Written by Danielle Age
READ
1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Fasting has everything to do with a makeover. It doesn’t matter to God how good things appear to be going on the outside if we remain empty, void of His presence on the inside. Fasting cuts through all the junk. Fasting opens the door for the Holy Spirit to come in and do surgery on those weak, withered areas of your spiritual life, replacing them with life and power.
We are overlooking the simple goals of God’s heart. As David wrote in Psalm 149, “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” (v. 4). That is what fasting has to do with makeovers.
What we desire to do on the outside reflects what is going on in the heart. When we don’t feel that we measure up in our appearance, it drains our confidence. One of the themes threaded throughout these pages is found in the Book of Hebrews: “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-36). Satan would like nothing more than to get us to quit the race by stealing our confidence.
Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been in need of a makeover. There were no worries prior to sin entering into the heart of man. Adam and Eve were naked before each other and before God—with no concern regarding their appearance. The first thing they did after sin entered the picture was to attempt to cover their nakedness with leaves. Sin has a way of making us all feel ugly. Sin robs us of our confidence and destroys our self-esteem. Sin, no matter how seemingly small, will find a way to make you loathe yourself eventually. When you are bound, addicted, and living in sin, you add the weight of guilt to your appearance. When you don’t like who you are, you only see the negative parts of your life. God sees who you are and who He has planned for you to become. (Excerpt from The Fasting Edge by Jentezen Franklin)
Further Reading:
Psalm 149:4 (NKJV)
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people, He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Hebrews 10:35-36 (NKJV)
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
REFLECT and RESPOND
Reflect on your 21 day fasting journey. Do you feel like you have gone through an extreme makeover or are still in the process of an extreme makeover? How has fasting given you a renewed image of yourself as God sees you, rather than the tainted image you may have had previously? Respond in the comments below.
We recommend you keep a journal of your personal responses to questions posed in each of the daily devotionals so you can meditate not only during the first 21 days during your prayer time, but you can reflect throughout the entire year to be able to see how God has really moved on your behalf in 2016 and you have record of your testimony.