I did a fairly short quite time today, usually my quite time lasts about an hour but today this lasted about 15 minutes.  Yet, I felt a call to action.  However first I want to share an example of divine humor.

I've read it in two of the Gospels so far, both Mathew & Mark.  I don't know yet if its in the other two but I'll reference the Mark examples here.  This occurs when people notice that Jesus' disciples were not fasting and that the Pharisees and John the Baptist' disciples were.

Mark 2:18-22 - Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.  And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.  If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new and the old, and a worse tear is made.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins--and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins.  But new wine is for fresh wineskins"
*bold mine

Now when Jesus had been taken away from them and the disciples were praying in the upper room waiting for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, eventually the Holy Spirit did baptize them and they went out into the street speaking in tongues and men from every nation heard them in their own tongue and were amazed.

Acts 2:13 - But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."

How right the mockers were!!!!!  And how humorous.  The mockers, thinking to make fun of them are instead divinely made fun of by confirming the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made.  The disciples where new wineskins filled with new wine! I literally burst out loud laughing when I read that line.  That's funny there, don't care who you are.

Anyway... on to my signpost.

I've been truley following Christ for a short time.  Mere months.  I have been a "cultural christian" for my entire life but a true believer only for a short time.  Yet I am utterly convinced that I am experiencing only the tiny portion of Jesus' and the Holy Spirits presence in my life.  I have not felt the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, nor have I felt effective in my efforts to make use of the authority Jesus has granted us in his name.  Yet at the same time, even as I write this I have to caution myself, for what use is the power of Jesus unless my focus in not on that power but on Jesus himself.

I want the baptism, I want the presence of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the promise as delivered by John the Baptist.  I want the walk to be a daily walk with a presence that is not "somewhere up there" but rather touchable, feel-able, undeniably there with me beside me, indwelt within me.  And this brings me to fasting.

"The day wlil come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and they will fast in that day." -- They will FAST in that day.  This seems pretty clear, but following that Jesus makes reference, he talks directly about becoming new and renewing ones self.  And the first example has to do with shrinking the new cloth to pacth the torn garment.  I think this is a direct refernce to the use of fasting to bring yourself closer to the bridegroom, to Jesus spiritually and in communication and relationship.  To become more than just the "saved" but to become closer to his presence and having us walk with him as he has walked with us.

There is a parable or story that is a favorite among Christians.  The parable of the footprints.  Basically it tells of how there are two sets of footprints walking side by side in the sand, but periodically there are only one set for a time.  The question is asked, "Jesus where were you when there was only one set of prints?" and is answered, "That is when I was carrying you."  Its a wonderful story but I always got it wrong in my head.  I always thought Jesus was walking with me, he was carrying me along to my goals and destination.  I was wrong, Jesus was not walking with me to where I was going, rather, I am walking with him to where HE is going, and when I can't carry on, when I fail, he picks me up and carries me forward.

So, here I choose to walk with Jesus.

Now, I have to figure out this fasting thing... (comments welcome on this)♠

additions:
How to fast safely.