Trellis: A Jesus-Shaped Life…”Fasting”- 10/4/26

Icebreaker: Recall the last time you went for an extended amount of time without food? How did it affect you and those around you?

Read Matt 4:1-4

• Jesus put himself in a compromised position before engaging with the Devil and the first temptation was using power to make food. Why did Jesus fast before the encounter with the devil? How does the devil leverage our desires against us? 

Read Matthew 6:16-18

• Jesus says “when you fast…” implying fasting was a common practice. Why does Jesus provide these guidelines? How can these guidelines be applied to other parts of our lives?

• Why can fasting be a powerful tool to deepen our relationship with God? 

Read Act 13:1-3

• For what purpose is the church in Antioch fasted together? For what purpose could you Good Samaritan fast and pray together as a community? 

• How do you prepare when you have to discern a big decision as an individual? As a family/team?

Lastly… Fasting is a tool to aid in deepening our relationship with God by amplifying prayer, practicing self discipline, and deepening empathize with others. Fasting is rarely done without conjunction with another spiritual discipline. How might practicing fasting cultivate spiritual fruit in your life and your faith community?

Trellis Challenge: Pick a day to fast. Starting after dinner of the preceding day, abstain from eating until dinner the next day and break the fast with feast/celebration. If you are unable to fast from food, you can choose something else that captures a lot of time and affection in your day and abstain from that thing. When challenged to eat, pause and pray for comfort and thank God for sustain you through all things.