Definition of fasting: choosing to abstain from food, one meal or several meals, to give special attention to some spiritual concern(s). Though fasting is neither a major biblical doctrine nor a foundation stone of the faith, it may open doors where other keys have not. It may open the way to new vistas of understanding and strength.
Motivation for fasting: first, to honor God by giving ourselves more fully to Him. Additional reasons may include any one or combination of the following:
- to express sorrow for our disobedience to God, for doing things our own way.
- to purify our lives and receive God's grace for the purification process.
- to turn our affections away from earthly things and toward eternal things.
- to express the seriousness and earnestness of our request.
- to avert the outpouring of God's wrath against evil; to appeal to God for extra time for His grace to work.
- to gain deeper insight into a particular portion of God's Word.
- to request the fulfillment of God's prophesies and promises.
- to sharpen our spiritual senses.
- to enhance our creativity in solving difficult problems.
- to discern God's will in a difficult situation and the steps to accomplish it.
- to mourn with God over the spiritual resistance and darkness both inside and outside the church.
- to reignite our desire to lead people to Christ and to see His kingdom come.
- to free those who are in spiritual bondage.
- to confirm the selection and ordination of elders.
- to keep the body and soul in subjection to the spirit. (Note: if fasting becomes a mere ritual, it loses its spiritual effectiveness.)
- to obey Jesus' words: "When you fast..." (Matt. 6:16, 17) and "... then they shall fast..." (Mark 2:20).
- to avoid the sins of Sodom: "...pride, surfeit of food, and prosperous ease" (Ezek. 16:49; Jer. 5:17; and Matt. 24:37-38).
- to gain insight leading to restoration and healing.
- to regain the spark of our "first love" for Jesus Christ
- to discern and dedicate the talents and skills God has given us for fulfillment of His purposes.
- to gain insight into God's chastening, a willingness to accept His discipline, and renewed commitment to obey. This page and all contents are copyright protected by Reasons To Believe, June 2015. www.reasons.org
Jesus does not want us to be satisfied with meager fruitfulness (John 15: 2, 5, 8). He wants our joy to be full and the fruit of the Spirit to overflow, to the glory of God the Father. When Jesus says "when you fast" (Matthew 6:16, 17), He uses both the singular you and the plural you (although English makes no clear distinction, the Greek text does). Fasting is for individuals and for groups.
Personal guidelines for fasting
Make sure you are physically able to fast. If you suffer from diabetes, ulcers, TB, or other health issues, or if you have undergone any type of gastro-intestinal surgery, you must consult a physician.If you are able to fast, be careful, first, to rid your life of spiritually corrosive influences, such as sensual reading material and sensual music. Fasting heightens your sensitivity to the spiritual realm. So if you have opened doors to Satan's influence in your life and have never closed them, you may find that you are subject to interference when you fast.
Be sure to wear "the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:10-17). Begin with expressions of praise. Maintain a spirit of praise and allow significant time for praise. Set specific objectives. Examine your motives (Isaiah 58:1-12).Link fasting with sincere and practical charity. For example, before you fast, make a gift to help someone in need (Is. 58:7). Avoid ostentation (Matt. 6:16-18; Rom. 3:27; and Luke 17:10).If possible, fast before, rather than after, an emergency arises, but certainly do consider fasting in the midst of a spiritual crisis.
Consider making your first experience of fasting a brief one, say 24 hours or less. If you fast for 24 hours, fast from evening to evening. Important thoughts and insights that come to you in the evening will stay with you through the night and help prepare your mind and heart for the following day. Take time to read and meditate on Scripture. Allow God's Word to guide you, teach you, and sink into you as you fast. If at all possible, devote the waking hours of your fasting period to prayer, study, and contemplation. If you must give some time and attention to other activities, cut back on them so that your spiritual intake increases and your caloric requirements decrease to less than the usual.
Never ignore the "second hunger" that occurs after a few weeks or more of fasting. This hunger indicates that the body's reserves are burned up. Break a fast gently, with easy-to- digest foods.Keep in mind that the benefits of fasting often come many days after the fast has ended.
