Growing in Holiness
“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:13, NIV
In Week 2 of the Practice of Fasting we unpacked another important reason to fast, to grow in holiness. Fasting helps to wean us off the “pleasure principle” – to be happy and content even when we don’t get what we want. Fasting helps to reveal the things that control us – how dependent we’ve become on pleasure to be happy. Fasting reorders our desires – desire for sin reduces and for holiness increases. Fasting draws on the power of God – when our willpower is insufficient to overcome a vice we submit our weaknesses to God he gives us His Spiritual strength.