May 9, 2024 • 27 mins
In Episode 33, Those Crazy Bible Study Guys show how dealing with nail biting can be a strategy with fasting! They discover how fasting is a heart matter to draw closer to God, not a public sacrifice to show people how you are good at practicing your faith. It's not a social media showcase! Would you rather have a million likes from people of the world about how you are fasting or 1 ginormous eternal like from your Father in heaven!!!
Those Crazy Bible Study Guys discuss how fasting is not just food but can be from those things that are distracting you from growing closer to God with the point being that you practice drawing strength from God in your weaknesses.
This episode offers profound insights on fasting as a spiritual discipline - it’s purpose of nurturing our connection with God. It also sheds light on intention and motivation in our actions, the difference between showing off piety and sincerely seeking a connection with the divine. Tune in and learn how to leverage the power of fasting as a spiritual discipline and cherish the gift of the present day.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hey, everybody, welcome to episode 33. I am Jim, and I'm Dale,
and we are those crazy Bible study guys.
Yeah, wow, 33, man. That's a big number.
That's Jesus right there, you know, ministry, you know, and the whole crucifixion.
(00:26):
So, big number, man. Yeah, I hope we can live up to it.
Yeah, no doubt, man. Well, we are going to be doing some fasting today, man.
So I hope you're ready and mind strengthened, willing to do it.
So this one's a hard one because I've heard a lot of conversation between people
(00:47):
and even myself mentally.
Do I want to fast? Because I do love food and things.
Things so yeah have you ever have you
ever done it like specifically in relation to your faith or i mean i've i think
i've done it once or twice but like just for 24 hours and it's been a very very
(01:09):
long time the only other time i
did it was like for medical procedure or something like that But have you,
have you done that as part of your faith?
Yeah, I have. I have. It's rare.
I will be open and honest about that. I probably could work in discipline on
that a little bit more, but yes.
(01:30):
Yeah, I, I have, I've done multiple fastings and in different ways,
you know, typically the one by giving up food for 24 hours. I have done that.
That was a long day. Yeah. And then I, you know, I've also done fasting where
I've given up something to, um,
you know, just, you know, there, there is medical reasons why some people can't
give up, you know, food and things like for, I'll be honest, I'll be vulnerable.
(01:54):
Like for me, if I don't eat, you know, I mean, like I don't have to eat a ton
of food, but if I don't eat throughout a day, it can trigger me into a migraine.
So a lot of times it's, it's better for me to have a little something. thing.
And if someone could probably say, well, Dale, that's your lack of faith too.
It's like, yeah, I get that, but I also don't like suffering migraines.
(02:15):
So, you know, I, I also have looked at fasting in ways of giving up something
that probably takes more distraction.
So maybe like giving up TV, giving up cell phone,
you know, maybe even if it's social media, basic, you know, I've given up things
like that, you know, on a pretty large scale before,
but yeah, food I have, it's challenging
(02:36):
what about you brother yeah it's
it's it's been a while since i i did it as part of my faith like i said uh more
so on medical procedures but i it's it's amazing how you know you think 24 hours
i mean we know how days fly by right and you think it wouldn't be a big deal but.
(02:58):
There's something to knowing that you can't have that either.
That mentally kind of wants, wants it even more, I guess, you know,
when you, when you know it's not available to you or not accessible or like,
you know, like if you lose power during a storm or something, you,
you take it for granted that you always have that and,
(03:20):
and you realize how much, you know, you rely upon that and how that kind of
is part of your cadence of your day, but man, it sure is a great way to, to draw closer to God.
Right. And, and those times of weakness and just, Lord, I'm feeling those hunger
pains right now. Please draw me through this.
(03:42):
And I think we were even talking about ahead of time. I mean,
you and I both have some nail biting issues, right.
And I've dealt with this, like, since I can remember,
like, like I must've been a little kid when when
i started biting my nails and it's just a a nervous
habit and i know that there's things like like
if i start to think about too much about what you know i hit like a wall of
(04:07):
what do i need to do next or whatever next thing i know i'm i'm biting my nails
and stuff and i kind of talked to you about it's it's not really fasting but
just how the only way i've been able to ever stop them is through prayer.
And the way I did it was I was just praying for someone else as well as praying
for God's mercy on helping me move on from that situation and stop biting my nails and stuff.
(04:35):
And I mean, I think I went six months or something with it. So I think the bottom
line is, is anything that we can do like that, that kind of is a way to teach
us to draw closer closer to God is a good thing.
Yeah, a hundred percent right there with you. I was a young kid too,
when I started biting my nails and it is a challenge, but I think that's what I love about fasting.
(04:58):
And I will always heavily encourage it again. Do I do it all the time?
No, probably need to be better about that too.
But I think you hit the nail on the head when, you know, it's,
you don't realize how often you're doing something.
And, and again, it's like, why, why do we bite our nails?
It's because of of nervousness or excitement or, you know, it could be so deeply rooted into us.
(05:22):
We don't even realize we're doing it until after the fact. And we're like,
why don't we just do that?
And that's what I think fasting is really cool because it brings out because
we don't realize how spoiled we are.
A lot of times, you know, we, most of us are very blessed with,
you know, with plenty of food that may not always be what we want type of food, but it is enough food.
