Personal Spiritual Disciplines

Fasting

Quick review

Over the past few weeks, we have looked at the Spiritual practice of prayer. We’ve talked about persistence in prayer. We’ve talked about praying in faith, we’ve talked about praying Scripture and praying in the will of God.

We used the acrostic ACTS

Adoration

Confession

Thanksgiving

Supplication

It’s so important that we know that we have an audience with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Hebrews 4:15–16 NIV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Tonight, I’d like to look at one Spiritual practice or discipline that isn’t so common. Often we focus on prayer and Bible reading and even Bible memorization, but

Let’s start with

Fasting

Have you ever fasted? Why?

What is it?

The practice of abstaining from food (and probably drink). This could be done as an expression of remorse for wrongdoing, as an expression of mourning for a loss, or as a spiritual discipline meant to help one focus on spiritual matters.

Jentezen Franklin

Fasting Chapter 1: Fasting for Your Breakthrough

What is fasting? Since there are so many misconceptions about it, I first want to clarify what fasting—biblical fasting—is not. Fasting is not merely going without food for a period of time. That is dieting—maybe even starving—but fasting it is not. Nor is fasting something done only by fanatics. I really want to drive that point home. Fasting is not to be done only by religious monks alone in a cave somewhere. The practice of fasting is not limited to ministers or to special occasions.

Stated simply, biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. Fasting has always been a normal part of a relationship with God. As expressed by the impassioned plea of David in Psalm 42, fasting brings one into a deeper, more intimate and powerful relationship with the Lord.

Matthew 6:16-18

Matthew 6:16–18 NKJV

“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. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6 looks at three practices: giving, praying, and fasting.

It’s not an if, it’s a when you fast. Fasting isn’t just a practice of not eating, it is a practice of seeking God while we are abstaining from food.

Jesus fasted - Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 4:1–11 NIV

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was led by the Spirt into the wilderness where He fasted and prayed.

Prayer and fasting go hand in hand. What I mean by this is when you fast, prayer is a major part, because this is where you are drawing near to God.

You may be looking for a breakthrough. You may have a major decision in your life to make, and you are led to fast and pray.

Breakthrough

Here’s an example

Matthew 17:14-21

Matthew 17:14–21 NKJV

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Whether this is chronological or not, but Jesus had already given His disciples authority to cast our unclean spirits.

Matthew 10:1

Matthew 10:1 NIV

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Even though they had power to cast out evil spirits, they couldn’t with this boy, so they asked why?

Matthew 17:21 NKJV

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Examples of people who fasted

This group is not exhaustive. You may know of others. We’ve already mentioned the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moses - 40 days

Exodus 34:27–28 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Esther - 3 days

She called for her fellow Jews in her city to fast for 3 days after Haman had called for annihilation of the Jews. The result was that Haman was hanged on his own gallows.

Hannah

1 Samuel 1:7

1 Samuel 1:7 NIV

This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

The story was that Hannah was childless and her desire was to have children. Elkanah’s other wife would rub it in.

So Hannah fasted and prayed and God answered her prayer.

Anna

Luke 2:36-38

Luke 2:36–38 NIV

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Types of fasts

Absolute fast, normal fast, and partial fast

J. Franklin

Absolute fast

This is a fast where you consume absolutely nothing: No food, no water, etc.

This should only be done for a short time under consultation and supervision of a health professional.

Normal fast

This might be the most common. This would be when a person consumes only water and no food. If it is prolonged, maybe broth or juice to keep up one’s strength.

Partial fast

This is when certain foods and drinks are removed from your diet, but not completely.

A good example of this is when Daniel and his three friends refused to eat the king’s meat and drink the king’s wine. They ate only vegetables and drank water.

How long is practical for you and what kind of a fast?

That’s between you and God. If you have never fasted, it might be a good idea to start with a one day fast. If you believe that God is calling you to a longer fast, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. If you need a little juice or broth, God knows.

If you choose a Daniel fast, it’s not a complete fast, but God will bless you as you fast.

The key is to draw near to God. To get an answer from God that you are seeking and to press into to a deeper relationship with the Lord. It can be for a breakthrough in an area in your life.