Dethroning King Appetite
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18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
Title: Dethroning King Comfort
Pray
I told you a few weeks ago we would be talking about fasting today.
This is one of those words I have known for months and months I was going to preach, I just wasn’t sure when, until we began this season of prayer.
It would be a misrepresentation of scripture if I allowed us to go through a season of prayer in study and practice and did not approach the topic of fasting.
Pam Parker confirmed the timing for me a few weeks ago when she came to me and said she felt like God wanted us to fast corporately.
I have avoided it, pushed it back, fought it, wrestled with it, gotten excited about it, wrestled with it some more, prayed it through, studied it endlessly, and now I’m delivering to you the fruits of that process.
I went through all that before preaching this message because the vast majority of writers I’ve read and preachers I’ve listened to appeal largely to their own experience and testimonies from others when supporting their opinions about fasting.
I am leery of any doctrine, tradition, or belief that pulls more from experience than from scripture, and most of the teachings I have heard about fasting do just that.
In fact, I have had my own experiences that I will share with you in fasting, both good and bad.
But Today, we are going to go on a biblical journey together to discover what the bible actually says about fasting.
However, before we begin to examine the scriptures I want take a brief historical look at fasting, because fasting is not exclusive to Christianity.
Many religions all over the world use fasting as a religious tool, and this has been the case for millennia.
In ancient times, fasting was used by many cultures as a way to avoid demonic or spiritual oppression.
In Greek and Roman cultures, fasting was done to receive ecstatic revelations.
Fasting has been used in magic and by soothsayers. Native Americans fasted for many of their spiritualist rituals, learning that fasting causes one to be sensitive to visions and dreams.
Fasting is customary in every major religion on earth: Judaism, Mohammedism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity.
Hindus fast to “raise one’s consciousness to union with God.”
Buddhists fast to “guard, control, and lift the senses to a peak experience.”
Muslims fast each year during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan to invoke Allah’s blessing, to develop spiritual discipline and self control, to purify the body and spirit, and to evoke in themselves sensitivity and generosity toward the poor.
Every culture, on every continent, in every religion have a place for fasting. The Zulu people in Africa have a saying, “The continually stuffed body cannot see secret things.”
So the question we have to ask ourselves about fasting must be that of God’s message to Zechariah:
5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?
What is the motivation for fasting? Why is it important? And how is what we are doing different than any of the other fasting done in other religions?
I think to get to this place, we must recognize the priority and frequency with which fasting is spoken of in scripture:
Positive Fasting Examples:
Positive Fasting Examples:
2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27 – Paul mentions being “in fastings often”
Paul and Barnabas fasted to appoint elders in every church the planted (Acts 14:23).
The church at Antioch fasted → and the Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for mission (Acts 13:2–3).
Anna fasted in the temple → and God let her see the Messiah (Luke 2:37).
Jesus fasted 40 days → and triumphed over Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2).
Daniel fasted → and God sent angelic revelation (Dan. 9:3; 10:2–3).
Esther and the Jews fasted → and God delivered them from Haman’s plot (Est. 4:16).
Ezra fasted at the river → and God gave safe passage home (Ezra 8:21–23).
Nineveh fasted at Jonah’s preaching → and God spared the city (Jon. 3:5–10).
Jehoshaphat called a fast → and God gave Judah victory without lifting a sword (2 Chr. 20:3–30).
Israel fasted after defeat → and God gave them victory (Judg. 20:26).
Moses fasted 40 days → and received the Law on Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:28).
So apparently there is something to this fasting thing, but I also see this:
Negative Fasting Examples
Negative Fasting Examples
Pharisee’s boast → “I fast twice a week” (Luke 18:12) → rebuked as self-righteousness; the tax collector went home justified instead.
David fasted for his sick child (2 Sam. 12:16–23) → child still died; shows fasting does not manipulate God’s will.
Ahab fasted after Elijah’s rebuke (1 Kings 21:27) → judgment only delayed, not removed; repentance was shallow.
Israel’s fasts in exile (Zech. 7:5) → God: “When you fasted… was it really for Me?” → fasting condemned as empty ritual.
Isaiah’s rebuke (Isa. 58:3–7) → people fasted while oppressing others; God said, “Is this the fast I choose?” → fasting worthless without justice and humility.
Here’s the Pattern: Every failed fast = wrong motive.
Self-righteousness (Pharisee).
