Challenges of Fasting in Nigerian Society: Persuasion from the Book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter Fifty-Eight
Abstract
Religious obligation of fasting has to be performed in accordance with the right attitude that is pleasing to God. Observation has shown that many Nigerian politicians and top government officials do not care about how they fast. All kinds of inhuman treatments and atrocities were going on simultaneously with fasting. The paper defined fasting and reasons for the observance. It examined both the physical and spiritual benefits of fasting. Brief discussions of some peculiar challenges of fasting in the Nigerian society that are similar to prophet Isaiah’ indictments of Israel in chapter fifty-eight were made. They include un-confessed sin and none repentance; talking and complaining in front of others and putting on a face that shows they are “suffering for God”; refusal to heed to scriptural warnings of no oppression of the poor and the needy, promotion of injustice, stealing from the government coffer, and continuously shedding of innocent blood; poor health conditions; receiving of answers to prayer or request after fasting; fasting as hope or prerequisite for revival; proving one’s spiritual status; and secure victory over satanic manifestations. Thus, the paper recommends that religious leaders must preach or show their adherents’ transgressions or sins; religious adherents should confess and repent of every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to their remembrance; and government should address unemployment by creating jobs opportunities through spread of wealth into rural communities.