And we don't realize like how easy it is just to get up and,
(05:44):
you know, get a snack and things like like you know my son i
call his generation the demand generation i mean
they have everything at their fingertips so if they demand to want
to watch something like they have access to everything if he wants
to you know grab some food i mean like there's a pantry like
i mean we didn't have a pantry when i grew up you know
so it's just you know there's everything is at
(06:05):
his fingertips and we don't realize how often we are grabbing stuff and going
after stuff but when we take that moment to say i'm going to i really have this
heavy on my heart to pray for something and even jesus called them to you know
to to fast i mean which obviously he is he's gonna read about it but you know i mean.
The goal is not for you to say hey let's take you on a 24-hour quick diet or
(06:30):
you know make you hungry and hangry i guess the new word hangry now the goal
is to realize that there is a deeper
element of fulfilling you know
to get that full filling like you don't
have to keep stuff in your mouth like you can be full through the
spirit and pray for something and like you said connect it deeper and we we
(06:53):
don't consider that always with fasting we consider it as i'm going i'm going
without this for so long right how hard it's going to be well you're you're
not looking it's like It's like going to church and saying, hey, I worshiped today.
But did you? Like, did you actually worship by really letting your heart worship today?
Or are you thinking about lunch at 12?
(07:16):
Yeah, it's something that is really critical to your life.
And so you definitely are aware of it more versus like, I'm not going to ride
bikes for the next month.
Well, I haven't rode bikes for
the last. I don't know how long it's been since I've rode a bike. Yeah.
(07:37):
You know, so it's something that you rely on, you need, you desire.
And going through that process of the fasting of...
Drawing to closer to god every time you get that
hunger pain or every time you think about food or every time
you see commercial with you know i swear if you when you do stuff like that
(07:59):
like i had a medical procedure last year where i had to do that and i swear
every commercial on tv was like like like it was red lobster or something like
that yeah you're wishing that your tv yeah I'm like, I'm like, really, man?
Yeah. I'm like, uh, oh, okay. I see how this is going to go.
But again, if, if that happens, that, that draws you even closer, right?
(08:22):
To God, if you're in the middle of fasting, I'm just, or just hit the off button
on the TV, that, that would be helpful too.
You know, and I think, I think it's interesting too, to like,
to realize how addicted we are to things, you know, without realizing it.
So I remember when we, we first moved to Florida, we had, and this is,
this is kind of dating me here.
We used to have a mobile carrier called sprint.
(08:45):
If you remember those, those guys. Oh yeah.
And so I think T-Mobile bought them out, but we, you know, we moved down here
to Florida and, you know, we're moving into an apartment.
So we don't have everything fully set up and, you know, we didn't have internet yet.
Like the guys were coming in a couple of days. and and
so we had to we had to sit there like okay that's fine
(09:08):
we you know at least we got you know 4g at the
time and we can access it well sprint was known
to be one of the worst carriers in the
location we had moved to here in florida we got zero
access and so i did
remember for three nights me and my wife you
know we're just sitting around and it's you know nighttime our
(09:28):
son's going to bed and we're just like what do we do oh
we have to talk to each other we have to you
know we have to come up with like playing cards
or something like we we it was so interesting to see how much of an addiction
we had to our cell phones without realizing it so yeah and then on the other
side of it you're like okay maybe i'm giving that too much priority or too much
(09:54):
attention more than and it really deserves,
and that really wasn't, I mean, it was painful in the moment,
but in hindsight, it was.
Not so bad. And it was worth the value of you guys maybe playing cards together
or talking or reading a book or drawing closer to God if you're fasting or what have you.
(10:18):
You said it. You said it right. Like, it was kind of almost a shame.
Like, wow, like, am I really like, I can't get through a day or two.
Like, I mean, I lived a life before technology.
Like, we were fine without it. And I can't even get through a night because
I'm like, well, can't get on social media.
I can't do anything. And so, again, I think, like you said, it brings that awareness
when you do a fast to how much you've relied on something that doesn't matter as much in the end.
(10:40):
So, yeah, huge fast. Yeah, opens your eyes for sure. Yeah.
Well, are you ready to dive in to see what the Lord says on it?
Yeah, let's do this. People are probably like, all right, guys,
come on, get to it. Yeah, what's the scripture today?
That's right. Well, we are going to be still in Matthew chapter 6.
We're only going to read a few verses today. It's just 16 through 18.
And it looks like we only have one footnote, too, for it.
(11:02):
So yeah i actually got two so oh you do yeah maybe again maybe they did the combo again but,
right yeah they would they typically do lump it together
or they're like hey you know what all right
so let's do it let me let me open some prayer real quick here and we'll
read the scripture again matthew 6 16-18 today heavenly
(11:23):
father lord i thank you again for a beautiful day lord as
we learn about fasting today with our listeners and
as we grow together just pray that you'll open up
our eyes and give us some insights and lord how we can give up something in
our lives that is a distraction or hindrance from spreading the gospel lord
or to just be in deep connection with you so lord help us coach our hearts coach
(11:44):
our minds to really allow ourselves this opportunity to to really just give
more to you in our relationship,
and put more faith and trust in you in jesus name amen amen.
Alright, it goes like this. When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites
do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.
