February Fast - 21 Days Of Seeking HimSample

About the Food and Not About the Food.

When Jesus stood on the hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, He made a number of statements that included the words, “You have heard it said... but I say”. That was not Jesus adding to the Old Testament law but rather, correctly interpreting it, for even in the Law, God required clean hands and pure heart. That was the whole point of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

It wasn’t just about not doing a certain action, whether it was murder, adultery or divorce. Jesus was pointing out that the issue goes deeper than just avoiding a certain action. It starts with the condition of your heart. So he went deeper. For example, don’t just try and avoid murdering someone. No, deal with the hate you have in your heart towards that person because you will not murder someone that you love.

It all comes down to the condition of your heart. Which brings us back to Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Jesus wasn’t giving us a “naughty deeds checklist” to try and avoid and then a “good deeds checklist” to try and perform. No, it’s a heart issue.

When we fast, we say to Jesus, “Jesus I love you this much. More than I love ...” (Insert whatever you are fasting from). This is also why fasting something that you hardly eat or you don’t even enjoy is not really a fast. A fast is about sacrifice. (So no, fasting brussel sprouts doesn’t count.)

Jesus, you have my heart. Even though I sometimes find it hard saying no to what I am fasting, I choose to say no to those things because I want to show you that you mean more to me. Amen.