Day 3 | Power in Fasting


Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, â€œIt is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.

Temptation is lurking around every corner; no one is immune to it! We are all tempted in one way or another every day of our lives. There is a simple cure for temptation: telling ourselves NO! This two letter word can be one of the most challenging things to say to ourselves. We don't want others to tell us no, and we don't want to tell ourselves no.
Fasting, however, helps you develop your NO! One of the hardest things on the planet to say no to is FOOD! Let's face it, when we’re hungry, it seems like the world is coming to an end. If you are anything like me, you get HANGRY, hungry + angry = HANGRY! I have learned that if I can push back on my hunger pains and cravings, I can push back on just about anything – and so can you! Developing discipline through fasting helps you develop discipline in your everyday life. At the tail end of His forty-day fast, Jesus was met with temptation by Satan himself. I believe it was his time on the fast that helped give him the strength to say NO! Just know that as you are fasting, you are not only impacting your life spiritually but also practically! There is POWER in fasting!