(12:07):
Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting,
but only to your father who is unseen
and your father who sees what is done in
secret will reward you say i
(12:29):
like the third time he said that yeah yeah i was thinking the exact same thing
again what's done in secret will reward you yeah yeah when i google that again
the same thing man yeah yeah you'll yeah i'd be interested in the google stat on that,
But that, I mean, that he's hitting on, I love how he, like,
(12:54):
to me, this means this is important, right?
I mean, he keeps telling us this, right?
And he starts out with the people, you know, that are letting people know, oh, I'm fasting.
And that just kind of, again, defeats the whole purpose of, hey,
this is something for you to grow closer to the Father.
(13:15):
This is not something to make you look good or make you look like you're a good
Christian or what have you.
This is something to, I'm going to help you grow in the spirit.
I'm going to help your heart grow and I'm going to help you draw closer to me as a result of this.
(13:36):
Don't make it a showcase because the other thing about that,
too, is it's totally distracting from the whole purpose because you're focused
on what are people thinking? What are they going to do?
Oh, they're going to feel sorry for me because I'm fasting and not going without food.
And, oh, look at him. He looks in pain and suffering versus just you taking
(13:57):
this time with God and just connecting with him and drawing closer to him through the process.
Yeah amen i mean it's exactly what you've you
know you and i have always talked about over many the last decade
it's a heart matter at this moment yeah and why
we have thought this sounded familiar because it
wasn't that long when we actually read it so i did do a quick google search
(14:19):
and actually it was found here get this in matthew chapter six it says how long
it takes to get through one of these chapters but it was here in verses three
and four when we were talking about giving to
the needy. And I'm going to read that real quick.
And it says, but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know
(14:40):
what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret.
Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
And it goes back to that heart matter.
Are we, are we doing something that is showing off or are we showing for the
lord and it goes back to that heart matter yeah interesting
(15:03):
i thought he i thought it was they said it again
in between there and wasn't what
i was giving okay giving yeah
i was thinking it was also in in prayer too
because i feel like i remember i think when we yeah like oh and it does it kind
of also kind of verse six of matthew chapter six as well this is then your father
(15:25):
who sees what is done in secret will reward you yeah there was actually another
yeah with common theme yeah just checking your heart.
And what's what's the real motivator right is the motivator for you or is the motivator for you to
draw closer to god and and get his wisdom and
(15:46):
direction and grow your spirit through those things right yeah and i mean it
makes it makes so much sense because again that heart matter i'm thinking of
this like give to the needy don't let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing so you know okay you fill up someone's gas tank or you blow you know i know i want to be
careful how i say this one because i know in social media land
(16:08):
right now yeah there are some good people who
are making videos about giving and it's
it's beautiful to watch it's beautiful to see someone get blessed and you're
just you're really happy for it but again like are you doing it for views or
are you doing it you know to inspire i mean again i want to be careful how i
say that but you know that's what i love about like when you give you do it in secret like you
(16:32):
don't need to let everybody know that you just done something special.
And then when you pray, you don't have to be the loudest person in a church setting.
Like you could just be in your closet and just give your heart and pour your heart out.
And now like with fasting again, it's not, Hey, look what I've done.
I've, I've gone 48 hours without food and look at you, you know,
(16:53):
you're over here just gobbling away.
Like, no, it's, it's a heart matter. Someone says everything.
Okay. Yeah. I'm just doing good. I'm just, I'm in a, I'm in a season of prayer right now.
You know completely pushing anything away
because you don't want the spotlight on you you
want that heart matter with god so yeah like
the giving to the needy or something like that or when you give or do something
(17:16):
for someone i mean you know how how good that makes you feel right your spirit
is just like supercharged at that moment yeah and it's it's interesting like
you're feeling so good good about it.
And then you share it with some, I mean, your spouse is a different story, right?
You pretty much share everything with them and, and they, you know.
(17:40):
They get you right they they understand it they're growing
and it's just part of your mutual walk and
growth together and and things that you're doing but as
soon as you go tell a friend or post it on social media or
something it's like you may want to be inspiring to someone or what have you
but it just seems like the plug gets pulled out of the wall you know and you
(18:03):
just lose all all that that strength and power you got from that situation just
seems to just kind of like just kind of fade off.
Yeah, because, I mean, excuse me, I know you end up posting this out here for
that inspiration, but then where does your eye go to?
Does it go to the Lord to say, God, thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to inspire?
(18:27):
Or are you looking at the little thumbs-ups and the hearts and the little emoji
icons that come to a post that says, you know, oh,
you know, I've only got 500 likes, you know, like, well, I thought there would
be more to this, or I was hoping this would go viral and really broadcast me out there.
Like, again, that's, that's not the right motive in my mind at that point.
(18:52):
Like, again, I feel like you lost the focus of what you were trying to do,
you know, and that's why I like the whole secrecy piece of it.
And I will say too, with fasting, if you do decide to give up,
you know, food and things you know i think you made a great point jim let your
spouse know and for a couple reasons one.
I know my wife my wife is very very strong in
(19:14):
prayer she's wow she's our prayer warrior of the household i'll
be honest she's amazing at it and she's done
fasting where she's really praying about something specific so
she'll ask me to join alongside of her now there's times where i have given
up food and and have gone with her on that journey there's times where i'm like
okay i fully understand so i'm going to pray for you throughout the day and
(19:37):
so maybe i'll give up a different habit or i'll give up something different.
To join her in that prayer moment.
But at the same time, if she were to pass out, I at least would also understand
like something happened because her sugar would, you know, dropped out of nowhere.
