The Practice of Fasting | October 13, 2024

I think I, uh, I

think I'm gonna start

off with a little

prayer, so I hope

you guys can pray

with me on this one.

I might need

your help.

Father at heaven,

creator of the

world, my king,

Lord God.

I am, I'm thankful

for this opportunity.

It's intimidating.

I think I spent a

lot of my life trying

to be an imposing

figure, so I wouldn't

be intimidated.

But here I am, humbled

by the next thing you

have in store for me.

Thank you for

that, Lord,

John, as I, as I

speak today, I pray

that the word would

be to glorify you.

I pray that the

message I have

is received well

to glorify you.

God, I pray you

give me strength

and clarity of my

words, and I pray

that you would bless

the entirety of

this congregation

because they're my

family and I wanna

bring something that

you've been pushing

on my heart to them.

So I think it

would help them

walk in victory

in some neat ways.

So, bless this time.

It's in Jesus'

name that I pray.

Amen.

Well, the youth

pastor stands in

front of you to give

his first sermon

at the big church,

and it is

intimidating.

There's no doubt

about that.

No doubt about

that at all.

But, uh, through

this week that I've

had to prepare for

this, I've prepped

it in so many ways

diligently to make

sure I didn't falter.

And I think it's

funny how last

night I scrapped

all those ideas,

had a whole bunch

of them had stuff

to, I was gonna

wear a, a button up

long sleeve for once

I was gonna have

slacks on nice shoes.

I was gonna come in

here with a couple

props that were gonna

help me maybe show

and illustrate my

ideas and thoughts.

I was gonna have a

couple verses that'd

be read at the end

of the songs and

all these playing

sorted out that I was

gonna work through

up here to make this

all just the big

bang, big ba that

that God deserves.

And then last night

driving with my wife,

and I'm going through

the, the outline that

I've constructed and

we're, all right,

put this there.

And that's, that's

still, I like that,

but we could trim

this thing to make

the point a little

bit better here.

And then through all

that, I think the Holy

Spirit was prompt me

pretty aggressively.

Maybe my wife,

through my wife.

It's like, maybe

you should just

do what you do.

When you stand up in

front of the youth,

you just tell stories

and you talk from your

heart and you just

try to share truth.

Amen.

I usually do that

there, and when I talk

to my kids, I just

share from my heart.

If I'm prompted

to pull up a

scripture, I do.

Awesome, right?

And I just talk

from the heart.

So I booted out all

my plans and we're all

experiencing this one

for the first time.

So it should be

exciting for everyone.

Well, I wanted

to start with a

story of how I even

ended up here in

the first place.

'cause I think it's

pretty comical.

'cause if you

remember this week

and practicing the

way, I don't know

if we wanna click to

one more slide there.

Dax.

Is it there?

We're talking

about fasting.

Neat fasting.

I hear the giggles.

You see the 350

pounder up there

on the stage

and you're like.

Not someone you've

practiced a lot, is it

the guy that stands

in this stage eats

seven meals a day,

often in the the upper

ranges of the 7,000

calories in a day.

Wowser, what was

the standard?

2000, right?

Yeah.

I've been doing that

for a good solid year

and a half now through

the coaching for this

crazy adventure of

strength training

I've dove into.

Just extremes.

Eat two

breakfasts, right?

First breakfast and

second breakfast.

It's this like

funny story from

Lord of the Rings.

What about Elevensies

and afternoon tea?

I'm that guy.

I'm a hobbit.

I eat 11 meals

a day, right?

I have a meal in

the middle of my

workout 'cause it

takes too long.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Crazy.

But on Thursday of

last week, I've never

offered to help Andy

clean up his room.

I'm busy doing my own

classes and it was

just looking at him

like, man, he's got

a bunch of chairs I

should offer you bum.

And so sixth period

I go with Andy and I

help him start putting

up and building it.

'cause he is, they

have a church inside

the school there at

MCA and it's set up

roughly like this,

but for class, he

pulls out tables,

puts the chairs away,

circles 'em around,

sets up different

environment to keep

people engaged.

