2023 Fasting Devotional

By Derin Dickerson

“And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 12:14

What is your heart set on? What occupies the inner thoughts of your soul? The issues, people, and things that frequently come to your mind without active effort are likely what your heart is set on. It is so easy with the busyness of life to devote our attention, time, affection, and resources to things other than God. The real danger is when the stuff that crowds God out of our lives appears to be good, honorable, and pleasurable.

For example, we often excuse our neglect of our relationship with God because we are committed to our families, our work, or even our ministries. Or we excuse our failure to cultivate our relationship with God because we are working hard, and we have to provide for ourselves and others. Of course, God wants you to be a good husband, wife, father, mother, or church member, right? We convince ourselves that we are making the right choice and appropriately placing our priorities.

While it might appear that we are doing a good or even a godly thing, if we allow ourselves to get disconnected from the True Vine, then even our most sincere efforts at ministry, family, and work will be ineffective.  In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Even our most sincere efforts to do the right things fall flat when we are not connected to Christ.

Perhaps even more alarming, when we are disconnected from Christ, we become susceptible to doing evil.  In 2 Chronicles, 2:14 (NIV), the Bible says of King Rehoboam that “he did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.” Notice what the Bible does not say. It does not say that King Rehoboam did evil because his heart was wicked, or because he was on drugs or because of his ungodly upbringing. Instead, the Bible says that King Rehoboam did evil because he did not make his relationship with God a priority in his life.

Now, let’s notice what happened because of this neglect. God had established Rehoboam as king of Israel when he was 41 years old. The Bible says, “he had become strong”, which simply means that his kingdom and reign had become securely established. But then Rehoboam and all of Israel “abandoned the law of the Lord” and became “unfaithful to the Lord.” Because of this, God allowed the Egyptian king to attack Israel and capture the fortified city of Judah.

When you allow the busyness of life to crowd God out, you become susceptible to disobedience and ultimately invite hardships and challenges into your life. You must actively fight this temptation and affirmatively set your heart on God daily. You do this by spending time reading and studying God’s word, by talking to God throughout the day, and by committing to fasting on a periodic basis.

Be encouraged to keep your heart focused on God. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and learn to follow Jesus one day at a time. In Psalm 10:4 (NIV), David says: “In his pride, the wicked man does not seek Him, in all his thoughts, there is no room for God.” Never allow the pressures and interests of your life to crowd God out.  Instead, actively, and intentionally make room for God in your thoughts, heart, and life by committing to prayer, studying, and meditating on God’s word, and to fasting.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I know in my heart that you have called me to spend precious time with you; to come back to you day after day. Please help me find the path to you. My heart longs to know that you’re with me. Open my ears and my eyes for signs of you. I want to feel the love and peace that comes from knowing you. I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen.