So What’s Up With Fasting?

You know, the first time I heard the word ‘fasting’, as I can remember was in primary school; when I heard some of my colleagues talking [bragging] about whose parents could fast the longest, and whose parents got the slimmest after fasting, and since I didn’t know what it meant (and I felt too proud to ask), I just assumed that they were talking about ‘racing’ (fast); as in whose parents could run the fastest and get the slimmest afterwards!

But unlike me, I’ll suppose you’ve realised that fasting is simply abstaining from food for Godly devotion. Most Hebrew words are more dramatic in their expression of words, and in this case it (fasting) derives from a root word that means (‘to cover [the mouth]’). If my mouth is really covered up, then food won’t enter right? Well then what about drinking water? What’s up with fruit fasting? When should I start my fast? When is the appropriate time to end? What should be the interval of my fast? Why on earth should I fast?! (more questions than answers isn’t it?).

Well, it’s easy to just re-quote religious ideas, but let us see what the Bible says; to start with, out of the thousands of verses in the Bible, fasting is only mentioned in 17 of them, in fact it’s mentioned only 8 times in the new testament [KJV] (we’re new testament sons and daughters of God), many letters were written to the church and in no one were they commanded to fast, I’ll just quote Kenneth E. Hagin on this one “Fasting, then, must not be as important as some people would lead you to believe” (A commonsense guide to fasting).

But the Bible definitely affirms that Moses fasted (Exo 34:28), Elijah fasted (1King 19:8), Jesus fasted (Matt 4:2), Paul fasted (2Cor 11:27), the prophets and teachers fasted
(Acts 13:1-2), and there’s a long list of God’s people that fasted, so there is definitely something to fasting. Let’s also remember that Jesus said “...when [not if] you fast...” (Matt 6:16), so I can categorically say that we are expected to fast.

Fasting will increase your sensitivity to the things of the Spirit, it will draw you in closer fellowship with God (Joel 2:12). It will fasten your body (keep it under) (1Cor 9:27) and fatten your Spirit (Spiritual Growth). Fasting doesn’t move God, it doesn’t change God, it doesn’t change God’s mind, but it will change us, and by drawing closer to God, it’s definitely easier to be blessed, because we respond more readily to Spirit's biddings at such times. Fasting doesn’t make God bless you more, (He has already given us all Spiritual blessings) (Eph 1:3) rather it opens us up more to the blessings God has already given us.

I learnt from Derek Prince’s book; ‘How to fast successfully’ that traditionally, fasting involves abstinence from solid food but often allows taking of liquids including water and fruit juice especially during long fasts. So am I disqualified when I take water or fruit juice during a bona fide fast?- NO!

We know the Jews did 24-hour fasts from the sundown of one day till the sundown of the next (Lev 23:27), the Bible also records an instance of a 12-hour fast (Josh 7:6), we saw the prophets and teachers fast in Act 13 but the Bible never recorded for how long. So must I start my fast in the morning? - NO! For instance, if I’m occupied with serious work all day long, but I sincerely want to fast, I can eat and have energy for my tasks during the day and devote more time in the evening (say 6pm) till the next morning to wait on God [no need fasting if you’re not going to fellowship with God]. The best fasts are the ones done at the promptings of the Holy Spirit, Smith Wigglesworth was prompted in this way at one time (and it was in the evening) and all He did was skip that dinner and the following breakfast. Therefore there's no rigid time structure for your fast.

 Our fasts should be a spiritual feast, a time of great joy in God’s presence. No! Your fast cannot atone for your sins; it draws you closer to the one who paid the full price for our sins. Let’s make sure that our days of fast are acceptable days before God; let’s give to needy, release someone’s burden, forgive someone- doing it from a cheerful heart, then we will see blessing pour! (Isi 58:8-12) KJV

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in”.

Salvation for the Unsaved

Fasting draws you nearer to God, and draws blessings nearer to you, but before you come to God you must first believe that He is (Heb 11:6), and you can’t believe in whom you do not know; so let me introduce you to Jesus today- just pray this simple prayer sincerely;

“Jesus, today I come as I am: for you said He that comes to You, You will in no wise cast out; therefore I believe in my heart that You died, were buried and resurrected for my redemption and justification, and by your finished work, I stand righteous before God, therefore with my mouth, I confess you as my Lord and saviour today the [date/month/year] and I am free from sin, sickness, and Satan and I reign in this life by your grace and have assurance of the life to come in Jesus precious name. Amen.”

Please find a good Bible based church close to you (if you're not in one) and fellowship with them, so as to grow in the things of the Spirit. God bless you.