And, you know, I was able to also kind of monitor and keep an eye on her too
if something was to happen, but it helped me have faith to know that God was
(19:59):
going to sustain her too.
So it's, it's a beautiful product that can go to a lot of people just in that
moment where you're really seeking after the Lord.
I thought you were going to say, So she doesn't make steak and lobster that night.
You know, I know you don't like seafood, but for me, that's typically me though,
right? Be like, oh, hey, she's fasting.
(20:21):
It's probably not a good idea to
do pasta or a sandwich. So I need to find something she doesn't care for.
And that's what I'm going to have for dinner that night. So I don't upset her. Oh man.
All right. I'm going to head into the footnotes here.
And like I said, I only get two of them here. So fasting, going without food
in order to spend time in prayer, is noble and difficult.
(20:47):
All right, so they're just laying it out.
Yep, calling it out. It gives us time to pray, teaches self-discipline,
reminds us that we can live with a lot less, and helps us appreciate God's gifts.
Jesus was not condemning fasting, but hypocrisy, fasting in order to gain public approval.
(21:13):
Fasting was mandatory for the Jewish people once a year.
On the Day of Atonement in Leviticus,
the Pharisees voluntarily fasted twice
a week to impress the people with their holiness jesus commended acts of self-sacrifice
done quietly and sincerely he wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for
(21:37):
the right reasons not from a selfish desire for praise,
it's a beautifully written footnote yeah it was you know it gives us time to
pray teaches which is self-discipline, reminds us that we can live with a lot
less and help us appreciate God's gifts.
(21:58):
That's very, it sums it up just perfectly. It really does.
Yeah. And I'm glad they were realistic too about the difficulty of it. So.
And that was, that was the footnote that I had. So whatever the second footnote
you have will be interesting because I don't have that. Oh, okay.
Well, we're going to have a little lesson here on olive oil and I'm not talking about Popeye.
(22:23):
And that's really. I like that. I like that. What's up Popeye? It's a good.
Yeah. What is it? Spinach. Google it. Google Popeye. And check your forearms afterwards.
And a spinach. He was a great sailor, you know. Yeah.
Yeah. Yep. But I don't condemn the smoking, the pipe in your mouth all the time. No. No. Not at all.
(22:45):
All right. So, and by the way, this was cartoon.
If you don't know what it is and just Google Popeye's girlfriend and you'll
get what we're talking about here. I'm just going to leave that a mystery.
All right. But I'll give you some clues here.
Olive oil was used as a common cosmetic, like a lotion.
(23:10):
Jesus was saying, go about your normal daily routine when you fast.
Don't make a show of it.
Interesting. I'll put oil on your head and wash your face.
I mean, that's, that's interesting how much olive oil, you know,
there's, there's so many uses for it.
(23:30):
You know, back then it was kind of a, you know, which it makes sense, right?
Because again, if you, if you're fasting, giving up food, water,
you know, I think typically you can still drink water, but like coffee,
things like that, anything that's
got element, you know, but so eventually you can dry up a little bit.
It so to use olive oil as a way to condition
your skin like you're saying like a conditioner that makes sense but then obviously
(23:54):
you know we make a lot of food with olive oils you know and things like that
today and then even i don't know if you've seen this trend but a you know pretty
big national chain coffee chain uses olive oil in their coffee now it's an option.
Really yeah it's i i can't
i don't have the strength to try it because
(24:15):
i don't want olive oil in my coffee it doesn't sound good no it doesn't although
all those creamers that they make i think are made with like hydrogenated oil
yeah yeah yeah which is yeah i don't do those either i don't do those either
but yeah i've got confessions on that but,
Um, well, yeah, anyways, I, I totally threw you off there.
(24:37):
No, it's all good, but it's just, it's, I just thought about that.
Like they put oil in their coffee now, but just, it's neat how usage it was,
but yeah, that was the purpose, you know what I mean?
Again, you're trying to look like it's just a normal everyday moment because again,
you're not bringing that awareness about yourself so that you can,
you know, I think of the, the widow
(24:59):
dropping her coins versus the rich man parable that Jesus tells later,
you know, But this rich man's over here beating his chest real hard,
like, look at me, look what I've done.
Whereas the widow just drops in just barely anything. Nobody notices her, but Jesus noticed.
And I just thought that was, again, that secret will be rewarded kind of a moment.
(25:20):
And you're doing it for a heart matter.
Yeah, the common theme there. So I do like that, though, how he's not talking
about the issue of fasting. fasting are, that's not really an issue,
but he's not talking about the practice of fasting.
He's again, talking about the heart matter of what's, what's your true motivation here.
(25:40):
So, yeah. But I do like your footnote. I know we're kind of getting close to
time, but like, I do like your footnote about how, you know,
everyone in the Jewish culture, like there was one day a year that they,
they all fasted, which was interesting, but yeah,
that kind of gave me like a little challenge to think, you know,
especially when my son gets a little bit older, you know, is maybe Maybe we do a family fast,
(26:02):
you know, to just, you know, bring our hearts closer to him, you know, to Christ.
So it's pretty interesting. I like that. And again, it goes back to what you said.
It shows that we can do it with a lot less. I really like that perspective.
I like that too. Father God, thank you for not only the teaching on fasting
(26:23):
and the history on that, But the reminder that those are things to help us to draw closer to you,
not to make a spectacle of ourselves.
So help us to find ways, Lord, to draw closer to you.
Help us to do it in private and help us to just appreciate that growth from
that particular situation in Jesus' name. Amen.
(26:45):
Amen. All right. Well, everyone, let's try to do our best to be a little less
today and let's make him a lot more. And so if fasting is something on your
heart, pray consistently about it and best of luck.
And until next time, enjoy the gift of today.
Hey, everybody, welcome to episode 33. I am Jim, and I'm Dale,
and we are those crazy Bible study guys.
Yeah, wow, 33, man. That's a big number.
That's Jesus right there, you know, ministry, you know, and the whole crucifixion.
(00:26):
So, big number, man. Yeah, I hope we can live up to it.
Yeah, no doubt, man. Well, we are going to be doing some fasting today, man.
So I hope you're ready and mind strengthened, willing to do it.
So this one's a hard one because I've heard a lot of conversation between people
(00:47):
and even myself mentally.
Do I want to fast? Because I do love food and things.
Things so yeah have you ever have you
ever done it like specifically in relation to your faith or i mean i've i think
i've done it once or twice but like just for 24 hours and it's been a very very
(01:09):
long time the only other time i
did it was like for medical procedure or something like that But have you,
have you done that as part of your faith?
Yeah, I have. I have. It's rare.
I will be open and honest about that. I probably could work in discipline on
that a little bit more, but yes.
(01:30):
Yeah, I, I have, I've done multiple fastings and in different ways,
you know, typically the one by giving up food for 24 hours. I have done that.
That was a long day. Yeah. And then I, you know, I've also done fasting where
I've given up something to, um,
you know, just, you know, there, there is medical reasons why some people can't
give up, you know, food and things like for, I'll be honest, I'll be vulnerable.
(01:54):
Like for me, if I don't eat, you know, I mean, like I don't have to eat a ton
of food, but if I don't eat throughout a day, it can trigger me into a migraine.
So a lot of times it's, it's better for me to have a little something. thing.
And if someone could probably say, well, Dale, that's your lack of faith too.
It's like, yeah, I get that, but I also don't like suffering migraines.
(02:15):
So, you know, I, I also have looked at fasting in ways of giving up something
that probably takes more distraction.
So maybe like giving up TV, giving up cell phone,
you know, maybe even if it's social media, basic, you know, I've given up things
like that, you know, on a pretty large scale before,
but yeah, food I have, it's challenging
(02:36):
what about you brother yeah it's
it's it's been a while since i i did it as part of my faith like i said uh more
so on medical procedures but i it's it's amazing how you know you think 24 hours
i mean we know how days fly by right and you think it wouldn't be a big deal but.
(02:58):
There's something to knowing that you can't have that either.
That mentally kind of wants, wants it even more, I guess, you know,
when you, when you know it's not available to you or not accessible or like,
you know, like if you lose power during a storm or something, you,
you take it for granted that you always have that and,
(03:20):
and you realize how much, you know, you rely upon that and how that kind of
is part of your cadence of your day, but man, it sure is a great way to, to draw closer to God.
Right. And, and those times of weakness and just, Lord, I'm feeling those hunger
pains right now. Please draw me through this.
(03:42):
And I think we were even talking about ahead of time. I mean,
you and I both have some nail biting issues, right.
And I've dealt with this, like, since I can remember,
like, like I must've been a little kid when when
i started biting my nails and it's just a a nervous
habit and i know that there's things like like
if i start to think about too much about what you know i hit like a wall of
(04:07):
what do i need to do next or whatever next thing i know i'm i'm biting my nails
and stuff and i kind of talked to you about it's it's not really fasting but
just how the only way i've been able to ever stop them is through prayer.
And the way I did it was I was just praying for someone else as well as praying
for God's mercy on helping me move on from that situation and stop biting my nails and stuff.
(04:35):
And I mean, I think I went six months or something with it. So I think the bottom
line is, is anything that we can do like that, that kind of is a way to teach
us to draw closer closer to God is a good thing.
Yeah, a hundred percent right there with you. I was a young kid too,
when I started biting my nails and it is a challenge, but I think that's what I love about fasting.
(04:58):
And I will always heavily encourage it again. Do I do it all the time?
No, probably need to be better about that too.
But I think you hit the nail on the head when, you know, it's,
you don't realize how often you're doing something.
And, and again, it's like, why, why do we bite our nails?
It's because of of nervousness or excitement or, you know, it could be so deeply rooted into us.
(05:22):
We don't even realize we're doing it until after the fact. And we're like,
why don't we just do that?
And that's what I think fasting is really cool because it brings out because
we don't realize how spoiled we are.
A lot of times, you know, we, most of us are very blessed with,
you know, with plenty of food that may not always be what we want type of food, but it is enough food.
And we don't realize like how easy it is just to get up and,
(05:44):
you know, get a snack and things like like you know my son i
call his generation the demand generation i mean
they have everything at their fingertips so if they demand to want
to watch something like they have access to everything if he wants
to you know grab some food i mean like there's a pantry like
i mean we didn't have a pantry when i grew up you know
so it's just you know there's everything is at
(06:05):
his fingertips and we don't realize how often we are grabbing stuff and going
after stuff but when we take that moment to say i'm going to i really have this
heavy on my heart to pray for something and even jesus called them to you know
to to fast i mean which obviously he is he's gonna read about it but you know i mean.
