Our Biblical Foundation For Fasting
Before I began learning about biblical fasting, I was astonished that God would want me to be miserable and give up something I enjoy for a time of suffering. Surely God wouldn’t want me to deprive myself by going without, right?
As I dove into the study of fasting, I had the revelation that God wanted ME, not my sacrifice (my food). He wanted me to grow in my love towards him to the point that I craved Him more than I craved my temporary pleasure of a food coma.
Of course, I didn’t get to that point overnight, nor did the transition to a fasting lifestyle happen without missteps.
In this post, I hope to share with you what I learned and help you establish a firm foundation with the spiritual discipline of fasting. Without a firm foundation, we will fall when trouble comes our way. To set our firm foundation in our rock (Jesus), we will look at the who, what, where, when, why, and how of biblical fasting.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL FASTING?
Fasting simply means to voluntarily abstain from food.
Right now intermittent fasting is huge in American society. Although it is quite beneficial to the human body, intermittent fasting is not the same as biblical (or spiritual) fasting.
Think of biblical fasting as a love offering. It requires us to put God first with an intentional giving up of something we want in the physical for spiritual purposes. Because we don’t always see answers right away, spiritual fasting is a direct representation of living by faith and not by sight or feelings.
Biblical fasting is something we do in the physical. At the same time, it affects the spiritual world (on earth as it is in heaven). This is why we can pray without fasting but we cannot fast without praying. If we do, it only affects the physical and is a diet.
WHO IS BIBLICAL FASTING FOR?
Every Christian is called to have a lifestyle of fasting until the day Jesus returns for his bride.
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
(Matthew 6:16)
And when John the Baptist’s followers went to Jesus and asked him why they fasted and Jesus’ disciples didn’t bother, Jesus (our bridegroom) was pretty clear:
“And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
(Matthew 9:15)
It is important to note that although it is God’s desire that every believer spends time with Him in fasting and prayer, He does not force any of us to participate. God wants us to love him so much and crave time with him so intensely that we freely choose to spend our time at his feet instead of satisfying our fleshly desires.
WHERE SHOULD WE FAST?
Spiritual fasting is not something that must be done at church or at a spiritual retreat. We don’t even need to lock ourselves in our prayer closet for a time of fasting. Fasting can be done while at work or at home.
WHEN SHOULD WE FAST?
You might feel the need to go into a time of fasting when you desire God to break the chains of sin in your life, when you want to seek His face on behalf of someone else, or when healing is needed.
Biblical fasting should never be taken lightly or jumped into without spending time in prayer first. When you feel in your spirit that it is time, you need to carefully plan ahead so that you can give God your time and attention.
WHY SHOULD WE FAST?
Although I am sure there are many reasons, here are two very good reasons to participate in a spiritual covenant between you and God:
1) You put yourself into a spiritual position to draw closer to God.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
(James 4:8)
2) Spiritual fasting propels our spiritual growth. As we spend time focusing on God, He can grow us and prepare us for whatever is ahead. Growth is a process and takes effort, not resistance.
“No-one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made.
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed, but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
(Matthew 9:16-17)
Don’t just read that verse and move on. Think about it for a minute; it is a process to shrink cloth to accommodate an old garment. Once it is shrunk it then needs to go through the process of being used (sewn on) before it can be enjoyed.
It is a process to prepare new wineskins to hold wine.
It is a process of submitting ourselves to God so that he can grow us and use us for his kingdom.
For Additional Reading: Baby steps of faith that we can build upon.
HOW SHOULD WE FAST?
As I said, a fast should never be rushed into because God takes us at our word. If we say we are going to fast for 3 days, God fully expects us to do just that. So we need to pray for wisdom and discernment before we decide what to fast. Keep in mind that each time of fasting is different because we are different and our needs are different.
Then we need to prepare our body and our environment as much as we can. While in prayer during a fast, one of the first things we need to do is repent of any sin in our lives. We need to forgive anyone who has wronged us, and we need to keep our focus on God as much as possible. Just as Matthew 9:16-17 says, we need to do things properly and in order.
Free Resource
When you begin a lifestyle of fasting, it is easy to forget your purpose for each fast. Under our free resources tab at the top of the page, you will find a printable that will help you keep yourself accountable.
FINAL THOUGHTS
During a biblical fast, we don’t lean on our own understanding. We pray and read God’s Word. We study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. God wants this one-on-one time with us and He never tosses aside our efforts are insignificant. If asked, He will open our eyes, ears, and heart to His understanding and knowledge.
When I think of how much God has done for me, I don’t think fasting for a meal or even a few meals to spend time with my Savior is pointless or too hard.
Regardless of where you are on your fasting journey, I pray that this post encouraged you to pray about taking your walk closer to God and blessing him with your love offering.
YOUR TURN
What are your thoughts on biblical fasting? Is it a spiritual discipline you practice or is this a new concept for you? Comment below and share with us!