancements and speed of our society, it seems we have appetites for more than just food. Whether that’s public praise, social media, or Netflix, if you think it might be hindering your spiritual growth, simply remove it from your life and find out. But before you pull the plug on your favorite vice, here are three things you’ll learn when you do.

Fasting reveals deeper desires – if you ask God to show them to you. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of prayer in times of fasting. Not only will you need God’s strength, but you’ll also need to ask Him this question – Why? Don’t focus on the object of your desire, focus on the reason for your desire. Your “why” is what should really be under examination during a fast. The goal is not to avoid Instagram for the rest of your life. The goal is to let God rewire your desire.

Fasting is a practical process – It’s fairly simple. You identify something that you turn to for comfort, amusement, or nourishment, and you remove it from your life. How long is up to you. If you are newer to fasting, my suggestion is to start small. Maybe replace lunch with a time of meditation for three days. Trust me those cravings are going to come. When you condition your body through consistent pleasure cycles it will let you know when you’ve missed one. But that tension is part of the growth process. Healthy tension leads to healthy transformation.

Fasting draws us closer to God. Honestly, if it doesn’t, you need to recheck your motives. For example, I once gave up coffee for 21 days. By day two, I was irritable and cranky. By day three, all I was doing was counting the days until I could have coffee again. I wasn’t engaged in a spiritual fast to grow closer to God, I quit something because everyone in my church did, and I thought coffee would be less painful than wine. See where I’m going? You don’t fast to see how much you love coffee. You fast to see how much you need God. What I realized is I depended on coffee for warm comfort in the morning and a boost of energy from caffeine. Fasting from our comforts gives us space to shift that dependence to God.

Questions for Reflection:

What has the experience of fasting been like for you?

When has self-denial brought you something good?

Generosity

Spiritual Training Cycle: Surrender (wk. 4/13)

Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-10

In April of 2005 I did something silly. In fact, some people might consider it downright foolish. Before I share, please don’t be prompted by these words to go out and try this yourself. In April of that year, I took on the challenge of an Ironman Triathlon. Triathlons come in various shapes and sizes. Ironman is like climbing a high mountain range in Tibet. You begin with a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, capped off with a marathon. See, I told you I was a little nuts. The event was incredibly well supported with tons of volunteers and aid stations to fill both water bottles and souls. At the halfway point on the bike, I pulled over for a routine stop to fill my bottles. Unbeknownst to me, my arrival coincided with the meal delivery for volunteers. The next thing I know, there’s a huge cheese pizza sitting on the table in front of me. The look on my face must have said it all. I’ll never forget the three words she said, “You want some?” My hands were wrapped in cycling gloves and covered with sweat so that sweet volunteer fed me that slice of pizza with her own hands. As I rolled away, I knew the second half of the bike was mine, because I was the recipient of some incredible generosity.

God’s grace is expressed in us through generosity. In fact, I would say that grace and generosity are almost synonymous. When we choose to be generous, we’re really choosing to extend grace. Here are three things I learned about generosity that day on the bike. First, generosity is voluntary. When the pizza hit the table, the objective was clear – feed the volunteers. At no time was she under any obligation to offer me a slice. Some might consider this a random act of kindness, but I would challenge that and say I don’t think kindness is random. Spontaneous, yes. Unplanned, that sure was. But I think all generosity is fueled by grace therefore it may not be as random as we think. Generosity is voluntary.

Second, generosity doesn’t change your circumstances; it changes your attitude about them. I still had 56 more miles on the bike. I still had a marathon after that. I was still sore and somewhat fatigued. My circumstances didn’t change. But my attitude sure did. You can get scientific and say it was the carbohydrates, I think it was the whole experience that picked me up. Have you ever had someone be so generous you just can’t stop thinking about it? That was me for like the next 40 miles. It helped me see the back side of the race with optimism and confidence. Generosity doesn’t change your circumstances; it changes your attitude about them.

Finally, generosity is not an outcome, it’s a way of life. Too many people try and measure their amount of generosity. Or they try and measure someone else’s amount to compare to their own. That volunteer’s choice to be generous wasn’t about an outcome. I wasn’t going to podium over a piece of pizza. Six pieces wouldn’t have been better than one. We need to learn to focus on the effects of generosity, not the amount. She will never know the effect it had on me. Generosity is not an outcome, it’s a way of life.

So, where’s your next Ironman volunteer moment? I promise you God puts them in front of us every day. Once you make the connection between grace and generosity, you’ll realize why you derive so much joy from being generous. Generosity fuels joy because generosity is fueled by grace.

Questions for Reflection:

Describe a moment when someone showed you generosity.

Have you ever been at odds with being generous?

Enabled

Spiritual Training Cycle: Surrender (wk. 3/13)

Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

Great coaches are often great leaders, motivators, and teachers. I had just such a coach when I attended my CrossFit Level One certification in 2013 – none other than Cherie Chan. If you’re new to the sport, that name’s not too familiar. If you’ve been around, no doubt you’ve heard of her or her husband Matt Chan. Shortly after lunch, Cherie introduced me to the kipping pull-up for the first time. I immediately thought, “There’s no way I’m doing one of those anytime soon.” Next thing you know, she’s got us on the gym floor rolling around from a hollow hold to a superman hold. And what do you know, it translated to the bar! Then we were back to the floor to work hip extensions (yep, the old feet over the fence cue). Once again, translates to the bar! Finally, we worked on an aggressive push away from the bar to carry our energy back into the starting position. In less than half an hour, Cherie didn’t just teach me the kipping pull-up, she enabled me to do them.

Who’s enabled you to do something in your life? Of course, I mean that in a positive healthy way. Who’s made something possible, practical, or easy for you to do? Maybe that was a teacher who took a complex subject and made it digestible. For some of you, it might have been one of your parents or grandparents. Others of you relate to my story of Cherie because you’ve had coaches in your life enable you to do some amazing things. Whether you realize it or not, there was something you couldn’t see which kept you from doing all you could. They didn’t just bring knowledge to the table, they brought application, a way of opening your eyes to a new possibility. And in a very short time, what was cloudy suddenly became clear. From kipping pull-ups to geometry to life skills, you began a journey of confidence wondering what else in the world you were capable of or whose life you could impact.

God also enables you to do great things. You know how He does it? By His grace. God’s grace enables you to do so many things. Here’s a few of them. God’s grace enables you to become fully alive. You just don’t realize how limited your scope on life is until God truly opens your eyes. God’s grace enables you to discover your true purpose in life. Believe it or not you were fearfully and wonderfully made on purpose for a specific purpose. And God’s grace enables you to be strong in Him even in your most difficult moments. His power is working in your weakness.

I’m grateful for the Cherie Chan’s in my life, and I’m blessed to have had many like her. My optimism, my thirst for learning, and my desire to help others succeed have all been fueled by the enabling moments of great people in my life. But above all, I’m most grateful for God’s grace. It has brought me to life, unlocked my purpose, and carried me in the darkness. What’s God’s grace going to enable you to do this year?

Questions for Reflection:

What has God’s grace enabled in your life?

What good works have you specifically been created to do?