The goal is not for you to say hey let's take you on a 24-hour quick diet or
(06:30):
you know make you hungry and hangry i guess the new word hangry now the goal
is to realize that there is a deeper
element of fulfilling you know
to get that full filling like you don't
have to keep stuff in your mouth like you can be full through the
spirit and pray for something and like you said connect it deeper and we we
(06:53):
don't consider that always with fasting we consider it as i'm going i'm going
without this for so long right how hard it's going to be well you're you're
not looking it's like It's like going to church and saying, hey, I worshiped today.
But did you? Like, did you actually worship by really letting your heart worship today?
Or are you thinking about lunch at 12?
(07:16):
Yeah, it's something that is really critical to your life.
And so you definitely are aware of it more versus like, I'm not going to ride
bikes for the next month.
Well, I haven't rode bikes for
the last. I don't know how long it's been since I've rode a bike. Yeah.
(07:37):
You know, so it's something that you rely on, you need, you desire.
And going through that process of the fasting of...
Drawing to closer to god every time you get that
hunger pain or every time you think about food or every time
you see commercial with you know i swear if you when you do stuff like that
(07:59):
like i had a medical procedure last year where i had to do that and i swear
every commercial on tv was like like like it was red lobster or something like
that yeah you're wishing that your tv yeah I'm like, I'm like, really, man?
Yeah. I'm like, uh, oh, okay. I see how this is going to go.
But again, if, if that happens, that, that draws you even closer, right?
(08:22):
To God, if you're in the middle of fasting, I'm just, or just hit the off button
on the TV, that, that would be helpful too.
You know, and I think, I think it's interesting too, to like,
to realize how addicted we are to things, you know, without realizing it.
So I remember when we, we first moved to Florida, we had, and this is,
this is kind of dating me here.
We used to have a mobile carrier called sprint.
(08:45):
If you remember those, those guys. Oh yeah.
And so I think T-Mobile bought them out, but we, you know, we moved down here
to Florida and, you know, we're moving into an apartment.
So we don't have everything fully set up and, you know, we didn't have internet yet.
Like the guys were coming in a couple of days. and and
so we had to we had to sit there like okay that's fine
(09:08):
we you know at least we got you know 4g at the
time and we can access it well sprint was known
to be one of the worst carriers in the
location we had moved to here in florida we got zero
access and so i did
remember for three nights me and my wife you
know we're just sitting around and it's you know nighttime our
(09:28):
son's going to bed and we're just like what do we do oh
we have to talk to each other we have to you
know we have to come up with like playing cards
or something like we we it was so interesting to see how much of an addiction
we had to our cell phones without realizing it so yeah and then on the other
side of it you're like okay maybe i'm giving that too much priority or too much
(09:54):
attention more than and it really deserves,
and that really wasn't, I mean, it was painful in the moment,
but in hindsight, it was.
Not so bad. And it was worth the value of you guys maybe playing cards together
or talking or reading a book or drawing closer to God if you're fasting or what have you.
(10:18):
You said it. You said it right. Like, it was kind of almost a shame.
Like, wow, like, am I really like, I can't get through a day or two.
Like, I mean, I lived a life before technology.
Like, we were fine without it. And I can't even get through a night because
I'm like, well, can't get on social media.
I can't do anything. And so, again, I think, like you said, it brings that awareness
when you do a fast to how much you've relied on something that doesn't matter as much in the end.
(10:40):
So, yeah, huge fast. Yeah, opens your eyes for sure. Yeah.
Well, are you ready to dive in to see what the Lord says on it?
Yeah, let's do this. People are probably like, all right, guys,
come on, get to it. Yeah, what's the scripture today?
That's right. Well, we are going to be still in Matthew chapter 6.
We're only going to read a few verses today. It's just 16 through 18.
And it looks like we only have one footnote, too, for it.
(11:02):
So yeah i actually got two so oh you do yeah maybe again maybe they did the combo again but,
right yeah they would they typically do lump it together
or they're like hey you know what all right
so let's do it let me let me open some prayer real quick here and we'll
read the scripture again matthew 6 16-18 today heavenly
(11:23):
father lord i thank you again for a beautiful day lord as
we learn about fasting today with our listeners and
as we grow together just pray that you'll open up
our eyes and give us some insights and lord how we can give up something in
our lives that is a distraction or hindrance from spreading the gospel lord
or to just be in deep connection with you so lord help us coach our hearts coach
(11:44):
our minds to really allow ourselves this opportunity to to really just give
more to you in our relationship,
and put more faith and trust in you in jesus name amen amen.
Alright, it goes like this. When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites
do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.
(12:07):
Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting,
but only to your father who is unseen
and your father who sees what is done in
secret will reward you say i
(12:29):
like the third time he said that yeah yeah i was thinking the exact same thing
again what's done in secret will reward you yeah yeah when i google that again
the same thing man yeah yeah you'll yeah i'd be interested in the google stat on that,
But that, I mean, that he's hitting on, I love how he, like,
(12:54):
to me, this means this is important, right?
I mean, he keeps telling us this, right?
And he starts out with the people, you know, that are letting people know, oh, I'm fasting.
And that just kind of, again, defeats the whole purpose of, hey,
this is something for you to grow closer to the Father.
