The Relationship Between Fasting and Spiritual Warfare
(Preparing For What Is Ahead)
How awesome is it to know that God has put into place a spiritual discipline simply because He wants us to spend time with him!? We can rest in our time spent single-mindedly focused on Jesus because we have the promise of His protection.
“Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.” (Psalm 91:15-15)
For three years now, my most popular posts on the blog have been about biblical fasting. Yet I still have a desire to research it further. No matter how many times we read something, the Holy Spirit always has more to teach us. This time, I decided to explore what Jesus experienced and what He had to say about biblical fasting.
I have to admit that these accounts of fasting are so familiar that I sometimes gloss over them without giving them the respect and thought (meditation) they deserve. Do you do that too?
WHAT IS BIBLICAL FASTING?
In case you are not familiar, biblical fasting is abstaining from something that we crave and enjoy (usually food but not always) for a period of time. During the time that we abstain, we feed our spirit by intentionally focusing on God and the Bible instead of satisfying our flesh. Biblical fasting is nothing new. According to Leviticus, fasting was mandatory for Jewish people once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
A Time of Fasting Prepares Us
A STUDY OF JESUS’ 40-DAY FAST
My paraphrase of Jesus’ 40-day fast is from Matthew 4:2-11 and Luke 4:1-13.
The Holy Spirit led Jesus off by himself into the wilderness where no one was around except wild animals. There, in the quiet stillness of the desert, Jesus spent time with Father God. Jesus was ministered to by the angels (Mark 1:12-13) as He fasted food in favor of spiritual nourishment.
Satan, probably recognizing an opportunity he couldn’t pass up, came to Jesus, and for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
The three specific temptations we are told about involve Satan encouraging Jesus to do things Father God had not told Jesus to do (Jesus says in John 5:18-20 and John 12:49 that he can only do and say what the Father has commanded).
The first temptation we are told of is Satan trying to convince Jesus to satisfy his hunger by turning stones into loaves of bread. We know from Luke 4:2 that Jesus was famished (extremely hungry). Even though he was tempted, Jesus was obedient to the Father and didn’t fall for the temptation. Instead, he quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3,
"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
When satisfying his hunger wasn’t enough of a temptation to sway Jesus, the devil took him into the holy city (Jerusalem) and set him on top of the temple. Satan used bits and pieces of Psalm 91:11-12 to attempt to appeal to Jesus’ pride. Ironically, the rest of that Psalm proclaims God’s victory over evil (Satan). It’s no wonder Satan chose not to quote the entire passage!
However, it was not the place or time for Jesus to declare his Lordship and perform miracles. Jesus said to Satan,
"It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" (Deuteronomy 6:16)
Still trying to manipulate and trick Jesus, Satan took him even higher, up on a mountain where Jesus could see all the kingdoms down below. There, Satan offered all that could be seen to Jesus if Jesus would only bow down to him in worship. Jesus had enough and commanded Satan to get away from him. With one final verse from Deuteronomy (10:20), Jesus said,
"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
Just that quick the devil left Jesus for a season. Angels of the Lord ministered to Jesus.
DIGGING DEEP INTO THE PASSAGE
It struck me as I read this passage that Jesus not only fasted food, he fasted time with others. At this point, he had not started his ministry or had disciples. But Jesus was known around town. From the time he was 12 he was a regular at the temple. By separating himself from others for a while, it would have quieted the noise and voices speaking into his life (everyone always has an opinion they are eager to share, don’t they?).
Later in the book of Matthew (6:17), Jesus tells us to go about our normal daily activities as we fast. Normal activity for Jesus would not have been to go off by himself into the desert for 40 days (this is actually the only time we are told of Jesus fasting like this). Since the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, we know this point is significant.
God leads us into mental and spiritual desolation just as he physically led Jesus into the desert. When it happens to us, we might mistake it for loneliness and rejection. We tend to think that unpleasant things are always of the enemy. We forget that God uses those unpleasant things to grow us. The Holy Spirit never moves us without a plan and a purpose.
We read that the purpose for Jesus going to the desert was so that he could be tempted by the devil. Let me repeat that…Jesus was tempted! I wanted you to hear that again because I believe this temptation of Jesus is something we tend to gloss over without fully thinking about it. Besides, you have to realize that to be tempted, something has to appeal to you. So again;
Jesus was tempted.
If you had fasted for 40 days, wouldn’t the thought of immediate food be appealing? Knowing you had the betrayal and torture of the cross to face, wouldn’t you have wanted to shortcut it and declare your Lordship right then and there? Yeah, me too.
Satan attempted to make Jesus doubt God. It worked with Adam and Eve and he was probably pretty confident it would work with Jesus. But Jesus held firm to his purpose. His time of fasting gave him the strength to not lose sight of the truth.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to move us into a position where He can use us is only the first step because there is always more. He doesn't move us because He is bored and looking for something to do. The Holy Spirit has a purpose and we have to be willing to take the next step in faith.
Anytime we strive to be obedient to God Satan doesn’t waste time in showing up (Mark 4:14-16) and he doesn’t care who we are or what our earthly position or title is.
Because he had been with Jesus before he fell, Satan would have known exactly who Jesus was. He would have seen first-hand Jesus’ power and authority. Even though he would have viewed it with contempt and rebellion, Satan probably even knew Jesus’ purpose on earth. And yet, he did his best to tempt Jesus and manipulate the situation.
The other side of this is that Jesus knew Satan very well and knew all about his tricks and manipulation.