Awesome.

So I go in there, I'm

like, that'd probably

be helpful if he

had to do that for

an hour by himself.

Let me go help.

And so I'm in there

and we're just talking

about whatever.

And then, uh, he was

like, so what do you

think about next week?

Fasting.

Huh?

I'm like, yeah.

Actually this last

year I've been

doing some talking

and studying

about fasting.

What a mistake.

Quick, quick to key

on, on that one.

Oh really?

My, even his to,

to big smiles, he

stopped putting chairs

when I'm like, oh

no, I'm in, I'm in.

He hasn't even said

it yet, but it's, it's

now me and he knows it

because I didn't know

at that point in time,

there was some pieces

that were, had fallen

through for the,

who was gonna speak

today, and oh boy, he

wasn't too worried.

He knew God was

gonna provide, which

is good, but it was

neat how he, uh,

put me in there.

It's more story time.

My journey with

this fasting thing

started roughly about

five months ago.

I was, uh, having

a, a meal with Cree

Corps and, and his,

they know that I eat

and, uh, oftentimes

when I go to events,

I usually have to

eat before I go.

'cause I recognize

no one should have

to feed me in the

quantities that I eat.

And so I try to

eat beforehand.

And I didn't that day.

And man, I was hungry.

The stomach was ready.

I had traded and I

was tuckered out.

And his wife, he

prompted her to bring

me another play and

bring me the extras

there and get this

and pull that over.

And so she kept

bringing the, the

chow to me and, and

I was loving it and

I couldn't help.

But he had, he was

done eating you,

sitting quietly.

And I just, the guy

that I don't know

can't really handle

too much silence, so

I decided to start a

conversation sitting

right next to him.

So how you doing

Cree Corps?

You know, some of the

simple stuff, man,

all this food I eat,

been thinking about

fasting Cree Corps

similar to Andy.

Oh really?

Right.

Is that, so what

have you been

thinking about?

Well, fasting's

something I've never

done except for in

the exercise world.

Right.

I tried fasting one

time and the results

were pretty rough.

I had a half a day

in, I would drink

water and the fast

was for more of a, uh.

Physical proficiency.

Some people believe it

can help do this, that

and the other with,

um, mental clarity

and help throughout a

workout, yada, yada.

What it did to

me was cause me

headaches and gut

pain and dizziness.

I mean, some

significant dizziness

up the stairs.

I had to grab the,

the rails like,

oh, I'm going down.

And so my experience

with fasting was

pretty poor and

kind of scary.

I was like, that

doesn't work.

Go get a meal.

This isn't

you moving on.

And I told Precor

that story and he

is like, yeah, you

gotta do it safe.

Gotta be wise

when we go into

these adventures.

Gotta have a plan.

'cause you don't just

cold Turkey food.

Maybe not the

best plan.

But as that

conversation went

on, we got a little

bit deeper into

what is fasting and

things like that.

And I was like, I

really am hooked.

I'd like to do that.

And Creek Corps is

like, I'd like to

do that with you,

which is wonderful.

So we both decided

we'd, uh, maybe

dive into some

deeper content.

I get into scripture

and see what it

says about how

the, what the whys,

things like that.

And he sent me a,

um, uh, a u version,

right, the Bible app,

a little study, seven

day study that took

me like three and a

half months to finish.

But I did, I

got through it

and he waited

patiently, never.

Threw anything out

there, nagged or

anything like that.

And he just waited.

He said, once you do

this, we will meet

again and we'll just

talk about it and see

what else you think.

Okay.

So I finally

got through it.

I was like, oh,

that's some great

information,

real good stuff.

And so call him up,

try to meet for a

lunch, doesn't work

out, do this, that,

that Things just

kept not working out.

And then finally,

we just finally got

the collision here

in church and we sat

down right here in

the front and we got

to talk some more

about what is fasting.

And I'll give you

the, the quick

version 'cause I wanna

give you guys some

information today.

