Wisdom From John
O Wretched Man That I am
We all have our favorite scripture verses and Romans 7:24 in one of mine. For those who have trouble recalling what Romans 7:24 says this is the part of Romans where the Apostle Paul proclaims to the world that he is a "wretched Man" and ask "Who can rescue me from this body of death?" (NIV)
Now, think about this for a minute, Paul, highly educated, "thoroughly trained in the law" by Gamaliel, someone who spoke directly with our risen Savior Jesus on the road to Damascus, world class missionary, major writer of the New Testament, that Paul calls himself, "Wretched." And, I think I'm really somebody spiritual by going to church on Sunday mornings. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?
Most of us who are followers of Jesus have cleaned up the outside and, when seen on the street, we look and act the part of a Christian. What I have learned is that those who are sincere about their faith constantly battle the human fresh and its desires…spiritual battles, battles of Powers and Principalities, battles that no one knows about but the person who is fighting them.
Recently, I had an interesting discussion that involved the principle of fasting. The question under discussion was, "Is it necessary for a Christian to fast?" To me the answer was simple; God set up rules for fasting, Jesus fasted, and the Disciples fasted so, it makes sense to me that Christians today should also fast. One person in our group disagreed and that gave cause to more discussion.
Why fast? We live in a rich nation. Most of us enjoy the good life so, why force myself to suffer. I read my Bible, I listen to the preacher, and I even pray daily so, what benefit would I get from fasting? "O wretched man, arrogance and pride have blinded your eyes. Humble yourself and let God touch your heart."
Our spiritual battles are a matter of will; whose will is more important to my spiritual growth, God's or mine? Our flesh cries out for satisfaction and demands our attention. Often, we yield to the demands of our flesh with destructive behavior; one more piece of cake, one more look at that magazine, one more cigarette or one more drink and then I'll quit. Face it, when it comes to our flesh we are all wimps and we cannot be trusted when we are left alone by ourselves. We will cave in almost every time and justify almost any behavior.
The purpose of fasting is to beat our flesh into submission. Fasting suppresses our will, our desires, and allows God to remake us into His image. No matter how many sermons we listen to or how many Bible chapters we read, if we have not engaged in the habit of fasting our desires will almost always overrule God's. It is the nature of the flesh.
If our heart's desire is a closer walk with Jesus and, if we truly want a more powerful, overcoming life, we must explore the act of fasting. And, for the lazy among us, giving up a candy bar for a month or not watching our favorite TV show for a week is not really fasting.
So I challenge us all. Search the Scriptures and become more sensitive to God's desire to remake us into His image. Become educated on fasting and be wise about how to fast. No one on earth is at the point in their Christian walk where they can go into the desert and fast for forty days as Jesus did. But, all of us can start someplace.
Let us commit to each other a promise that we will find that favorite weakness that keeps calling our name and beat it into submission. HOLD ON a minute…I just read what I wrote…If it is your spouse or child calling your name, please disregard my challenge. I'm not supporting the abuse of others, just trying to beat our personal fleshly desires into submission.
We all have a long ways to go before we sleep. Let us challenge each others to a closer walk with Jesus. We really can do this thing called fasting and it will give us a stronger walk with God.
Have a great week…see you in church.
John Keilholz Sr. ICWAO@hotmail.com
