Read this if you want to know why & how Christians should fast

1. Fasting isn't easy!

Sometimes God tells us to do things we don’t like doing.

We shouldn't ignore these & pretend we haven’t heard from God!

We just need to DO THEM - one of these things is FASTING.

Q - What is fasting?

A - Going without food or other things we enjoy.

I find fasting one of the most difficult parts of the Christian life.

Other believers are much better at fasting than I am!

So I’m writing this to encourage myself - and hopefully you - in our fasting.

2. Why should we fast? Five good reasons

#1 - Jesus fasted

Matthew 4:1-2

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit (= by the Holy Spirit) into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred (= was hungry).

--> Jesus came to earth to SHOW us how to live - He’s always a GOOD EXAMPLE to follow.

--> Like we can improve our driving - by copying the techniques of an experienced & safe driver.

#2 - Fasting helps us to enjoy the things of God more

For example: reading the Bible, prayer & praise.

When our body isn’t tasting food - GOD TASTES BETTER.

Try it - and find out!

#3 - Fasting is all about self-control: it shows our body who's in charge

Prayer  = Giving up our time

Fasting = Giving up our food

• Both involve self-sacrifice.

• They’re like the ‘freewill offerings’ we read about in the Old Testament.

1 Corinthians 9:27 ~ But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

--> Paul showed his body that he was the boss.

--> Because he understood the dangers of letting his body be in charge:

Philippians 3:18-19

18For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind (= set their affection on) earthly things.

--> We all like to eat.

--> But we shouldn’t allow our stomachs to rule our lives.

--> We should always put:

GOD

above

OUR STOMACH

Overweight people diet - because they believe their body shape is more important than satisfying their stomach.

BELIEVERS FAST - because they believe GOD IS MORE IMPORTANT than satisfying their stomach.

Fasting also helps us to obey God at other times ...

... because if we've learnt to fast, the self-discipline we've developed then helps us to put God first in our decision making.

Further reading

Numbers 11:32-34

Job 23:12

Matthew 16:24 / Mark 8:34 / Luke 9:23

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

#4 - God is more likely to speak to us / guide us: we all need that!

Daniel 9:3 ~ And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

--> God then sent the angel Gabriel to speak to Daniel.  (Daniel 9:21-23)

God doesn’t ONLY guide us when we’re fasting - but fasting seems to HELP.

Like when we demist a car’s windscreen --> we can then see the way ahead more clearly.

Let's learn from two fasts by the church at Antioch ~ Acts 13:

Verses1-2

1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers;

as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

#1 Fast - God spoke to the church about the future ministry of Barnabas & Saul (= Paul).

Verse 3

3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

#2 Fast - the church fasted before they sent Paul & Barnabas on mission.

Further reading

Acts 10:30-31, 14:23

#5 - Fasting can make the difference and get us out of a mess

Have you ever been in a difficult situation?

Maybe you’re in one now.

FOUR EXAMPLES of how fasting can make the difference:

Example A - Ahava

Ezra 8

Verses 21-23

21Then I (= Ezra) proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, 

to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance (= our possessions).

22For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying,

The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him.

23So we fasted and besought our God for this: and He was intreated of us (= God answered Ezra’s prayer).

--> Ezra was ‘backed into a corner’.

--> He couldn’t ask the king for help.

--> But he knew that WHEN PEOPLE CAN'T HELP US, we should TRY FASTING.

Verse 31

31Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem:

and the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

--> GOD helped them.

When we fast - God often solves ‘an impossible situation’.

Like when a football manager sends on a substitute - and the fresh player turns impending defeat into victory.

Example B - Third battle of Gibeah

Background:

a. The men of Benjamin had committed appalling sin.  (Judges 19:22-30, 20:4-6)

b. So the other tribes of Israel went to fight against the Benjaminites.

c. What happened next?

Judges 20

Size of the armies - verses 14-17

14But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword,

beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

17And the men of Israel, beside (= apart from) Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

--> 400,000 Israelites against only 26,000 Benjamites:

• It should have been a walkover for Israel.

• But what happened?

First battle - verses 18-21

18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God (= Bethel), and asked counsel of God, and said, 

Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array (= in order / in a row) to fight against them at Gibeah.

21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

--> Benjamin won the first battle!

Second battle - verses 22-25

22And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

23(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying,

Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

25And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, 

and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

--> Benjamin won the second battle!

Third battle - verse 26

26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, 

and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 

---> This time the Israelites FASTED.

--> The Israelites ambushed the men of Benjamin and won the battle.  (verses 29-48)

--> Fasting MADE THE DIFFERENCE.

Example C - Demonised child

Matthew 17:14-21

14And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying,

15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed (= he suffers greatly): for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could NOT cure him. 

17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer (= put up with) you? Bring him hither to Me. 

18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he (= the devil / demon) departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not WE cast him out?

20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you,

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  

21Howbeit THIS KIND goeth not out but by prayer and FASTING.

--> Fasting made the difference.

Illustration

It's like when the British & their Allies were losing against the Nazis, at the start of World War Two.

But when the large forces of the Soviet Union & USA entered the war - it tipped the balance in favour of the Allied nations.

In the same way - fasting can tip the balance  in a spiritual battle.

Further reading

Mark 9:29

Example D - Terrorist attack

1. I sensed that God wanted me to fast from a particular day for a certain length of time - but I didn't know why!

2. Just after I ended the fast - I witnessed an unsuccessful terrorist attack, only a short distance away.

3. I later read in a newspaper that the Bomb Disposal experts had studied the devices used - and couldn’t understand why they hadn’t exploded.

I believe that fasting made the difference.

God isn’t surprised by evil acts.

So if we obey His command to fast,  He can help us in these difficult times.

Further reading

1 Kings 21:27-29

2 Chronicles 20:1-4, 14-17, 22-24, 29

Esther 4:15-17

Joel 2:15-27

Jonah 3:1-10

RECAP of the FIVE GOOD REASONS to fast

1. Jesus fasted - He’s a good example to follow.

2. Fasting helps us to enjoy the things of God more.

3. Fasting is all about self-control: it shows our body who’s in charge. 

4. God is more likely to speak to us / guide us.

5. Fasting can make the difference / improve a difficult situation.

3. Five lessons about fasting

Lessons 1 & 2 

 After David committed adultery with Bathsheba

2 Samuel 12

Verses 13-17

13And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

14Howbeit (= however), because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

15And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

16David therefore besought (= pleaded with) God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 

17And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

--> David fasted: to try to change God’s judgement.

Verses 18-19

18And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said,

Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex (= harm) himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

--> God did NOT change His mind: the child died.

Lesson #1 - There’s NO GUARANTEE that fasting will change things:

• Ultimately, God’s Sovereign / the Boss.

• If we could change everything by fasting - we’d be the boss, instead of God!

Verse 20

20Then David arose from the earth (= got up from the ground), and washed, and anointed himself,

and changed his apparel (= his clothes), and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped:

then he came to his own house; and when he required (= requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.

--> When David learnt that the child was dead, he broke his fast and started eating.

Verses 21-23

21Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done?

Thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

22And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 

23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Lesson #2 - We should stop fasting when our request:

• Has been met.

or

• Can no longer be met - as in David’s case.

There’s no point in starving ourselves!

Lesson #3

Matthew 6:16-18

16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance (= don’t look gloomy):

for they disfigure their faces (= neglect their appearance), that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint (= put oil / perfume on) thine head, and wash thy face;

18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Lesson #3 - Fasting is personal between us & God:

• God rewards us when we have this attitude.

• But if we fast to show off to other people - God won’t reward us.

Notice also that Jesus said:

• “When you fast”

• Not: “If you fast”

--> Fasting is NOT an optional extra!

Lesson #4 

Isaiah 58

Verses 3-5

3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge?

Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush (= reed), and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?

Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

--> The people were fasting - but God didn’t respond:

Q - Why?

A - Because they were fasting with a bad attitude.

--> If we have a bad attitude: NO AMOUNT of fasting will help.

Further reading

Jeremiah 14:10-12

God then explains the type of fasting which DOES please Him.

Verses 6-7

6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 

7Is it not to deal thy bread to (= share your bread with) the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?

When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

--> Our motive for fasting should be to DO GOOD:

• So it’s better to not fast + do good deeds.

• Than to fast + do bad deeds: it’s easy to become grumpy when fasting!

