Ep. 21 - Spiritual Disciplines - Fasting - A Conversation with Jules Weir

On our 4th episode in our series on the spiritual disciplines we had a wonderful conversation with our friend, Jules Weir about the discipline of fasting. Fasting is mentioned time and time again in the Bible, but yet it doesn’t seem to be a common practice in our culture today. Why is this? Does fasting always mean that you have to give up food? What is the true purpose of fasting? We both learned so much during our conversation with Jules and we pray that you do as well.

Quotes:

Fasting is abstaining from any good gift from God that we can become reliant upon (such as food, caffeine or technology). It’s not just abstaining, but it is filling that time with other disciplines such as prayer, worship, or meditation. -Jules Weir

Spiritual disciplines allow us to put ourselves before God for transformation. -Jules Weir

In fasting we very quickly become acquainted with our limits and our weakness and this humbles us and allows God’s power to move in our lives and for us to rely on it in a unique way. -Jules Weir

In this age there is an ache inside every Christian that Jesus is not here as fully and intimately and as powerfully and as gloriously as we want him to be and we hunger for so much more. That is why we fast. -John Piper

“Fasting is a way of really quickly bringing me to a place of desperation where I am literally needing him in such huge ways that my physical need is putting me in tune with my spiritual need for him.” -Jules Weir

Resources:

The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

A Hunger for God by John Piper

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*