{"id":502,"date":"2023-05-11T13:42:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T13:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bibleholyghost.com\/?p=502"},"modified":"2023-05-17T05:51:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T05:51:27","slug":"jesus-fasting-and-temptation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bibleholyghost.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/11\/jesus-fasting-and-temptation\/","title":{"rendered":"JESUS FASTING AND TEMPTATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part -1<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is fasting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline.  It is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God.  It also enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is voluntary and total abstinence from food for a specific amount of time for days, and it aims to devote oneself to prayer and seeking God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the purpose of Jesus\u2019s fasting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several reasons why Jesus was fasting:  Jesus\u2019s flesh was at its weakest, yet he conquered temptation, He demonstrated His faith, and, finally, fasting was his spiritual tool to draw strength from his Father in Heaven so that he could prepare for his ministry by drawing closer to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus knew he had hard work ahead of him, and he wanted to cling to God so that he could truly fulfill his father\u2019s work.  He also needed to understand the vastly weaker mind of humankind, a sinful and sometimes rebellious people who desperately needed their savior Messiah, the Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus emerged victorious from the wilderness, he was in the right relationship with his heavenly father, ready and willing to do all that God required of him to do— including die on the cross for the sins of this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning about Jesus\u2019s fast can teach us a lot about him, about the importance of time alone with God, and about what we can learn when we step away from physical comfort and embrace difficulty for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should we practice fasting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should fast to get our body into a weakened state so that we can focus on the basics of life and hear God\u2019s voice better without so-called creature comforts that can both soothe and distract us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE FOUR MAJOR REASONS WHY JESUS FASTED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Jesus\u2019s flesh was at its weakest<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    This means that during this time, Jesus was indeed one of us\u2014human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He was able to experience the weakest of flesh through the act of fasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What does having the weakest of flesh mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It means that it is susceptible to temptations and that is why, during this time, Satan was able to tempt him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We as humans, encounter the weakness of the flesh all the time because we are humans.  Jesus is another case.  Jesus was fully God and fully man.  That is why He was not susceptible to temptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, during this time of fasting, He was able to experience the weakness of the flesh and become one of us.  We should be thankful to Him for all his sacrifices as His fasting was only one of his sacrifices as our Savior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We are reminded of this in Romans 8:9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n