But we should still try our best to do good deeds and to fast!

Lesson #4 - We should fast with a good attitude.

Lesson #5 - Pick a suitable time to fast.

Psalm 109:24 ~ My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness (= my body is thin) .

--> Fasting weakens us physically:

Q - Why is it important to know this?

A - So that we fast at the right time.

We shouldn’t fast before hard physical work:

• Jonathan told the Israelite soldiers that they would have won a greater victory against the Philistines - if they had not been fasting.

(1 Samuel 14:23-30)

• Paul told everyone onboard the doomed ship to stop fasting - because they’d soon need to swim ashore to Malta.

(Acts 27:33)

The equivalent for most of us today would be not fasting while we’re:

• Doing hard, manual labour - but see section 5 about a Godly woman who decided to ignore this advice!

• Digging the garden.

• Hillwalking / running / cycling / playing sports. 

It may also be best to avoid fasting when we need peak performance.

For example:

• Key times at work.

• Sitting an exam.

Further reading

1 Samuel 28:20

Matthew 9:15 / Mark 2:19-20 / Luke 5:34-35 

Matthew 15:32 / Mark 8:2-3

RECAP of the FIVE LESSONS about fasting:

1. There’s no guarantee that fasting will change things.

2. We should stop fasting at the right time.

3. We shouldn’t fast to show off.

4. We should fast with a good attitude.

5. Fasting weakens us physically - so we should pick a suitable time to fast.

4. Practical points about fasting

a. Starting

Is usually the most difficult part - the first time we fast & the start of each new fast.

It’s helpful to set a start time & end time - and then resolve to stick to them.

b. If we're hungry

Drink water - this fills our stomach & takes away the hunger.

If we fast for more than a day - our stomach will shrink (like an empty balloon) and we’ll lose our appetite anyway.

c. Fluids

We shouldn’t fast without drinking fluids (Moses did in Exodus 34:28 / Deuteronomy 9:9 & 18 - but he must have been supernaturally enabled).

It’s best to avoid drinking lots of tea / coffee / milk - water is the best drink.

(If we usually drink a lot of tea or coffee, but then stop - the caffeine withdrawal may give us a headache!)

d. Pattern of fasting

Fasting is like prayer - something we should do regularly e.g. on a certain day of the week.

Occasionally - God may also want us to fast for longer.

Some people regularly fast for many days / weeks as part of their ministry.

We’re not all called to fast for such long periods - but knowing what others do, can motivate us when we’re struggling on a much shorter fast!

e. Physical effects

Our bodies feel cleansed - we feel better - after a fast.

However, our breath & body may become smelly during a long fast.

So it’s worth carrying a toothbrush & toothpaste (or small bottle of mouthwash) and using: deodorant, after-shave, perfume etc. to mask the smell.

f. If we have a medical condition

We should ask our doctor if it’s OK to fast.

Most medicine needs food in the digestive system to work properly.

g. How to finish a long fast

(Breaking a fast is the origin of the word: ‘breakfast’)

Because our stomach shrinks - we should break a long fast gently:

• Eating a normal-size meal after a lengthy fast can give us stomach pains & an upset stomach - because our stomach needs to gently expand back to its former size.

• We should avoid breaking a long fast with meat or with greasy food.

• We should treat our stomach like a baby’s when choosing the initial type & quantity of food - mashed banana / breakfast cereal / a small amount of bread are good options.

5. Three inspiring believers who believed in fasting

John Wesley

Wouldn’t train anyone as a Minister - unless they fasted until 4 pm for two days every week:

• That’s not an exact pattern for us all to follow.

• But it shows that he believed fasting to be a vital part of our Christian life.

Sabina Wurmbrand from Romania (wife of Richard Wurmbrand - the Pastor severely persecuted & tortured by the communist government):

• Fasted every Wednesday.

• Even when doing manual labour in prison camps - in cold temperatures & with little food to eat.

Anna - Luke 2:36-37

36And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years (= 84 years old), which departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

--> Anna served God by her fasting.

6. Next steps

Fasting should be a NORMAL PART of our Christian life.

If we don’t currently fast - why not decide to start?

A. Pick a day / time - and stick to it.

B. Then see what God does!

Amen