Jesus said that as far as he was with us we should not fast, but after he leaves then that would be appropriate behavior for us to do. He reminded us that when we fast it becomes a personal thing between the person and the Lord instead of something that you brag about so that people can see that you're spiritual and have strength. When you fast you do it in secret so that God knows that you're doing it and you know you're doing it, but it doesn't become a matter of broadcasting. It helps to humble you and it helps to weaken you so that you have more strength as a spiritual person than you would have had otherwise. It broadens your ability to think and meditate and to be wise in your decisions because you're not being pulled along by your cravings for food or drink. You can overcome your desire for food and then you can choose the things that are better for you as a result of having fasted. One of my experiences has been to do the fast that's part of the feast of Ramadan, the Islamic celebration. What it did for me was to discipline me so that I wouldn't eat anything during the daylight hours. As a result, it helped to break the habit of eating breakfast and lunch and dinner at a set time and gave me time that I could devote myself to serving people and studying the word and meditating on the word and teaching instead of thinking about what I've got to eat now that it's noon, what I've got to eat because it is 6 o'clock. So, fasting has been a way to discipline me and take me away from being driven by hunger and thirst.
