A Call To Fasting

Thursday, 8th July 2010

Tips on how to enjoy fasting :

• Set aside time each day to seek God in prayer and fasting. It may be half an hour, one hour or more.
• Agree to fast and pray as a family. Fasting together as a family strengthens the cords of unity in the home and in the church.
• Adopt an attitude of prayer as you go about each day's duties at home, at work or at school. Apply what you learnt in tangible actions.
• Scale down your normal activities. Avoid rigorous exercise such as rock-climbing or jogging.
• Be alert! Besides fasting from food, fast from things that distract, such as television, internet, computer games; or anything that will destroy such as coarse jesting or careless words.
• Break your fast gradually and wisely. For health reasons, you should consume small portions as you break fast, avoiding chilli or acidic food as much as possible.

Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough By Philip Harrelson

1 Timothy 4:7-8  But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  [8]  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Isaiah 58:6-8  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?  [7]  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?  [8]  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed in the image of Jesus Christ.  We cover up what is inside of us with food and other things. Richard Foster

Fasting if we conceive of it truly, must not. . . be confined to the question of food and drink;  fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, and self-discipline usually its friend and generator.  That is why gluttony is a deadly sin.  The early desert fathers believed that a person's appetites are linked:  full stomachs and jaded palates take the edge from our hunger and thirst for righteousness.  They spoil our appetite for God. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

There are no quick and easy paths to spiritual maturity.  The soul that seeks a deeper level of maturity must be prepared for a long, arduous task.  If we seek the Kingdom of God, we must abandon any formulae that promise instant spiritual gratification. R. C. Sproul

This series of Bible studies will rely on this book to help us to see the great benefit of fasting.  I really believe that fasting has the potential to entirely change the whole outlook of your spiritual life.  In addition, it will change how you walk through this life and fully understand the purpose of God for furthering the Kingdom of God. 

A hunger for God is the single most important thing that we can have. Our hunger for God dictates the depth of our relationship with Him. The more hunger that is manifested for Him, the greater the discipleship and spiritual growth. The less hunger we have for God will mark our lives and we become caught up with the lesser "gods" of this life. 

We must thank God for the desire that He places in our heart for Him. I am certain that you have the same desire that I do and that is that I cannot afford for my life to be filled with to the brim with "things." Through fasting, we allow the "things" of this world to be replaced by the treasures of the Kingdom.

John Piper wrote the following in his book, A Hunger for God: 

One might think that those who feast most often on communion with God are the least hungry.  They turn often from the innocent pleasures of the world to linger more directly in the presence of God through the revelation of His Word.  And there they eat the Bread of Heaven and drink the Living Water by meditation and faith.  But paradoxically, it is not so that they are the least hungry saints.  The opposite is the case.  The strongest, most mature Christians I have ever met are the hungriest for God.  It might seem that those who eat the most would be the least hungry. But that's not the way that it works with an inexhaustible fountain and an infinite feast and a glorious Lord. 

The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ. . . the more homesick you get for heaven. . . the more you want "all the fullness of God". . . the more you want to be done with sin. . . the more you want the Bridegroom to come again. . . the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus. . . the more you want a great awakening to God's reality in the cities. . . the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the un-reached peoples of the world. . . the more you want to see false worldviews yield to the force of Truth. . . the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed. . . the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.

If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied.  It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world.  Your soul is stuffed with small things and there is no room for great.  God did not create you for this.  There is an appetite for God.  And it can be awakened.  I invite you to turn away from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast:  "This much, O God, I want you."  (pp. 22-23).

ll.  Why Most Do Not Fast

Richard Foster has written several books on the spiritual disciplines. While his thoughts do not focus entirely on fasting, he does cover the subject.  Over the course of the last thirty years he has awakened a desire in people to fast.  He has stated publicly that there has not been a major book written on fasting in the last 100 years.  He then submitted for what he thought the reason was:  The American church has fallen into the trap of "feel-good" religion and we do not want to be bothered with the high demand of "cross-bearing" and the imposition of greater commitment.  Self-denial and hunger has been replaced with a reliance on programs, activism, and other splashy and far inferior substitutes.  On the other hand, he submitted that another reason that we do not fast is because of the abuse of earlier generations of ascetics.

