Jonah 3:8 Let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
“Fasting is a personal commitment to renounce the natural and to invoke the spiritual” – Myles Munroe. Repentance, confession and fasting go together. The dietary laws of Israel were on fasting as well as on feasting. As much as fiesta is important, fasting is also inevitable. In the natural fasting cleanses our body from toxins. When we fast, the body does not have its usual access to glucose which forces the cells to find other means to produce energy. As a result body begins to produce its own sugar. The liver helps by converting non-carbohydrate materials and fats into glucose energy which helps in detoxification.
Fasting and prayer on the other hand renounces the control of carnality over the mind/soul. The rumbling of the stomach does not have an impact on the mind to rush to the pantry. The mind ignores the craving and hunger pangs and focuses on God. The food we eat takes 6 hours to digest. So, resting our stomach redirects the brain to concentrate to consecrate. As fasting cleanses the toxins from the body, fasting and prayer purifies the soul from pollutants. The Jewish tradition of wearing sackcloth and sprinkling dust on their head was a physical demonstration of the spiritual remorse, regret and repentance. Abstaining from food and spending quality time in prayer and fasting will flush out hidden habits, fictitious believes and contorted ideologies.
Fasting will detox our soul of contaminants:
- Detox: Detox learnt habits. Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort (Ephesians 4:31). Fasting aids to remove anything that is injurious to our spiritual growth. Fasting helps us to detox from imprudent thoughts and instinctive actions. Fasting is a soul detoxing agent that gives us a better control over our tongue, thoughts and treats. Detox unhealthy habits.
- Depart: Depart from carnality. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust (Jonah 3:6). The warning about the destruction of Nineveh made the king of Nineveh step down from his pride and pomp, announce a national fast to renounce detestable sins. Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. Even cats, dogs and cattle fasted! Fasting must reschedule our normal routine to rest and review our lifestyle. Fasting and prayer helps us to exonerate ineffective actives and reset our lifestyles. Depart from ungodliness.
- Devote: Devote to reading the Word of God and praying. Fasting without praying will have no impact on our spiritual lives. The body will get irritated and the mind will be agitated if we fast and don’t devote time to pray. A dedicated time of fasting and prayer makes us powerfully invincible and exceptionally dangerous to the demonic world. Fasting overturns impossibilities into accessible possibilities. Devotion during fasting avails much results. Dedicate to devotions.
Fasting is a detoxing agent that cleanses the soul from the pollutants of hidden habits, secret sins and worldly distractions.
Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, as I humble, fast and pray, empower me with supernatural strength to detox the unhealthy stubborn habits and detrimental lifestyles. Amen.
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