What are you hungry for? And how do you feel when you think about fasting?
If you are like me, your instinct is that fasting seems synonymous with starving, so it is something which you would naturally want to oppose. However, many articles have been written about the health benefits of fasting, which you may even have tried, but this devotional is written to focus on the spiritual benefits, and why I believe that fasting will have a big impact on your walk with God and His power in your life.
Fasting has sometimes been referred to as ‘self-denial’, similar for example, to spending time away from your smartphone or your TV, and whilst it is essential for every follower of Jesus to practise self-denial (Luke 9:23) and exercise the authority of the spirit over our flesh (Romans 8:5-8, Galatians 5:16-17), we see from God’s word that fasting primarily means “to not eat”. Fasting provides an opportunity to examine and reset your focus, as well as a way of conserving time for God during our busy lives.
The scriptures provide many examples of people throughout the Old and the New Testaments who have fasted, and from this we can determine that there are broadly three types of fast – the absolute, the normal and the partial.
Moses endured two separate periods of ‘absolute’ fasting – no food or water – both for forty days and forty nights, which are likely to be supernatural due to their duration (Deuteronomy 9:9; Exodus 34:28). In Acts 9, Saul, after encountering the risen Christ “was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” when he underwent his spiritual revolution. There are other instances of others observing absolute fasts for shorter periods, but it’s clear that the absolute fast is an exceptional measure for an exceptional situation. It is something usually reserved for spiritual emergencies.
The normal fast – abstaining from food, but not water – was practised by Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). Satan tempted Him to eat, but not to drink, and it is assumed that the human body cannot survive forty days without water without being sustained supernaturally.
We read about the partial fast in the book of Daniel and that is why this is sometimes referred to as the Daniel Fast. Daniel and his young companions chose to eat only vegetables and water. After ten days they were observed to be better in appearance than all the others who had eaten the rich food (Daniel 1:15). Later in Daniel 10, he fasted for three weeks eating no delicacies, meat or wine. We read how God worked through Daniel later in the book.
It seems therefore that there is a spiritual value in seeking God with a minimal or restricted diet, and the partial fast allows for many variations, particularly for those with jobs and families to maintain. The partial fast still requires considerable self-discipline and can be used as a stepping stone to a longer, ‘normal’ fast.
‘When you fasted … was it for me that you fasted?’ (Zechariah 7:5)
Our motives for fasting must be right, otherwise we are just dieting. God is not just concerned with what we do, but why we do it. So, when we fast, we are fasting to God and our focus must be centred on God. We must be willing to lay down any expectations of reward other than to grow in Christlikeness. We cannot fast to twist God’s arm, as though we are on a hunger strike, but we fast to have Him take first place in our hearts and to elevate our prayer life.
If you believe that God is drawing you closer to Him through fasting, here are some practical steps which could help.
Start small. I would not advocate starting with an absolute fast. Practise ‘partial’ fasting for one meal regularly and then try ‘normal’ fasting for 24-hour period.
Start the week with a fast. This is useful to remind ourselves that we have chosen to put God first in our lives.
Ensure that your intentions are right. Fasting is not just about skipping meals; it’s about remembering Him and remembering that He is the source of nourishment in our lives.
Further Reading
God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis
Rees Howells Intercessor by Norman Grubb
A Hunger for God by John Piper
Jon Knight