Frankly, the vast majority of those in the Church who do not fast have never been exposed to the absolute blessings and benefits that come from this practice.  Fasting will also literally force us to become aware of our own inadequacies and frailties, yet in this very action we more fully see the grace and power of God to accomplish His task in this world. 

Another great challenge to fasting is because that we have rarely seen it modeled by those around us.  When was the last sermon or Bible study that you heard devoted to the hard subject and exhortation to fasting (that is why I am doing this one)?  If we are honest, we must admit that we rarely hear about fasting, whether in corporate worship or in casual conversation with other believers. 

One also finds that most do not fast because there is little understanding and a lack of modern awareness about it. 

Admittedly, I willingly concede that there are also some inherent spiritual dangers associated with fasting. 

Foremost, I believe that there are some who would use fasting as an attempt to try to get God to simply do what they want.  We always must remember that God is totally sovereign in His actions.  We fast to move us in a greater position with God.

The second danger with fasting is not so much spiritual as it is physical. 

I do believe in the power of God to heal and at the same time I also must confess that I continue to be awed at the God-given wisdom of men to facilitate health and healing.  I would not recommend any person who is a diabetic, has severe heart disease, extreme blood pressure problems, expectant mothers, and other major health difficulties to become involved in long periods of fasting.  I realize that with this paragraph I am opening myself up to all sorts of criticism however I am unwilling to recommend fasting for everyone.  The spirit of fasting can be taken up in other areas of life for those who fall into these categories. 

lll.  Why Fast?

The question arises, why should we fast?  The reasons are numerous and a few are listed here:

• Because of the perilous times that surround the Church in our society.  Increasingly, the Church is finding herself at odds with the political systems of the day. 

Esther 4:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

• Because the Church needs a divine empowerment as it has never needed before.  Great revival requires great anointing. 

Acts 13:3 (KJV)
³ And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Acts 14:23 (KJV)
²³ And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

• Because of our own personal needs particularly in a devotion to God and overcoming disobedience and carnality.

2 Samuel 12:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

• Because the world in general and the Church in particular are crying out for people of character and integrity and such traits can be fostered with fasting as it assists us in overcoming the pull of this world and carnality

Isaiah 58:6 (KJV)
⁶ Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

• Because we have allowed the "Singapore Dream" to overwhelm our spiritual lives with distractions and the pursuit of many things instead of one thing   --  2 Corinthians 8:2-4 (Fasting is not specifically mentioned in this verse but there is the crucial reference to giving sacrificially of all that we have.)

• Because we need the will of God to manifest itself in our lives.  Much of the decisions that we make with our lives has been affected by self-help principles and by talk-show hosts who are biblically illiterate and yet serve as great advisors to an often unsuspecting world.  We must operate according to the principles established by the Word of God for His will in our lives.  --  Isaiah 58:8 (for light to break forth)

Isaiah 58:8 (KJV)
⁸ Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.

• Because our physical bodies could benefit from the poor nutritional habits.  We have an abundance of food and medical care but we are not necessarily more healthy  --  Daniel 1:5-16

Daniel 1:5-16 (KJV)
⁵ And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
⁶ Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
⁹ Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
¹⁰ And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
¹¹ Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
¹² Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
¹³ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
¹⁴ So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
¹⁵ And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.
¹⁶ Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

• Because fasting helps us to fight two wars.  It helps the saint to overcome the world within and the one without.  The one within is the battle with self and the battle without is the one with Satan.  --  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)
⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

When we fast, we are not doing so as other religions of the world.  The difference is that much of their fasting (Muslim, Hindu, etc.) is focused inwardly on self, while the fasting of a saint is directed entirely toward God.

lV.  Jesus Christ and Fasting

It is very striking that the ministry of Jesus Christ begin with a time of fasting.  If this example is to be understood in its fullness, then it must replicated in our lives.  If the Son of God submitted to the process of fasting and then confronted the devil, we certainly could understand that this was a key factor in Him overcoming. 

