Ok so you have been fasting for three days. How are you feeling? For many people day 3 is a moment where you realize that fasting is waaaaay harder than you expected. I want to encourage by saying: it is! You are probably thinking, “I don’t know if it is the pounding caffeine withdrawals but that didn’t seem very encouraging at all.” The reason it is encouraging is that fasting has always been difficult for all people at some level. No matter who you are, at some point you face the physical weariness of fasting. Here’s the good news: Jesus felt this same weariness. We follow a God who knows what you are feeling right now. He felt the full weight of the fast just like you do.
Matthew 4 tells us that when Jesus fasted he was tempted by the devil, and do you know what the first temptation was? Food. That’s right, Jesus knows what you are feeling. He knows the desire to fast and the clear temptation to abandon it.
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The enemy came to jesus when he was tired and hungry and said, “hey you have all the power to turn stones into bread.” What he was saying was that Jesus not only had the supernatural ability to turn stones into bread, but that he had the authority to abandon his fast for comfort. So often the enemy comes to us and says the same thing. He tells us that we should just give up. Surely there isn’t such thing as “breakthrough” and this whole fasting thing is way to hard. The enemy can be very convincing, can’t he?
Here is the great news: the enemy cannot defeat our God. Jesus responds that he doesn’t just live on earthly food he lives on spiritual food. Right here Jesus is establishing the authority of God over his life and his ministry. He knows that he is hungry, but he knows that the reward of God is so much greater. He resisted the enemy and through him we have the power to resist the enemy.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
When you feel like giving up, don’t. Press into the presence of God. Approach his throne and scripture says that he will give you grace to help you in your time of need. Jesus knows what you are feeling, but he promises you give you strength when you are suffering. As you end day 3 and head to day 4 take time to ask God for strength. Take a moment to pray, “God give me strength to resist temptation and complete this fast.”
Believing for breakthrough with you,
Pastor Josh