Awakening: 21 Days Of Prayer And Fasting DevotionalSample

Day 3 Why do we fast? You can do it for the right reasons or the wrong reasons. I want to make it clear that under the New Covenant, fasting is not to get God to change His mind about something. Fasting is also not something we do to obtain favor or forgiveness. After you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your past, present and future sins have already been forgiven! You don’t need to fast to obtain favor or receive mercy, because through Jesus you live in a continual state of God’s mercy. Instead, fasting is a way of celebrating the goodness of God and that because of Jesus, we have already received God’s mercy, forgiveness and favor. Under the Old Covenant, the entire mindset was to “do in order to become.” But under the New Covenant, the operating principle is “you already are, therefore act like it” --- rejoice and celebrate that Christ has set you free. You don’t have to fast for mercy, instead, celebrate the mercy given to you as a free gift through your relationship with Christ. Under the New Covenant you don’t fast to obtain the Lord’s favor because you perpetually live in the favor of the Lord. Do you see the difference? Fasting is not about mourning or sadness, but it is about celebrating the goodness of God. Make sure that as you fast you reflect and journal on the goodness, favor and forgiveness of God. Excerpts taken from Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom by Stovall Weems (p. 67)