(13:15):
This is not something to make you look good or make you look like you're a good
Christian or what have you.
This is something to, I'm going to help you grow in the spirit.
I'm going to help your heart grow and I'm going to help you draw closer to me as a result of this.
(13:36):
Don't make it a showcase because the other thing about that,
too, is it's totally distracting from the whole purpose because you're focused
on what are people thinking? What are they going to do?
Oh, they're going to feel sorry for me because I'm fasting and not going without food.
And, oh, look at him. He looks in pain and suffering versus just you taking
(13:57):
this time with God and just connecting with him and drawing closer to him through the process.
Yeah amen i mean it's exactly what you've you
know you and i have always talked about over many the last decade
it's a heart matter at this moment yeah and why
we have thought this sounded familiar because it
wasn't that long when we actually read it so i did do a quick google search
(14:19):
and actually it was found here get this in matthew chapter six it says how long
it takes to get through one of these chapters but it was here in verses three
and four when we were talking about giving to
the needy. And I'm going to read that real quick.
And it says, but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know
(14:40):
what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret.
Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
And it goes back to that heart matter.
Are we, are we doing something that is showing off or are we showing for the
lord and it goes back to that heart matter yeah interesting
(15:03):
i thought he i thought it was they said it again
in between there and wasn't what
i was giving okay giving yeah
i was thinking it was also in in prayer too
because i feel like i remember i think when we yeah like oh and it does it kind
of also kind of verse six of matthew chapter six as well this is then your father
(15:25):
who sees what is done in secret will reward you yeah there was actually another
yeah with common theme yeah just checking your heart.
And what's what's the real motivator right is the motivator for you or is the motivator for you to
draw closer to god and and get his wisdom and
(15:46):
direction and grow your spirit through those things right yeah and i mean it
makes it makes so much sense because again that heart matter i'm thinking of
this like give to the needy don't let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing so you know okay you fill up someone's gas tank or you blow you know i know i want to be
careful how i say this one because i know in social media land
(16:08):
right now yeah there are some good people who
are making videos about giving and it's
it's beautiful to watch it's beautiful to see someone get blessed and you're
just you're really happy for it but again like are you doing it for views or
are you doing it you know to inspire i mean again i want to be careful how i
say that but you know that's what i love about like when you give you do it in secret like you
(16:32):
don't need to let everybody know that you just done something special.
And then when you pray, you don't have to be the loudest person in a church setting.
Like you could just be in your closet and just give your heart and pour your heart out.
And now like with fasting again, it's not, Hey, look what I've done.
I've, I've gone 48 hours without food and look at you, you know,
(16:53):
you're over here just gobbling away.
Like, no, it's, it's a heart matter. Someone says everything.
Okay. Yeah. I'm just doing good. I'm just, I'm in a, I'm in a season of prayer right now.
You know completely pushing anything away
because you don't want the spotlight on you you
want that heart matter with god so yeah like
the giving to the needy or something like that or when you give or do something
(17:16):
for someone i mean you know how how good that makes you feel right your spirit
is just like supercharged at that moment yeah and it's it's interesting like
you're feeling so good good about it.
And then you share it with some, I mean, your spouse is a different story, right?
You pretty much share everything with them and, and they, you know.
(17:40):
They get you right they they understand it they're growing
and it's just part of your mutual walk and
growth together and and things that you're doing but as
soon as you go tell a friend or post it on social media or
something it's like you may want to be inspiring to someone or what have you
but it just seems like the plug gets pulled out of the wall you know and you
(18:03):
just lose all all that that strength and power you got from that situation just
seems to just kind of like just kind of fade off.
Yeah, because, I mean, excuse me, I know you end up posting this out here for
that inspiration, but then where does your eye go to?
Does it go to the Lord to say, God, thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to inspire?
(18:27):
Or are you looking at the little thumbs-ups and the hearts and the little emoji
icons that come to a post that says, you know, oh,
you know, I've only got 500 likes, you know, like, well, I thought there would
be more to this, or I was hoping this would go viral and really broadcast me out there.
Like, again, that's, that's not the right motive in my mind at that point.
(18:52):
Like, again, I feel like you lost the focus of what you were trying to do,
you know, and that's why I like the whole secrecy piece of it.
And I will say too, with fasting, if you do decide to give up,
you know, food and things you know i think you made a great point jim let your
spouse know and for a couple reasons one.
I know my wife my wife is very very strong in
(19:14):
prayer she's wow she's our prayer warrior of the household i'll
be honest she's amazing at it and she's done
fasting where she's really praying about something specific so
she'll ask me to join alongside of her now there's times where i have given
up food and and have gone with her on that journey there's times where i'm like
okay i fully understand so i'm going to pray for you throughout the day and
(19:37):
so maybe i'll give up a different habit or i'll give up something different.
To join her in that prayer moment.
But at the same time, if she were to pass out, I at least would also understand
like something happened because her sugar would, you know, dropped out of nowhere.
And, you know, I was able to also kind of monitor and keep an eye on her too
if something was to happen, but it helped me have faith to know that God was
(19:59):
going to sustain her too.
So it's, it's a beautiful product that can go to a lot of people just in that
moment where you're really seeking after the Lord.
I thought you were going to say, So she doesn't make steak and lobster that night.
You know, I know you don't like seafood, but for me, that's typically me though,
right? Be like, oh, hey, she's fasting.
