I studied martial arts for 11 years (yes, I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do). Every day at the Do Jang (studio) we would spar. Sparring is where you put on hand and foot pads and fight eachother. Everyone loved sparing because instead of practicing your kicks into mid air you really got to lay it into someone. But the whole point of sparring was to have fun beating up your friends training. By practice fighting each of us were preparing for the day when we may get attacked in a dark parking lot.
After years of sparring sessions I learned my strengths and weaknesses. I learned tricks of how to be a better fighter. Such as keep your hands up; don’t kick to the head; keep your front knee facing your opponent.
In the same way, fasting is like sparring.
Just because sparring was a safe environment didn’t mean I wasn’t still learning real moves and techniques. I was learning the same kicks and punches I would use when I got into a real street fight. The same goes for fasting.
Fasting is a safe environment for us to strengthen our spirit-man and learn to fight that old man inside us.
By learning to resist our flesh through fasting we learn to resist sin and temptation. So when temptation sneaks up on us in that parking lot, we’re prepared to kick it’s butt to high heaven.
What’s great about fasting is that when we break a fast it’s not a sin - we’re still safe. Just keep on going. But when fasting, if I get tired or hungry I don’t want to give in right away and break my fast, I want to try and enter into the grace to keep it. So later I have more ability to ward off those “parking lot demons.”
Tomorrow I’ll talk about how 3-5 seconds will change your life and bolster virtue within you.
retroman said:
“There is no fear… in this Dojo!” Hey, great post and sorry for the Karate Kid quote. CBB
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 10:08 am
nathan said:
This is a timely entry, as I just broke a fast yesterday when I should have gone through today. It’s very encouraging to think that I’m just in a dojo, and God is training me for the real fight to come.
Is there a problem with people getting caught up in the dojo, thinking that this is reality? They’re progressing through the belts, but never using their knowledge out on the streets. They have all this knowledge from Bible studies, church meetings, etc, but they’ve never actually witnessed. Knowledge puffs up, and I would think someone who has never left the dojo might be a bit intimidated the first time someone pulls a gun on them in a parking lot. (yes, I know I stretched your analogy significantly, but I believe you asked for dialog…)
Anyway, great blog. You’ve inspired me.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 10:16 am
{Shawn} said:
@ Nathan: When I break a fast early, I just keep on going. It is a time of training, but I think not necessarily for the real fight to come, but the real fight we’re already in.
Your question about people growing in knowledge but not applying it is a common one. In reality, if people are genuinely encountering God through prayer, bible studies, church meetings, etc… then they will naturally begin to share their faith and do anointed ministry. When we get close to Jesus and our heart begins to change into His likeness we have to love people because He does.
The first times are always scary, and for many people it’s just scary all the time… That’s why going out evangelizing in groups helps. Get a clip-board and walk around asking ’surveys’ that lead into spiritual conversations.
Thanks for the questions. I love the dialog.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Ducky said:
I really like your analogy, Shawn; it’s going to help me in my own attempts at fasting. Plus it brings back fond (and not-so-fond) memories of sparring.
However, I would argue that sometimes fasting is the real arena. What if you’re fasting specifically to break off a sin in your life? You know you’re going to get attacked. Yet you also have hope because of the grace given by the Spirit. To stretch your analogy further — that type of fasting is like setting yourself up for a fight but knowing you’ll win.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 1:33 pm
nathan said:
@Ducky: I think that fasting is very useful as a tool to put the flesh in its place, and to put it in subjection to your spirit. That’s great, and is a tool to grow closer to Him.
However, I think we can see plenty of examples where fasting was used as a preparatory time for an upcoming battle: Jesus going into the wilderness to begin His ministry, Jesus’ admonition that some demons don’t come out but with prayer and fasting (or a lifestyle in which one regularly prays and fasts), etc.