So what is

fasting, right?

There's, it's a

abstaining this, this

restriction to things

that myself wants, my

flesh wants, right?

It could be you

restrict the food

and I'll come back to

that in more detail

because I said I think

there's something

special about food.

Big respect things

like maybe you have

a social media thing

that you're like,

this is getting a

little too close

to an idol for me.

I mean, back that off.

Maybe it's games for

some of the, some of

the youth out there.

Maybe some of the

adults know I'm 35

and I still don't mind

a video game myself.

So maybe you have some

idols in your life and

you're like, I need

some discipline here.

And so you'll

fast from it.

But the problem

or the thing I see

that's interesting

about those, if

you were to remove.

Whatever it's

technology at a

certain hour, those

bits and bobs.

I think the thing

that's neat, I could

stop playing a, a

game and then pick up

a book and just fill

my time with some

other entertainment.

And I'm not

saying there's,

I'm not trying to

devalue fasting

multiple things.

There's value in all

of it, but I, I see

the rift there where

you could just, okay,

I'm gonna get rid of

this and insert this.

'cause there's a,

there's a piece of

this when you're

fasting that you want.

To get closer

to God in this

process, right?

Generally speaking,

you're probably

doing fasting so

you can strive to

walk a little bit

more like Jesus.

Okay?

So if I just switch

it out with something

else and don't lean

on the Lord, maybe

it's not getting the,

the full, full hit

of effect, and that's

still valuable even

with that mindset.

Right.

Having a little

discipline about not

always just going

to a cell phone to

social media, that's

still valuable, so

don't let me take

away from that.

But I think it's neat

with food, pretty

hard to replace.

I can distract

myself with tv.

Yeah, I can

distract myself

with those things.

But hunger's a mean

one, it tends to

keep coming back.

Keeps letting you

know you still

haven't eaten.

Oh yeah.

And so I did a fast.

I started Sunday

right after, uh,

last Thursday

meeting with Andy

and lemme step back.

That whole, you

in or out kind of

deal you, and I'm

like, most likely, I

don't think anything

would stop me.

I had forgot.

We had, we're going

to the creation museum

for three days, then

we had a wedding and

we're driving back

Ohio last night at

nine o'clock, at

getting home at 11.

And so I was like,

oh man, this is a

doozy of a, a season.

Wow.

Butt kicker.

But long story short,

I said, yes, you

may have noticed.

And so then I dive

into my own fast.

I'm like, okay,

I called Precor

that Sunday.

Well, which was a,

uh, or Monday, excuse

me, because that

Sunday I got up and

just was so late.

I, I didn't eat

breakfast, so it was

somewhat impulsive,

like, I guess

we'll start today.

And so I was like,

oh, while the

sun's up, I'll just

leave food alone.

There we go.

I'm not doing this

to honor so much the,

the Muslim side of

things or anything

like that, but.

More so to honor our

Lord Jesus Christ.

And so I was like,

that's, that seems

like something

that's reasonable.

I can have a

breakfast, I, I

can have a dinner.

I think that just

might, and as large

of a meal as I can

eat in one sitting,

it'll probably keep

me from getting ill

and sick and dizzy.

So that was the

plan for day one.

Just impulse.

Let's go.

So I have that.

Uh, first Sunday,

and I tell no one

and, and hopefully

I don't sound, uh,

too much like the

Pharisees that Matthew

talks about, where

they looked somber

and sour and beat

up and miserable

as they fast.

So everybody knows it.

I was like, okay,

Matthew tells this.

They shouldn't know.

No shower

up, clean up.

Oil yourself, which

I think it's funny.

I put oil in this

beard of mine so

it doesn't itch

and drive me nuts.

And so I really

enjoyed putting

oil in my beard

over last week.

I was like, oh, that's

a little anointment.

Let's do this.

Yeah.

You wish, you wish

you had that beard.

And so, uh, Monday

comes and I'm like,

okay, it's on.

All right.

I think that worked.

I wasn't too miserable

and, and I don't think

I got sick and it was

challenging and my

moments of hunger.

Boy, I prayed a lot

more and hung out

with God a lot more

than I ever do.

What a wonderful

prompt.

So Monday's there,

I'm, I'm helping here

at the church decks,

build a couple things,

and I don't even

know if it's built.

Hopefully it's still

half assembled on

the side of the door.

It's done.

Good.

Good, good, good.

The shed's done.

All right.

But, uh, I had a

conversation with

Creek over that

morning and I said,

'cause in our, I, I

forgot to tell you

in this conversation

up here, we had

the information of

what is fasting and

all that sort out.

And he, and he

prompted me with

what's your why?

Okay.

So it took me a

few more months

before we finally

got to this point.

Alright, now we're

back in order.

So I call Cree

Corps Monday.

I have three

why's Cree Corps.

I have three.

A first one is I

wanna honor God here

and that we see

in, um, Romans

Paul talking to

the Roman church.

He tells us pretty

clearly that, uh, we

do this to honor him

and he will honor

us, which is awesome.

So I'd like you to

honor me so that

I can bring this

message to the church.

That one's clear.

I need your help

on this 'cause

it's certainly a

more imposing thing

than I've done.

I guess talking

to youth is no

problem for me.

I shouldn't

say no problem.

It's challenging to

stand in front of

you guys too, but

you guys are pretty

awesome, which I am

grateful that you

guys did get up and

come sit up here.

Literally almost

teared up over here.

That was neat.

So thank you.

That's important stuff

and I'm grateful,

but, uh,

I told 'em my

three why's.

One.

I need your help.

Lord, help me

out with this.

I haven't done this

and I wanna do it.

Well, not for

my sake or so.

I can be glorified

and be awesome.

Josh, the

upcoming pastor.

No.

So I can glorify you.

'cause I know I got

a little bit of that

arrogance in me.

So I gotta be careful

that I don't tiptoe

into that territory.

And then my number

two, something that

we can fast for.

There's a little more

information for you.

We can fast for

somebody else.

Okay.

And I wanted to

fast for Cree Corps.

We all have hardships

and things going on.

Cree Corps throughout

this whole process has

been wonderful to me.

He's little

conversations and

I just wanted to

do it for him.

So I was like,

I'd also like

to fast for you.

So in these moments,

'cause I already

knew that Sunday I

was like, holy cow,

I'm praying a lot.

And uh, I feel

pretty stinking good.

So, man, how many

prayers can I get in

for pre corps in a,

in a week of fasting?

I have no idea, but

I bet that that moves

the Lord's heart.

That seems like

a good idea.

And then the number

one, which is

harder to say, but

it's a truth.

It is.

I've struggled

with my own flesh,

as we all do.

Not one of us makes

it out of this deal

without us sinning.

But one particular one

that has just tainted

my days for years

since the sixth grade

is sexual immorality.

Whether that

was looking at

pornography as a

kid back in the day.

Or as I got older,

looking at it

multiple times a day.

And then as I went to

the military, going

to, um, other way to

say it, but, uh, strip

clubs where I'd pay

women who were not my

wife to entertain me.

I struggled with

this flesh thing.

It, it kicked my

teeth in for decades.

A pretty ugly thing.

It brought a lot,

a lot, a lot of

shame and I hated

it when I was a

kid and just kept

losing and getting

deeper into it.

And then was a married

man, uh, coming home

outta the military,

still looking at it

while I have little

kids in the house.

And I've fought and

I've prayed and I've

searched scripture.

I've been part of

groups, and I have,

it's been neat through

God's blessing, have

kept chipping away.

We're getting

there, we're we're

fighting this thing.

The problem, I think,

until this fast.

This is also new to

me, but during this

fast in training

myself to deny my

flesh, the eyes

started to dissipate

of what I can do and

how much I can carry

this burden and drag

this load and continue

to fight and dig

in, and I can do it.

I'm strong enough.

I'm Josh Hale.

