Fasting

So it's been about a month since I posted. Consequently I have spent the last month nearly devoid of media input. Why? Because God had something larger than TV and internet for me to experience. I was fasting. I was following Jesus. Fasting is one of three "when" disciplines that most Christians seem happy enough to ignore or apathetic enough not to change. What I mean by "when" disciplines is that either by direct statement of Jesus or unwritten assumption these disciplines are assumed to be part of Christian living. Jesus made comments of "when you fast" and "when you pray". Not if but when. Or for us Americans, not if you feel like it, but when it is necessary. I would have to say that I think fasting from food is a much more powerful and biblical form of fasting, but all that a fast requires is cutting out a luxury for the sake of Christ's kingdom. And still, excuses flow in abundance. I rationalized for hours why I just could not partake in the media fast. "I spend too much time alone anyway and I'm not disciplined enough to read my bible and pray for 3-5 hours every day. I won't be able to update my blog." Or my favorite because in comparison to knowing Christ they simply show my own stupidity, "I just bought three DVD's I really want to watch. There are some movies in the theatre that I want to see on the big screen." All of my excuses were rubbish, were evidences of just how far I still have to go. Fasting is about stepping out in faith, in the knowledge and understanding that God is enough to sustain you. A glimpse of the cases of fasting in the Old Testament leaves me with no doubt that fasting makes our prayers all the sweeter before the throne of God.
(The third when, for any of you keeping count, I believe is unwritten and it is "when you read scripture")