Fasting

All of you are becoming adults and with that comes more independence. You will need to make more of your own decisions, figure out who you are, and rely less on your parents. That’s a normal part of growing up, but sometimes we start thinking we don’t really need God as well.

With your independence you will also get to choose what you do with your time. Jobs, school, friends, and family will need some of that time, but there will still be downtime and there’s always something fighting for that time.

When I was your age back in the ancient days of the 1900s, the distractions were TV, movies, video games, and painfully slow dial-up internet. I used to play a game called SimCity, and I’d sit down after dinner and tell myself I was only going to play for 30 minutes. Then I’d look up and somehow it was 1AM! Today, most of our distractions live in the rectangle you’re reading this devotional on right now.

That’s why fasting matters.

In Matthew 6:16–21, Jesus talks about fasting and frames it as a normal part of following Him. Fasting is giving something up for a period of time so we can focus more on God. It’s choosing to step away from responsibility, comfort, and distraction to remind ourselves that we need Him more than we need entertainment, convenience, or control.

Fasting helps expose what we depend on most. It reminds us that even though we’re growing in independence, we were never meant to live without God. It helps reset our hearts and refocus our attention on what actually matters.

Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What we give our attention to shapes our hearts. Fasting helps us put our attention back on God.

I will admit fasting is not a regular practice for me, maybe it can become something we all try to incorporate more together?