Manipulation (David).
Shallow repentance (Ahab).
Empty ritual (Israel in exile).
Hypocrisy (Isaiah’s audience).
“The Bible is clear: fasting works — but not as a performance, not as a hunger strike, not as a cover for sin. Wrong fasting gets rebuked every time.”
So what is fasting and how do we do it correctly?
Word Study: What Fasting Means Biblically
Word Study: What Fasting Means Biblically
Hebrew: tsûm = to abstain from food.
Chaldee: tev-awth’ (Dan 6:18) means hunger
Greek: nēstis = ne (not) esthio (eat)
Always food-related.
Other denials of pleasure and comfort = consecration, not fasting.
You may consecrate the time you normally spend on facebook in prayer, or you may give up TV to consecrate that time, but fasting is something different, because it is connected to a different Spiritual principle.
In His book on Fasting, Jentezen Franklin points out what he calls the “Three Duties” of every Christian, which are outline by the three assumptions of Jesus in Matthew 6.
On three different topics, Jesus said, “When you…” Not if, but when you… These are the assumptions of Jesus.
Jesus assumes you will do these three things because they are the duties he taught his disciples.
The first was in Matt. 6:2
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Again in the next verse in case you missed it the first time:
3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
The second is When you pray…
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
A second time in verse 6:
6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
And a third time before his own prayer:
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
The final “When you” statement in this portion of scripture is about fasting:
16 “When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
And again in the next verse:
17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
Jesus said when you pray… when you give… when you fast.
Not “if” — these are assumed duties of every disciple.
Then He follows all the teaching on these three things with this:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
it almost seems like Jesus is just smashing things together, but follow His train of thought…
When you give, when you pray, when you fast… Each one He says to do for the Father’s eyes only, not for the attention of man and the Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you…
These rewards He describes as treasures…
Re-read v. 19-20
So by doing these things, not for man or for attention or for the respect of others, but before God and IN SECRET, we are storing up treasures in heaven…
Now look again with that in mind at verse 21: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…
We always automatically equate this verse with money, but Jesus is referencing the teaching just before this about the three duties: Giving, Prayer, and Fasting…
Each represents one of life’s three commodities:
1. Giving = Money/Provision
2. Prayer = Time/Focus
3. Fasting = Sustenance/Survival
Do you see it yet?
Jesus isn’t just teaching about general principles for life, He is addressing the root of the three most prominent idols for all the human race…
It’s the same three temptations He was dealt with after his own fast:
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
There’s money and provision. You don’t have to rely on God, I’ll give it to you…
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”
There’s answer to prayer: He promised it, but will He come through? This echos the temptation in the Garden, “Did God really say?”
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
There’s sustenance and survival.
Here’s what you need to realize: These three areas are the umbrellas under which all other temptations fall…
So when Jesus is teaching about these two chapters later, He’s not just randomly teaching. He is teaching on the very temptations He conquered in the wilderness after His own fast…
These are the three things the enemy uses to tempt us, but often these three things are what we allow to have a place in our life…
Not only do we allow them a place, but we give them full reign unless we follow the commands of Jesus, grab a hold of the power He offers us and dethrones the three kings…
The three Kings are the three idols that represent what we allow on the throne of our hearts:
1. King Mammon
1. King Mammon
King mammon starts ruling when we allow the pursuit of provision to engulf our daily lives, proudly assuming that it is us who provides, rather than God being the source of our provision…
A heart with king mammon on the throne sounds like this:
“If I just had a little more money, then I’d finally have peace.”
“I can’t afford to give right now — maybe later, when things aren’t so tight.”
“My hard work is what keeps food on this table. I earned this — it’s mine.”
“If I don’t hustle, if I don’t grind, we’ll lose everything.”
“I’ll trust God with my soul, but my finances? That’s on me.”
There’s only one act of faith that dethrones King Mammon: Giving…
Giving isn’t just to keep the church going, it’s not just because you’re supposed to… It’s not even because the early church did it…
Giving is the act of faith that breaks the back of King Mammon, removes him from the throne of our heart and cancels his influence on our lives…
You have the power to stand in the face of King mammon and give in faith, knowing God is your provider because you put your trust in Him!
Not in the government, not in the American Dollar, not in the rise of bitcoin, not in a mark on your hand or forehead, but in YHWH Jireh! The Lord my Provider!
