The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life. Fasting is a brief, voluntary experience of this deprivation to prove our hearts. When we experience this “going without,” the Lord reveals what is in our hearts. What are we controlled by? Richard Foster says in his chapter on fasting,
More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, “I humbled my soul with fasting” (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.
What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is God’s testing ground—and healing ground. Will we murmur as the Israelites murmured when they had no bread? Will we leave the path of obedience and turn stones into bread? Or will we “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”? Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts.
And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That’s the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, “Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord.”
Take a moment, ask Holy Spirit to show you what things you’ve been more desirous of than Him.
Read the rest of John Piper’s blog here | https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/man-shall-not-live-on-bread-alone
“Fasting is God’s testing ground—and healing ground.”