It’s definitely an interesting analogy; one that makes me stop and think. I think there’s also going to be a time in which the church will face severe persecution in the last days, and we are called to a preparatory period of a fasted lifestyle so that we will be ready for that which is to come.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Esther said:
I think it’s Biblical to say that you store up the benefits of fasting as well. When Jesus healed the son that the disciples couldn’t, He said, this kind only comes out by fasting and prayer. But did Jesus tell the guy to come back tomorrow after fasting, or did He hold a prayer meeting before healing the child? No, Jesus had a well that was full of a lifestyle of fasting and prayer. So He just dipped in and took from that to heal.
What’s a dojo?
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 4:12 pm
nathan said:
I agree wholeheartedly, Esther. It’s as though fasting & prayer was the equivalent of going to practice everyday, learning how to kick and punch. When faced with a demon, Jesus was able to win the fight because He was in practice.
I think the spirit of Jesus’ words are “this kind only comes out if you know how to kick and punch, and you only know how to kick and punch if you practice it on a regular basis”.
So prayer and fasting serve many purposes, one of which is to prepare us for the battle to come (pray and fast today so you can cast out the demon you encounter tomorrow), and another of which is to actually do battle now (Ducky’s point about fasting specifically to break a certain sin’s hold in your life). Actually becoming like Christ is the ultimate goal.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 4:20 pm
nathan said:
oh, and a dojo is a place where you practice karate. I realize Shawn said Do Jang, and with my only experience with martial arts being Karate Kid I latched onto the dojo term.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Jon Soroko said:
I stumbled in here - following a link about CSS - which certainly don’t understand yet - and found this interesting discussion.
I have a first-kyu brown belt in karate, am Jewish, but have only recentl - I’m in my 40’s - joined a congregation. And I find I’m often just about to say “sensei” to the rabbi - and “Osu” -
So I’m trying to figure out what the connection is between my karate practice and being a Jew. There’s no apparent conflict. I think they pull in the same moral direction - make me a better person - more inside than out.
This makes today more interesting, having found this blog.
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Chelsea said:
I had never looked at it like this before. Thank you so much for bringing fresh insight into a much-needed topic. YOUR BLOG IS A BLESSING!
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Idhrendur said:
Heck yes for combat related metaphors!
If using a clipboard and surveys to starts converstations, you may as well go all the way and bring along some of the “Knowing God Personally” tracts. They’re cheesy, but they have all the vital verses and theology right there.
And, it’s off topic, but I’d be interested to see your results if you took a quiz on my latest blog post. I’m trying to predict what different people’s results will be…
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 10:19 pm
natasha said:
I usually just read the fight spot and don’t comment but this caught my eye.
I have no experience in martial arts but I’m a competitive cheerleader, none of that raunchy ra-ra nonsense mind you, I’m all about the gymnastics. Gymnastics is hard work. All the training has taught me a lot about my own physical and mental limitations. All in all how you feel about martial arts is how I feel about my own training. I have just started coaching little girls (today actually) and although they don’t get to spar I hope I can teach them perseverance and hard work. I was worried that this job was a waste of time. This post was reassuring. Maybe my girls will learn something about inner strength along with how to do back-flips!
Posted on May 9, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Idhrendur said:
I would have guessed the “Read about typography, ooo… empty space!” answer would have swung you towards Jessica. Ah well, I at least got Jenn right.
Posted on May 10, 2007 at 11:39 am
{Shawn} said:
That’s cuz design wasn’t part of my past-time.
Posted on May 10, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Idhrendur said:
I got the impression you’re awfully interested in it now, though. Ah well. AJ is a good guy to be like in any case (and he’s not single anymore, either).
Posted on May 10, 2007 at 11:12 pm
{Shawn} said:
@ Idhrendur: It’s true. I am very fascinated with typography.
Posted on May 11, 2007 at 6:48 am
Robin said:
Shawn: I needed to come back to this just to say thank you. This really helped me, even though I didn’t know I needed it until I read it.
Nathan: I love to imagine Jesus telling using the kick and punch instruction. It’s good to remind myself that I know how it ends: we win. Jesus Is Lord.
Posted on May 15, 2007 at 11:25 pm