Fasting

Consider fasting the lost Christian discipline. Go ask five friends of yours who call themselves Christian how many times they have fasted within, say, the last five years. Too big a stretch? Tighten it to the last year. If the number is greater than zero, I would be surprised. Not pointing a finger. Just looking in the mirror.

For something that's mentioned on over a dozen different occasions and for something that Christ expected of his disciples (Matthew 6:16), fasting has all but evaporated in the church.

The unchurched fasts. You hear about celebrities fasting in conjunction with Eastern religions or to rid their system of "inorganic poisons." The wrestler fasts to drop weight. Actors will fast to emaciate themselves for a role. So what gives in the church?

Last evening my pastor, Lukus Counterman, took a rabbit trail off of his Sunday morning teachings on the Sermon on the Mount to teach our church what God's word says about fasting. Awesome! It's a tight, twenty-five minute message that you can listen to right now by clicking here. (No fee. No viruses. No future e-mails from our church...we're too small).

If you'd like to download it, follow these steps (again, all the "No's" above still apply):

1. Go here
2. Scroll to the bottom to the sermon titled "When Ye Fast"
3. Right click the link
4. Select "Save Targe As"
5. You can then save the 6 mb mp3 file to your computer to then download to your iPod or whatever

For any facing trials, considering major changes in your future, facing danger, determing God's will, or dealing with sin, Pastor Counterman's biblical insight on fasting will be a fruitful listen.