21 Days of Devotions

Day 21

 
Jesus said God would bless those who hungered for God. The word “bless” means “to add value.” Jesus promised, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled”
(Matt. 5:6, NKJV).

Note “They shall be filled”? When you’re really hungry for a hot juicy hamburger there’s no satisfaction like sitting down to slowly munch it down. In the same way, there are times when you really want God to manifest Himself to you. You hunger for God and You want Him. Fasting from earthly food is one way to hunger for God’s presence.

The longer you fast, the more keen your thinking becomes. You’re not consumed with feeding your body. God begins to consume your thinking. You cry out, “That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10, NKJV).

When you fast, the brain thinks more clearly and you remember more. Perhaps it’s because your heart is not pumping extra blood to your stomach to digest food. There is extra blood available to the brain, and more blood means the brain functions better.
 
Jesus called Himself bread: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35, NKJV). As we fast, we find that Jesus fills every yearning of the heart.

Yes, when we fast, we focus on Jesus who lives within. As we read the Scriptures, we take Christ into our life anew, for Jesus is “the Word [of God]” (John 1:1, NKJV). So read much Scripture when you are fasting. The Bible—Jesus’ words—renews our will to live for God and sharpens our mind to think on
God.