I am sitting in my house as I write this article on fasting.
I live in one of the Canadian provinces where the winter months can get really cold. But I am not worried. The heat in the house is set at 21 degrees Celsius (or 70 degrees Fahrenheit). My furnace is functioning exactly like I want it to, combating the frigid temps outside.
I just made myself something to eat. There was a lot to choose from, and it was easy to access.
I’m wearing one of my favourite hoodies. It’s not my only one; I’ve got a few. In fact, my closet is full of clothes that I get to select from every day.
My vehicles are parked in my driveway, gassed up and ready to go.
The lights are on, the water is hot, I’ve got everything I need.
So, how is it even remotely possible that I could ever want more?
I’m sure lots of men can relate.
I had a buddy who had a net worth of fifteen million dollars. His home was awesome, his vacations were lavish, his vehicles were nice.
But he wasn’t content because he couldn’t stop focusing on a buddy of his who had a net worth of thirty million dollars.
From my perspective, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two guys. Fifteen million? Thirty million? Either way, it was far more than I would ever see. How could my friend not be content?
I have had the immense privilege of visiting some amazing people in some of the poorest areas of the world. I think if they were to look at me and then look at my friend who is worth fifteen million dollars, they couldn’t tell the difference, either.
So, how can I not be content?
Although not wealthy by North American standards, I’m sitting very near the top of the global wealth scale, and I am still not content.
This may be one of the least attractive things about me.
In no way am I saying wealth is bad. As men, we work hard and expect to be compensated accordingly. We want to provide for our families and our futures by making as much as we can and building the largest financial foundation possible. That’s responsibility.
And it is good.
Although not wealthy by North American standards, I’m sitting very near the top of the global wealth scale, and I am still not content.
But I have been raised in a culture that always wants more, and I have done very little to push back against that insatiable drive. It is a culture that is low on generosity and high on self-reliance.
But what am I supposed to do? I know that dissatisfaction, tight-fistedness, and self-sufficiency are polar opposites of the kind of attitudes that Jesus wants me to have, and yet it is so much a part of how I think and act.
This is not an article on wealth-bashing.
Wealth isn’t the issue here; discontentment is.
Wealth isn’t the issue here; stinginess is.
Wealth isn’t the issue here; self-reliance is.
Whether I have a dollar bill or a billion dollars, it has no real bearing on my heart; these matters go much deeper.
So, how do we break out of those mindsets?
One way that can help us in these areas is fasting.
Fasting means going without. Primarily, it is focused on going without food (probably because hunger gets our attention quicker than most other things).
The discipline of fasting does at least three very positive things in our lives.
1. Fasting deals with our discontentment.
In Philippians 4, Paul wrote, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12 NIV).
The secret was that he could do all things through Christ Jesus, who gave him strength (Philippians 4:13).
Paul learned this secret both in times of plenty (when it was easy to be content) and in times of need (when it was difficult).
Fasting provides us with those times of need. In an environment where there is relatively little physical need, fasting allows us to experience our lack, and, subsequently, our fullness and contentment in Jesus. Physical supply may disappear; Jesus never will!
2. Fasting deals with our stinginess.
Isaiah describes God’s concept of true fasting. In a word, it is generosity. Here’s what God says in Isaiah 58:6-7 (NIV):
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
True fasting doesn’t just mean that we go without for a little while; it also means that we share with those who go without all the time.
3. Fasting deals with our self-sufficiency.
In Mark 9, a man brought his son to the disciples to have them drive out a demon. The disciples tried but failed. When Jesus arrived on the scene, He cast out the demon. The disciples were confounded by this and asked Jesus why they weren’t able to do it.
Jesus replied, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29 NKJV).
Fasting reminds us that we are not self-sufficient. We are unable, on our own, to truly live out the lives that we were meant to live. Sure, as men, we can run companies, make money, and succeed in sports. But all of those things are temporal; they will not last for very long, especially in the light of eternity.
When we fast, we are quickly brought to the truth of our frailty and remember that we are desperate for God.
Brothers, it is easy to act and think like we have it all together. Men hate weakness—at least, this guy does.
But it is through our weaknesses that we are truly made strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Fasting illuminates the reality of our human weakness, and this helps us to be content with and thankful for whatever God allows to come our way. It helps us be generous with all that has been given to us. And it helps us set our reliance fully on Jesus, who is the only path to eternal life (John 14:6).
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