Should a Christian fast for "lent?"

Now that Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have won the Super Bowl, the celebration and Mardi Gras is well underway. Many will follow the celebration with a 40 days religious observance known as "Lent" which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17th. In my estimation, for many, Lent will be a time of worldly regret for what they did during Mardi Gras. But the forty days of focus on God could be a significant time of spiritual renewal. Though it's not part of my denomination's tradition, with all the focus on New Orleans, I thought it might be appropriate to comment on this. I will be sharing this with the folks at Highland this week.

What is “Lent?”
Wikipedia: Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. This Old English word initially simply meant spring (as in German language Lenz and Dutch lente) and derives from the Germanic root for long because in the spring the days visibly lengthen. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert (Matthew 4) before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan. This practice was virtually universal in Christianity until the Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists, and Anglicans do.

Why should a Christian fast for Lent?
Some Christians fast during Lent because of sorrow at the loss of our Lord and the expectation of the resurrection on Easter, the intention of giving our individual relationship with God more depth and more seriousness of purpose, and the need to prepare spiritually for the celebration of Easter.

Personally, fasting during Lent could improve your focus on God and increase your time in prayer as Easter approaches. The purpose would be to dedicate yourself to Christ as you remember what He has done for you and as you prepare for Easter.

What is fasting?
Abstaining from something, usually food, for spiritual purposes.

What does the Bible say? (That's the most important Question!)
Some Biblical examples: Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deut. 9:9,18), David (2 Samuel 12:16), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4); Esther (Esther 4:16), Daniel (Daniel 1:12), Anna (Luke 2:37), Paul (Acts 14:23), Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2), the early church (Acts 13:2).

Jesus placed fasting on the same level as financial giving and prayer (Matthew 6:1-18). Jesus said that there is a time for fasting (Matthew 9:15).

Paul says we should give ourselves at times to prayer and fasting (1 Corinthians 7:5).

What is the purpose of fasting?
The primary purpose of fasting is to focus on God and to center our attention on Him. In doing so, we glorify God (Zechariah 7:5).

Outer fasting is to lead to inner prayer, worship, and devotion. We “fast from food so we can feast on God.”

Fasting is not for personal glory or any other selfish motives (Matthew 6:16-18).

Secondary purposes of fasting: fasting can reveal non-essential things that control us and take precedence in our lives (1 Corinthians 6:12); fasting can increase the effectiveness of prayer (2 Samuel 12:16); fasting can bring guidance from God in decisions (Acts 14:23); fasting can bring revelations (Acts 13:2); fasting can help our physical well being (Daniel 1:12); fasting can aid in concentration; fasting can help bring deliverance for those who are in bondage. But these benefits come only when fasting is our attempt to diligently seek God.

What are the different types of fasting?
Absolute fast: no food or water for a period of time (Exodus 34:28; Esther 4:16)
Normal fast: only water, but no food or other drink (Nehemiah 1:4)
Partial fast: usually only water, juices, and sometimes fruit (Daniel 1:12)
Lent fast: giving up something specific for the duration of Lent (40 days leading up to Easter).
Other things to fast from: People, media, telephone, certain activities/habits, etc.

Fasting should never be to fulfill a religious regulation or tradition. It must be motivated by our personal desire to seek Jesus and to be filled with His Spirit for the purpose of bringing glory to God.

Anything that helps a Christian to bring glory to God is a good thing. That's why we're here.

Some material on Fasting & Lent courtesy Nelson Searcy, Journey Church of NYC.