At the beginning of the year many ministries and churches proclaim a time of fasting to spiritually set the course of the year. They do it to draw closer to the Lord and to renew their commitment and service to Him.
They also do it to remove any hinderances in their hearts that would cloud their obedience and surrender to His plan and purpose for their lives. Lastly, they do it to receive breakthroughs in areas that have become hardened and resistant to normal prayer, whether spiritually, physically, financially, or relationally.
Let’s look at scripture to build our foundation for why we should fast.
First, it is a spiritual discipline that goes back thousands of years and is mentioned often throughout the Old Testament (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18; 1 Samuel 31:13; Judges 20:26).
Secondly, Jesus fasted and said His disciples would fast.
And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Matthew 4:2
16) "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.
17) But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, Matthew 6:16-17
(Notice Jesus said “when” you fast, not “if” you fast.)
But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. Mark 2:20
In the last passage, Jesus was referring to His post resurrection, when He would ascend to heaven until His return to reign on earth.
Thirdly, the apostles and early disciples practiced fasting.
1) Now 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. 2) As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3) And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:1-3
But Why is Fasting Necessary?
You may still wonder, why fasting is necessary and why you should make it a practice in your spiritual journey in the Lord.
Fasting does not change God, it changes us. It helps us to get our priorities straight, and our hearts realigned to the purposes of God. It helps us focus on what is eternal and not just the natural. It facilitates breaking off unbelief and spiritual lethargy that hinders our progress and the answers of our prayer.
For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:52
But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Mark 8:17
You may feel like you are alright spiritually, but when you begin to fast, you soon find out there are things that have crept into your life that may have been spiritual hinderances, whether jealousy, price, ambition, lust, unforgiveness, slothfulness, covetousness, impatience, anger, wrath, hardness of heart, or indifference to the will of God.
When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are giving Him our life because we understand He paid the price to redeem us to and to make us His own possession.
That is a wonderful reality, but it also means we are giving up our own way to follow Him. It means complete surrender to His Lordship. He does not force us to follow Him.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
This is where most believers in the West struggle. They want heaven but they want to live their own lives, focusing on their pleasures and pursuits and not fully following Christ as His true disciples. They want the crown without the cross. The victory without the battle. The blessings without the commitment.
That is not the way true Christianity works. Yes, salvation is freely given by God, but we must work it out with fear and trembling.
Conformity to the image and likeness of Christ comes with surrender and sacrifice of our time, resources, energy. Most of all, it comes with loving God more than we love our own lives. This brings the axe to the root of self-centeredness.
12) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13
Fasting helps us to deal with the issue of self, and to bring us back to the realization we belong to Christ and are not obligated to be slaves to the passions of the flesh, which wars against us all of our earthly life.
Our born-again spirit is redeemed, but it is in constant warfare against the desires of the flesh. Fasting helps us to break free from the restraints and limitations of the flesh to ascend to the higher place of the Spirit where we can walk more closely to our Lord and Savior.
Spiritual truths in God’s word suddenly become clear as we set aside to time to fast, pray, read and meditate upon God’s word. Our spirit becomes energized as we do this, and our flesh is brought under submission to the will of God.
Once our spirit and soul become united and focused on the Father and His plan for our lives, our body has no other option but to follow.
Fasting helps cure unbelief.
We are to live by faith (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38). The battle ground to walking by faith is our mind. That’s where strongholds of unbelief can set in and keep us hostage to disobedience, fear, and bondage (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
16) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:16-17
Fasting helps us to pull down the strongholds that have hindered our walk of faith. It helps us to deny our flesh and feed our spirit. Fasting helps us regain our full surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
There is a reward for fasting properly.
17) But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18) 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 6:17-18
It takes determination and discipline to start the fast, but the end result is well worth it whether we see it instantly or some time afterwards.
Pray about starting your New Year with a time of fasting and prayer. As mentioned earlier, many churches and ministries start the year fasting, from three to twenty-one days or more as a time of consecration and rededication to the Lord.
These fasts usually fall within three categories. The first is a complete fast with water only. We do not suggest this for anyone dealing with serious medical conditions without first consulting their primary care doctor. The second is a partial fast or intermittent fasting.
The partial fast can be what’s often called a Daniel fast of no sweets, no bread, and no meat (Daniel 1:8-16 & 10:3). The intermittent fast
is usually fasting for 12 to 18 hours per day and using the time you normally eat to seek the Lord, minister to Him, and meditate upon
His word.
Another type of fast consists of juices and liquids only. This has been found to be very beneficial spiritually and physically for many.
There is so much to share on this subject, but hopefully you are already acquainted with this subject and will simply pray about making fasting a more prominent part of your Christian faith. As mentioned, Jesus said “When you fast” indicating He expected us to fast from time to time.
To summarize:
1. Fasting changes us not God
2. Fasting was practiced in the Old Testament
3. Jesus fasted and expected His disciples to fast
4. The early apostles and disciples fasted
5. Fasting helps to cure unbelief
6. Fasting helps to pull down strongholds
7. Fasting helps us to regain our focus on the things of the Spirit
Fasting is sometime an unpleasant experience for the moment because we are denying our flesh, dealing with toxic things in our life, and in a spiritual battle, however, it is worth it on the other side. God does reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Lastly, fasting is not just going without food, it is a time of focus on the Father, the things of the Spirit, and Christ.
We are doing more than depriving our flesh, we are submitting ourselves to God, building ourselves spiritually, and renewing our mind (Romans 12:1-2). We are turning off the distractions of life to rekindle our love and devotion to Christ.
As we end 2024 and prepare to enter 2025, may the Father draw each of us into an intimate time of prayer and fasting and rededication.
"Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." Joel 2:12
Until next time, may our God and Father draw you and keep you, in the center of His will by Jesus Christ.
James Brown CST 12/29/2024