Used properly, fasting can be one of your most powerful spiritual tools. Eating is the strongest desire we have! God created man in His own image and likeness, but with a temporary, chemical existence (Genesis 2:7). That brief existence is sustained by blood, breath, and constant refueling through food and water. Without refueling, the body deteriorates rapidly. You might be surprised at how many Bible stories revolve around food. It was food that appealed to the lusts of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-6). Esau was so hungry he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25:27-34). When the Israelites “fell a lusting,” it was for food (Numbers 11:4-6, 32-33). In the New Testament, Paul said there were enemies of the cross of Christ “whose God is their belly” (Philippians 3:18-19). Today, people feel it is perfectly fine to eat whatever they desire and how much they desire. What we eat and how we eat truly is one of mankind’s greatest sins. And yet at the other end of the pendulum swing, and also found in the Bible, are numerous instances where people of God have gone without food and drink. Servants of God have always fasted—regularly.
Moses fasted for 40 days when he went up the mount to receive the Ten Commandments on tables of stone (Deuteronomy 9:7-9). Elijah, filled with so much remorse that he wanted to die, fasted for 40 days and was rejuvenated spiritually (1 Kings 19:4-8). Before leading the Jews back to Jerusalem with great riches, Ezra led the people to fast for God’s protection and guidance (Ezra 8:21-23). Esther led the Jews on a three-day fast for protection because of a decree to kill all Jews (Esther 4:16). Daniel fasted for three weeks to seek God’s understanding and forgiveness (Daniel 10:2-3). When struck down by God, Paul immediately began fasting three days (Acts 9:9). Indeed, God’s people have always been men and women who fasted often!
So why do we hear so little about fasting in society today? You might occasionally hear of “religious” people who say they fast—but usually that means going without certain foods for a period of time. The mainstream media might occasional report on a fast—but that usually involves a radical protester who fasts to receive attention or for political activism. The overwhelming majority of people in this world and even in Laodicea will say fasting is radical—ultra conservative—even self-righteous. But what does God say on this subject? What is the purpose of fasting for Christians today? How do we fast? What kind of results does fasting produce, if any?
Before being tempted by the devil, Jesus Christ fasted (Matthew 4:1-2). For someone who never sinned, who always submitted to God’s government, wasn’t this a bit extreme? Not if we understand that Christ could have given up and sinned! Jesus Christ knew he had to be close to God in order to overcome the devil! “The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (verse 3). Notice Satan’s first temptation. It revolved around food! Christ’s physical strength was almost gone. But spiritually, He was stronger than ever. “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (verse 4). We see that with God, there is something far more important than the physical food we eat to sustain human life.
Christ was the victor of this titanic battle for world rule. And like Christ, we also must overcome Satan if we are to be used within the government of God when Christ returns. To overcome, we must follow in Christ’s footsteps. He fasted to draw closer to God for divine strength. So must we. Yet there are those who sometimes reason that fasting is nowhere commanded in the Bible. Even some commentaries insist that Christ himself never appointed a fast. Scholars fail to realize that it was actually Christ who appointed the day of Atonement as a day of fasting (Leviticus 23:27).
The day of Atonement, however, is not the only fast Christ appointed. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” What follows is a prayer outline after which we are to pattern our prayers, because without prayer we will not make it spiritually! In verse 16, Jesus said, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” This means there are times, in addition to the day of Atonement, when Christians should fast. Matthew 9:14-15: “Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” Another indirect command to fast. Since Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was in their midst, it was not necessary that they fast to draw closer to God. But after Christ left, the disciples did fast to draw closer to God! A spiritual fast is one that draws us closer to God. As God’s disciples today, we need these tool to draw us closer to God.
When Moses fasted, it says he “did neither eat bread, nor drink water” (Deuteronomy 9:18). We are to fast in the same manner. In Matthew 6:16 we read “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Going without food and water does afflict our soul. We get hungry! But Christ instructed us to not make a point to look like we are fasting. That doesn’t mean if someone finds out you are fasting that you are self-righteous. But we can fast out of self-righteousness if we do it like the hypocrites. Their reward is that everyone sees them fasting which makes them feel righteous. “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,” (verse 17). Clean up and act as though it is a normal day. “so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (verse 18). Fasting is between you and God. The spiritual dimension behind the tool of fasting is most important. We are to go without food and water and then clean up and wash ourselves the day we fast. But even after fulfilling those requirements, fasting can be of no use if done in a wrong attitude.
In Isaiah 66:1 it says “This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?” That last part is the critical question. Where is God going to reside? “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” (verse 2). God resides with the humble! In order to draw closer to God, we must be humble. In this verse “humble” means meek and “contrite” means broken and smashed. In Isaiah 57:15, God says He dwells in the “For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” God has great regard for the humble. He thinks so highly of the humble, that He will actually look to them! Throughout the Bible, you will see that God consistently rewards the humble and resists the proud. God says, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)
But people are simply not naturally humble! 1 Kings 8:38; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 8:7; James 4:5.) For us to draw closer to God, we must become humble. This is where fasting becomes such a powerful tool. David became humble through fasting. In Psalm 109:22-23, David said, “For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.” Notice what helped David reach this state of mind: “My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.” (verse 24). In Psalm 35:13, David said, “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered.” Like David, we must humble ourselves through fasting. In the Bible, fasting is often synonymous with humility. Concerning the day of Atonement, God instructs us to afflict our souls (Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-32). The Hebrew word for “afflict” means “to abase, to chasten, to submit, to humble self.” Fasting, when done properly, will humble you every time. When you deny yourself of the strongest desire you have, you are making quite a statement to our Father. Proper fasting reveals your willingness and desire to totally and completely rely on God. During a fast, we deny the self for God’s sake.
The wrong kind of fast, however, can in fact be damaging. In Luke 18, Christ compares the attitudes of a Pharisee and a publican. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men. He fasted twice a week and tithed on everything he possessed. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13). Obviously, it was the publican who was close to God. Christ went on to say “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)
Zechariah 7 tells the story of how the Jews fasted once during the fifth month and seventh month after the destruction of the first temple. They did this for 70 years so that God might enable them to build another temple. Notice verses 4-5: “Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?” They had been fasting all those years for themselves. They mourned the loss of the first temple but failed to consider why it was destroyed in the first place! There is a similar example in Isaiah 58. Ancient Israel failed in being a national example and in warning this world (verse 1). It was because of their attitude. They asked God, “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. ” (verse 3)
God answers: “Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.” (verses 4). They were not seeking God’s will in their fast. This kind of fast would not help them proclaim God’s message. Notice the connection between crying aloud with God’s message and humbling ourselves before God! We cannot be effective tools for God without utilizing the power of proper fasting. In verse 5, God says, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” The Israelites were fasting for penance. God wasn’t in their fast.
For our fasts to be effective, first of all, God must choose them. There may be times when you simply need to fast immediately, because of some trial or test. But for regular fasting, be sure to plan it in advance, at least a few days ahead of time. Be careful not to stumble into a fast just because you realize you missed your last meal. Set aside the time for God. If you do, then God will do His part. Let’s continue from Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” During a fast, God wants us to see ourselves for what we are—shackled by bands of wickedness. Fast to change the self! Verses 7-11 reveal how powerfully God acts when we fast in a right attitude.
In the book of Joel, God addresses a similar theme—first turn to him in humility, then deliver His message. “Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.” (Joel 1:13). We have a message to deliver to a rebellious people and Church. God wants our hearts to be right first. Verse 14: “Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” “Sanctify” means to set apart. Once you plan ahead and set aside a time for fasting, God will sanctify it—set it apart for a special time between you and Him.
It also says to “cry unto the Lord” when we fast. Fasting without prayer is of no spiritual value. In order to cry aloud with God’s message to this world, we first have to cry aloud to God in fasting and prayer. Joel continues the theme in chapter two. “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. ” (verses 12-13). God does not want us to just put on a show of fasting. He wants us to turn our hearts to Him. Fasting in a right attitude does that.
The real purpose for fasting is to humble ourselves—to see ourselves for what we really are—so that we might draw closer to God. Again in verse 15 it says “declare a holy fast.” Sometimes it is even necessary to set aside a time for fasting for the entire congregation (verse 16). As Joel confirms, once our hearts are right, then we can properly cry aloud and blow the trumpet of alarm. “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1). The purpose for fasting is to draw closer to God. That is the best result we can ever hope to attain with this powerful spiritual tool. Once we draw closer to God, then even more blessings and answers to prayer will follow. But be careful not to fast to get something.
There are a variety of reasons why we might schedule a fast. Daniel did it to acquire a deeper repentance—not as penance—but to change his attitude. He also fasted for deeper understanding. David and Paul fasted to be released from certain trials. The New Testament apostles fasted before important decisions, like ordinations. But no matter what the specific reason for fasting, never forget its ultimate purpose—to humble us so that we might refocus our energies spiritually to draw closer to God. Forsaking the desires of the flesh and setting aside a certain time for God reminds us just how much we need God.