The Bible indicates to us (Matthew 4:1-11) that Jesus was driven into the wilderness for a time of testing.  It was while He was in the wilderness being tested that He participated in the forty-day fast.  Upon the approach of the devil in this wilderness, the Lord reached back into the Old Testament to confront the devil with the temptations.  He responded with:

Deuteronomy 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Deuteronomy 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:13  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

There is a significant comparison that bears following through with in the Lord's temptation in the wilderness.  One notes that the Scriptures that the Lord quoted were also retrieved from a time that the children of Israel were in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness (NOTE:  As Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit), to humble thee, and to prove thee (NOTE:  As Jesus was tested or proved), to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.  [3]  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger (NOTE:  As Jesus was made hungry by his own fasting), and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live (NOTE:  Just as Jesus says to Satan).

There are many similarities that come from this passage in both areas of the wilderness.  In theological terms this would be referred to as types and shadows.   A type and shadow is where an Old Testament form or example is used to foreshadow or predict a New Testament concept. 

The temptation of the Lord was not just some happen chance battle with the devil.  It was a calculated decision and showed the identification of Jesus Christ with the people of God in their wilderness of deprivation and trial. 

Fasting will ultimately test where the heart is.  When the fasting reveals that the heart is with God and not with the lesser things of this world, it prepares us for ministry (this is not just pulpit ministry but all forms of serving the body of Christ).  Satan comes to an understanding that the love of the heart is not for earthly bread but heavenly purpose.  The hard lesson in this is that we must hunger for the will of God more than the wonders of God. 

V.  Conclusion

One understands the importance of fasting, in that it allows us to draw closer to God.  We live in world that is much opposed to self-denial and have fully embraced the dilemma of self-indulgence.  However, spiritual formation and transformation is further strengthened when we involve ourselves in this ancient practice. 

In conclusion, we note that fasting accomplishes the following things:

• It will strengthen prayer. 

Arthur Wallis writes in God's Chosen Fast :  In giving us the privilege of fasting as well as praying, God has added a powerful weapon to our spiritual armory.  In her folly and ignorance the Church has largely looked upon it as obsolete.  She has thrown it down in some dark corner to rust, and there it has lain forgotten for centuries.  An hour of impending crisis for the Church and the world demands its recovery.

Ezra 8:23 (KJV)
²³ So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Nehemiah 1:4 (KJV)
⁴ And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Daniel 9:3 (KJV)
³ And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

Joel 2:12 (KJV)
¹² Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Acts 13:3 (KJV)
³ And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

• It assists us in seeking God's guidance. 

Judges 20:26-28 (KJV) 

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
²⁷ And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
²⁸ And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

Acts 14:23 (KJV)
²³ And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

• It sometimes can be an expression of grief.

1 Samuel 31:13 (KJV)
¹³ And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

2 Samuel 1:11-12 (KJV)
¹¹ Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
¹² And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

• It helps to gain deliverance or protection. 

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (KJV)
³ And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
⁴ And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Ezra 8:21-23 (KJV)
²¹ Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
²² For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
²³ So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Esther 4:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

• One may fast to express repentance and the return to God. 

Joel 2:12 (KJV)
¹² Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Jonah 3:5-8 (KJV)
⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
⁶ For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

• It is used to humble ourselves before God. 

1 Kings 21:27-29 (KJV)
²⁷ And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
²⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
²⁹ Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Psalm 35:13 (KJV)
¹³ But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

• It is used to express concern and facilitate the work of the Kingdom of God. 

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (KJV)
³ And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
⁴ And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Daniel 9:3 (KJV)
³ And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

Filed under: