•A woman praying

 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. – Daniel 10:3

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the Bible, we most often find God’s people turn to fasting as the natural, inevitable response to a grievous sacred moment in life, such as death, sin and tragedy. But other times, a fast is not a spontaneous reaction, and we have time to prepare to respond to situations both physically and spiritually.

FASTING DEFINED

Fasting is “essentially giving up food (or something else) for a period of time in order to focus your thoughts on God. While fasting, many people read the Bible, pray, or worship”.

Fasting is not an end unto itself, but a means of focusing our minds and bodies for a spiritual reason. Whenever you fast, do so for a reason that is mentioned or modelled in the Bible. Here are 10 primary purposes for fasting mentioned in the Bible:

1. To strengthen prayer (Ezra 8:23)

Numerous incidents in theOld Testament connect fasting to prayer, especially intercessory prayer. Fasting does not guarantee whether God hears our prayers, however, it enhances our prayer life. As Arthur Wallis said “Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven”.

2. To seek God’s guidance (Judges 20:26)

As with prayer, fasting to seek God’s guidance isn’t done to change God, but to make us more receptive to His  guidance.

3. To express grief (1 Samuel 31:13)

Expressing grief is one of the primary reasons for fasting. Ever notice that when you’re moved to tears by grief you lose the urge to eat? When we are grieved, our family and friends often have to plead with us to eat. Many Christians tend to respond to their grief through fasting A prime example occurred in 2 Samuel 1:12, where David and his men were described as having “mourned and wept and fasted till evening” for their friends, their enemies and their nation.

4. To seek deliverance or protection (2 Chronicles 20:3 – 4)

Another common reason for fasting in the Old Testament was to seek deliverance from enemies or circumstances. This type of fast was generally carried out with other believers, according to scripture..

5. To express repentance and a return to God (1 Samuel 7:6)

This type of fasting helps believers to express grief over their sins, indicating their seriousness about returning to the path of godly obedience.

6. To humble oneself before God (1 Kings 21:27 – 29)

“Remember that fasting itself is not humility before God,” says Donald Whitney, “but should be an expression of humility.”

7. To express concern for the work of God (Nehemiah 1:3 – 4)

As with Nehemiah, fasting can be a tangible sign of our concern over a particular work God was doing.

8. To minister to the needs of others (Isaiah 58:3 – 7)

We can use time we’d normally spend eating to fast and minister to others.

9. To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God (Matthew 4:1 – 11)

Fasting can help us focus when we are struggling with particular temptations.

10. To express love and worship for God (Luke 2:37)

Fasting can show, as John Piper says, that “what we hunger for most, we worship.”

HOW SHOULD WE EQUIP OURSELVES WHEN GOD CALLS US TO “DECLARE A HOLY FAST”?

Here are some things to consider as you prepare for fasting:

a) Pray and confess our sins

A necessary step before fasting is to humble ourselves before God; “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered” – Psalm 35:13 and confess your sins; “When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah” – 1 Samuel 7:6.

Prayer should be our sustenance throughout the fast, but it is imperative we begin the fast with a contrite heart.

b) Turn to Scripture

Let’s spend additional time meditating on God’s Word, before and during the fast.

c) Keep it secret

Fasting is unbiblical and even spiritually harmful when we do it to show off our spirituality or when we focus more on our own fasting than on the clear needs of others.

“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.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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” – Matthew 6:16-18.

We should not boast about our fast; tell people we won’t be eating only if necessary. Fasting should not be done with false motives.

d) Prepare our body

Fasting, especially for days or weeks, can have unexpected and even detrimental effects on our health. There is no scriptural warrant for harming ourselves to undergo a fast. Be sure to consult a doctor before starting any fasting regimen to make sure we can fast in a healthy manner.

Conclusion

Fasting is an appropriate bodily reaction to the grievous state of our soul. If it is done correctly you can expect many results, including growing closer to God, feeling more solidarity with those who suffer, and increasing self-control.

Rather than wondering whether you should fast, ask why you would want to miss out on the Father’s reward.

Culled from a devotional from the NIV Lifehacks Bible ebook.

Stay blessed!

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