Why Fast: It is a great way to crucify our flesh, help us to walk in humility, and draw us closer to God. It is also a weapon of Spiritual warfare. Fasting intensifies our prayers.

In the Bible the children of God knew the importance of fasting and it was a major part of their lives. It often went hand and hand with prayer. When they needed healing, to hear from God, breakthrough, protection, repent, mourn, or to humble themselves they fasted. Jesus said “when you fast” which shows us in His opinion it was a given we would be people who know how to fast and that we would consistently do it. Matthew 6: 16-18.

A Few People who Fasted in the Bible:

David: Psalm 35:13

Anna: She lived in the temple and dedicated her time to prayer and fasting. Luke 2:36-38.

Moses: He fasted 40 days when he went up to the mountain to receive the commandments from God. He also fasted for the sin of the children of God. Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25-29; 10:10.

David: He fasted for mourning and repentance. 2 Samuel 12: 1-23.

Elijah fasted while escaping Jezebel. 1 Kings 19: 4-8.

Ezra fasted while mourning over sin. Ezra 10:6-17. He also declared a corporate fast for deliverance and protection for a safe journey for the children of God as they made the 900-mile journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra 8: 21-23.

Esther fasted for the safety of the Jewish people. Esther 4:15-17.

Darius fasted for the safety of Daniel. Daniel 6: 18-23.

Daniel fasted for an answer to Prayer. Daniel 10: 1-3. (This is where the Daniel Fast comes from: Daniel 1:12; 15, and 16.) Daniel also fasted on behalf of Judah’s sins while he was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah. Daniel 9: 1-19.

Jesus fasted before He was tempted by Satan. He spent 40 days praying and fasting before He started His public ministry. It was time He needed to be alone with the Father to prepare for stepping into His ministry. Matthew 4: 1-17; Mark 1: 12-13; Luke 4: 1-14.

Paul fasted after his conversion (salvation). Acts 9: -19.

Church elders in Antioch fasted before sending out Missionaries. Acts: 13:1-3.

Ahab fasted and humbled himself before God. 1 Kings 21: 27-29.

Nehemiah fasted and mourned over the broken walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1: 4-2:10.

The people of Nineveh fasted and repented after hearing the message of judgement Jonah gave them from the Lord. Jonah 3.

The disciple of John the Baptist fasted. Matthew 9: 14-15.

Cornelius fasted and sought God’s plan of salvation. Acts 10:30.

Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted for the elders of the churches before committing them to the Lord for His service. Acts 14: 23.

The Israelites fasted to gain victory in battle. Judges 20:26.

Fasting can also be used for deliverance (casting out demons). Mark 9:28-29.

There are other examples, but I wanted to share a few so we can fully see how important fasting is to our Christian walk. It is an essential part of our lives.

How to Fast:

Focus: Keep your eyes on God and focus on Him. During the times you would be eating your meals spend that time in prayer and reading His Word. If we are not using the fast to focus on Him, we are really just on a diet. The only thing that separates a fast from a diet is the purpose. Our purpose must be to draw closer to God, hear from Him, breakthrough from Him, and/or crucifying our flesh.

Types of Fast:

No Food Fast: abstaining from all foods, but drink liquids

Water Only Fast: only drink water and nothing else.

Meal Fast: abstain specific meals, for example you do not eat breakfast or lunch, but you eat dinner.

Daniel Fast: only eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The only drink approved for the fast is water. You can find a ton of information on this type of fast online. Just google: Daniel Fast.

Non-Food Fast: examples are social media, sugar, caffeine, tv, coffee, etc.

Some people feel that if you do not fast food you are not really fasting. I do not agree. I think any time we give up something in sacrifice to the Lord it is a good thing. That could include social media, tv time, sugar, caffeine, etc. I even had a woman tell me that God led her to fast make up for an extended period and He used that time to break major bondages off her life. Any time we do a fast and dedicate it to God, spend time with Him in His presence, and make it focused on Him it is a good thing. I think it is all about what we do with our time while we are fasting. If we just refrain from all food, certain foods, or certain activities, but do not use the time to focus on Him it doesn’t really serve the purpose. It is about sacrificing those things and spending time with Him. It is all about crucifying the flesh, walking in surrender to Him, and getting closer to Him. If we are focusing on that during the fast, it works its purpose in us. In my opinion any time people do any type of sacrificial giving up of things for the Lord it is not a bad thing. Call it a fast or call it whatever you want, it is a good thing.

Health Issues: If you have health issues you may need to adjust the way you fast. You could do a Daniel Fast, eat crackers to take your medications, or fast something such as social media, coffee, soda, sugar, or something else that would require a sacrifice on your part.

Tips for a Successful Fast

Expect it to be hard. Fasting is not easy. As soon as you decide you are going to do one, you will face resistance from your flesh and demons. Neither want you to get closer to God and they will both do everything they can to create distractions, obstacles, and hinderances. Stay strong and determined.

Do a Bible study on fasting. If you are not very familiar with fasting do a topical study and look for why the people in the Bible fasted, how they fasted, and the results of their fasting.

Plan ahead. Plan what kind of fast you are going to do, how long you will be doing it, and anything that may get in the way of your plan.

Wean off caffeine before time for the fast to start. It will make the fast so much less painful. Going through caffeine withdrawals can cause headaches and irritability.

Spiritual warfare is a must. Make sure you are verbally commanding the enemy to be silent and to leave you alone in the name of Jesus. Stop the lies of the enemy in their tracks and don’t entertain them even for a moment.

Make it 100% about God. He must be the reason and focus of the entire fast.

Possible Results of a Fast:

It Humbles us before God.

Crucifies the flesh.

Causes us to better be able to hear Him and gives clarity.

It can cause us to hear Him give answers to specific questions and direction for our lives.

We can experience a new and deeper level of surrender.

It can lead to times of self-reflection, so we are better able to see ourselves and areas that we want to change with the help of God.

Fasting can reveal areas of needed repentance.

It can also create needed brokenness before the Lord so that we are poured out so He can be poured in. So that we can decrease, and He can increase.

Blessings,

Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry