Fast for Easter

What could you give up in order to prepare spiritually for Easter?

I’m giving up lunch once a week.  I’m also saying good-bye every day to reading the news on the Internet and listening to the radio in my car. Instead, I will pray during those hours.  As I am driving down the road, I will focus on God (and the traffic), but not the radio.  And one more thing, every time I get a forwarded email, I’m sticking it in the trash without opening it and saying a one-minute prayer.  This alone should do wonders for me! I’ll do this fasting until Easter.

Will you fast from a few things too?

This may sound like Lent to you.

Lent is an old Christian tradition.  For 40 days before Easter, Christians would give up something, spend time in prayer, focus on serving others and do other various things in preparation for remembering Jesus’ death and celebrating his resurrection.  I’m trying to take what was good about Lent and use it for my spiritual growth and the salvation of my friends. 

My prayers during my fast through March 31 are focusing on my own spiritual life.  I’m confessing sin, listening to God, trying to purify any bad habits I have, letting God show me anything in my life that should change, and giving him permission to encourage or guide me as he likes.

My prayers during my fast after April 1 will focus on the pre-believers that we can reach this Easter season.  I will pray for at least five people that I know who don’t know God personally and who don’t go to church.  I will look for ways to care for them, and I will ask God to give me an opening to invite them to our Easter Sunday experience at church.  Then, I will invite them.  I will also be praying for the members of our church to have wonderful experiences as they pray for and then invite pre-Christians to church on Easter.

Are you willing to give something up and do a little extra praying and preparing for Easter? Here are some things you could give up:  certain kinds of foods (ice cream, deep fried anything), all food for a period, TV, bad habits, sins, certain activities, certain events or people, sleep, magazines, iPod, computer, etc.  I’ll write a little more about fasting later in the week, but for now just remember the phrase:  “We fast on food to feast on God.”  From what will you fast so you can feast?  Start it now and see what happens.

And, yes, I'm giving up M & M's too!  But just until Easter.

Comments

[Rob Labak]

Good stuff. I'm giving up Ice Cream...which means i'm giving up dinner three nights a week:) I grew up Catholic, so this is a piece of the OLD DAYS for me. I i can appreciate this much more today, however...i'm still gonna eat meat on Fridays!

[EllenGaynell]

I have decided to give up games. I am addicted to Tetris and on line games. ** Sigh** No more solitaire, Mahjong, or poker, these are time waster’s and can be better spent studying the bible and communing with our Lord. I’ll also spend some of that time working on my family’s genealogy; this I think will help my Mother have something to focus on besides her health problems.

Food wise I’ll give up pop…. and earn points in the process…..