We understand "fasting" to be the practice of deliberately abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Abstinence from water or other fluids is sometimes included. It is a physical and spiritual medicine, and our usual verdict on such, however well the pharmacist may sugar-coat the pill, is: "Unpleasant, but good for you."
Fasting has a way of detaching us from the world of the material so that our thinking becomes rightly oriented, focused on God and the unseen world of which He is the center. This inevitably results in a release of faith, which is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
James Morrison once said, "There are multitudes of diseases which have their origin in fullness, and might have their end in fasting." Without a doubt there are ills that could be cured, or better still prevented, and a better state of general health enjoyed if fasting coupled with reformed eating habits were practiced. The purging of the soul is reflected in the purging of the body, as deposits of surplus fat, the waste material, and the decaying tissues are being digested and eliminated.
Fasting is also a means by which a believer brings his body into subjection. In I Corinthians 9:27, Paul says, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Our body, with its physical organs and appetites, makes a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. Therefore, it is necessary to keep it always in subjection. I once heard this expressed by a fellow minister who said, "My stomach does not tell me when to eat, but I tell my stomach when to eat." Each time a Christian practices fasting for this purpose, he is serving notice on his body: "You are the servant, not the master."
In Galatians 5:17, Paul lays bare the direct opposition that exists between the Holy Spirit of God and the carnal nature of man, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other." Fasting deals with the two great barriers to the Holy Spirit that are erected by man's carnal nature. These are the stubborn self-will of the soul and the insistent, self-gratifying appetites of the body. Rightly practiced, fasting brings both soul and body into subjection to the Holy Spirit.
It is important to understand that fasting changes man, not God. The Holy Spirit, being Himself God, is both omnipotent and unchanging. Fasting breaks down the barriers in man's carnal nature that stand in the way of the Holy Spirit's omnipotence. Thereafter, with these carnal barriers removed, the Holy Spirit can work unhindered in His fullness through our prayers.
Among great Bible saints who fasted were Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, and Daniel the seer. In the New Testament we have the example of our Lord.
It clearly had its place in the life of the early churches. This Biblical practice was not confined to men, for we find the names of Hannah in the Old Testament and Anna in the New Testament in the ranks of the intercessors who fasted as well as prayed.
Some of the great saints of church history have practiced fasting and testified to its value, among them the great Reformers, such as Luther, Calvin and Knox. The custom has not been confined to any theological school, and Christ did not attach any rules to fasting either. Here we find Jonathan Edwards, the Calvinist, joining hands with John Wesley, the Armenian.
In two of David's psalms, 35:13 and 69:10, he speaks about fasting. "I humbled my soul with fasting." The word here translated to "humble" is the same that is translated to "afflict". Again, in 69:10 David says, "I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting. . ." We may combine the various expressions used, and say that fasting, as here practiced, is a form of mourning, and a means to humble oneself and to chasten oneself.
In Matthew 5:4, Jesus says, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." In Isaiah 61:3, the Lord promises special blessings to those who "mourn in Zion." He promises them "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."
Mourning in Zion is neither the self-centered remorse, nor the hopeless grief of the unbeliever. Rather it is a response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit through which the believer shares in some small measure God's own grief over the sin and folly of humanity. This world needs us to pray for it; unbelievers need our prayers before the day of judgment.
The best starting point for a study of the Christian discipline of fasting is to be found in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:1-18, Christ gives instructions to His disciples on three related duties: giving alms, praying, and fasting. In each case He places His main emphasis upon the motive, and warns against religious ostentation for the sake of impressing men. With this qualification, He assumes that all His disciples will practice all three of these duties. This is indicated by the language which He uses concerning each. In verse 16 He says, "When ye (plural) fast. . ." (collectively); and in verse 17, "When thou (singular) fastest. . ." (individually). In no case does Christ say, "if," but always "when." The inference is clear. Christ expects that all His disciples will regularly practice fasting.
The Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist fasted regularly. The people were surprised that they did not see the disciples of Jesus doing the same, and they asked Him the reason. Their question, and Christ's answer, are recorded in Mark: "And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?" And Jesus said unto them, "Can the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the day will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they fast in those days." Mark 2:18-20
This answer of Jesus is given in the form of a simple parable. It is important to interpret the parable correctly. The bridegroom, as always in the New Testament, is Christ Himself. The children of the bride-chamber are the disciples of Christ (about whom the question had been asked). The period while the bridegroom is with them corresponds to the days of Christ's ministry on earth, while He was physically present with His disciples. The period when the bridegroom shall be taken from them commenced when Christ ascended back to Heaven, and will continue until He returns for His church. In the meanwhile the church, as a bride, is awaiting the return of the bridegroom. This is the period in which we are now living, and concerning which Jesus says very definitely, "And then shall they (the disciples) fast in those days." In the days in which we now live, therefore, fasting is a mark of true Christian discipleship, ordained by Jesus Himself.
