Becoming Like Jesus: Fasting and AbstinenceSample

Is it really possible to become like Jesus?

The first example of fasting we are going to look at in the Bible is really cool because it mirrors Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness in some interesting ways. These parallels can show us a lot about who Jesus is and who we are invited to become.

Let’s jump in.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for being near to us. Thank you, Jesus, for being with me and for me today. Holy Spirit, would you help me to see more truth about who you are and who I am? I choose to trust you today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read….

This happened when I was on the mountain receiving the tablets of stone inscribed with the words of the covenant that the Lord had made with you. I was there for forty days and forty nights, and all that time I ate no food and drank no water. The Lord gave me the two tablets on which God had written with his own finger all the words he had spoken to you from the heart of the fire when you were assembled at the mountain. “At the end of the forty days and nights, the Lord handed me the two stone tablets inscribed with the words of the covenant.” Deuteronomy 9:9-11 NLT

Consider…

For forty days fasted from food and water in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai. This took place after God rescued the Israelites from slavery, split the Red Sea, and led them into the wilderness to create a family with the Jewish people that would be called the nation of Israel.

In many ways, it was kind of like a wedding. When two people get married, a covenant is made and a new family is created. In the wilderness, God made a covenant with the people of Israel. He vowed to always be faithful to them and He asked for their faithfulness in return. Instead of giving them a wedding ring, God gave them the Ten Commandments, the Law, to teach them how to be faithful to Him. Because this marriage was unique. It wasn’t the union of a man to a woman, but of God to a nation. The Law showed the people of Israel how to relate to their invisible God and how to reflect His love to others.

When Jesus showed up, He also came to start a new family—a family that went beyond the boundaries of a single nation. He called this family the Kingdom of God, and with it came a new covenant. A covenant that would be defined by a new command:

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 NLT

Jesus showed us, in-person, what God is like, how to relate to Him, and how to reflect Him to others. And He did this perfectly. Jesus kept every command in the Law that was given. All the Laws that the nation of Israel failed to keep, Jesus fulfilled. He was, and is, and always will be faithful.

And the invitation that’s on the table today is to follow Jesus—to become a part of His family by putting our faith in Him. Jesus is inviting us to be with Him, to become like Him, and follow Him wherever He goes.

Practice…

What distraction do you need to remove today so that you can focus completely on Jesus? Is there somewhere you can go, like Moses on the mountain or Jesus in the wilderness, that helps you connect with God?

When you have that thing or that place in mind, take action. Tell someone that you trust to hold you accountable that you are going to delete TikTok for the weekend or that you’re going to take a drive after practice, put your worship playlist on, and pray instead of rushing home to start playing video games. When you practice fasting and abstinence, it doesn’t always have to be this huge ordeal. Sometimes, it’s the small choices we make to say no to the things we want in the moment so we can say yes to the things we want most, that make the biggest difference.

Listen…

Find a comfortable place where you can continue to be alone with God. 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, consider it an opportunity to come back to Jesus by praying this short prayer that He taught us:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 NLT

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