Think about it. God created Satan as one of His angels. Jesus has always been and will always be. So He was there when Satan fell and had seen Satan in action as the tempter and destroyer for thousands of years. Yet, Satan came after Jesus just as he would come after us…and Jesus was tempted!
That doesn’t mean we should fear Satan or feel hopeless; not once does the Bible indicate we should. However, this 40-day fast of Jesus shows us how to handle temptations, what we can expect, and when to draw the line.
Choices Are Made
When we are tempted we need to do as Jesus did and go immediately to Scripture, we don’t need to declare who we are in Christ or hide in fear. ONLY the Word of God can defeat Satan and put him in his place! Notice Jesus didn’t pray, “Father, make this stop! I can’t take it anymore…it’s too much!”. Instead, using Scripture, Jesus reminded Satan (and maybe himself) that God provides for all of our needs and that physical hunger isn't more important than spiritual hunger.
Jesus could have feasted on physical food that would have satisfied temporarily. Instead, He chose to feast on the Word of God, trusting that his Father would provide. There is no need for us to force something when God provides for us.
Satan will always tempt us to satisfy the flesh over the spirit. He will always encourage us to use our gifts for our purposes instead of how they are intended to be used (1 Peter 4:10).
Notice that Satan took Jesus to the top of the Jerusalem temple. Isn’t it ironic that Jesus IS the top, the head of the church? Yet, that is just the place that Satan used to try to confuse and manipulate Jesus. He sure likes to play with our heads, doesn’t he?
Then we see another strategy of Satan. When tempting Jesus to satisfy his physical needs didn't work, the Tempter switched to trying to confuse and manipulate his thinking. How often the Tempter does this to us! The verses Satan quoted weren't wrongly quoted. He knew Scripture! However, Satan chose to cherry-pick the verses he wanted in an attempt to get Jesus' mind in the direction he wanted him to go.
You know what, friend? When we take Scripture out of context, we do just what Satan did, which is to attempt to manipulate for our selfish desires.
False Promises
The lust of the eyes and false promises were next in Satan's bag of unholy tricks. Satan promises Jesus things that were not his to give. Ironically (again!), Jesus was already Lord of all. He has never been without power and glory and authority. In exchange, Satan wanted Jesus to acknowledge that he (Satan) was superior and had authority over Jesus.
When I first read what Satan was promising, I didn’t think much of it because Satan is the god of this world. It wasn’t until I dug deeper that Holy Spirit reminded me that Satan is the god of the earth but he is not the Lord of all. He has no real power unless it is given to him.
And that is why it is critical that we spend time with God, focused on Him and His Word so that we will have a proper biblical perspective when we are tempted. If we do not know the Word, we might not see the irony here and fall for Satan’s lies.
According to Matthew, the point that Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him is when Jesus had enough. It is at that point that Jesus, showing his power and authority, commanded Satan to get away from him. Because Satan and his demons must obey God, Satan had no choice but to immediately do as Jesus said and leave him alone.
Satan will always attempt to lure us away from our purpose. His preferred method appears to be when we are weak, tired, and in physical need. If Jesus had given in to the temptation, his purpose on earth would have been lost. Jesus had to make a decision when he was tempted; did he want to satisfy his desires or be delivered for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25)?
Because Jesus suffered in every way we suffer, he had to endure temptation and make a decision.
God often uses suffering to test us and our commitment to Him. I would certainly classify a 40-day fast and 40 days of being tempted as a time of suffering, wouldn’t you?
The devil left Jesus for a season so this wasn’t the only time the enemy targeted Jesus. Satan did his best to trick Jesus just as he had tricked the first Adam. When Satan tries to snare us with temptation, it’s not a one-and-done event. He is relentless and will come at us again and again. Our best defense is to abide as Psalms 91:1-2 says;
“You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
IN CONCLUSION
One moment you can be riding on a wave of contentment and peace as you spend time with God. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changes.
Things you thought you had dealt with come rushing back. Your mind gets stuck in a cycle of confusion and hopelessness. Things you promised yourself you would never do you find yourself justifying. Temptation comes in many forms and Satan will use every one of them to try to bring you down.
As we spend focused time with God in fasting and prayer, we get to know Him and more fully recognize our Shepards sweet voice. This strengthens us to gird up our loins on His words, wrap his belt of truth around us for support, and face the enemy to declare,
"I will worship the Lord my God and serve Him only!"
To recap, Biblical fasting always serves a purpose. It is so much more than a weight-loss diet.
It builds us up emotionally and spiritually to stand strong against the enemy.
It is a time of preparation. In this passage, we see that fasting prepared Jesus to begin his public ministry (Matthew 17) and, eventually, the cross. We don’t know what our future holds but God does. As we intentionally spend time with him, He will let us know what is upcoming and what we need to do to prepare.
It allows the Holy Spirit to readjust our perspectives when we get off track.
Four truths Jesus wants us to know about the relationship between fasting and spiritual warfare:
Satan won’t hesitate to play with our minds by making us question who we are. He even uses Scripture to do this.
Satan manipulates Script by taking them out of context to make his point more enticing.
Jesus was tempted but did not sin so being tempted is NOT a sin. Acting on the temptation is.
Our way out of temptation is to turn to Jesus and Scripture.
"WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY."
Your Turn
Have you been spending time with the Lord in a time of fasting? How has it prepared you? Feel free to comment below. I would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it on your favorite social media sites.