350 pounds of

successful athlete

over the last

few decades.

It's not another man

I haven't crushed

in a boxing ring,

slammed on a wrestling

mat, plexed on a

football field, a

weight I haven't

beaten in a gym a max

I haven't overcome.

I got this low.

I got it.

God.

But through this

fasting process,

something pretty,

pretty special was

realized the more

I turn to God and

uh, the more I

denied the flesh,

that's one week.

One week.

The more I have

gotten deeper and

deeper into this

battle and allowed

God allowed Jesus

to walks next to me.

This week's been

pretty good.

And this might be

a, a little bold

to say, but I think

our god's pretty

stinking bold, pretty

powerful and capable.

The sin of the

flesh in particular

to sexual morality

hasn't been much of an

issue this last week.

I didn't even

realize it until,

uh, yesterday.

Earlier in the

morning, I'm like,

there's no, no urge,

no mistaken, uh, slip

of a, a cell phone

image, whether it's on

Instagram or YouTube.

'cause although

I don't look at

pornography, I've

walked in victory in

that for a few years.

YouTube and Instagram,

pretty much the

same thing nowadays.

So there's still

opportunities, but

there was no slip.

It was like for

the first time,

I've heard so many

people set it down

and give it to him,

but I can

carry any load.

I'm Josh Hale

and I finally

set it down,

let it go because

before I was holding

on, take it from me.

Lord, please take

this from me.

We're gripping

it tight.

I let go of God,

please, Lord

bless me here,

I wouldn't

give it to him.

So I've been training

my whole life to do

these neat things.

I think is pretty,

pretty obvious

that the training

of our own, our

own spirit can far

outweigh the flesh.

I think our spirit,

when trained can

whoop the flesh.

Now, I'm not saying

that, um, everything's

gonna be perfect and I

will never sin again,

but holy moly, what a

powerful step happened

in this last week.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, God.

I had like to read

what Paul says

in Romans

chapter seven,

verses 14 through 25.

We know that the law

is spiritual, but I

am unspiritual sold

as a slave to sin.

I do not understand

what I do for

what I want to do.

I do not do, but

what I hate I do.

And if I do what I

do not want to do.

So many do's in

this, but I love it.

I agree that the law

is good as it is.

It is no longer I,

myself who do it, but

it is sin living in

me for I know that

good itself does

not dwell in me.

That is in my sinful

nature for I have

the desire to do

what is good, but I

cannot carry it out.

For, I do not do the

good I want to do,

but the evil, I do

not want to do this

I keep on doing.

Now if I do, what I do

not want to do it is

no longer I who do it,

but it is sin living

in me that does it.

So I find this

law at work,

although I want

to do good,

evil is right

there with me for

in my inner being.

I delight in God's

law, but I see another

law at work in me

waging war against

the law of my mind and

making me a prisoner

of the law of sin

at work within me.

What a wretched man I

am who will rescue me

from this body that

is subject to death.

It's about

to get good.

Thanks be to God who

delivers me through

Dre Jesus Christ,

our Lord, man.

All the filth.

Oh, wretched man.

This, this man

stands in front

of you, wretched.

Worthless, but Jesus

Christ, he did it.

And he is enough.

He is enough.

Thank you, God.

Thank you God.

Thank you, God for

giving me

this message.

Thank you, God,

that you sent Jesus.

To die for wretched

men like us.

Thank you.

God.

Did you love us enough

That it doesn't matter

how big of a pile

we pile up and fill,

you still love us.

Thank you Lord.

So in this experience

of fasting, I, uh.

I had so many events

take place this week

that were moving

profound tear jerkers

all my plans to share

some of these neat

stories with you.

If you want to hear

some more of it,

I'd, I'd be glad

to talk through it.

'cause there's,

there's quite

a bit more.

And I got a big

script in my phone

right now of all

the things I wanted

to, to talk about.

But I think, uh,

I think what God

wanted me to do is

just encourage you

guys, 'cause in the

youth group, and this

one's gonna get a

little more painful,

but I just feel that

it must be said.