Every time you give, you put your finger in the eye of the enemy and declare God is my source!
If He can provide for the sparrows, He surely keeps His hand on me.. .
Giving Dethrones King Mammon.
Giving Declares: “Money given to God is not lost — He is my supply.”
2. King Busyness
2. King Busyness
King busyness starts ruling when we allow the tasks of life to take up all our time without spending any time with the one who created it…
“I know I should pray, but I just don’t have the time today.”
“If I slow down, everything will fall apart.”
“Rest is weakness. Hustle is survival.”
“I’ll make time for God once life calms down — but right now, I’ve got too much going on.”
“Prayer feels unproductive when my to-do list is this long.”
Prayerlessness is in direct correlation to your trust in God… The less you pray, shows the less you trust Him…
There’s only one act of faith that dethrones King Busyness: Prayer…
Prayer isn’t something just to check off a list…
Prayer is the act of faith that utterly destroys the bonds of King Busyness, removes him from the throne of our heart and cancels his influence on our lives…
You have the power to stand in the face of King Busyness and pray in faith, knowing God is in control and you have the opportunity to connect with Him!
Every time you pray, you put your finger in the eye of the enemy and declare God is the eternal, everlasting one who created time and space!
In Him i put my trust and the first fruits of my time in prayer.
When you give up your time on social media or watching TV to pray, you dethrone King Busyness.
Time in Prayer Dethrones King Busyness.
Spending time in Prayer Declares: “Time with God is not wasted time — it is time spent with the maker of time who will redeem the remaining parts of my day if I give Him the first.”
At this point, everyone is on board, because everyone feels the urge to give and to pray. Everyone recognizes the importance, but the minute I start talking about the third king….
3. King Appetite
3. King Appetite
18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
King appetite started ruling way back in the garden in Genesis 3:6
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Franklin says it this way:
Fasting Chapter 2: Dethroning King Stomach
They literally ate themselves out of house and home. They ate themselves out of the will of God for their lives. They ate themselves out of God’s provision and plan for their lives and out of His magnificent presence. But their stomachs were temporarily satisfied, and we still suffer the consequences of their appetites today.
King Appetite reigned in Sodom and Gomorrah:
49 “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
50 “Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
There is all three kings, led by King Appetite.
King appetite is the most heinous and the most insidious of all the kings because this king is not from without, it is from within…
Mammon is external; Time is what we live in; but hunger is within us…
If you don’t think this is a major idol, just look at how quickly your own mind began to bring up objections to fasting…
I would venture to say that nearly everyone in the room has one reason or another it’s not a good time to fast…
There’s always a reason we can start it in a few weeks…
There’s always a reason I just can’t fast right now…
“I could never go without food — I get cranky if I miss a meal.”
“God knows my heart, so why would He care if I fast or not?”
“I’ll start fasting… maybe after the holidays… when it’s more convenient.”
“Skipping food won’t make me holier — so why bother?”
“I need food to function; fasting would just make me useless.”
Fasting is the only act of faith that dethrones King Appetite…
Fasting infuriates the devil and pleases God…
Fasting is a pathway of pursuit wherein we have a physical reminder of a spiritual hunger…
Fasting will keep you on your needs, postured for prayer…
Since the fall, appetite has been enthroned as king. The Fall was not just about fruit — it was about worship. Who will you trust to satisfy you: yourself, or God?
Fasting is the reversal of the decision in the Garden, that I will not trust in myself, but in God who sustains me…
Prayer dethrones King Appetite
Prayer Declares: “I do not live by bread alone — but by every word from God.”
Together, prayer, giving, and fasting are the rhythm of dependence and devotion — they dethrone false kings and enthrone Christ.
This is why I say abstaining from other activities might be consecration of time, but it is not fasting because they dethrone different idols in our hearts…
I’ll give you an example:
3 The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
I wish we had died in Egypt! They would rather have died in oppression than to trust God for His provision for their appetite…
They begged for freedom and was glad to have it, didn’t fuss at the instructions on prayer, obeyed when it came to giving their possessions, but when it came to their hunger…
They would rather have died as slaves than be hungry… King Appetite reigned on the throne of their hearts…
And you may even say this was a one-off because God hadn’t provided manna yet, but look at Numbers 11:4-6
4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?
