Becoming Like Jesus: Fasting and AbstinenceSample

Becoming Like Jesus

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, everything changes. Instead of being trapped under the crushing weight of sin, we are held up by the amazing grace of God. And this new relationship starts us on a journey called discipleship.

Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus for the sake of others.

Discipleship is a process because it doesn’t happen all at once. It happens one decision and one day at a time.

Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus. We become less of who we used to be and more of who we’re meant to be: people who love like Jesus, live like Jesus, and start to look like Jesus.

Discipleship is for the sake of others. The point isn’t for us to collect a bunch of Bible facts or impress people with how “holy” we are. It’s to shape us into people who love God with all that we are and love others the way Jesus loves us.

None of this happens by accident. It’s something we decide to engage in. A big part of discipleship is the practice of spiritual disciplines: habits and practices that help us become like Jesus.

That’s what this Plan is all about. Introducing you to the habits of fasting and abstinence so you can make Jesus’ habits your habits, and become more like Him in the process.

Let’s jump in.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to save me. I’m different because of Him. Help me to never forget your love and your grace. Show me how to live for you. I want to make Jesus’ habits my habits so I can grow as a disciple. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 NIV

Consider…

Here, Jesus is laying out the requirements to be His disciple. Notice, He doesn’t say these are things we should do, but they are things we must do. Why use such strong language? Because Jesus knows that following Him is going to cost us, and He wants us to know the cost upfront. Yes, grace is a free gift that we can’t earn and we don’t deserve, and life with Him is not something to be taken lightly. It will cost us our preferences, our comfort, and our own way of doing things. In other words, following Jesus means denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following Him.

Throughout this Plan, we’re going to focus on what it means to deny ourselves, and the practices of Jesus that can help us do it.

Denying ourselves is saying no to our selfish desires so we can say yes to following Jesus and serving others.

Following Jesus will bring us into situations where we will have to make a choice: to either deny our desires and follow Jesus, or deny Jesus and follow our desires. When that time comes, what will you choose?

Practice…

How can we learn to deny ourselves so we can follow Jesus and serve others? This is where the spiritual disciplines of fasting and abstinence come in. Both of these are ways we can train ourselves to deny our sinful desires through the practice of denying other desires. Giving up food for a period of time is called fasting; abstinence is when we give up something other than food.

If you aren’t sure where to start, we’ve provided some recommendations below to help you get started.

Fasting:

• Daniel Fast
• Sun-up to Sun-down
• Water Only
• One-Day a Week
• Fast Food/Junk Food

Whatever type of fast you choose to do, just remember: this is not a weight loss strategy. It is a practice that trains us to say no to something we want (food) so we can say yes to what we want even more (growing closer to God).

If this is your first time fasting, consider choosing a day or two each week to do a sun-up to sun-down fast. This would mean not eating until around dinner time on those days and only drinking water during the day. In the early church, many Christians would fast in this way every Wednesday and Friday.

Abstinence: Tik Tok, social media, Netflix/TV, YouTube, cussing, complaining, pornography, sex outside of marriage, gossip, etc.

For the next two weeks, commit to a fast and pick something to abstain from. As you think about the best approach for you, ask God to give you wisdom.

Listen…

Let’s close out our time with another habit of Jesus known as silence and solitude. This is the practice of creating space in our lives, by getting quiet and being alone, so we can experience the presence of God.

Find a comfortable place where you won’t be distracted. Maybe a cozy chair, a closet, or even sitting outside on a porch. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Next, ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, bring your focus back to God by repeating this short prayer:

(Breathe in) Lord Jesus, (Breathe out) Have mercy on me.

(Breathe in) Heavenly Father, (Breathe out) Speak to me.

(Breathe in) Holy Spirit, (Breathe out) Guide me.

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you got to spend with Him, then head into your day looking for opportunities to better serve Him and serve others.