22nd January 2021
FASTING AND DISFIGUREMENT
David Abankwah
READ: Isaiah 58:3-7
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
-Matthew 6:16 | NKJV
When Jesus Christ and the disciples went to the Mount to pray, He took Peter, James and John afar off from the other disciples and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. Transfiguration and disfigurement are two contrasting words as far as Christianity is concerned. Transfiguration transforms a person into the state of God in terms of holiness and spirituality and disfigurement conforms a person into the state of hypocrisy and carnality. God is much concerned about the transfiguration of our souls than the disfigurement our bodies will go through during fasting. When the body suffers for the kingdom of God now, it is the soul that will gain later on for all eternity.
Fasting is one of the spiritual exercises that transfigures us from one level of Christianity to the other. As we all know, we progress from grace to grace. Because the soul is a spiritual being and demands spiritual things, the body which he finds himself in, does not want that experience. The body was taken from the dust which is physical, and he is mindful of carnal things. So, there is a kind of rift between the soul and the body anytime one fasts. Without the body too, the soul can’t carry out the works of his salvation. Even though these two entities are at rift, they still need each other. The body needs the body to live ‘physically’ and the soul needs the body to live ‘eternally.’
Being said, a Christian who is a spiritually minded person, will know how to take care of the body and the soul at the same time to maximise the productivity concerning the works of his salvation. During fasting, which is a spiritual exercise, he will not engage in the disfigurement of his face as believers who are hypocrites do, but he will be mindful about the transfiguration of his inner man. Even though fasting is a ‘painful’ exercise for the body, it is a ‘glorified’ exercise for the soul. Therefore we have to put the flesh under subjection in order to obey the commandment of fasting so we will not concentrate on the carnal cravings of the body.
Even though food is for the stomach, one day the body will return to the dust. It will leave your soul who will face judgement. To overcome carnality, the flesh must go through pain for the soul to gain. No matter how well you feed your body, during fasting, it will struggle to adapt even when you do it often. Jesus Christ warns us to stay away from creating any hypocritical impression (sad facial expression, holding of the stomach, announcing to those who have not even asked us whether we are fasting or not etc) when we are fasting so it will not be evidential publicly for people to realise. We may attempt to please men when we are fasting, but God doesn’t reward fasting with a show.
•| Prayer Diary |•
Lift up prayers for the strength of God to overcome the hypocritical nature of the body amid the spiritual exercise of the soul when you fast in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
The body needs the soul to live physically and the soul needs the body to live eternally
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© 2021 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 