5 “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,
6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”
Remember the good ol days? When we were slaves who were so oppressed we cried out to God for relief? But at least we had good food…
This is what it looks like when King Appetite reigns… We would rather be bound and under subjection to the enemy than to be hungry!
This is King Appetite…
Fasting = worship through weakness: “Not my will, but Yours.”
Fasting Aligns physical hunger with spiritual hunger.
Fasting Dethrones idols and enthrones Christ.
Each hunger pang becomes a prayer: “Jesus, You are my bread.”
Here’s what fasting is not:
Fasting is not manipulating God…
Fasting is not a hunger strike…
Fasting is not a weight loss program…
The Wrong View: David’s Bargaining Fast (2 Sam. 12:16–23)
The Wrong View: David’s Bargaining Fast (2 Sam. 12:16–23)
David fasted hoping to change God’s mind.
Shows the error: fasting is not leverage, not to convince God of anything.
The child still died and David ended his fast because his fast was not about God it was about getting something from God, and it did nothing except make him hungry.
“Fasting doesn’t twist God’s arm.
It doesn’t change God — it changes us.”
The Right View: NT Fasting as Pursuit
The Right View: NT Fasting as Pursuit
Here’s the truth about fasting:
Jesus: “When you fast…” (Matt. 6:16–18).
16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
It’s unto the Father, not performance.
Fasting is about your pursuit of Him, nothing else.
The moment fasting becomes about anything other than the pursuit of God, the motivation is wrong.
Just like we don’t pursue the gift, we pursue the giver… We don’t fast for an outcome, we fast for an encounter… because the outcome is rooted in Him…
No matter what we need, we find it in Him and fasting aligns us with Him…
Acts 13:2–3 — church fasted and prayed; the Spirit gave direction.
David’s fast = trying to change God’s will.
The church’s fast = aligning with God’s will.
Some Practicals:
Some Practicals:
This isn’t a medical claim. Don’t take anything I said as though I’m giving you medical advice. I’m not.
Always pair fasting with prayer. Fasting without prayer is just a diet.
Always prepare for a fast with prayer. It’s not just a parallel, it’s a prerequisite, which is why my call to action is not for today.
Here’s what I feel like God is asking us to do: Our district leader has asked us to pray and fast as a lead up to next Sunday night’s service. Let’s watch this video then I want to give you what I believe God is calling us to this week.
Play Video
So here’s what we are going to do. Next Sunday night, we will be joining services with other churches in our section, meeting at Crystal Rock Cathedral.
I believe according to 1 John 5:14
14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
that if we pray according to His will He will hear us… Fasting is a way for us to align with His will, get clarity on His desire, then pray according to His will..
I thought it was novel that the section is having an event in line with where we are as a congregation, but here’s what I think is most important for us:
I have sensed, and I know you all have too, that there has been a momentum shift here at The Shed…
I know you’ve been feeling like things are picking up speed, that there’s a buzz happening around what’s going on here and I believe this is the exact right time to join together in a corporate fast.
So here’s what I’m asking and feel God’s leading in: Starting tomorrow, for the next five days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Will you fast?
There are many different kinds of fasts in scripture.
Daniel ate no meats or desirable foods for 21 days.
Ezekiel ate even worse than that for a time
Many went with water only
Some fasts are liquid fasts, partial fasts, complete fasts, daylight fasts, fasts of an important meal…
Here’s the thing: I’m not going to dictate to you what kind of fast you should do… BUT… WHEN you fast as Jesus said, it should be a fast that dethrones King Appetite…
If you don’t eat breakfast normally, it’s not a fast for you not to eat breakfast.
Remember, the hunger should remind you of your reliance on God, dethrone King Appetite, and it will align you with the will of God…
Some of you have been searching for clarity, looking for answers, and wondering how to get past the slump you’re in… Well I’m telling you this will do that. If you will give yourself to it.
Commit to fast Monday through Friday. If you have health concerns, talk to a doctor about what you can safely do. I’m not asking for you to do something stupid, but I’m also asking that you don’t allow King Appetite to feed you every excuse in the book, look for every loophole, and miss your opportunity during this time.
Tell story of passing out because of fasting to make the point that I’ve been on the dangerous side of fasting for the sake of religiosity.
We aren’t talking about legalism… We are talking about dethroning King Appetite through a posture that is only found in fasting…
“The real question isn’t if you’ll fast. Jesus already said you would. The real question is: will you dethrone King Appetite and enthrone King Jesus?”
