by Karina Rodriguez
Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed and ordained elders for them in each church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in Whom they had come to believe
Throughout the Bible, we see the theme of Fasting repeatedly. In the Old Testament we see Moses, Esther, Isaiah and Daniel fasting .In the New Testament we see Paul, John and our Ultimate example Jesus, who we are all called to pattern our lives after, also fasted.
But why do we as modern Christians fast? Why is it so important to our lives today? There are many reasons why we fast today. We may be fasting for a breakthrough in our lives and ministries; we may be fasting for the souls of the unsaved and many other countless reasons. Fasting in our lives is important however, it only works when pray as well as fast.
When we pray it is an act of submission to God, it is our way of showing dependence on him. Prayer and fasting releases blessings into our lives, as well as bringing us closer to God. It is like a spring clean of our minds. Though we should renew our minds daily, fasting with prayer unclogs our minds of things that have been left unattended. Ultimately fasting and prayer are ways we show our love for God by setting time apart for him and abstaining from things in our lives that distract us from him. It is a discipline that we should practice in our lives and although it is not a commandment set by God, it is expected of us. Therefore as Christians in this modern world we live in today let us show our love for the King of Kings, The Holy One of Israel, Our Father and God and fast not just for gain in our lives but as act of our love and submission to him
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