Just as important as having our minds and bodies ready for the upcoming week-long fast, is having our hearts prepared!  We've already read Jesus' warning that we aren't to fast so others will notice us as the religious hypocrites of His day did.  In the Book of Isaiah we read this about fasting:  ³‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?  Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’  “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.  ⁴Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.  You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.  ⁵Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself?  Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?  Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?  ⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:  to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  ⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:3-7 NLT) 

The attitude of our hearts means everything when we fast!  God's people in Isaiah's day fasted "religiously." It was part of their regular practice as His followers. The problem was their hearts weren't in it.  They did it for show, or to fulfill an obligation, not so they could turn their hearts back to God and fulfill His vision for their lives.

As we fast next week (Sunday, April 3-Saturday, April 9) our goal is to turn our hearts to God, and we need to be doing that now.  Each day between now and Sunday, we want to focus on God throughout the day.  When we look up at a sunny sky or a starry night, we can pause and offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the beauty of creation.  When we sit with a friend or family member, we can again pause and say thanks to God for bringing him or her into our lives.  Take some time each day and be intentional in asking God to prepare your heart for the upcoming fast  Ask Him to keep your motives pure, to keep your focus on Him and on our reasons for fasting:  To be filled anew with the Holy Spirit so we may be empowered to minister His love and healing to others in Jesus' name; to reach out to our lost friends, neighbors, family members and everyone He brings into our spheres of influence in unprecedented numbers during the Easter season; and to ask for Him to provide deliverance for us in the "dead-end" we have hit in the area of finances for the construction of Phase 1 of His Mission Outpost at 127 Knoch Road.  As we prepare our hearts each day, as we focus on God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we can be sure that our hearts will move toward Him, and that our fast will be acceptable to Him.  After all, in order for God to bless this fast, we must prepare for it and carry it out with hearts and attitudes focused on God and extending His glory!

Tomorrow:  A Closer Look at the Physical Aspects of Fasting.