It is the attitude one can acquire through fasting which God responds to—not merely the act of fasting. The example of the Pharisees proves that God does not respond to a fast unless it is sanctified—unless we are in a right attitude. Study the example of Nineveh’s repentance in the book of Jonah. After receiving a warning message from God’s prophet, the people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a city-wide fast. Everyone in the city fasted—even the beasts of the field went without food! The king told his people to “call urgently on God” (Jonah 3:8). Because of their humble, repentant attitude, God changed His mind and spared the city. The course of human history was altered because these people humbled themselves through fasting.
God wants to turn our lives around too if we would just turn our hearts to Him in the same way. Fasting will change the course of events in your life! Study how it altered the course of Ahab’s life in 1 Kings 21. Ahab was an arrogant, evil king. No one exceeded his wickedness. So God sent Elijah to him with a message that he was going to die because of his rebellion. “When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.” (1 Kings 21:27) Ahab believed God and then humbled himself through fasting. It changed his attitude. It says he went softly! He went into the fast to change his attitude and God responded.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.” (verses 28-29) God responds to those who humble themselves. The punishment was postponed because Ahab, the most wicked man on earth, humbled himself. Again, the course of history changed. If God responds this way to a wicked king who fasts, just think about how He will respond to your fast. Fasting, coupled with prayer, can literally change your life!
Physically, a fast demonstrates how reliant we are upon food and drink. You will grow physically weak through fasting. But don’t give up because you feel bad or because you have a headache. David said his knees were weak because of fasting. God uses that physical discomfort to prove an important point. Paul wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17) God’s Kingdom is not about physical food and drink. God wants us to use the tool of fasting to learn a spiritual lesson. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6). God’s Kingdom will be composed of righteousness! To be a part of it, we have to hunger and thirst for that righteousness now, while in the flesh. And nothing drives that spiritual lesson home more than fasting. During a fast, we realize just how strong we hunger for physical nourishment. God wants us to know that we need spiritual nourishment far more if we are to ever survive spiritually. Without physical food, we will die physically. Without spiritual food, we will die spiritually.
Review John 6 during the Passover. In that passage, Christ expounded upon this subject of spiritual food. Anciently, God provided a continual supply of manna, physical nourishment, to the Israelites. For us living according to the Spirit, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) This is the only kind of food that will ever really satisfy. This kind of food will truly keep us full—living an abundant, joyous life. This kind of food will also provide everlasting life. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (verse 51) God wants us to eat to live forever! Paul continued in Romans 14:18-19 “because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
Let’s all learn the valuable lesson proper fasting teaches. Man’s biggest problem is in trusting man. Yet fasting teaches us that we are nothing but dust without God. Be afflicted and humble the self toward God in prayer and fasting. That’s when God can really use us. That’s when God will begin to answer our prayers in the most powerful way. That’s when we will finally be filled and satisfied. Hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we might all live forever, teaching others how to use the valuable tool of fasting!
A fast in the Bible is usually a voluntary, total abstinence from food for a set time for the purpose of devoting oneself to seeking God. Fasting denies our flesh what it wants so that we can focus more clearly on strengthening our spirits. It doesn’t seem that Jesus fasted often. In fact, His critics condemned Him for “eating and drinking” (Matthew 11:19). There is only one recorded instance in Scripture of Jesus fasting. This fast immediately followed His baptism (Matthew 3:13), which inaugurated Jesus’ public ministry. Matthew 4:1–2 says that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast for forty days and nights. During that time of fasting, Jesus was repeatedly tempted by the devil. This testing time prepared Him for the three-year ministry that would change the world.
During those forty days, when Jesus’ flesh was at its weakest, He endured relentless temptation from Satan. Satan offered Him alternatives to God’s plan, compromises that would satisfy His natural desires, and attacks upon His very identity as the Son of God. (Matthew 4:3) Jesus used the Word of God, not His own strength, to defeat those temptations and remain victorious over sin. He demonstrated for us that fasting can strengthen us spiritually when we use it to draw closer to God.
After Jesus’ fast, the devil left Him and “angels came and attended him.” (Matthew 4:11) Luke 4:14 concludes the account of this testing time by saying, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.” He had conquered temptation and was ready to embrace the purpose for which the Father had sent Him. He would not rely on His humanity to perform miracles, deliver the oppressed, or defeat death. Fasting was a way to declare mastery over His human nature so that He would live every moment directed by the “power of the Spirit” (Luke 10:21). He set the example for us who “are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit” (Romans 8:9). If the Son of God did not rely on His flesh to live in obedience to God, then we can’t either.
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