Fasting is endorsed not merely by the teaching of Jesus, but also by His own personal example. Immediately after being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to spend forty days fasting in the wilderness. This is recorded in Luke: "And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil, and in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
The record says that Jesus did not eat at all during these forty days, but it does not say that He did not drink. Also it says that "He afterward hungered," but it does not say that He was thirsty. The probable inference is that He abstained from food, but not from water. During this period of forty days, Jesus came into direct spiritual conflict with Satan.
There is a significant difference in the expressions used by Luke to describe Jesus before and after His fast. At the beginning, in Luke 4:1, we read, "And Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan." At the end, in Luke 4:14, we read, "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee." When Jesus went into the wilderness, He was already full of the Holy Spirit. But when He came out again after fasting, He returned in the power of the Spirit. It would appear that the potential of the Holy Spirit's power, which Jesus received at the time of His baptism in Jordan, only came forth into full manifestation after He had completed His fast. Fasting was the final phase of preparation through which He had to pass, before entering into His public ministry.
The same spiritual laws that applied on Christ's own ministry apply also in the ministry of His disciples. In John 14:12, Jesus says, ". . . He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also . . ." By these words Jesus opens the way for His disciples to follow in the pattern of His own ministry. However, in John 13:16, Jesus also says,". . . The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." This applies to the preparation for ministry. If fasting was a necessary part of Christ's own preparation, it must play a part also in the disciples' preparation.
In the Old Testament, four major acts of deliverance and victory have been recorded. Jehoshaphat conquers without fighting, Ezra obtains a safe conduct from Heaven, Esther transforms disaster into triumph, and Ninevah is spared. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, Jehoshaphat "proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah," and the entire army that was facing him destroyed themselves, not leaving a single survivor.
In Ezra 8:21-23, Ezra proclaimed a collective fast. He wanted God to protect him and his people as they traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem. The returning band of exiles completed their long and dangerous journey in perfect peace and safety.
In the fourth chapter of Esther, we find an evil man named Haman oppressing the Jews. He was Satan's advocate. Haman was seeking guidance from occult powers. He relied on unseen spiritual forces to direct him in exterminating the Jews. This placed the whole conflict on the spiritual plane. It was not just flesh against flesh; it was spirit against spirit. Through Haman, Satan was actually challenging the power of God Himself.
Esther accepted the challenge and called for a collective 3 day fast, with no food or water. The result was a complete change in the Persian empire, in favor of the Jews. Haman and his sons perished. Then enemies of the Jews throughout the Persian empire suffered total defeat. Esther became one of the most influential personalities in Persian politics. The Jews in every area experienced a unique measure of favor, peace, and prosperity. All this can be directly attributed to one cause: the collective fasting and prayer of God's people.
In Jonah 3:5-9, we find the town of Ninevah headed toward judgment by God. After Jonah warns the people of their future, the entire town joins in a collective fast. This fast was unique because the king called for it and the people followed. God saw their repentant hearts and decided to have mercy on them.
Paul was a true disciple of Jesus and fasting played a vital part in his ministry. Immediately after his first encounter with Christ on the Damascus road, Paul spent the next three days without food or drink (Acts 9:9). Thereafter, fasting was a regular part of his spiritual discipline. In 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, Paul lists various different ways in which he had proved himself a true minister of God. In verse 5, two of the ways which he lists are: "in watchings, in fastings." Watching signifies going without sleep; fasting signifies going without food. Both these disciplines were practiced at times by Paul to make his ministry fully effective.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before you fast:
1. Should I undertake a normal or a partial fast?
2. Are my motives right?
3. What are my spiritual objectives in this fast?
For example, are you going to be fasting for personal sanctification and cleansing; praying for certain people or specific needs, divine intervention, guidance, or blessing, to loose the captives, or to bring revival.
You should expect that a time of fasting would prove to be for you, as it was for your Master, a time of conflict with the powers of darkness. Satan will often try to take advantage of your physical condition to launch an attack. Discouragement is one of his weapons. Guard against it by maintaining a spirit of praise. Often in times of prayer and fasting you will find the going harder instead of easier, and will seem to experience less rather than more liberty. This is often when most is happening. This is wrestling. This is Heavenly warfare. Your Captain did not promise you a walk-over but a fight, and gave you the weapons to win. He did not give you the "happy spirit" to make you happy, but He gave you the Holy Spirit to make you holy. Often you will not see until later the full results, but the promise forever stands: "Your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Where the motive is right and the method scriptural, this can only result in good, and fasting unto God is an obvious example of it. Fasting, then, opens the way for the outpouring of the Spirit and the restoration of God's house. Fasting in this age of the absent Bridegroom is in expectation of His return. Soon there will be the cry, "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him." It will be too late to fast and to pray. The time is now.
Many of God's choicest provisions for His people are given while fasting. There are some things we can only obtain by fasting.
Encourage everyone to pick a day and have a collective fast. Write down special needs for prayer during fasting.
References:
Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting, by Derek Prince.
Spire Books, 1973. Published by Fleming H. Revell Co.
God's Chosen Fast, by Arthur Wallis. Christian Literature Crusade, 1996 reprint.
Memorize Romans 8:38,39. "For I am convinced, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
