Bringing Our Flesh Into Submission
Fasting has always been a way to bring about humility. One way of seeing this is we are bringing our flesh into submission to the will of the Lord. It must be done with prayer or it is just a diet. The benefit of fasting and prayer is that it brings our flesh into submission so we can commune with God in deeper ways. It brings our soul and flesh into submission to the leading of the Spirit. The flesh can often act as a veil, hindering us from access into deeper and transcendent encounters with Jesus.
Scripture says that when Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness, satan tempted Him. Satan's way of tempting Jesus gives us an indication of how he will tempt us, while also showing the power of fasting. Satan came to Jesus when He was hungry.
"After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry." (Matthew 4:2 NIV)
Hunger connects our life to the flesh. This is why satan's first temptation was "tell these stones to become bread" (Matthew 4:3 NIV). Jesus responded by saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4 NIV). After every temptation, Jesus responded with "It is written."
The Word of God is living and bread to us, because it is our life more than natural bread. Satan will always come when our flesh is weak to keep us from the cross. Satan will tempt us to always avoid the sufferings of the cross; therefore, our response in times of hunger can be a door through suffering into deeper union with Christ.
Through the Veil of the Flesh
The epistle to the Hebrews opens a profound door into the mystery of experience beyond the veil.
Hebrews 10:19–20 declares that a "new and living way" had been opened for us "through the veil, that is, His [body]," naming the crucified body of Jesus as the true veil that was pierced so we may enter the Holy of Holies with confidence. The early fathers saw in this not a vague metaphor, but the concrete, once-for-all act by which Christ's death tore down every barrier between humanity and God. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The Torn Veil and Access
For writers like early Church father John Chrysostom, Christ's flesh is the place where Heaven and earth meet—"tabernacle and veil and Heaven"—and His death was the moment the way into God's presence was opened forever.
The veil of the temple was a sign; the veil of Christ's body is the reality through which Jesus, our High Priest and forerunner, enters into the Holy of Holies so that where He is we will be also. Through the veil of His flesh, we come into a deeper experiential union with Him, where Heaven and earth, visible and invisible, are united in Him.
The way through the veil was the cross; therefore, when we fast, it is a way of moving beyond the veil of earthly confinements into a deeper, realized, transcendent place in Christ. The veil removes the hooks of our earthly desires so we can step into a greater awareness and access of the inheritance we already have in Christ through the victory of the cross. It is when the power of His resurrection empowers us to embrace the fellowship of His suffering, to put to death everything that hinders and distracts from deeper union and sensitivity to the things of the Spirit.
Ascetic "Unveiling" of the Heart
The Desert Fathers described fasting and prayer as a slow removal of the "mist" of passions, distractions, and earthly attachments that cloud the vision of the heart. In their sayings, fasting severs our excessive ties to this earthly life, while prayer draws the heart toward a more intimate union with God as its true nourishment.
For them, the issue was not gaining a new access but becoming capable of living in the access already given. Fasting is a type of leaving and cleaving. By "leaving"—through fasting—we divorce the mist of passions, distractions, and earthly attachments that cloud our vision. Through prayer we "cleave" to the realized inheritance of the cross.
From Outer Letter to Inner Mystery
Mystical fathers like Gregory of Nyssa unfolded this same dynamic in the key of contemplation. Gregory pictured the soul leaving behind what was merely visible, even "the shelter of the flesh," grinding away what was needless and earthly in order to become a clear mirror of the divine archetype/standard—Jesus Himself. He spoke of passing from light into "cloud" and finally into the innermost sanctuary of God's presence, which he understood as entering ever more deeply into Christ, the true temple "not made with hands." (Photo via Unsplash)
Here, purification and contemplation do not replace Christ's work; they are the way the soul is opened to what Christ has already accomplished. He goes from light to darkness, because it is in the place of unknowing that we are undone, unmade, and remade in the image of the One who is present in the midst of darkness. Holding on to attachments of the flesh can also keep us in control by being controlled by fleshly desires. Trusting God to keep us when we are hungry may seem simple, yet it is a door to deeper places of trust and access.
Hebrews proclaims that the veil has been torn once for all in the crucified flesh of Jesus, granting boldness to enter the sanctuary (Hebrews 10:19). The Desert Fathers and mystical writers taught that through prayer, fasting, and watchfulness, the inner veil of passion, fear, and distraction is gradually removed so that the heart can actually dwell in a deeper realization of His presence with clarity and love. The objective opening belongs to Christ alone; the subjective unveiling is the work of grace in us, cooperating through prayer and fasting.
Prayer and fasting allow the work of the cross to be at work in us to produce a work through us.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
Prayer of Reflection
Lord Jesus, You have torn the veil in Your own flesh; teach my heart to live in the access You have opened. Spirit of God, use my small offerings of fasting and prayer to remove whatever still veils my eyes from the beauty of Your face.
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Dr. Wayland Henderson
The Gathering Kingdom Center
Instagram: the_gathering_kingdom_center
Dr. Wayland and Jeanette Henderson are founders of The Gathering Kingdom Center, as well as Greater Works Generation Ministries International. Their heart and mandate is to equip and prepare an end-time Bride for reformation, advance Kingdom culture, and see the Ekklesia prepared for the second coming of Jesus. They have been operating in prophetic ministry, worship, healing, deliverance, and leadership development for almost twenty years. Wayland hosts a weekly podcast channel on Charisma Podcast Network called "Keys to Walking in Kingdom Culture." He is also the author of the book "Walking with God: Repairing the Breach & Restoring the Ancient Path of Discipleship." Wayland and Jeanette currently reside in Arlington, Texas with their three beautiful children Jaleesa, Michael and Moriyah.
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