But in our youth

group, I'll

ask, right?

We're practicing the

way, Hey, how is,

uh, solitude going?

Okay.

Okay.

How's, uh, setting

up your Sabbath?

Those going well

in the household.

You guys making it

to the small groups.

Your family's gonna,

small groups might

see one hand go up.

Now what I'm about to

say is not me trying

to place any judgment.

Absolutely not, but

I feel a, a certain

pull to have some

accountability.

Where you at Robin,

some accountability.

I think this,

this church does

a pretty good job.

We notice when you're

not here, right,

we're small enough,

it's the right size

to see when you're

not here, when you're

missing out on things.

So I'm hanging out

with the youth, so

I know some of the

things that are going

on in the family.

I don't sit here and

judgment or anything,

but maybe just a,

a call to action to

encourage is what I

think I'm supposed

to share about

with this fasting.

God's got something

neat, special, and

perfect for every

last one of us,

but he can't

force you.

He can't force

you to do it,

man of the households,

for those that have a

man in the households,

you gotta lead.

You gotta be the

one that prays it.

Dinner if you don't.

You gotta be the

one that pulls

scripture, teaches

it to grandchildren,

children, friends

of the kids that

came over to dinner

and they don't even

know what they're

stepping into.

Boy, they're about

to get one today.

Man, you gotta lead.

I mess it up plenty.

Boy.

I'm fighting

hard for it.

I don't judge

you for all the

mistakes you made.

Not at all.

I would like to

encourage you that

practicing the way

these things that

we're doing, it's

not just some cute

series that we're

just hanging out with.

What a call to

action, all these

changes, we've just

been diving in as the

series go and these,

these are rough.

How do you fit a

day of Sabbath in?

Sometimes it's

gotta shift because

you're a nurse, you

got crazy hours.

Okay, we're gonna

do Tuesday here,

there, wait.

Maybe now you're

a youth pastor and

you got three jobs

and you're not

exactly known for

organ organization.

So you gotta fight a

Friday night through

a Saturday to get

those 24 hours.

'cause you will

honor those 24 hours.

But someone

has to lead.

So in this space,

it's someone's

up here leading

the congregation.

But you guys are

all gonna spend a

lot more time at

your own households

and maybe that that

man isn't, uh, in

your household.

Maybe the solo mom,

you got this lead,

all these practices,

start practicing.

Don't be perfect.

Try to nail it right

off the bat, but

you gotta start.

Because there's

something far greater

waiting for you, and

I got to hang out

with it all this week.

And that's our

Lord and Savior,

Jesus Christ.

He's good.

And I got a few more

stories, but I think

I'll end in prayer

here and dismiss

everybody instead.

If you wanna hear

some stories, I've

got a good one

involving a shower.

That's weird

to say, but,

but, uh, I'll

pray for everybody

and we'll get

everyone dismissed.

The word God.

Hmm.

You are good.

You are love, man.

Love is tremendously.

That feels good.

That feels

good for us.

Wretched people.

Thank you.

Cannot thank you

enough, but we

do accept it.

We accept that you

love us that much

and that Jesus

Christ is enough,

Lord God, for every,

every family that's

part of White Rock,

I pray that you

and encourage 'em.

Remind them

we gotta take charge.

We have to have

leaders, whether

they're the teens

in the house,

the mom, the dad,

grandpa, whoever it

is, he must lead.

People willing

to step and do as

you call us to do.

Lord God, I pray

that you would bless

this congregation,

this family of mine,

give 'em strength.

This certainly hasn't

been easy, and I

don't think I've been

more exhausted than

this in my life, but

wow, I'm exhausted

doing some good.

I want them

to feel that.

So Lord God, let

them let them.

Be in discovery to

practice these things.

I'm gonna be wise

as they approach it

'cause I didn't talk

through the details.

But God, you are good

and I know you'll,

you'll show 'em

the how's and the

what, so God bless

'em and I pray all

this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You guys are

dismissed.