Hello!
God has been leading me on a journey with fasting!
“Fasting is a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from something good, for a predetermined amount of time, and for a spiritual purpose.” Breakaway Ministries
Other spiritual practices (operating in love, prayer, generosity, Bible reading and memorization, life of worship) have been part of my life before! But fasting… well… I avoided it until a few weeks ago. It didn’t sound appealing. I wondered if fasting was still relevant. And I was worried how my body would respond to going without food.
Holy Spirit showed up in amazing ways through my time of fasting! Stories of healing and spiritual gifts awakening are coming! This has been the clearest, and most in depth study of fasting I’ve experienced and I’m excited to share my notes with you! Please let me know if you would like to chat more about fasting 🙂
{HUGS}
Rachel
Everybody has a hunger of the stomach, and a hunger of the soul. Our souls are the deepest spiritual part of our being. Rest, fulfillment, and peace are found in relationship with Jesus!
Fasting prioritizes our souls over our stomachs (or aspects of life if you are fasting social media, sugar, etc.).
In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
The first two spiritual aspects of Jesus’ adult life are found in Matthew 3 and 4!
1. First he was baptized (Matthew 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized…)
2. Fasting (Matthew 4:2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry)
Fasting is to be part of the normal, Christian life just as generous giving and prayer.
Matthew 6 has Jesus’ clearest instructions on fasting as a part of Christian living. His teaching style for fasting continues after giving and prayer!
Matthew 6:2 Says “When you give to the needy…”
In Matthew 6:5 Jesus shares “And when you pray…”(Lord’s Prayer)
Matthew 6:16 Continues this teaching on Christian living, And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. But when you fast anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
We need a clear spiritual purpose to fast. Without a clear reason, the day or days of fasting seem like a diet or meaningless meandering thoughts.
Here are 7 Biblical reasons to fast! These notes and examples are from the Breakaway Ministries podcast / Youtube link below!
1. To intensify our prayers. Fasting is a reminder that we are not self-sufficient. Feeling hunger reminds us of our spiritual hunger. Our prayers take on an urgency, “I’m hungry for you, I need you.”
Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.
2. For clarity. Fasting is a reminder to stop and listen for God’s wisdom and direction. We are intentionally aligning our hearts with God.
Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
3. Due to sin, being hungry for restoration. Fasting is an option when we realize we’ve been resisting God’s leadership in our lives.
Jonah and the BIG fish…
Jonah 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
4. For God to move. Fasting helps us express concern for the work of God, asking him to make a way.
Nehemiah 1:4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and went and mourned for days and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 1:9 (Remember the word you gave)… but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, through your outcasts are in the uttermost parts if heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.
In Protection
Ezra 8:21-23 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Arava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
5. When facing persecution. We can fast when facing hardship, injustices, or other persecution in our lives. We can also fast for churches across the world.
2 Chronicles 20:3-4
Three large armies were coming to battle against King Jehoshaphat.
Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
6. For Victory in the midst of temptation. Fasting for victory asks God to show us the standard, and communicates I choose your standard for living, thinking, and acting.
Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
7. As a display of love. I want to remember who you say I am
Love and Devotion to the Lord
Luke 2:37 Anna…She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day.
Resources to continue learning about fasting:
Bible Passages: Isaiah 58, Matthew 6
My Blog Fasting Ramadan | Fasting Part 1
Website and App: The Joshua Project Unreached People of the Day https://www.joshuaproject.net
Podcast: Breakaway Ministries Understanding Fasting
YouTube Video of the Podcast Sermon:
Book on Fasting: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Chapter 9 by Donald Whitney
Another reason for fasting: if you can learn to control a simple passion like hunger, you can also learn to overcome greater ones!
Dear Rachel,
Wonderful teaching about fasting!
I love hearing from you!
Louise
thank you Rachel for this info on fasting, we all need to do this more often.
I fast monthly and I do feel it brings me closer to God, helps me feel his presence more in church the day I fast, and helps me be more receptive to answers and promptings. I don’t love being hungry, but I do love the fruits.
Yes! Our obedience grows!
Love you! This has been a fun and challenging growing time! {HUGS}
Yes! It was a sweet reminder and nudge in my soul to grow!