In Secret
Matthew 6:16-18 [16] Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [17] But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; [18] That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
We hear about it a lot each year during Lent. What someone is giving up for a certain amount of time. Too often it’s done just as a spectacle. We aren’t to fast from anything just so we can say we did it. It’s been talked about at church multiple times: fasting is to be done to replace whatever it is you are giving with more God in your life. Our text verses also shed some light on something else as well. We should do these things at times in secret. Sometimes the Pastor may call for a fast, thus everyone would know. However, when was the last time you gave up something to spend more time with God and didn’t let people know about it. It’s possible you did after the fact, but many will make sure they point it out to anyone they can. Why? Are they looking for mans approval? Mans approval accomplished us nothing! Our desire should be to have Gods approval. I’ve heard people make the comment about how hungry they are and can’t wait for a day to be over cause they are fasting and want to see God move. I’d question where your mind is truly at then. More worried about your current hunger or God moving? It’s possible you want to request another to fast with you. Possibly you and your spouse want to see God move in your marriage. Maybe you have someone else that you want to enquire of to fast with you to see God move in a particular prayer you may share. Those things are understandable, but they are still things that could be done in secret. Fasting isn’t to be about trying to show how “serious” we are for the things of God, but it does show God how serious we are. As the Scriptures show here: If we are as serious as we claim to be about fasting then it’s not something we will be broadcasting anyway.
God bless you today! Bro. Josh Richardson
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