False Religions and Fasting

 

by Mihran Kulhanjian

 

My dear Friends,

I want to bring to your attention the fact that false religions practice and encourage their followers to fast. Many false religions hijack words and actions from the Word of God. Satan is not original when it comes to deceiving the human race, including believers. Satan twists Scripture. He is a conman, conning many billions to worship false gods, such as Allah, Hindu gods, Buddha, and New Age nonsense. Their works are futile because they are worshiping false gods, not the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The true God, Father of Jesus the Christ., the Savior of the world.

 

Fasting becomes a good work for many who are deceived, and they believe that they will be rewarded for fasting by their god. All followers of false religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many countless others) are under demonic influence. In fact, I believe all have demons because they cannot see or distinguish the truth of God from the lie; that is, Jesus Christ and the Word of God is the truth, yet the truth is not discernible to idolaters. This is why they continue in their idolatry, worshiping false gods and following false religions. This also goes for those who have created in their own imagination false Jesus's to suit themselves and their wicked lifestyles. Making money, one's career or business a god, making it more important than God, becomes a false religion of god. This goes for liberals who have made the environment, global warming, climate change or the earth their god. The lie has permeated their mind, they cannot see the truth.

 

All followers of false religion are under the curse because they are guilty of breaking the first two commandments in Exodus 20:3-4, to say the least:

 

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

 

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

 

Jesus said love the Lord our God will all our heart, mind soul and strength. Idolaters may be thinking they are going about doing a good work for God, but they are grossly deceiving themselves in many ways.   First, they worship a false god. Second, they turn their fasting into a work to “bribe” their false god. Third, they fast believing their god will answer with good things. Why is it that sickness and disease are exceedingly high in idolatrous nations?  The answer:  God is not with them because as idolaters, they do not hear His voice and He does not answer their prayers. Jesus said, my sheep hear me and follow me.  The true children of God hear Him and follow Him.

 

Many fast for the purpose of losing weight or for health reasons. But as a Christian, we fast as worship to gain clarity of God's word, to receive answers to prayer and pressing concerns, to draw near to God, getting closer to Him, for healing the mind and body, for Spiritual renewal, and for restoration and breakthrough. We fast and Jesus expects us to fast. The Holy Spirit drew Jesus into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days and forty nights and fought the temptations of the devil. He used the Word of God and then was ministered by angels.  We fight the devil with the Word of God as well.

 

The benefits to fasting are numerous.  The discipline of fasting should be incorporated into the life of every Christian, for Jesus expects us to fast, to humble ourselves, by taking control of our flesh, to deny our flesh and to draw closer to Him.  Jesus said:  "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). When Jesus said this to Satan (when He was in the wilderness), having not eaten for forty days and nights, Jesus proclaimed that the word of God is necessary for us to live a complete and balanced life. Jesus drew the Scripture from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 8:3, when Moses told the Hebrews how God humbled them supplying them with manna from Heaven, teaching them to rely on God for their needs.

 

            Now, as it was then, we rely on God for all of our needs.  For, we "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).  What are the things that will be added to us?  Everything we need. This includes food, clothing, a home and love.  All we have to do is seek God first and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

 

            It is by God's grace we are healed and it is by God's grace we have the opportunity of eternal life with Him, beginning in this life and continuing in the next.  Now let us begin a regular fasting routine to draw near to God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  God gives grace to the humble and the humble will be exalted.

 

            What motivates you to fast?  If you fast for any other reason than drawing the nearness of God and spiritual purposes, your fast may only be a diet.  Do not make fasting a work.  Make fasting a discipline to draw yourself closer to God, to hear His voice more clearly, with direction and truth.