What are the spiritual disciplines?

Faith indicates a spirit of confidence in God: prayer — dependence on God: fasting — separation to God, in the form of abstinence from lawful things. These are the things which lead to power in the service of God. Their opposites — unbelief, self-confidence, self-indulgence, are the things that lead to weakness and failure. These words of our Lord play like a searchlight upon our many failures in serving Him. Let us consider our ways in the light of them.

Young Timothy was told to "refuse profane and old wives' fables," which only feed the old sinful nature, "and exercise thyself rather unto godliness" (1 Tim. 4:7). The Christian needs to engage in daily spiritual exercises to be in a healthy state of soul. He must train his members unto godliness. The eyes, ears, mind, tongue, heart, hands and feet should be directed in the way of godliness and exercised therein daily.

The Christian should practice seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking, feeling and working for the Lord each day. The more one does so, the more natural such activities will become and the stronger one will be in these spiritual exercises of the new nature. Our eyes and ears should be on the lookout for some service to be done for the Lord, for some opportunity of witnessing for Him. The heart needs to be trained in compassion for lost souls and the Lord's Own and in willingness to serve God and man. The mind and tongue need to be exercised in speaking for the Lord and the hands and feet trained in activities of love for Christ. Thus the new nature will be develop ed by spiritual exercises.

Fasting is often mentioned in Scripture, not only in the Old Testament but also in the New, and, evidently, it has an important place in the believer's life, for it is one of the three things which the Father will specially reward, when rightly done (see Matt. 6). The lack of it seems to involve great absence of spiritual power (see Matt. 17:21), whilst it is often mentioned in connection with special occasions of drawing near to God. Surely, then, it is highly advisable to enquire what fasting really is, according to God. May God help us in this enquiry.

It should be a daily question as to how much we are occupied in building ourselves up on our most holy faith. We all know as regards our bodies the need of continual cleansing, taking in frequent supplies of nourishment, protecting ourselves from bad external influences, and of availing ourselves of seasonable refreshment and comfort. But what about our souls? Are we hating the garment spotted by the flesh? Are we carefully seeking to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, and purposing not to touch the unclean thing? Is self-judgment before God habitual with us, because we exercise ourselves to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward man? Do we go to the word of eternal truth morning by morning; read, meditate on it in dependence on the Spirit; pray over it, and take it in as food for the renewal of our inner man? Do we hide the word of God in our hearts that we may not sin against Him? Do we thus have to do with "God, and the word of His grace," which is able to build us up, and throughly furnish us unto all good works?" Do we seek in this way to gather strength, so that faith may grow, love abound, and hope be increasingly brightened? If so, then it may be that we are building up ourselves on our most holy faith. And we may be quite sure that those who are building up themselves will greatly value being built up by others, and be profited by their divinely-given ministrations.

The Psalmist said, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud" (Psa. 55:17). Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God" (Dan. 6:10). So we should also do if we would be healthy Christians; do not begin the day without reading your Bible and praying to God. If you neglect to do so, you will soon be a defeated, starving Christian. Besides regular times of prayer each day, the believer is exhorted to be "continuing instant in prayer" and to "pray without ceasing" (Rom. 12:12; 1 Thess. 5:17). The dependent attitude of prayer should always characterize the child of God.

(3) We now come to the subject of fasting. I believe there is a real value in fasting that few of us know much about. If, on particular occasions which call for special individual prayer, one were to unite fasting with it, I have no doubt the blessing of it would be felt. There is humbling of spirit expressed in it. There are prayers which are most suitably accompanied by standing, others by kneeling. Fasting is one of those things in which the body shows its sympathy with what the spirit is passing through; it is a means of expressing our desire to be low before God, and in the attitude of humiliation. But lest the flesh should take advantage of even what is for the mortifying of the body, the Lord enjoins that means be taken rather not to appear unto men to fast than to permit any display. For although a true Christian would shrink from putting on false appearances, the devil would cheat him into doing it unless he is very jealous in self-watchfulness before God. "Thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (vers. 17, 18).

The Lord did not condemn fasting as a practice. He instructed His disciples that it should be undertaken in secret, as before God, rather than before men (Matt. 6:16-18). It was to be united with prayer for the effectual expulsion of unclean spirits in certain cases (Mark 9:29). There was a season of prayer and fasting in the early church when Paul and Barnabas went forth on their first missionary tour (Acts 13:3). Nothing in scripture appears to warrant the present general abandonment of the practice by Christians, though indeed there is a sense in which we may say the Lord is still with us (Matt. 28:20). Self-denial in the spirit of Nazariteship, of which food-fasting is but a single phase, should, however, be practised by the believer habitually and not only on special occasions.

The continuation of closet work encourages self-judgment, a healthy exercise, which leads to self knowledge and growth in the knowledge of God and all that is not in accord with holiness is detected and avoided. Then these secret communings with God will lead to a desire for The Scriptures, by which He speaks to us, and the Bible will be increasingly treasured. If God therein speaks to us His voice will call forth the joy of the new relationship in which His grace has set us and holy affections will be awakened which will flow out to Himself in worship, praise and adoration. Thus God becomes better known and the soul seeks increasingly the solitude of His presence where fresh communications of heavenly and eternal verities are tasted. Along with this a holy watchfulness takes possession of the person so that nothing may be permitted which would cause reserve or disturb the holy tranquillity that is enjoyed.

The place of fasting in connection with prayer.

Fasting may be mentioned here in connection with devotional exercises as that which refers to the needs of the body. It is the result of the person being sustained in the presence of God in such holy intimacy as to forget for the moment the bodily needs and even when they make their rightful appeal they are for the moment quietly postponed. Stated times for this are most precious where there is energy for it. Holy watchfulness is needed however, for it is well-known that the enemy has wrought great havoc here by leading many into practices hurtful to spiritual well-being and also to bodily health. It is better apart from prearrangement though none dare to lay down rules. Which ever way it may be done let us be careful to follow Scripture lest Satan get an advantage over us in that which is most holy.

In verses 1 to 4 we have seen righteousness menward (including giving); in verses 5 to 15 prayer Godward; now in verses 16 to 18 fasting is the subject. This is selfward, personal self denial; for true self-denial is totally personal, not for display at all. Sometimes fasting is practiced for the sake of one's health, which is of course personal. However, it might be done in order that one can give his time and energy individually to some particular service for the Lord. If so, why should I want any one else to know it beside the Lord?

Fasting involves the setting aside of self. And not only self looked upon as connected with the evil within; but it is the setting aside of the claims of nature itself in order to have to do with God. It is a recognition that there are spiritual things on hand of deeper importance than even rightful claims of the body. And then there is a wider sense in which the believer goes through this world abstaining from everything in it. He is "anointed" and "washed." His heart is right and his life is right. He does not appear "of a sad countenance," for the joy of Heaven fills his heart while upon the earth, and the Father who seeth in secret rewards him.