Thanksgiving
Originally posted by IDB Vice President, Matthew J Coombe on mjcoombe.com
Do you think of yourself as a thankful person? When you give thanks for a delicious meal, are you really thankful? Trying giving the same thanks after fasting for 3 days; You will come to realize that your amount of thankfulness has changed.
How many Christians out there have never fasted? How many even know how to fast? Try imagining them in an extended fast. I would be shocked if more then 1% of all believers (in North America) have ever experienced any of these. Now, most Christians know what fasting is. The problem is most don’t understand its function, purpose or its power.
On the other hand, there are those Christians who do know about fasting and its importance, yet do not recall the one rule Jesus had about fasting: keep it a secret. How do I know people are breaking this rule? They tell me they’re fasting.
Lastly, there is the rare group of people that know how to fast, partake in it, but even then do only small 12 hr or 24 hr fasts. Don’t get me wrong, when you have never fasted before 24 hours is quite daunting, but if one has become comfortable and accustomed with such a fast they should challenge themselves to something longer and more difficult.
If you want to know more about fasting, go to my audio page and listen to my sermon on it. If you truly want to be thankful during this holiday season, spend some time fasting!
