Sorrow or Joy?

Matthew 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

John the Baptists disciples ask this great question.  Basically, those of us who have bought on to this God stuff starve our flesh often.  We seek to be more in tune to God and suppress out carnal appetites.  That sounds right to me!  Defiantly not wrong to fast.  But its how & why you fast that matters.  Fasting is a time to clear the worldly distractions, something they did do well, but also fill your life & mind with Gods directions, something they didn't do well.  The purpose of denial of flesh isn't negative but to be positive.  I have found, the greatest moments of my experiences with God came through my fasts.  I actually am more sensitive to His Spirit, I hear Him clearly, and all that brings great Joy to my life.  I cant be depressed and sour faced when this is achieved!  This only happens when I am now in Gods presence!  Thus Jesus' answer, with a question:

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

If Jesus seems distant to me, if God is silent on issues, I must fast.  I need to get to that place the LORD & I are close.  When the LORD has cleared up my confusion, and I am experiencing Him, when He is so close to me, I don't need to fast any longer.  I simply need to bask in His presence and obey His word.  In Jesus, Joy, away from Jesus, well, fast & get back there.