Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him (Moses) there and pronounced the name of Adonai. Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “ YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ Adonai ] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth…you are not to bow down to any other god; since Adonai — whose very name is Jealous — is a jealous God.

Exodus 34:5-6,14 (CJB)

God has drawn me to fast this week. So I wanted to take some time to share what a fast can look like, why we might need a fast, and the results to expect from fasting.

1) Many people think of a fast in terms of giving up food for a period of time. In the Christian community it has taken on the addition of giving up other activities. A question to ask yourself is — What is keeping me from spending time with God? — this will help to determine what to forgo during a fast.

2) I kind of gave away the reason to fast in the last paragraph. The scripture I referenced talks about God being a jealous God. I quoted this from the Complete Jewish Bible translation because I wanted to understand the meaning behind it. I learned a few things. (Too many for this short post.) The main thing is; if there are other things getting more of your attention than the attention you are giving God, it’s time for a reassessment. A good way to do that is with a fast.

3) Now that the terms of the fast have been decided, how do you determine when it is successful? Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

• Do I feel closer to God?
• Have I spent more time with God in prayer? In the Word? In praise?
• Have I heard his voice in my spirit?
• Do I have peace in the decisions I’m making?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you know the fast has been a successful fast and not just something you are doing to prove you are a “good Christian”.

I hope this has been helpful. If you have the time, look into the scripture above and research the meanings behind the names God uses for himself. He reveals his character in every name.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

Image by GERVASIO RUIZ from Pixabay