Rewards and warnings
"...Your healing will quickly appear" (Is. 58:8 and, for an unusual illustration, 1 Sam. 30:11- 15).
"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and he will say: Here am I" (Is. 58:9).
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"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25).
"Put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the sins they see around them...Kill everyone whose forehead is not marked...And begin right here at the sanctuary" (Ezek. 9:4-6).
"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray" (1 Peter 4:7).
"We will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us" (2 Chron. 20:9).
In one of the most thrilling stories in Scripture, King Jehoshaphat led the people of Israel to a mighty victory over their foes using only the weapons of collective fasting, prayer, and songs of praise (2 Chron. 20:1-30).
Daniel, a key example
While studying the prophecies of Jeremiah, Daniel discovered that he was living at a special moment in God's plan (see Dan. 9:2). His people, the Jews, were about to be returned to their precious homeland. Understanding that the hour of deliverance and restoration was at hand, Daniel sought God with a greater intensity and fervor than ever, fasting and praying in all humility (9:3).
Though he was one of the most righteous men who has ever lived, Daniel fully identified with his people in all their disobedience and rebellion (9:4-19). He said, "We have sinned," not "They have sinned." Daniel linked himself with his countrymen, acknowledging that he and they together justly deserved God's judgment. He exemplified God's message in Ezekiel 9:4-6 and 22:30-31; he was ready and willing to "stand before me [God] in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it."
Daniel sought God's light with a wholeheartedness matched by few other men through the ages. In turn, God blessed him with wisdom and understanding beyond what Daniel could asked or imagined. Today, as in the time of Daniel, the light of God is desperately needed. In these dark days of spiritual apathy and moral degradation, God will give us all the light we need if we prize it highly enough to seek it as Daniel did.
Daniel's intercession demonstrates a very important principle: God's sovereign control over the future never gives us an excuse to sit back as spectators. Rather, God's prophetic words are given to compel us toward fasting and prayer with utmost zeal, humility, commitment, and hope. God reveals His plan not so that we can know our part and take out part in the action, His action, together with other members of the body of Christ. Revelation requires involvement!
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Suggested plan of action for a group fast
1. Among the leaders and members of your group, agree on specific goals for the fast, relying on prayer and Scripture to discern God's will.
2. Give each group member the freedom to determine, through his or her own communication with the Lord, whether he or she will participate in the fast.
3. Choose a day on which every participant is free to devote time and attention.
4. Meet some practical or spiritual need around you by giving financial or other assistance, as appropriate.
5. First evening: Spend time alone. Dedicate the fast to God's glory. Pray specifically for each group member, especially that the goals of the fast will be accomplished in and through each one. Study God's Word, asking for His guidance and insight.Pray that the goals of the fast will be accomplished not only in you and your group, but also in your church and through the entire body of Jesus Christ worldwide.Spend some giving praise.
6. Night: Sleep. Or, as an option, you may wish to organize a prayer watch, with each participant taking a specific time slot during the night for prayer.
7. Morning: Continue to pray, more and more specifically, for the goals of the fast. Mourn with God for the sin in your own life, in your family, your church, your community, your nation, the world. By late morning, individuals may begin to meet in small groups of two to four, continuing together in the morning's confession and prayer.
8. Afternoon: Bring the entire group together. Confess your sins to one another, and join together in prayer for one another's cleansing and healing. Pray that the church and the nations would be purified. Pray especially that God would purify and protect the leaders and would raise up more leaders who live and uphold the truth of Scripture. Pray again that the specific goals of the fast would be accomplished. Seek God's direction for your specific part in the accomplishment of those goals in the days and weeks ahead.
9. Early evening: Praise and worship the Lord together. Exalt His name. Take communion together, acknowledging the power of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. Break the fast with a light supper. You may wish to arrange for each member of the group to provide some portion of this meal. Or perhaps some person outside the group would be willing to prepare it. Make sure you consider the menu, serving only foods that are easy to digest, e.g., soup or stew, rice, bread, poultry or fish, cooked vegetables, etc.
10. Keep alert in the coming days and weeks as God reveals His answers to your prayers and rejoice in Him. He is and always will be the Good in the Good News.
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