Fasting

·49 min·4 clips

Jesus fasted for 40 days, and when Satan tempted him, fasting didn't make him weak—it made him stronger.

The episode is a sermon from Valley Creek Church, part of the 'A Different Way' series focusing on Jesus's lifestyle practices. The speaker opens by welcoming listeners and framing the series as exploring ancient spiritual paths. He transitions into discussing fasting, starting with Jesus's 40-day fast in the desert after his baptism, where Jesus overcame Satan's temptations and returned in the Spirit's power. The speaker contrasts this with the disciples' failure in Gethsemane, where they slept instead of praying, illustrating how untrained flesh leads to spiritual weakness. He acknowledges that fasting often feels archaic or irrelevant to modern listeners but argues it's a strategic discipline. The sermon defines fasting as abstaining from food to seek God, citing Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount where he says 'when you fast' alongside prayer and giving. The speaker explains that fasting brings the flesh into submission to the spirit, using examples like denying a cheeseburger to later deny anger. He explores how much of life revolves around satisfying fleshly cravings, linking this to biblical categories of sin: cravings of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. The message delves into scriptural passages about walking in the Spirit versus the flesh, emphasizing that believers must retrain their bodies as instruments of righteousness. It concludes with a practical challenge to fast and pray for one day, offering guidance on preparation and reflection.

As heard by us

A direct sermon on fasting, appetite, and submission to the spirit.

Fasting is presented as a way of noticing what quietly governs everyday life. Valley Creek's message puts food at the center of a broader question about the flesh, described here as life without God, and connects denied desire with learning to say yes to what is good.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want fasting connected to cravings you actually recognize.

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