The spiritual discipline of fasting is practiced by pretty much all of the major religions, although they don’t all fast the same way or for the same purpose. We can’t really compare Christian fasting to Buddhist fasting, for example, as the two religions have little to nothing in common. Yet the fasting that Christians do has much in common with Jewish fasting, as the Jewish Tanakh is our Old Testament.
Truthfully, fasting isn’t a very popular subject amongst Christians in western cultures. Perhaps that’s because most of us are accustomed to eating more than we should. The message of the gospel, as preached in western lands, isn’t one of self-sacrifice. We much prefer hearing about how God will bless us, especially materially. That leaves out a lot of the Bible, but it tickles people’s ears, convincing many to give Christ a try, rather than truly committing to Him.
What most people don’t realize is just how powerful a tool fasting is. That lack of understanding is largely attributed to a huge misunderstanding of the purpose for fasting. Most people, even within the church, think fasting is about getting God to do something for them. Kind of a spiritual arm-twisting to get their way. But nothing could be further from the truth. There isn’t one single verse in the Bible that backs up that misinterpretation.
Yet we find a number of the heroes of the faith fasting in scripture, including Jesus. There must be some reason they fasted and something that they gained by doing so. If that wasn’t a material blessing, then it must have been a spiritual one.
This is a common problem with Biblical interpretation and one that has existed all along. We humans are always looking for a material understanding of the things said in the Bible and events that happened there. Yet God has made it clear, over and over again, that He is more concerned about our spiritual condition, than He is about our physical one.
One such misinterpretation was in the Jewish understanding of the Messiah. At the time Jesus came, they were looking for a political savior, rather than a spiritual one. Even after spending three and a half years with Jesus and seeing Him raised from the dead, Jesus’ closest disciples were still looking for Him to be that political savior, missing the whole point of His teachings, His death and His resurrection.
Therefore, when they (the disciples) had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” – Acts 1:6
Making matters worse, just a few days previously, Jesus had told Pontius Pilate that He wasn’t interested in earthly kingdoms, in response to an accusation made by the Jewish leaders.
Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, calling Jesus, and said to Him, “Are you thee King of the Jews?”… 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into this world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” – John 18:33, 36-37
Yet like the disciples, we are all so materially minded, that we tend to try and understand spiritual things through the light of material understanding. That might work sometimes, but it doesn’t work all the time. Fasting is one of those places where it doesn’t work.
Just What is the Purpose of Fasting?
If we accept the premise that fasting is not about getting God to do something for us, that begs the question – Just what is fasting for? According to the Bible, there are actually a number of different spiritual reasons why we should fast.
As an Act of Repentance
Perhaps one of the most important purposes for fasting is as an act of repentance, not to punish ourselves, but to help us turn back to God. Fasting pushes down the flesh and its influence, allowing the spirit man to dominate.
So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. – 1 Samuel 7:6
This event was one of many turning points, where the people of Israel had been practicing idolatry and realized their need to repent and turn back to God. Granted, they were under persecution from the Philistines and had decided to repent only after the prophet Samuel told them that they had to repent before God would move on their behalf. Accepting that, they not only repented, but fasted as a sign of that repentance.
But there was more to it than that. In the verse above, they “drew water and poured it out before the Lord.” This was a demonstrative act of the seriousness of their fasting, as they were pouring out that water, rather than drinking it. God accepted their fast as an offering and turned away the Philistines, giving them victory, without them having to go to battle.
To Seek God’s Guidance
Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord. – Judges 20:26-27
In this particular passage, the people of Israel were seeking God’s guidance before going into battle. Sadly, the battle was against one of their own cities. Even so, God answered them, telling them to go up and attack the city and He would deliver them unto the army’s hands. This sort of inquiry was actually rather common in the Old Testament, whether it was accompanied by fasting or not.
To Seek Protection
And Jehoshaphat (the king) feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. – 2 Chronicles 20:3-4
This is another battle; but in this case, strong enemies were coming to attack Judah. Knowing they were outnumbered, the king declared a fast, seeking God’s help. He answered, giving them the victory, although not in a way that any of us might expect.
As an Act of Dedication to God
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry… – Matt 4:1-11
Perhaps the greatest story about fasting was when Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, after being baptized by John the Baptist. We can see multiple purposes in this act, as it was probably a time when Jesus was seeking God’s direction, as well as a time when Satan tempted Jesus. But those weren’t necessarily His motivation. Jesus went into the wilderness and began that fast because He was led there by the Spirit. It was an act of obedience to God the Father, and as such, it was also an act of dedicating His life to Him.
To Humble Oneself Before God
So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. – 1 Kings 21:27
Ahab was the most wicked king in all of Israel’s history, married to Jezebel, who if anything, was more wicked than her husband. Yet even Ahab found that he needed to humble himself before God and did so, prompted by the words of the Prophet Elijah.
To Minister to Our Own Spiritual and Others’ Physical Needs
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To lose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? – Isaiah 58:6-7
This chapter in Isaiah probably has the most to say about fasting of any passage of the Bible. There are several more verses than the ones I quoted here. Verse 6 above, deals with fasting, setting our own souls free, gaining spiritual freedom from the burdens that weigh us down. That is coupled with verse 7, which talks about caring for others’ physical needs while we are fasting.
Some have taught, and rightly so, that the money we save on food, when we fast, should be used to help the poor and needy in our communities. That allows us to gain doubly from the act of fasting; not only gaining spiritually, but helping those in need; what James refers to as “pure religion” (James 1:27).
To Hear from God
And they said to me, “The Survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. – Nehemiah 1:3-4
There is actually much more to this passage and to the fast that Nehemiah undertook. A few verses later, we see him repenting for his sin and the sin of his father’s house. But in doing that, he was also seeking God’s will in the matter, asking how the situation could be turned around. He felt that he had a personal responsibility to bring the matter before the king and was seeking God’s favor and guidance.
We also see the prophet Daniel using fasting in a similar manner in the ninth chapter of Daniel. His ministry was during the time of the Jewish exile to Babylon. The end of that time, which had been prophesied to be 70 years, was approaching and Daniel was seeking God, so as to understand His plans for setting the people free and allowing them to return to Jerusalem. After fasting a “Daniel’s fast,” for 21 days, the archangel Gabriel came, bringing him an answer from God.
Fasting and its Connection to Prayer
As I’ve already said, we don’t fast to change God’s mind or twist His arm. Nevertheless, fasting is closely associated with prayer. We’ve already seen some examples above of people in the Bible who fasted while praying for an answer from God. There are many more. Those examples aren’t there to show us that fasting forces God’s hand; but rather that fasting while praying helps us to pray more effectively.
What happens when we decide to pray about a specific thing?
- Our spirit says pray and our mind gets distracted.
- Our spirit says pray and our body wants to go to sleep.
- Our spirit says pray and suddenly our belly is hungry.
These things, all of which come from our fleshly nature, try to control our lives. They are used to being in control and they like being in control. The last thing our flesh nature wants to do is give up control to the spirit man, because when that happens, the flesh doesn’t get what it wants. It gets pushed into the back seat, where it can no longer control the direction of our lives.
Yet that is exactly what is necessary if we are going to be effective for God. We can’t be effective Christians if we are carnal ones. That’s why we need fasting so much. Fasting is one of the best tools we have for putting our flesh where it belongs, in subjection to our spirit. As we do this, it empowers our prayer in two important ways.
The first of these is that we are more able to pray in agreement with God’s will and His desires. Our flesh probably won’t be in agreement with God’s will; but our spirit should be. When our spirit is in control, we tend to seek what He wants, rather than trying to tell Him what we want. That seeking allows us to pray as God desires, for His will and His kingdom to be manifest upon the earth.
The second way that fasting helps us pray is that it helps us to get closer to God. Rather than being focused on our physical needs and desires, the very fact of fasting helps us to focus on Him. As we do, we find ourselves growing closer to him.
This doesn’t happen immediately, as it takes some time to overcome our flesh and our own minds. It’s like the beginning of a church service, where our minds are on a million different thoughts, with only one or two of those being about what we’re actually there for. But as we spend time in worship, our mind gradually clears of those thoughts, allowing us to focus on God. Fasting does the same, but without the church service.
One of the ways that fasting helps us to overcome the flesh is that we have to constantly remind our flesh why we are fasting. Somehow, it seems that everyone we know invites us out to eat while we are fasting, our spouse buys our favorite food, and someone accidentally leaves a box of donuts or cookies on our desk.
It’s easy to allow our flesh to assert itself at those times and the only way we can keep it from doing so is to remind it that we are fasting and why we are fasting. Then it’s helpful to put that temptation out of our sight, even if that means throwing it away.
How to Fast
There are many different types of fasts and ways to fast, with one group or another claiming that their way is the only way. The truth is, God will accept any sort of fast that one chooses to do. It’s not so much about the form of the fast, as it is about the fact that they are fasting. Whatever one chooses to do, God will honor it and it will make a difference in their life.
Any fast should be led by the Spirit of God. While there’s nothing wrong with making a decision to fast, it much easier to fast when we are doing it because we feel the urging of the Holy Spirit to do so. That urging can come through church leadership, when a corporate fast is called. That difference can be enough to get someone over the hump, causing them to succeed, rather than fail. Yes, people fail in their fasts.
So, what happens when you fail fast? Basically, the only thing that happens is that they don’t receive the benefit of the fast. But there’s nothing that says they can’t pick themselves back up, dust themself off and start the fast again. God isn’t going to condemn us for failing; He’d rather see us succeed.
When fasting, the time normally spent eating should be invested in spiritual activities, specifically prayer or Bible study. This is a spiritual journey and fasting just to play video games or watch a television show isn’t going to give anyone the spiritual fruit that you are seeking.
Jesus admonished his disciples not to fast like the hypocrites, making sure that everyone knew how they were suffering for God. Fasting is something private, not a public spectacle.
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, 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 6:16-18
Some have taken this to mean that when we fast, we shouldn’t let anyone know what we are doing. To some extent, that’s true. But there is a practical limit to that. It’s hard to fast, without your spouse knowing what’s going on. Any attempt to try and hide it is likely to make them think there’s something wrong with you. Better to let them know, without making a big deal out of it.
At the same time, telling your spouse that you are going to fast serves another, practical purpose. That is, it helps strengthen the resolve. It’s much easier to fast, once a declaration of that fast is made, than it is too fast when it is kept totally secret. Letting a spouse know serves the purpose of that public declaration, helping us to keep ourselves on track.
Before starting the fast, make a decision on just how long the fast is going to last. It may turn out that it is hard to meet that goal; but if there’s no goal at all, nothing is going to be accomplished. Start out slow, with those first fasts, setting goals of only a few days. As one gains experience and discipline, it is possible to undertake longer fasts.
As I said, not all fasts are equal, although they may all have equal effects. Before starting, it’s necessary to determine what sort of fast you are going to undertake.
Partial Fast
A partial fast means that one has chosen to fast, but not completely. This can mean fasting during the day, but eating once the sun goes down. That’s probably the most common type of partial fast. But it can also mean fasting only certain types of foods. Some people fast coffee or sugar, led by the Spirit, especially when they have an addiction to those food items. Such a fast can offer freedom that can’t be received in any other way.
Partial fasts are flexible; but it’s necessary to decide the rules of the fast before starting. Declaring that one is on a partial fast because you are busy and missing meals doesn’t quality. That’s more along the lines of trying to make themself look spiritual at no cost.
A common form of partial fast is to avoid solid foods, while still drinking liquids. Be careful with this, as coffee, tea, juices and soft drinks all contain a fair amount of acid, which can cause stomach problems.
Daniel Fast
The Daniel fast gets its name from the fast mentioned above, which the Prophet Daniel undertook. He fasted for a period of three weeks, “eating no pleasant food, no meat or wine” (Daniel 10:3). Some theologians have surmised that he ate something called “pulse” which is much like cream of wheat.
This sort of fast is ideal for people who have dietary problems which make it difficult for them to fast. It can also be useful to those who are new to fasting, giving them a way to start out, without having to go cold turkey. In either case, it is an effective fasting method, allowing one to experience fasting and gain the benefit thereof, without potential medical danger.
People’s opinions about what can be eaten during a Daniel’s fast vary; but the general consensus is that you can eat fruits and vegetables, drinking only water. The key is to not eat meats, pastries, deserts, snack food and all the other goodies we all like to eat. There’s an aspect of fasting that requires denying one’s self for it to count as a fast.
Complete Fast
A complete fast is what most people think of, when they talk about fasting. It means not eating anything. The person who is fasting decides if they are going to drink only water or if they are going to allow themselves juices as well. If juices are drunk, it is best to water them down about 50%, especially if they are acidic juices (like citrus fruits).
Absolute Fast
The absolute fast takes this a step further, eliminating water as well. While this is not common, it is mentioned in the Bible. When Jesus was led into the wilderness, He did an absolute fast for 40 days. Likewise, we find that Moses was led by God twice to undertake an absolute fast for 40 days, when he was on the mountaintop, communing with God. Obviously, God sustained him during that time. Saul, who became Paul, fasted for three days, not eating or drinking, after being struck blind on the road to Damascus.
Fasting Something Other than Food
It is also possible to fast things other than food, something that can be very useful, especially to those who are at least somewhat addicted to that thing. I’ve heard of people fasting Facebook, the news, social media in general, the internet, the newspaper and various other things. These fasts are undertaken to set the individual free from the influence of those things in their life, not for any other reason. Nevertheless, they still have great spiritual benefit, as they break the hold of that thing off the individual’s life, while helping them draw closer to God.
A Few Things to Avoid During a Fast
While there are things that are important to do while fasting, such as praying and studying the Bible, there are also a few things that should be avoided while fasting.
- Don’t stop drinking water, unless specifically directed by the Holy Spirit. The human body can only survive three to five days without water.
- Don’t eat a big meal just before fasting, as that can cause gastrointestinal distress.
- Don’t eat a lot of food when coming off a fast, especially a prolonged one. The body will need time to get used to food again. The same can be said for partial fasts where no food is eaten during the day, but food is eaten at night.
- Those who are taking dietary medications or medications to control their blood sugar should speak with their physician before fasting. It may be necessary to reduce medication levels, temporarily suspend taking them or only go on a partial fast.
- Don’t drink coffee or tea, as they both have a lot of acid.
- Don’t drink alcoholic beverages, as they will have a bigger impact on an empty stomach.