Fasting
“If he created our souls with eternity in mind,
what is the substance made to nourish our souls?"
It's best to begin with a proper definition of fasting. When the Bible refers to fasting, it means to voluntarily eliminate your intake of food for a specific time and purpose. There are other diets and disciplines around abstaining, where a specific thing is removed for a period of time, such as sugar, alcohol, meat, or social media. We find fasting in the Bible points us to refraining from food for the duration of the fast.
Matthew 6:16-18 says, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Jesus begins teaching us about fasting with the assumption that we will be fasting. He does not say “if” you fast, he says “when” you fast. Fasting has been a practice for thousands of years and is a constant practice in cultures all across the world today. It wasn’t until the last hundred years, within the rapid progress of the western world, that fasting was lost. From 1776 to 1784, the US congress issued 16 separate spiritual proclamations leading Americans to humble themselves, gather with their church, fast, and pray.
For many today, fasting is not a practice nor a principle. Most have no framework or understanding of fasting at all.
The Bible teaches fasting to be a tool, ultimately aligning our physical hunger and need with our spiritual hunger and needs.
Acts 13 shows us fasting is another way in which God connects and communes with us. Through our fasting, attached to prayer, we are led by the Spirit of God. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)
In Joel 2:12, we see fasting as a way to express both our spiritual and physical dependency on God. “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
Isaiah 58 teaches fasting leads us to stand with those afflicted, the poor, those in need. It’s a physical expression attached to our prayers of intercession. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6)
While fasting is a great discipline and practice, we should be careful in our approach. We have scheduled this time to fast as a way to learn, enter into, and grow in this discipline. Fasting can be used as a tool, and there are also seasons of fasting that God leads us into. If you are pregnant, sick, taking medication, or undergoing medical treatment, this may not be the best time for you to explore fasting. If you do have questions around if this is right for you, consult with your medical physician.
APPLICATION
We want to provide three “water only” fasts to help you begin:
18-hour entry to fasting - If you have never fasted before, we recommend starting here. Take one day and commit to missing one meal. It’s usually best to end with dinner the day before and plan to skip breakfast, or begin with breakfast and choose to skip lunch. The point of a fast is not to distract yourself or escape what is happening in your body, so we do not recommend fasting through dinner and sleeping. Again, the point is to be with the Lord through the experience of hunger. Allocate time throughout your fast to be with the Lord in prayer and solitude, again not working to pass the time or distract yourself, but submitting your physical body and needs with the needs of your spirit, unto the Lord.
Sun up to sun down fast - Historically, this is the most common practice of fasting. This form of fasting has been practiced in the Jewish and Christian cultures for thousands of years. Pick a day of the week, preferably one that is less busy and less physically taxing, and plan your fast. As mentioned before, our goal through this is to be with the Lord, to present to Him our needs and desires, and to receive His word and His will. As you feel your body reminding you of its hunger, take a moment and be still, exist in your hunger, exist with God.
3-day fast - If you have practiced fasting before, we invite you to join in on a 3-day fast. Pick a day to eat one last meal, then enter into fasting for 3 days. For example, if your last meal before your fast is dinner on Sunday, you will not eat again until dinner on Wednesday. As mentioned before, allocate time throughout your fast to be with the Lord in prayer and solitude, not working to pass the time or distract yourself, but submitting your physical body and needs with the needs of your spirit, unto the Lord.