The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting

The concept of fasting and the principles that guide it are introduced in the Old Testament. From the beginning until now, the basic definition of fasting has remained: refraining from some or all foods and, sometimes, for very limited durations, refraining from drinks as well. Jesus made it clear He expects His followers to fast (Matthew, 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35). His example is our inspiration, but remember He was likely miraculously sustained through His 40-day fast in the wilderness, which was to fulfill prophetic types from the Old Testament that confirmed His Messiahship. No biblical author suggests His 40-day fast is normative or that any other figure in the New Testament ever voluntarily fasted for that long. Fasting for that long can cause major damage to your health or even death. No one should ever fast from drinking water for more than a couple of days at a time, if at all. The body cannot survive a total fast from water for much longer than three days. Fasting from other, more indulgent drinks can be carried on indefinitely.

The New Testament explains the fulfillment of and builds upon all Old Testament concepts, including fasting. For instance, the apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7:5, encourages married couples to fast from sexual activity for limited periods of time for the sake of giving that time to God in prayer. Over the years of the Christian era, the biblical principles of fasting have been applied to things like hobbies, entertainment, or technology. For instance, lots of Christians observe regular fasts from their phones (and other “smart” internet-accessing devices) and social media. These are perfectly legitimate applications of the biblical principles.

Doctors and nutritionists sometimes prescribe periods of fasting for medical purposes, and some people utilize forms of fasting for the purpose of weight loss or control, but none of these are biblical fasts. Biblical fasting is exclusively for spiritual purposes. Biblical fasting is abstaining from something the body or mind wants or needs to prioritize our need for God and attention to Him more highly than anything else. The point is, God and our relationship with Him is more important than anything else, even the necessities of physical life. As we practice the spiritual discipline of fasting, we train our minds and bodies to become stronger in and for the Lord and assert the mastery of the spirit over the body. The body is given by God to serve the spirit, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, many of us have grown up in cultural environments in which the discipline of fasting has been all but lost. As such, most of us have no idea how to fast successfully or even how to start. A vital point of all discipline is growth in strength. Before you can grow in strength to be able to deadlift 400 lbs., you’ve got to be able to lift 100. The same thing is true of fasting. To start, I strongly suggest considering the following. (A) Remember the spiritual purpose of all biblical fasting. It’s about being drawn nearer to God and strengthened by the sacrifice. Set your timer to bow down in prayer often during a fast. Every time your appetites make themselves known, pray or read Scripture instead. (B) Fast from dusk to dusk rather than from midnight to midnight. Israel, during biblical times, counted days from dusk to dusk (Genesis 1:5). In both cases, the fast is 24 hours, but being able to eat before sunset and then again after sunset the following day means you don’t have to refrain from food altogether from waking until waking when you’re trying to achieve initial success. (C) Fast from pleasurable food and drink to start with. Choose foods and drinks that are sustaining but flavorless, like plain bread, plain saltine crackers, or rice, and nothing but water to drink. This will give you time to develop some basic strength of will while your body’s appetites are still used to running the show. This is also a good idea for diabetics and others with health conditions that require them to partake of at least some food or risk major health failure or death. (D) With the above in mind, start small, achieve success, repeat the success a couple of times, and then increase the level of sacrifice little by little each time you fast. Your confidence and skill will improve little by little. Eventually, you will develop a deep sense of devotion to God and a strong will. The same principles apply to fasts from activities, technology, etc.

There are circumstances that may call for special fasts for the purpose of expressing dependence on God and trust in Him for provision, protection, or encouragement through trying times, times of grief and loss, or when praying for urgent needs under Satanic opposition. Additionally, notable times of great import, such as the appointment of new leaders or workers in the church, warrant times of special fasting for the sake of sobriety, clarity of mind and purpose, and, above all, dedication to God and the request for His special blessings (Acts 13:2–3 and 14:23).

Make sure you understand that praying and fasting is not a hunger strike until God does what you want Him to. God does whatever He pleases and cannot be manipulated (Psalm 115:3). However, He is good and kind and has made it clear He wants to give to all who do what He commands the desires of their hearts (Psalm 37:4; 1 John 3:22). Fasting is one of those things God desires His children to do. Biblical fasting isn’t political and, in fact, is never aiming to make any point at all to the world. The Bible teaches us that, in most cases, fasting is a private matter between the individual and God (Matthew 6:16–18). This does not mean that church leaders are forbidden to call the church to a communal fast. Sometimes, they deem it important to do so, and the church is called to follow their lead (Hebrews 13:17). However, even in such cases, each church member still practices their own fast to the Lord, adding the purposes of obedience and fellowship to the usual purposes of fasting.

I hope this brief introductory guide has helped you understand fasting a little more and that the suggestions will help you start fasting and succeed in it or that it has encouraged you to grow more dedicated to the spiritual discipline of fasting. If done dedicatedly through faith and with joy as a sacrifice to God, fasting will make you stronger, sharper, and deeper and draw you closer and closer to God to His glory and our ultimate blessing in every way.

---JLP

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