Fasting From Sugar, Feasting On God's WordSample

Day Four

True Satisfaction

Scripture: Matthew 11:28–30

What have you been running to? That’s the question I’m learning to ask myself. If Jesus truly came to set me free, why am I still running to food? If Jesus alone can satisfy my deepest longings, why do I keep trying to satisfy those longings with sugar?

God has invited us to run to Him when we’re tempted to run into the corner store (whether grabbing candy or a bottle of wine). We can run to Him rather than running to the recesses of our pantry. And we can run to Him when we’re tempted to hide behind our phones, Netflix, or social media. 

God calls out to each of us, “Let Me be what you run to! All other beasts suffer hunger, even the lion. But not humanity. No, I have redeemed humanity for Myself, and those who come to Me, who find rest in me, will lack no good thing.” 

Nothing convicts us of how much we have been running to sugar as much as not eating it. If you decide to cut sugar completely, you will likely experience what many refer to as a “sugar flu.” You may feel grumpy or emotional. This is normal when you first embark on a sugar fast. Your brain and body have been dependent on sugar for far too long, and you feel miserable without it.

Let your awareness of your dependency on sugar remind you of your waywardness and prompt you to turn and return to Christ. And as you do, be on the lookout for joy. While sugar provides a temporary jolt of happiness, this promise is long and lasting: “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5, nlt). 

Dear Lord, I have a long history with sugar. You know I do. You were there as my habits were formed. But those years are behind me now. My future with You, however, stretches on forever. Please help me to make You my new habit. Help me run to You so that I might taste Your sweetness and allow You to satisfy all my needs. In Jesus’s satisfying name, Amen.