Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4:1, 2 ESV)
Many of us begin the New Year with a fast. Jesus fasted too as he was about to launch his ministry. As I meditated upon the verses above I noticed three things.
1) Jesus' fast was spirit directed-Sometimes people fast for the wrong reasons; to get what they want, to manipulate Gods will, or to know something that can only be known by revelation. Fasting can bring insight, breakthrough and clarity. But the primary reason to fast is to practice saying no to the flesh.
2) The purpose of the fast seems to have been to tempt Jesus.-God would allow Satan to tempt/test Jesus. Temptation is a form of spiritual warfare...here Jesus is victorious.
3) when you fast you get hungry...at least for a while. Because the bodily appetite is natural it isn't going to go away. It will, however, be overcome by the Spirit within a man as he learns to depend solely upon Jesus.
May God give you breakthrough...
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