Becoming Like Jesus: Fasting and AbstinenceSample

The Forbidden Fruit

Yesterday, we finished reading about Jesus defending against the temptations of the devil through the practice of fasting and the truth of Scripture. Today, we are going all the way back to the beginning of the Bible to see the first time our spiritual enemy used lies and deception to attack our identity and target our desires.

Let’s get started.

Pray…

Our Father, thank you for being a kind and loving parent. And thank you for being a good and holy King. You meet the broken parts of me with mercy, and the broken parts of our world with justice. Help me to worship you with my whole life. Give me the strength to resist my sinful and selfish desires so I can fully serve you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:1-6 NIV

Consider…

The first time the devil shows up on the pages of the Bible he comes in the form of a serpent and is described as being “more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” It’s his craftiness that makes him so dangerous. He doesn’t use violent force. He’s much more subtle than that. He uses lies and deception to attack our identity and target our desires. This was the strategy he used against Jesus in the wilderness, and it’s the strategy he employed in the garden against Adam and Eve.

He attacked their identity by telling them that eating the forbidden fruit would make them like God. The problem? Adam and Eve already are like God because they were made in His image!

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Genesis 1:26 NIV

The devil also targeted their desire for the fruit that came from the one tree that God told them not to eat from.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Genesis 3:6 NIV

Instead of trusting and obeying God. They doubted and disobeyed Him. Which is exactly what the serpent wanted. He used deceptive ideas to attack their identities and target their desires so they would doubt God’s character and disobey His commands. And he wants to do the same thing with us.

Which is why fasting and abstinence are such powerful practices. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we train ourselves to say no to our sinful desires by practicing saying no to other desires.

In what ways does the devil most often attack your identity? What desires most often tempt you towards sin? How can you continue to invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen your identity and resist your sinful desires?

Practice…

Keep going strong with your fasting and abstinence! Take some time today to reflect on when it’s been hardest to stick with it, and the times where it’s felt almost natural. What changes can you make to help you avoid unnecessarily difficult situations?

When you start to feel hungry or find yourself craving the thing you’re abstaining from, redirect your attention back to God. Ask Him to help you resist those desires by praying,“Lord, give me the strength to say no to my desires. Help me to focus on you. Make me more like Jesus.”

Listen…

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 serve Him and serve others.