(20:21):
It's probably not a good idea to
do pasta or a sandwich. So I need to find something she doesn't care for.
And that's what I'm going to have for dinner that night. So I don't upset her. Oh man.
All right. I'm going to head into the footnotes here.
And like I said, I only get two of them here. So fasting, going without food
in order to spend time in prayer, is noble and difficult.
(20:47):
All right, so they're just laying it out.
Yep, calling it out. It gives us time to pray, teaches self-discipline,
reminds us that we can live with a lot less, and helps us appreciate God's gifts.
Jesus was not condemning fasting, but hypocrisy, fasting in order to gain public approval.
(21:13):
Fasting was mandatory for the Jewish people once a year.
On the Day of Atonement in Leviticus,
the Pharisees voluntarily fasted twice
a week to impress the people with their holiness jesus commended acts of self-sacrifice
done quietly and sincerely he wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for
(21:37):
the right reasons not from a selfish desire for praise,
it's a beautifully written footnote yeah it was you know it gives us time to
pray teaches which is self-discipline, reminds us that we can live with a lot
less and help us appreciate God's gifts.
(21:58):
That's very, it sums it up just perfectly. It really does.
Yeah. And I'm glad they were realistic too about the difficulty of it. So.
And that was, that was the footnote that I had. So whatever the second footnote
you have will be interesting because I don't have that. Oh, okay.
Well, we're going to have a little lesson here on olive oil and I'm not talking about Popeye.
(22:23):
And that's really. I like that. I like that. What's up Popeye? It's a good.
Yeah. What is it? Spinach. Google it. Google Popeye. And check your forearms afterwards.
And a spinach. He was a great sailor, you know. Yeah.
Yeah. Yep. But I don't condemn the smoking, the pipe in your mouth all the time. No. No. Not at all.
(22:45):
All right. So, and by the way, this was cartoon.
If you don't know what it is and just Google Popeye's girlfriend and you'll
get what we're talking about here. I'm just going to leave that a mystery.
All right. But I'll give you some clues here.
Olive oil was used as a common cosmetic, like a lotion.
(23:10):
Jesus was saying, go about your normal daily routine when you fast.
Don't make a show of it.
Interesting. I'll put oil on your head and wash your face.
I mean, that's, that's interesting how much olive oil, you know,
there's, there's so many uses for it.
(23:30):
You know, back then it was kind of a, you know, which it makes sense, right?
Because again, if you, if you're fasting, giving up food, water,
you know, I think typically you can still drink water, but like coffee,
things like that, anything that's
got element, you know, but so eventually you can dry up a little bit.
It so to use olive oil as a way to condition
your skin like you're saying like a conditioner that makes sense but then obviously
(23:54):
you know we make a lot of food with olive oils you know and things like that
today and then even i don't know if you've seen this trend but a you know pretty
big national chain coffee chain uses olive oil in their coffee now it's an option.
Really yeah it's i i can't
i don't have the strength to try it because
(24:15):
i don't want olive oil in my coffee it doesn't sound good no it doesn't although
all those creamers that they make i think are made with like hydrogenated oil
yeah yeah yeah which is yeah i don't do those either i don't do those either
but yeah i've got confessions on that but,
Um, well, yeah, anyways, I, I totally threw you off there.
(24:37):
No, it's all good, but it's just, it's, I just thought about that.
Like they put oil in their coffee now, but just, it's neat how usage it was,
but yeah, that was the purpose, you know what I mean?
Again, you're trying to look like it's just a normal everyday moment because again,
you're not bringing that awareness about yourself so that you can,
you know, I think of the, the widow
(24:59):
dropping her coins versus the rich man parable that Jesus tells later,
you know, But this rich man's over here beating his chest real hard,
like, look at me, look what I've done.
Whereas the widow just drops in just barely anything. Nobody notices her, but Jesus noticed.
And I just thought that was, again, that secret will be rewarded kind of a moment.
(25:20):
And you're doing it for a heart matter.
Yeah, the common theme there. So I do like that, though, how he's not talking
about the issue of fasting. fasting are, that's not really an issue,
but he's not talking about the practice of fasting.
He's again, talking about the heart matter of what's, what's your true motivation here.
(25:40):
So, yeah. But I do like your footnote. I know we're kind of getting close to
time, but like, I do like your footnote about how, you know,
everyone in the Jewish culture, like there was one day a year that they,
they all fasted, which was interesting, but yeah,
that kind of gave me like a little challenge to think, you know,
especially when my son gets a little bit older, you know, is maybe Maybe we do a family fast,
(26:02):
you know, to just, you know, bring our hearts closer to him, you know, to Christ.
So it's pretty interesting. I like that. And again, it goes back to what you said.
It shows that we can do it with a lot less. I really like that perspective.
I like that too. Father God, thank you for not only the teaching on fasting
(26:23):
and the history on that, But the reminder that those are things to help us to draw closer to you,
not to make a spectacle of ourselves.
So help us to find ways, Lord, to draw closer to you.
Help us to do it in private and help us to just appreciate that growth from
that particular situation in Jesus' name. Amen.
(26:45):
Amen. All right. Well, everyone, let's try to do our best to be a little less
today and let's make him a lot more. And so if fasting is something on your
heart, pray consistently about it and best of luck.
And until next time, enjoy the gift of today.
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