Christlike

Luke 4:¹ “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”

We are kicking off the year with our focus on Jesus; I believe that is the best to begin every endeavor. We will be looking at different aspects of Jesus’ life, the things He did and how we can inculcate His teachings in our lives. I pray that you will engrain these lessons from Jesus in all that you do so that you can be more like Jesus. Over the next couple of days, our focus will be Jesus Fasted. Interestingly, in God’s Favourite House, we usually kick-off the year with waiting on God, fasting and praying. As we look to God to bring to fruition His Word for the year and all that He will have for us in the year 2020. So, this is just to get our hearts in-tune and gear us up for what is coming because a lot is coming.

Luke 4:¹ “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry” [with emphasis]. The Bible tells us that Jesus ate nothing; He fasted for forty days without food; He probably drank water. Do you like fasting and what is the longest you have fasted? Do you have testimonies from fasting? Fasting is to deny the flesh of its natural desires and this may cause us to be more in-tune to hear the voice of God. I have heard people say fasting is not really relevant to the New Testament and that it was an Old Testament practice. It is amazing how people come up with all sorts of theories. Some even claim that Jesus paid it all and that means we do not have to fast. That is so wrong.

Jesus Himself prophesied that we are going to fast in Matt.9:¹⁴ “One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” ¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast” [with emphasis]. Jesus says that while He was physically on earth, the disciples did not need to fast because He was doing all the heavy lifting. But when He goes, the disciples then, the current disciples of Jesus, and all the disciples that will join us will have to fast. Fasting is a very relevant practice. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Matt.6:¹⁷ “But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.” So, it is not a matter of if you fast, but rather a matter of when you fast.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I thank You for new beginnings, prepare me for all that God has prepared for me this year and beyond, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!